Will Forte arrives at the LA premiere screening of "The Last Man On Earth" on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Los Angeles. Canadian writer Tim McAuliffe is teaming up with Forte for the new comedy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/ Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Tim McAuliffe remembers the very day he began working on "The Last Man on Earth" (Sundays at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox).

It was last St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

"There was a small earthquake that morning," the Canadian writer says on the phone from his home in Los Angeles. "They called it the 'Shamrock Shake.'"

The quake seemed like a perfect way to begin crafting a comedy set in a post-apocalyptic world.

McAuliffe joined a writer's room headed by creator, executive producer and star Will Forte ("Saturday Night Live"). Forte had teamed up with red-hot executive producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The Lego Movie") to make a series about a very average guy who — after a deadly virus seemingly wipes out everyone else — finds he's humanity's last hope.

The series opened strongly last Sunday on Fox in the U.S., winning its time slot among younger viewers. Most critics loved it too, with The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman heralding it as "a significant deviation from the safe comedic norm of television."

Originally from Montreal, McAuliffe started his career at MuchMusic in Toronto before earning his comedy chops in Halifax working on "This Hour Has 22 Minutes." He followed "22 Minutes" with a writing stint on "Corner Gas" and then worked on both sides of the border. He created "Satisfaction" for CTV in Toronto and wrote for Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" in New York and "The Office" in L.A.

While writing for the short-lived Will Arnett NBC comedy "Up All Night," he hit it off with guest star Forte. When Fox gave "Last Man" the green light, Forte raided the "Up All Night" staff, including the Canadian.

McAuliffe says Forte had a lot of "Last Man" mapped out when they sat down to create stories. The writers were instructed to think of the whole world as one man's playground. Forte's character Phil Miller winds up smashing fish tanks with bowling balls as well as cars into cars.

"You could blow anything up," says McAuliffe.

In the opener, Miller was seen driving a giant tour bus to every state and province in search of other survivors. He's clearly been looting from museums, art galleries and even the White House.

"I was always pitching Canadian-isms," says McAuliffe, who suggested Miller load up on poutine, "since curds last forever."

Besides writing scripts for "Last Man," McAuliffe is also currently producing a pilot for Fox in L.A. Even he is astounded at the number of Canadians who come to audition.

"More than half the actors," he says. "It's like a casting session in Toronto."

If he needed Canadians he could just wait for them to show up at his house. Dave Foley ("Spun Out") and several other Canadian-born writer/actors crashed his place for the Super Bowl.

McAuliffe is getting married in L.A. in May and has lined up a Canadian to officiate at the wedding: Mark Critch from "22 Minutes." He got ordained yesterday," McAuliffe insists. "Honest."

And how would "The Last Man on Earth" be different if Forte's character was Canadian? Says McAuliffe: "He wouldn't smash anything."

— Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2015