James

A mild perfectionist, James is earnest in his quest to be a modern man. He pressures himself to be a great father, often correcting his behaviour in real-time and seizing opportunities to teach life lessons to his kids. As much as he loves his family, he misses the freedom, spontaneity, and fun from his pre-kid life. He’s still getting used to living under the clutter of his children’s belongings, and the various toys strewn around the house. 

While James was reluctant at first to entertain the idea of having a third child, he quickly has found himself jumping back into newborn parenting with (exhausted) enthusiasm. With a bigger family, though, James worries that they may have outgrown their house and by extension their beloved west end Toronto neighbourhood. Though the idea of more space and a house that is not in desperate need of TLC keeps growing on him, he can’t get Astrid (Meaghan Rath) to see the appeal of uprooting their family’s lives. At the same time, as Felix (Logan Nicholson) and Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) get older, James starts to think more and more about his own childhood and the family he rarely talks to anymore. James’ past and his dreams of a future in a new home will come to a head when the need for a major renovation force both him and Astrid to finally stop and explore what is next for their family.

Aaron Abrams stars in the CTV Original comedy CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING as James, a dad who is a mild perfectionist that loves his family but also misses the freedom, spontaneity, and fun of his pre-kid life.

A graduate from The Goodman School of Drama (now The Theatre School at DePaul University) in Chicago, Abrams has appeared in several regular and recurring roles for television, including MASTERS OF SEX, THE L.A. COMPLEX, LONGMIRE, THE OATH, ROOKIE BLUE, SLINGS & ARROWS, BLINDSPOT, and HANNIBAL. Abrams also won the FilmOut award for Best Supporting Actor in the critically acclaimed film CLOSET MONSTER. Fans can also see him in the hit sci-fi film CODE 8, its upcoming sequel on Netflix, and his award-winning turn in chef drama NOSE TO TAIL. Abrams has also written and produced several films, including THE LOVEBIRDS starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, currently on Netflix.