SISTER ACT: Lea Thompson and Degrassi’s Stacey Farber join forces for new mystery series

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Lea Thompson will be the first to admit chemistry isn’t something you can fake.

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So it was fortuitous she and Degrassi: The Next Generation’s Stacey Farber were able to bond so quickly before playing mother and daughter in CTV’s The Spencer Sisters, a Winnipeg-shot procedural in which Thompson stars as a mystery writer who joins forces with her ex-cop daughter (played by Farber) to solve crimes.

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After debuting last night, next week’s episode finds the duo (who everyone mistakes for sisters) trying to solve the death of a CEO’s fiance.

“Actors have to create intimacy really quickly and sometimes it doesn’t work,” Thompson says in a video call. “But I felt from the first time I read with her that it was going to be great. It’s just a magical thing that happens sometimes when you adore someone the way I adore her.”

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Thompson didn’t retire from Hollywood. But after a career that started in the ’80s with a string of big-screen hits that included the Back to the Future trilogy and continued into the ’90s with the TV sitcom Caroline in the City, the actress, now 61, was dissatisfied with the roles she was being offered.

“Women my age get really lame parts a lot that aren’t interesting or funny,” Thompson says candidly.

That all changed when she was handed the script to The Spencer Sisters. The quick-witted character of Victoria was the first one Thompson had been pitched in a while that made her want to press pause on her career behind the camera, where she has made a name for herself as a director.

“I moved into directing because I couldn’t get any good parts like Victoria in The Spencer Sisters,” Thompson says with a slight chuckle. “Now a lot of people are mad that I’m acting.”

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Joined by Farber on a recent weekday morning, Thompson spoke more about the new series, her pitch to Marvel for a Howard the Duck reboot and what Back to the Future II prediction surprised her the most.

You’re both no stranger to television. What was it about The Spencer Sisters that made you say yes?

Thompson: “I was offered the script — and it’s a lovely thing to not have to audition (laughs). But I knew that mysteries are really popular with people because I did these Jane Doe mysteries for the Hallmark Channel many years ago. They’re still playing them and people watch them and they love them. So I thought it was a chance to make a show that could be a hit and be on TV for a while. That’s the dream. To not have to audition and have a safe place to have a family to work with for a minute or two.”

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Farber: “I loved that this is a procedural with a new case every week. It’s comedic and light and bright and it’s an exploration between a mother and daughter working together.”

You filmed the series in Winnipeg. What was the city’s hidden gem?

Thompson: “Cibo Waterfront Cafe. That restaurant is right on the river and the food is delicious.”

Farber: “Mine would be Lake Winnipeg in Matlock. We would drive out there and just hang out on the dock.”

Lea, your character is a mystery novelist. What books are on your nightstand right now?

Thompson: (Laughs) “I’m only reading scripts.”

Farber: “I read a lot. I’ve been in Brooklyn for a couple of months and joined the library there and you know how you shouldn’t grocery shop when you’re hungry? That’s how I feel at the library. I took out 28 books and that’s so unnecessary. Really, I should stick to one or two at a time.”

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Thompson: “In my defence, I just directed two (episodes) of The Goldbergs and I’m going to direct an episode soon of Resident Alien.”

Farber: “I would rather be directing TV shows than taking out 28 books from the library.”

Lea, I loved that Howard the Duck movie you did when I was a kid. Have you gone into Marvel and pitched them on a reboot?

Thompson: “I have! I’ve had a meeting at Marvel. I wanted to direct a different kind of Howard the Duck movie. I directed an episode of (DC’s) Stargirl, which had all kids of special effects — a lot of Marvel-y kind of stuff. I also did an episode of Star Trek: Picard to prove that, ‘Yes, I can handle a big budget.’ So I’ve pitched it to Marvel, and the fans want it. But they haven’t called me back. They said, ‘We’ll remember this.’ But they have plans long out for things.”

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Farber: (Laughs) “They have the next 50 years figured out.”

Stacey, you were on Degrassi for eight seasons as Ellie Nash. Why do you think that show has succeeded through so many iterations?

Farber: “It wasn’t slick or glossy … And it dealt with issues in a real way. We’ve heard from so many people over the years and they really connected with the tougher storylines that we handled. But also, we didn’t have social media in our generation — as actors or characters. If kids today are loving it, maybe there’s a nostalgia aspect to that for them.”

Lea, you’ve probably been asked every Back to the Future question in the book. But looking at Back to the Future II — which took place in the year 2015 — what technological prediction are you most surprised came true?

Thompson: “I knew that flying cars weren’t going to be popular. No one wants to fly their car. Everyone is kind of scared to leave the ground. Maybe the (video calling) thing was kind of smart. A lot of people didn’t think that would happen and that’s how we live now.”

The Spencer Sisters airs Fridays on CTV. Past episodes are available to stream on CTV.ca and the CTV app.

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