The Assembly (Canadian TV series)

The Assembly is a Canadian television documentary interview series, which premiered in 2025 on CBC Television.[1]

Produced by Small Army Entertainment and based on the French television series Les Rencontres du Papotin,[1] the series features a panel of interviewers on the autism spectrum interviewing celebrity guests.[2]

Interview guests

Interview guests in the six-episode first season were Howie Mandel, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Jann Arden, Allan Hawco, Arlene Dickinson and Russell Peters.[3] Revelations broadcast in the series included Arden discussing her battle with alcoholism, Mandel talking about how his life was improved when he publicly opened up about his obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dickinson sharing that despite her success on television and in business she is still an introverted person who struggles with insecurity, and Peters talking about the difficult relationship he had with his mother growing up.[4] Dickinson later stated that "it was the most moving experience I've had in terms of really being able to connect with people in a different way. There are no barriers or guardrails in place in terms of what they asked, but also the questions truly came from a place of deep interest."[2]

Production

The series premiered November 6, 2025.[5] In April 2026, the CBC announced that it had renewed the series for a second season.[6]

Reception

The series received two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards in 2026, for Best Factual Series (Sean De Vries, Stephen Sawchuk) and winner of Best Direction in a Factual Series (Heather Hawthorn Doyle for the episode featuring Howie Mandel).[7] The show was also the winner of the Kathleen Shannon Award at the 2026 Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Awards in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on May 23, 2026.

References

  1. 1 2 Jordan Pinto, "CBC orders local version of French format The Assembly as part of 2025/26 slate". C21, June 4, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Ask them anything: A new CBC show offers an unprecedented experience to celebrities interviewed by neurodivergent cast members". Hamilton Spectator, November 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ Ina Pace, "Neurodivergent voices take centre stage in new celebrity interview series". Canadian Press, November 12, 2025.
  4. ↑ "5 most powerful moments from Season 1 of the celebrity interview series The Assembly". CBC Television, November 27, 2025.
  5. ↑ Greg David, "CBC sets fall 2025 premiere dates for more than 30 new and returning original Canadian series". TV, eh?, August 23, 2025.
  6. ↑ Andrew Tracy, "CBC orders second season of The Assembly". Playback, April 6, 2026.
  7. ↑ Pat Mullen, "Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story Leads Canadian Screen Awards Documentary Nominations". Point of View, March 25, 2026.
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