The Lake

The Lake is an Amazon Prime Video comedy series that premiered in 2022.

With showrunner Julian Doucet at the helm, it stars Julia Stiles, Jordan Gavaris and Madison Shamoun.

Over the course of two seasons, with eight episodes in each, it follows the story of two step siblings fighting over the inheritance of a family cottage at an idyllic lake.

It's a light-hearted comedy but is it worth watching?

What Is The Lake About?

After living in Australia for years, Justin (Jordan Gavaris) has returned to Canada. He then decides to spend the summer reconnecting with his birth daughter, Billie (Madison Shamoun), whom he had given up for adoption when he was a teenager.

So Justin and Billie end up spending the summer at the lake where Justin used to vacation with his family. The problem is that Justin's family have a very large cottage on the lake, but as he supposedly disappointed his father so much, it was inherited by Justin's step-sister Maisy.

Justin believes the cottage is rightfully his, but Maisy will do anything to hang onto it, so queue a whole host of comedic plots and foiled plans as Justin tries to get it back.

With the cottage on the line and his relationship with Billie at an all-time low, Justin must navigate all the ups and downs of life at the lake. But throw in a potential love interest in Riley (Travis Nelson) and the fact that Billie has feelings for Killian (Jared Scott) who is sort-of-but-not-really-related to her and chaos ensues.

So can they salvage the summer on the lake, or will it all end in disaster?

The Lake Official Trailer

Is The Lake Worth Watching?

Many people have compared The Lake to Schitt's Creek but just not as good. And I can see where they are coming from. It has a similar small-town Canadian vibe and plenty of comedy but honestly, that's where the comparisons end.

If you take it at face value, The Lake is an okay show, and it tries very hard to squeeze as much mayhem and chaos into each of its half-hour episodes. If anything, it's more reminiscent of the 80s comedy summer camp movies with daft plotlines and a raft of eccentric characters.

The problem is that we've seen it all before, and this show adds nothing new. If anything, it starts off so badly that you'll be hard-pressed to keep watching. For example, Billie, conceived by Justin and his best friend when they were teenagers, is constantly referred to as his ‘birth daughter'. And I mean constantly. If you ever forget, don't worry; they'll mention it again in five minutes.

Maisy (Julia Stiles) as a character, is so unlikeable that it becomes a toss-up between her and Justin as to who is more annoying. Frankly, as the battle for the cottage continues, you begin to hope that neither of them gets it.

And then we have the ludicrous side characters who for some reason have all resorted back to being teenagers. All of them. There literally isn't one grown-up in the room leaving plenty of room for Maisy to manipulate and scheme her way to outright owning the cottage.

The Lake is a very particular type of comedy-drama that will divide most viewers. You'll either love it or hate it. Sadly, I still don't know what side of the fence I fall on because, strangely, as the show went on, I did start to get into it more. But then the second season came out, and I haven't exactly rushed back to watch it.

That said, it's easy tv and will float right over your head if you're just looking for something nice and uncomplicated to watch.

Where Is The Lake Supposed To Be?

The Lake was filmed in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The filming began on August 5, 2021, and wrapped up on September 1, 2021.

In addition to North Bay, the series was also filmed in various locations in the surrounding areas, including Machar, South River, and Eagle Lake Narrows Country Store.

The show is set in northeastern Ontario, and the filming locations were chosen to give an authentic representation of the area's natural beauty and cottage country lifestyle.

The Lake TV Series Cast

Jordan Gavaris as Justin, a gay man returning to reconnect with his daughter Billie.

Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) as Maisy-May, Justin's picture-perfect step-sister who is conniving and ambitious, and inherited the family cottage from her stepfather.

Madison Shamoun as Billie, Justin's teenage daughter whom he gave up for adoption.

Jared Scott as Killian, Maisy's eldest son and love interest of Billie.

Terry Chen as Victor Lin, a Canadian ex-pro hockey player who is married to Maisy-May and who will do anything to ensure his family succeeds.

Travis Nelson as Riley, Justin's love interest who is a local artist, handyman, and store operator.

Natalie Lisinska as Jayne, who has been passively bullied by Maisy since their teen years.

Jon Dore as Wayne, Jayne's clueless, immature, man-child husband.

Carolyn Scott as Ulrika, an eccentric Swedish cabin owner.

Declan Whaley as Opal Lin, Maisy and Victor's younger child who is gender-queer and finds himself identifying with Justin.

Lauren Holly as Mimsy, Maisy's unbearable mother and Justin's stepmother