Teen-Oriented Mystery Web Series ‘Ruby Skye PI’ Inks Canadian TV Deal

A critically-acclaimed web series is finding its way to TV. Ruby Skye PI, a whodunit mystery web series aimed at kids and teens, has secured a deal with the Canadian Broadcast Corporation through which it will ultimately be broadcast on the main CBC TV channel.

Ruby Skye, created by Jill Golick, is a whodunit series aimed at younger audiences. It features the titular  teen (Madison Cheeatow) as a precocious young detective and features low-stakes, neighborhood mysteries. The first season centered around a Nigerian e-mail scam.

Two web seasons have aired thus far, with many episodes drawing in five-digit views. “The sky is the limit for Ruby,” said Golick. “We are thrilled to be partnering with CBC, and with a robust audience including over 2.5 million views and thousands of fans, Ruby is ready to go international, across multiple digital platforms.”

The deal will send Ruby Skye to the Kids’ CBC online hub in the winter of 2014. Later, it will also play on CBC TV, with plenty of transmedia options running between episodes. “CBC is quickly emerging as a front-runner in digital innovation,” said Kim Wilson, Creative Head of Children’s and Youth Programming at CBC. “We’re proud to be contributing to innovative new multi-platform initiatives with the incorporation of web-based series Ruby Skye P.I. to Kids’ CBC.”

While Ruby Skye‘s creative team is eyeing further distribution in the US, it continues to post behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube . However, by figuring out how an independent web series can succeed in traditional media, Ruby has already solved one of her toughest cases yet.