The Yard
Encyclopedia
The Yard is a six-part half-hour miniseries that originally aired on HBO Canada
.
, at Parker Elementary School
in Canada. Providing both behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the kids intercut with the main drama.
of the Toronto Sun
called The Yard "‘The Yard’ like kiddie ‘Sopranos’".
The Grid called it "The Wire Babies".
HBO Canada
HBO Canada is a Canadian television channel, which airs programming sourced from the HBO subscription service in the United States. HBO Canada is not available as a standalone channel, but as one channel within the TMN and Movie Central multiplexes....
.
The Good Guys
- Nick - played by Quintin Colantoni, the eleven-year-old Capo of The Yard, quintessentially cool and a hard-nosed realist, he is also an astute reader of human nature. He is wise beyond his years, and is loyal and fair to his lieutenants. He is self-assured and possesses an easy charm.
- Johnny - played by Shemar Charles, Nick's oldest friend, going back to KindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. He thinks he has magical powers but his tricks only work some of the time. He's trying to become a great magician. He is a pervert, sniffing girls hair, spying on them in the barthroom, and is hoping for a girlfriend to be an assistant. - Suzi - played by Keana Bastidas, Nick's enforcer. Being a girl, she can hit boys and girls, and she is the toughest kid in the yard. She is a bed wetter and is given a dollar for every night she doesn't wet the bed, one month she made $12. She hates Mary after a sleep-over ending in her peeing in Mary's sleeping bag.
- J.J. - played by Alex Cardillo, the 2nd smartest kid in school and brains of Nick's outfit. He became a vegetarian after reading Charlotte's WebCharlotte's WebCharlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams.The novel tells the story...
. He won 2nd place at the Science fairScience fairA science fair is generally a competition where contestants present their science project results in the form of a report, display board, and models that they have created. Science fairs allow students in grade schools and high schools to compete in science and/or technology activities...
. He also as a crush on The Mole, Beth.
The Bad Guys
- Frankie Miladic - played by Daniel Lupetina. His big brother Drago ran the yard last year, before leaving for middle school. Believes Nick has stolen his birthright.
- Mickey Dos Santos - played by Daryn Karp, one of Frankie's Gang. Pork Chop's younger brother. Shorter and none too bright; but what he lacks in intelligence, he makes up for in terrible flatulence.
- "Pork Chop" - played by Jared Karp, a big, overgrown kid, some of it muscle but much of it fat, who acts as Frankie's "enforcerEnforcerEnforcer may refer to:*A thug who uses physical force or the threat of physical force to coerce others*Enforcer , a role in ice hockey*Enforcer - Gaming :*Enforcer, a units in the Battle Realms video game...
."
Others
- Mary Miladic - played by Sarah Cranmer, Frankie's sister and queen beeQueen bee (subculture)A queen bee is the leader of a female group, a clique's leader, usually a popular young lady. Characteristics often associated to her are a pleasant appearance, charisma, skill in manipulation, and monetary power. She is sometimes portrayed as the Head Cheerleader, Prom Queen, Homecoming Queen,...
of the girls. Underneath it all she is a very serious and savvy politician who works tirelessly behind the scenes to manipulate the leaders (Frankie and Nick) into keeping peace in the Yard. - Alistair - played by Cameron Mazzei, Nerdy but flashily dressed, Alistair is the best Ju-Ji-Mon (a trading cardTrading cardA trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...
game) player in the Yard. He is allergic to Peanuts.Peanut allergyPeanut allergy is a type of food allergy distinct from nut allergies. It is a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction to dietary substances from peanuts causing an overreaction of the immune system which in a small percentage of people may lead to severe physical symptoms. It is estimated to affect... - Cory - played by John FlemingJohn FlemingJohn Fleming was a judge in Cumberland County, Virginia who served in the Virginia House of Burgesses for more than a decade, working with John Robinson and Peyton Randolph. In 1764, he worked with Patrick Henry, George Johnston and Robert Munford on the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions...
, Son of a single mom, there is some dysfunction and disarray. Always dressed in hand-me-downs. When his mom has gone off the wagon, he shows up for school with a non-alcoholic beer and a can of vegetables for lunch. - Adam - played by Devan Cohen, Nick’s youngest brother. He’s just a little kid who wants to play.
- Patti - played by Olivia Scriven, a pretty thing and a pint-sized gold digger. Friends' with Mary and Arm candy to Alistair. On the Girls soccer too.
- Wayne Chang - played by Siam Yu, The Yard's Asian Minister of Information.
- Ashok - played by Ajay Gautam, The Yard's doctor. Knows how to use a EpiPenEpinephrine autoinjectorAn epinephrine autoinjector is a medical device used to deliver a measured dose of epinephrine using autoinjector technology, most frequently for the treatment of acute allergic reactions to avoid or treat the onset of anaphylactic shock.Trade names for this device include EpiPen, Twinject,...
. Dreams of being a real doctor. - The Mole/Beth- played by Brittany Brides, The smarts kid at school. Loves Naked mole ratNaked Mole RatThe naked mole rat , also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa and the only species currently classified in the genus Heterocephalus...
and ants. 1st place at the Science fairScience fairA science fair is generally a competition where contestants present their science project results in the form of a report, display board, and models that they have created. Science fairs allow students in grade schools and high schools to compete in science and/or technology activities...
. - Piya - Johnny sniffed her hair in class after the room went dark.
- Sadie - A girl who was tricked into drinking a love potion by Johnny, but it gave her hiccups.
Plot
The series is seen by an unseen Documentarian, voiced by Paul GrossPaul Gross
Paul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in...
, at Parker Elementary School
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in Canada. Providing both behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the kids intercut with the main drama.
Season 1
- "The Economy" - A new trading card game hits the yard and a financial crisisFinancial crisisThe term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these...
starts. - "Girls vs. Boys" - Johnny is kicked in the testicles by Patti. Nick tries to find out why Johnny was kicked and how to deal with it.
- "The Territories" - North Africa would love to play football, but Frankie and his crew will not have them on his pitch and war starts.
- "The Catcher (The Black Market)" - Frankie and his crew work the peanut butter and jelly sandwichPeanut butter and jelly sandwichThe peanut butter and jelly sandwich or PB&J is a sandwich, popular in North America, that includes a layer of peanut butter and either jam or jelly on bread, commonly between two slices, but sometimes eaten open-faced....
rack. Johnny is talked into the black market by Patti as a catcher and becomes indebted to Frankie. - "The Great Compromise" - Nick is overworked. But time off makes more trouble and chaos in The Yard.
- "Big Business (The Free Market Stinks)" - Stink bombStink bombA stink bomb or stinkbomb is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from simple pranks to military grade or riot control chemical agents.The Guinness Book of Records lists two smelliest substances...
s are big business in the Yard and Frankie and his crew are at the top. But Mary Miladic starts to complain, Nick works out a plan for the stink bombs. Frankie employs The Mole/Beth to make a new type of failsafe bomb under the sandbox, but it fails on picture day.
Reception
Bill HarrisBill Harris
- Sports :*Bill Harris , American MLB pitcher*Bill Harris , Canadian MLB pitcher*Bill Harris American basketball coach, head coach India national basketball team...
of the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
called The Yard "‘The Yard’ like kiddie ‘Sopranos’".
The Grid called it "The Wire Babies".