SQUAD GOALS
Math at the heart of action-packed, character-based children’s favourite
In a world … where people inexplicably disappear … and time-travel is a real thing … only one team can restore normalcy — well, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their bedtime. And that team is Odd Squad.
Odd Squad, as parents of fiveto eight-year-olds likely know, is a team of pint-sized government agents who use math skills to investigate strange happenings in their town — like things mysteriously being covered in jam, or the mayor suddenly catching a case of the sing-a-longs.
The live-action TV show named for them is a staple on PBS, and for good reason. Since its debut in 2014, Odd Squad has aired more than 60 episodes and produced a big-screen movie. In April, it won five Daytime Emmys and will air a fresh batch of episodes this fall. (Online it’s available on tvokids. com and the TVOKids YouTube channel.)
That’s dead-serious achievement for something you might be tempted to write off as kids’ stuff.
“It’s a math show, and that was always the intent,” says co-creator Tim McKeon, who won a Writers Guild of Canada screenwriting award for his work on the series. “The challenge was, how do we make the most action-packed, funny, character-based math episodes?”
The struggle is real, especially when kids have smartphones and tablets, as well as video games and other shows, vying for their attention. Luckily McKeon had experience working on The West Wing — the hit show about the White House that earned 26 Emmy Awards — to draw on.
“I was so low on the ladder. I was the guy who got coffee for the guy who got coffee. But our show is totally inspired by it because the characters do all these walk-andtalks, and we built a White Houseinspired set,” says McKeon, who films the series in Toronto.
“We just wanted to make these kids look powerful. They’re important — it’s a kid-run organization. You don’t know where any of their parents are or what their home lives are like. They’re all wearing suits, business attire.”
The storytelling is also inspired by adult TV. While each episode works as a stand-alone, story arcs have revealed the backstory of the villain Odd Todd (Joshua Kilimnik). Plus, the agents take turns in the spotlight: Agents Olive (Dalila Bela) and Otto (Filip Geljo) rule season 1, while agents Olympia (Anna Cathcart) and Otis (Issac Kragten) shine in season 2. Ms. O (Millie Davis) is their stern overseer.
“I don’t think there should be any difference between a kids’ show and an adult show. There are ingredients for each episode: We have a wall of math and then a wall of odd things like invisibility, people floating and time travel. And then there’s a wall of character stories. It’s a procedural like CSI or Law & Order, and they can be solving a case. But you also have a workplace story, and a fun odd idea,” says McKeon.
“One of my favourite episodes is where they get trapped in a time loop — a puzzle episode. That’s different from going out into the world and solving someone’s odd problem or having a big character story, where two agents have never been in the field before and it’s up to them to save the day.”
That embedded-learning approach — particularly when it comes to teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts at early elementary levels — has proven popular with both parents and kids.
On Netflix, the live-action Project Mc2 follows a group of girls who work for a secret government organization that protects the world.
It released its fourth season in February and co-stars former Wonder Years actress Danica McKellar, who’s written a series of math books for girls.
Meanwhile Annedroids, a Canadian CGI/live-action blend, focuses on an 11-year-old girl, her friends and her three android creations.
That show has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards.
The trend is noteworthy, especially with girls taking an active role in STEM-related storylines — women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields after university. According to a National Household Survey (NHS), women comprised just 39 per cent of grads with a STEM degree in 2011.
But for McKeon, whose favourite shows growing up included Greatest American Hero and Quantum Leap, STEM-centred children’s programming can just be great TV.
“There’s so much possibility in kids’ TV, and I think you can also do weirder stuff in kids TV. That’s always appealed to me,” says McKeon.
“And I also just love the kid fans — they’re way better than the adult fans. You get kids re-enacting your characters in little videos and stuff. When a kid does it it’s charming and wonderful. When an adult does it, it’s creepy.”