Canadian Television

RED GREEN

I like Corner Gas, although i've only seen it a few times. Trailer Park Boys is a hoot, i'm surprised you didn't mention it . . .

hehee. Good ones!

Trailer Park Boys IS funny; but it hits a lil close to home.

Possibly the best TV series ever shown in America, I mean right up there with Hill Street Blues, Law and Order, Kojak, and all the rest, is a Canadian series-Forever Knight.

ABC had a prime time slot where they rotated four different mystery series every week. So I became aware of Forever Knight, which had apparently been running in Canada for some years. Apparently German TV kicked in some money, since they had a German language version, I understand.

The next year, Forever Knight went synicated in America-(non-network stations played it at a time of their own choosing, a formula which worked for Star Trek Next Generation), and it hung on by it's fingertips for several years. They finally ended it when the new American network UPN decided to run Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the show decided that it couldn't buck a network backed vampire show. Besides, Buffy had a Forever Knight type character, Angel, which later spun off into it's own excellent show.

The producers might have underestimated their own series. When I called up my local station to see if they had any plans to carry the series if they produce it the next year, the program director said there had been a groundswell of support just about the time that they announced plans to end the series.

I like just about everything about Buffy and Angel, but Forever Knight really was a cut above even those worthy efforts. The series about the vampire with a conscience was all about dealing with an ugly past, about redemption, about faith in oneself.

It really ranks up there as possibly the best series ever shown on American TV. And it was Canadian, set in Toronto.

What! No mention of Hockey Night in Canada?



I agree with Corner Gas, North of 60, and The Nature of Things. I'd add:

This is Wonderland
DaVinci's Inquest (although I haven't watched much this year)
The Mercer Report
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
Diplomatic Immunity (TVO production, panel discussion of international politics)

and some years ago:

Lexx

Along with being slower paced, quirky and not as flashy as American TV, Canadian productions often deal with more controversial topics and in a fairly liberal manner. I doubt if any of the shows on my list would be accepted in the US except on some PBS stations. I've heard rumoured that popular export productions, such as DeGrassi Jr. High, need a lot of editing before being shown in the States. On the other hand, from what I've seen of Brit TV, they would probably be very acceptable in the UK, and Australia.

(One thing I love about British productions is the depth of their actors abilities. I don't think ours, Canadian or American, can touch them. Often a British actor will be in both dramatic and comedic series, and be completely believable in each.)