Colleen Curran’s Kitty Calling
wins NOW Magazine award

Pandemic-inspired comedy is named Best Web Series

By Byron Toben

Debra Hale as Kitty

Toronto’s NOW Magazine (est. 1981) is Canada’s largest and best-known alternative magazine. Like most print publications, it added digital in 1993, then dropped print in April 2019.

Each year, it publishes a Readers Poll list of that year, in categories such as Art and Book, Film, TV and Stage, Tech Apps, Social Media, Eat and Drink.

In the category Web Series, the current winner is Colleen Curran’s Kitty Calling, written by Montréal’s own Colleen Curran and featuring Toronto’s Debra Hale as pandemic do-gooder Kitty who phones shut-ins and others in need of verbal support. The frequent recipient of these calls is Bernice (Lorna Wilson).

Human actors appear in cameo roles from time to time as a priest, neighbour, commentator, etc., supplemented by Kitty’s dog and Bernice’s cat.

Norma Wilson as Bernice

WestmountMag viewers may be familiar with many of the 3-minute episodes of this series. Season One began in 2020 with 12 episodes, and Season Two for 2021 just ended with nine episodes.

What quirky twists for Season Three are fermenting in Colleen’s imagination are unknown to us at this time, perhaps even to her.

For your convenience, here is the link to seasons One and Two, with each episode in reverse chronologic order. See a few at your convenience or binge and watch all at once.

Feel free to forward this article to others who may enjoy the snappy editing and oft timely commentary.

Images: frames from Kitty Calling episodes

More articles from Byron Toben

Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated web sites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.