Corner Gas

I had always been a fan of Brent Butt's comedy stylings, watching him on his specials and on Just For Laughs so when it came time to sit down and watch his new show, I was more than excited. Thankfully, I was treated to a fabulously written simple comedy about very small town life in Saskatchewan. Having grown-up on a farm myself, I couldn't help but chuckle with the identifiable characters on the show with their small town foibles and mentalities. I'm glad that Canadians have embraced this show and that it already has the green light for next season. I'm sure that any Americans (esp in the mid-west) who have access to CTV will also enjoy the humour being portrayed. Corner Gas is a simple comedy but that doesn't make it any less successful at its job; its a perfect blend of Canadian small town living and comedic satire. A Must See!!

I downloaded Corner Gas Animated which knowing nothing about it I thought was a decent funny animated show - after a few episodes I looked it up and found out it was animated version of this TV Show. Started watching it and its hilarious, love the wit and the occasional reference to things from the 70s and 80s.

Well, this show has been renewed for a second season, and I couldn't be happier. We, from Saskatchewan, are proud of this show because it shows the way we live (exaggerated of course), and locals have been used for extras (a guy from the town next to my home town, but went to high school in my home town was an extra and had one line). The show doesn't make people from small towns look like retards or inbred freaks, but focuses on how we know everybody, and as a result, trust everybody.

I love the interactions that the town of Dog River had with Lacey, in the beginning. It was so true the way they were suspicious of the girl moving from the big city to this tiny town. But once she showed she was planning to stay in the town, they warmed up to her. This happened to my family when they moved to my home town. The town warmed up to my parents when they had me and my brother because they knew we were staying and not going to leave.

I also love Oscar, the old and senile man who is so easily controlled by his stable wife. Honestly, I know a few people like Oscar. I loved the episode where he kept winning the stuffed animals from the claw machine.

I happened to catch an episode of this series when I was on holiday in Canada and became an immediate fan. The series is character driven, and similar in spirit to Seinfeld as a whole lot of nothing tends to happen in the small town of Dog River. There is quite a warmth about the characters and their interplay and the humour is generally good natured, focusing on human weaknesses and relationships. I am surprised it has never been shown on TV in the UK as I think a lot of people would appreciate the humour - there seems to be a lot of similarities between Canadian and Brit approach to comedy. If you've never seen it then it's well worth checking out

This show is a rarity in Canadian television - it's good! Too much of Canadian programing is slow, dry and boring - and aside from NHL hockey, there is not much else worth watching. A few shows have made attempts at being clever comedies, but have always failed because Canadian programming always tends to alienate the main audience by becoming too political, historical or just plain arrogant (vis-a-vis the CBC and CRTC).

But this show has succeeded and, more importantly, is extremely entertaining because its focus isn't on some political agenda, but rather on the art of entertaining. Brent Butt has figured out the formula that has made this series a hilarious success - and I think I can identify what some of those criteria are.

1. It has great characters - And character development. Just like other successful comedies (Seinfeld, The Office, Cheers, etc.) quirky characters are fun to watch.

2. It has great writing - The stories seem to be about nothing - but even nothing is something!

3. It has excellent pacing - It does not slow down at all, and continues to improve its pacing as the seasons go by. The more jokes you can fit in to the half hour, the better.

4. It is not sentimental - If anything, most of the characters are less than sympathetic, and that type of darkness of the human psyche is far more appealing and funny when you are making a comedy about quirky people in a quirky little town.

5. There is NO winter!! - Have you seen any snow yet in Dog River? This is critical for a successful Canadian comedy - because snow complicates things. It is bleak, uninteresting, and unfortunately too much of a reminder of reality for those of us who have to live with it for 10 months out of the year. In fact, with out the snow - it makes this small town in Saskatchewan look quite charming, and all the more interesting and lovable.

Now these are just my opinions - but if you want to take a chance on a Canadian TV show - this should be the one. Canadians should be (and are - for the most part, I think) proud of this series. I, for one, try not to miss it each week, and I own all the DVD's too...its just a fun show to watch, and I would rank it up there as one of the best new comedies on TV right now.