Quebec series have long featured father characters from the same mould: absent fathers. The times have changed. Both socially and on the small screen. In 2023, the fictions reflect this evolution and feature various father figures who avoid clichés.
Take Francis (Alexandre Goyette) in Six Degrees. Photographer, but above all a devoted housewife, he takes care of picking up the children from school, organizing lunches, helping with homework, etc. We are far from Émile Rousseau (Claude Léveillée) in Scoop, Marc Gagnon (Marc Messier) in Lance et compte and Ovila Pronovost (Roy Dupuis) in Les filles de Caleb.
“The absent father, we have seen it a lot, comments the author Simon Boulerice. Well, that’s not what I experienced. My father worked a lot, but he was still there for me and for my sister. »
Six Degrees is not the only series by Simon Boulerice to put forward a benevolent father figure. We list some in Chouchou, Martine at the beach and Geolocate love. “We saw a lot of angry fathers who were in a form of toxicity. I try to circumvent that. I prefer to write about fathers who are full of consideration for their children. »
Same echo with Marc Robitaille, author of Perfect Moments, a dramatic comedy that will bow out in the fall, after three seasons. “The role of the father has changed over the past 30, 40 years. We see male characters that are much more involved, who are more grounded in their world, less alienated. »
The main father figures of the TVA soap opera perfectly illustrate the variety offered in 2023. We find Georges (Denis Bernard), the rather directive, impulsive and sanguine patriarch, Louis (Émile Proulx-Cloutier), the eldest of great sensitivity, and Alex (Gabriel Sabourin), the calm and thoughtful son-in-law who advocates communication.
“Before, there was a tendency to portray the father as a lovable loser or just a loser… Someone who was always dumped, disconnected or irresponsible. I wanted to get away from it all. »
Although they are no longer popular, career fathers have not disappeared from the airwaves. The presence of Léo MacDonald (Sébastien Delorme) in Indéfendable bears witness to this. The criminal lawyer regularly spends too many hours on the job. His ergomaniac behavior almost undermined his couple last season, when Sara (Catherine Renaud) threatened to pack up to force him to redefine his priorities.
Next fall, Leo will strive to spend more time with his family, a challenge that will prove major, reveals Izabel Chevrier, lead author and creator of the TVA court drama.
“Last season, Sara was pretty much on her own managing the family, despite working as a CEGEP literature teacher. She carried all the mental load. In 2023, this is a subject that we cannot really avoid. »
The eye of the storm also examines this concept, but differently, comedy obliges. Offered on ICI Tou.tv and ICI Télé Extra, this KOTV production paints the portrait of a completely overwhelmed single mother of three children, portrayed by Christine Beaulieu. Named Jean-François, the ex-spouse of the heroine is played by Patrick Hivon.
“He is a father who has not always picked up the mental load, underlines Dominic Anctil, content producer and script advisor. He does his best, he tries to be modern and to be close to his children. »
In The Eye of the Storm, Dominic Anctil wanted Jean-François to be portrayed as a multidimensional man, not “a pure fool”. Largely because he thinks there are plenty of crazy, stupid dads in advertising.
“It’s always incompetent,” laments the producer. We didn’t want a man in his forties who was slightly off. »
Although we feel in several series the desire to restore the image of fathers, their shortcomings continue to be dissected in others, such as À cœur beating, the new offering by Danielle Trottier (Unit 9) whose action revolves around of a community organization that deals with violent men.
The author met several men and fathers of families before starting to write the drama that ICI Télé has been broadcasting since January. She says she was surprised to find “so much distress.”
These interviews marked Danielle Trottier. She was inspired by them to imagine a panoply of characters, including Hervé Dubois, who will benefit from increased airtime next fall. Father of Gabrielle Laflamme (Ève Landry), this inmate is serving a 25-year sentence for having killed two women, including his spouse.
“He is a man who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder. A man who led an exemplary life until the day everything went wrong. »
“The distress of the men is not less,” reports Marc Robitaille. It still exists. We could do a thousand series on this. »
“There is a super nice fatherhood scene, when Julien brings his daughter to apologize to the child she insulted. I thought it was nice to see that he wanted to do things right. Julien is not always present for his family, but in this specific situation, he acts like a father. Because a father must also bring his child back to the right path. – Simon Boulerice
“He’s an amazing dad. He upset me. He moved me. His family was going through something extremely dramatic. Her daughter was sinking. She refused his help. But he never gave up. He was always there for her. He did everything to get her out. He never gave up, even when it was difficult. – Izabel Chevrier
“He was able to recognize that he was as much the father of Luc [Sébastien Delorme], his chocolate apprentice, as of Isabelle [Michèle Barbara Pelletier], his eldest daughter. When Yves asked for medical assistance in dying, he was the one who consoled everyone. He said, “Happiness, I don’t go with it.” He was a very responsible father. It is an exceptional model. – Danielle Trottier
“He’s a father who can’t say ‘I love you’ to his son. A bit like Popa in La petite vie. That’s not the kind of question they ask: “Should I tell my son I love him?” It’s generational. Today, young fathers say more what they feel. –Dominic Anctil
“What made me laugh a lot was his kind of helplessness in front of his sons. I love seeing dads challenged like that. He wasn’t losing all his battles against his guys. He could win a few. Because he had spirit, spring. He was able to bounce back. He was not resigned. –Marc Robitaille
