Ruby and the Well

Family fantasy TV show on BYUtv

Ruby and the Well is a family fantasy TV show on BYUtv, premiered in America on February 27, 2022. The show features a present-day teenager whose father inherits an orchard in Emerald. This leads to the two moving to Emerald where Ruby discovers a wishing well. Once she makes contact with the wishing well, Ruby becomes the new keeper of the well and must grant the wells wishes so that the town can prosper. Season one (spring 2022) and season two (fall 2022) both contain ten episodes, with season 2 having been picked up before season 1 even debuted.^[1][2] On May 2, 2023 it was announced that the show had been renewed for season 3 on the show's Instagram page.^[3][4] On August 9, the show's Instagram page announced season 3 would premiere on BYUtv in September 30.^[5] On September 9, 2023, BYUtv officially announced that 'Ruby and the Well' has been renewed for a fourth season. The filming will take place in Toronto, Ontario. While they have not yet revealed the full production schedule or season release date, production is underway.^[6][7]

Plot

Ruby is a present-day teenager who is forced to move to Emerald after her father, Daniel, inherits an orchard. While exploring the property Ruby finds a wishing well and is shown a wish that she must help fulfill.

As a newcomer to the town Ruby has a hard time knowing whom to trust. However she quickly befriends two locals: Sam and Mina. With their knowledge of the town and her ability to reach out to others Ruby just might be able to bring the town of Emerald out of the economic depression it has been stuck in for years.^[8][9]

Cast and characters

Main

• Zoe Wiesenthal as Ruby O'Reilly. Ruby is a 14-year-old girl who moves to Emerald after her father, Daniel, inherits an orchard. She discovers a magic wishing well and becomes the keeper of the well. As keeper of the well she must help grant wishes that in turn will bless the town and bring them prosperity.
• Kristopher Turner as Daniel O'Reilly. Daniel is a single father who loves Ruby. He moves to Emerald after he inherits the orchard because he and Ruby have lost everything after the recent loss of his wife.
• Joel Oulette as Benjamin "Ben" Taggart (season 1). A resident of Emerald whose father died before the events of the series. He originally told the O'Reillys his name was Brett.
• Lina Sennia as Mina Amani. Mina has a great deal of loyalty and is Ruby's best friend in Emerald. However she also refuses to do anything that could bring about any harm.
• Dylan Kingwell as Sam Price. Sam Price is an adopted local who has never met his parents, but he has done a great deal of research on the myths and legends of Emerald. As such he knows all about the rumors of the keeper of the well and how wishes must be granted instead of received.
• Paula Boudreau as Paula Price. Paula has lived her entire life in Emerald, and she wants to make a future for her adopted son Sam. She quickly befriends Daniel, but when her and Daniel have conflictual feelings on the well she must make a choice that could help or harm them all.
• Nobahar Dadui as Ava Amani (main seasons 1–2; recurring season 3). Ava owns the town's hardware store and is Mina's mother.

Recurring

• Sharron Matthews as Lucy LaFontaine. Lucy is the town busybody and the owner/operator of a florist shop
• Patrick Haye as Vince Clark. A police officer in Emerald who occasionally helps Ruby. He is also the brother of Emily Taggart and step-uncle of Ben.
• Jani Lauzon as Halona. The owner of the Orchard Grille.
• Hannan Younis as Emily Taggart. Emily is a lawyer in Emerald and Ben's stepmother.
• Steven McCarthy as Nathan Lutes. A man sent to Emerald to scope out land for a huge development.
• Kyle Breitkopf as Sebastian Lutes. Nathan's son
• Gabriel Darku as Peter "Pete" Evers. Pete is the owner and head mechanic at a local mechanic shop.
• Genevieve DeGraves as Dee Abelard. The granddaughter of Lou Abelard and employee at Abelard's Salvage.
• Michael Copeman as Liam O'Reilly. Daniel's father and Ruby's paternal grandfather

Episodes

Season 1 (2022)

Season 2 (2022)

Season 3 (2023)

Production

Ruby and the Well is filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is produced by WildBrain Studios and Shaftesbury Films.^[10] They have also used locations nearby such as Ancaster^[11] and Cambridge.^[12]

Release

In the United States, the show appears on BYUtv and is streamed at byutv.org and on the BYUtv App. In Canada the show airs on Family Channel and can be streamed on the FamilyTV channel on Prime Video.^[13] In New Zealand the series airs on TVNZ and is streamed on TVNZ+.^[14]

Accolades

Mythos

The power of the wishing well is based on Irish culture histories. Dating from pre-Christian times, these Irish holy wells were blessed after St. Patrick evangelized the island of Ireland. Many of these wells were later associated with saints, the most common being Patrick, Brigid of Kildare, and Ann, the mother of Mary.^[23]

These wells were not wells in which money was thrown in and wishes made. Instead they were wells where the water was believed to have healing powers and that the Saints would use to bless others and perform miracles. The visions Ruby receives from the well serve the same purpose: blessing others and allowing miracles to occur.

References

1. "BYUtv Greenlights Season 2 of "Ruby and the Well" Ahead of Series Premiere". CISION PR Newswire. February 17, 2022.
2. "BYUtv Greenlights Season Two of 'Ruby and the Well' Ahead of Series Premiere". Broadcasting & Cable. February 17, 2022.
3. "Season 3, Coming Soon". Ruby and the Well Instagram page. May 2, 2023.
4. "WILDBRAIN TELEVISION GREENLIGHTS SEASON THREE OF "RUBY AND THE WELL"". Senal News. May 11, 2023.
5. "Season 3 Premieres September 30". Ruby and the Well Instagram page. August 9, 2023.
6. "'Ruby and the Well', Season 4". Moviedelic.com, 'Ruby and the Well', renewed for Season 4 at BYUtv. 9 September 2023.
7. "'Ruby and the Well', Season 4". IMDb 'Ruby and the Well', Season 4 page.
8. Toone, Trent (February 25, 2022). "Creators of BYUtv's 'Ruby and the Well' explain 14-year evolution of new show". Deseret News.
9. "Parents' Guide to Ruby and the Well". Common Sense Media. August 19, 2022.
10. "'Ruby and the Well' Offers Uplifting Entertainment for the Entire Family". Geek Dad. February 26, 2022.
11. Contributor, Daniel Nolan (June 4, 2021). "New fantasy kid's show about a girl and a magic well films in Ancaster". The Hamilton Spectator. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
12. "Film crews in west Galt area of Cambridge for one day of shooting". Cambridge Times. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
13. "Wildbrain Television Rules the Family Airwaves With Three New Exclusive Canadian Premieres". Cision PR Newswire. February 15, 2022.
14. "New to TVNZ OnDemand in May". ScreenScribe.tv. April 20, 2022.
15. "Lora Bidner, Robert Carli". 22 February 2023.
16. "Canadian Screen Music Awards 2023 | Screen Composers Guild of Canada". 7 June 2022.
17. "First-ever Canadian Screen Music Awards announces nominees".
18. "Creative Arts Children's & Family Emmy Awards: 'Maya and the Three,' 'Sneakerella' Among Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 December 2022.
19. "DGC".
20. "DGC".
21. https://tbivision.com/files/2023/10/306353_CIA23_PDF_Ebook_2_1.pdf
22. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221115006412/en/Television-Business-International-Announces-2022-Content-Innovation-Awards-Winners
23. "BYUtv's 'Ruby and the Well' Mixes an Irish Touch With Fantasy and Folklore". Patheos. March 6, 2022.

External links

• Ruby and the Well at BYUtv