Ces gars-là is a lot like real life for quadrilingual comedian and his buddy/co-star Simon-Olivier Fecteau

Ça s'peut tu? Has Sugar Sammy changed his political stripes?

In the second episode of Ces gars-là, the new franco buddy-comedy TV series, Sugar Sammy is smitten by a young woman with whom he spends an amorous evening. When he wakes up the following morning in her apartment, he is alarmed to discover in the light of day that her place is covered with separatist paraphernalia, including a picture of Jacques Parizeau in the loo. Turns out the lady of his dreams is a diehard indépendantiste.

What to do? Decisions, decisions.

“Ah, love is blind,” says Sugar Sammy, with a twinkle in his eyes, while discussing his lead-acting debut in the series. Without spilling what transpires, the outcome, while not necessarily predictable, is hilarious. It is also typical of the comedy in the show, which cleverly and satirically plays off the cultural identities of its two principals, Sammy and his real-life best buddy, comic/actor/director Simon Olivier Fecteau.

The 10-part series, which debuts Monday at 8 p.m. on V, has been penned by Sammy and Fecteau, along with India Desjardins. Fecteau also serves as director of the series.

Having been witness to the off-screen antics of Sammy and Fecteau on a few occasions, it's safe to say that Ces gars-là almost comes across as a reality show with elements of Seinfeld/Curb Your Enthusiasm tossed in for more chuckles. The two love to put on one another as well as others who enter the fray.

“This is definitely the show I wanted to do,” Sammy says. “I think it's outstanding that I could do a show about coexisting with my francophone buddy on a French network in Quebec. It's so rare to see that anglo/franco mix on television.”

Sammy is, on some level, a poster boy for Bill 101. A child of immigrants, he attended French primary and secondary school and his mastery of the language of Molière is not questioned. He is equally comfortable performing in French as in English, not to mention in Hindi and Punjabi as well. But like so many other Montrealers, he sees the world through a multicultural lens. His outspoken views on the latter, as espoused in his hit one-man bilingual standup show You're Gonna Rire, have amused many but have also riled up others in more nationalist circles.

He expects Ces Gars-là will again titillate many, both francos and anglos, but he also suspects that the usual suspects could take offence. “I could say that Jesus personally asked me to announce his second coming, and some people will still get mad at me. No matter what I do, there will always be those who just don't get the humour.”

Some will be surprised to learn that Sammy and Premier Pauline Marois have some comedy history together. She performed a satirical bit with Sammy at Le Gala Les Olivier several years ago and seemed to enjoy herself. “But that was before the charter (of values),” he cracks.

Regardless, Sammy likes to point out that Jean-François Lisée acknowledged that he was proud of the fact that an anglo (Sammy) had won the award as most popular comic in Quebec at a more recent Le Gala Les Olivier, because it helps to break down the barriers between anglos and francos.

It should be noted that Sammy's solo franco standup show, En Français SVP, two years after it was launched continues to play to sold-out houses in Montreal as well as throughout the province. Same, too, for You're Gonna Rire. That's a total of somewhere in excess of 300 shows combined to date.

In fact, Sammy is booked solid until the end of 2015. “The demand is still nuts for the shows,” he says. “It's become a real Montreal experience for both anglos and francos. It's constantly evolving, too, because the political landscape here is constantly changing and constantly providing me with new material.”

The irony is that, unlike many anglo comics here, Sammy continues to thrive in this province by taking potshots at the absurdities of life here as perceived by a member of a cultural minority.

“Obviously, there are those who want to protest against what I do. But what's gratifying is that there's a huge part of the population that's mature enough to see it's all in fun. It's great that audiences in the province can get another perspective for once.”

That perspective is also well showcased in Ces gars-là. “It shows how a francophone and an anglophone can be best friends and have it not be an issue. And yet be able to laugh at all these issues that pop up in our province.”

Since last we spoke, Sammy has moved out of his parents' home into his own digs — “although I am back at my parents at least four or five times a week.”

“I need to see my parents. A lot of the material on the TV show is based on my relationship with them. How else can I share such important information with audiences that my father fills an entire fridge with eggs he finds on sale?”

On the other hand, he allows that some events in the TV series have been embellished a tad. For example, he has yet to have had a serious relationship with a separatist woman.

“But I do have a lot of separatist women writing to me. They say they have conflicted feelings toward me. Several have written that while half of their being wants to have sex with me, their other half would like nothing better than to punch me in the face. I don't know what to do, so I just laugh and write them back to say I'll be using that kind of material for my shows.

“I've been really fortunate. With life here, with the charter of values, my material can almost write itself,” he elaborates. “I can't say, however, that I really understand the charter. No kippahs, no turbans, no hijabs, but the mullet is still legal in Quebec.”

Ces gars-là debuts Monday at 8 p.m. on V.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Photograph by: Bertrand Calmeau

“I do have a lot of separatist women writing to me,” says Sugar Sammy, seen here with Louis-Julien Durso. “They say they have conflicted feelings.”