I Have Nothing (TV series)

I Have Nothing is a comedy documentary television series created by Canadian actress and comedian Carolyn Taylor. The series follows Taylor on a comical quest to choreograph the perfect, pairs figure skating routine set to Whitney Houston’s 1993 hit song “I Have Nothing.” Joining Taylor on her mission is a group of prominent people from the figure skating world including choreographer Sandra Bezic, two-time Olympic gold medalist Ekaterina Gordeeva, Olympic gold medalist David Pelletier, world champions Brian Orser, Kurt Browning, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, and award-winning comedian, actor, and writer, Mae Martin.The series consists of six episodes and premiered on Crave on September 23, 2023.

Premise
The story begins with the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary when closeted 15 year-old Carolyn Taylor watched Olympic figure skating and Katarina Witt's free skate to Carmen in a red costume on television in her aunt's living room. Almost thirty years later, Taylor was in the car, listening to the 1993 song “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston on the radio, and she imagined herself choreographing a gold medal winning pairs figure skating program set to that song. In the unscripted six episode series, Taylor embarks on a journey to make her dream a reality. She enlists Canadian choreographer Sandra Bezic as her mentor, struggles to clear the rights to the Houston song, learns to skate from world champion Brian Orser, and gets choreography tips from Bezic, Kurt Browning, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini to prepare before the rehearsals with Ekaterina Gordeeva and David Pelletier start. The series culminates with Gordeeva and Pelletier's performance of a figure skating program, choreographed by Taylor herself, in front of a live audience.

Cast
Carolyn Taylor as herself

Mae Martin as themself

Sandra Bezic as herself

Ekaterina Gordeeva as herself

David Pelletier as himself

Kurt Browning as himself

Elladj Baldé as himself

Riku Miura as herself

Ryuichi Kihara as himself

Brian Orser as himself

Jully Black as herself

Sabrina Jalees as herself

Barbara Underhill as herself

Paul Martini as himself

Katarina Witt as herself

Elvira Kurt as herself

Kristi Yamaguchi as herself

Adam Rippon as himself

Tara Lipinski as herself

Elizabeth Manley as herself

Mathieu Caron as himself

Bruno Marcotte as himself

Development
Taylor used to incorporate her idea of choreographing a pairs figure skating routine into her standup comedy performances on stage and would make audiences laugh when she told them that she would do it for real one day. Taylor partnered with Zack Russell during the COVID-19 pandemic. Russell would go on to co-executive produce and co-direct beside her, and when Catalyst and Blue Ant Studios came onboard, Bell Media commissioned the show in June 2022. The series was supported by the Rogers Cable Fund and the Bell Fund with Blue Ant International holding global distribution rights.

Casting
Taylor was obsessed with the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and the performances of Ekaterina Gordeeva, Katarina Witt and Kurt Browning were etched into her memory. Initially, Taylor wanted to pair Witt and Browning but was told by producers that two singles skaters would be unable to perform the pair elements in a pairs routine. Gordeeva convinced husband David Pelletier to work on the project with her because they rarely get the opportunity to perform together. Before rehearsals started, they researched Taylor's previous work and watched some of her sketch shows. They could see she was funny but also artistic and emotional.

Filming
Principal photography for the unscripted six episode series began on locations in the Greater Toronto area and Edmonton in October 2022 and wrapped in mid-November 2022.

Music
The series shows Taylor struggling to clear the song rights to the 1993 Houston single "I Have Nothing" that she wants Gordeeva and Pelletier to perform to. The Whitney Estate agreed for Taylor to use the song but it took a while to get the publishers onboard, and the final paperwork was not signed till after filming was completed.

Release
I Have Nothing was screened at the Toronto edition of the annual Just for Laughs comedy festival on September 23, 2023, followed by a panel discussion with Taylor, Mae Martin, Sandra Bezic and Kurt Browning. Later that evening, all six episodes were released on Crave in Canada. The series premiered on CTV on September 29, 2023.

Critical response
Elisabetta Bianchini of Yahoo! Canada described Carolyn's journey as "hysterical and truly riveting" while Mel Woods of Xtra Magazine wrote about the LGBTQ themes of the show: "In many ways, the show itself is a meditation on queer obsession. Queer and trans people often spend a lifetime getting told that we’re too much. We love too deeply and we obsess too fervently, whether that’s about our favourite pop stars, our straight crush or a single line from a decades-old movie." Larry Fried of That Shelf called the series "one of the year’s most original and memorable shows," stating that it's "full of heart, genuine laughs, and – in between the absurdity – provides fascinating commentary on the intersectionality between art and athleticism." The series "proves that with the right conditions, television can be a sanctuary for our dreams," wrote Maggie McPhee of Range.