Crave’s risk-taking gets Robbie g.k.’s shout-out — 'a big swing' — plus 'Heated Rivalry and Beyond'

On stage at MIPCOM Cannes, Robbie Graham‑Kuntz sat beside co‑star Maddie Phillips and made the case for risk over safety. Their project is a new take on Meatballs — not a beat‑for‑beat remake, but a mock‑doc spin on Ivan Reitman’s 1979 Bill Murray summer‑camp comedy — and Graham‑Kuntz credited Crave for backing a version that swings harder than most studio updates.

“It ’s a big swing, and as we’ve seen from Crave and others, big swings are worth taking.”

He said today’s comedy climate is a “pendulum,” arguing the appetite has moved back toward bolder, less predictable jokes. This mockumentary approach, he noted, spreads the punchlines across a wide bench of characters instead of aiming from one fixed perspective — the kind of format he believes audiences are ready to meet halfway.

The vote of confidence lands as Graham‑Kuntz rides momentum from Heated Rivalry, the hockey romance backed by Crave and HBO that turned his smoothie‑shop barista‑turned‑sidekick Kip Grady into a breakout. His on‑screen chemistry with François Arnaud helped the show become a word‑of‑mouth favorite, and it went on to win Program of the Year at the Television Critics Association Awards.

Season 2 of Heated Rivalry is already stacking its bench with newcomers Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie joining returning cast, a sign the series is doubling down while Graham‑Kuntz branches into feature territory with Meatballs.

Crave’s next bets

• Meatballs — a reimagining of Ivan Reitman’s 1979 Meatballs, staged as a mockumentary with a rotating lens on its camp misfits.
• Heated Rivalry Season 2 — the fan‑favorite hockey romance returns with new faces including Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie alongside the core cast.
• Yaga — a dark psychological thriller steeped in folklore, positioned far from conventional TV comfort zones.
• Thunder Point — an ambitious drama currently in development.