Corner Gas wrecked Canadian TV's excuses The little sitcom that got very big redefined Canadian TV's ambition
http://www.thestar.com/Article/616848 Denis McGrath Special to the Star Before Corner Gas, the refrain was simple: "Canadians don't want to watch Canadian shows." Networks would petition the CRTC to reduce their CanCon obligations by saying "Don't force us to make shows that Canadians don't want to watch." Canadian shows would sometimes premiere to big numbers. People gave them a shot, but rarely came back. But was it really because they were Canadian, or just not very good? Corner Gas settled the argument. It shocked CTV by drawing over a million viewers – not just once, but week after week. It was bounced all over the schedule. Not only did the audience follow the show – it managed to outlast and outdraw most of the U.S. shows that replaced it. Once CTV got behind the show with a decent advertising budget, DVD sets flew off the shelves. The search for a drama equivalent led to intensified development, pilots, and eventually, Flashpoint – a show that might never have seen the light of day if Corner Gas hadn't blazed the trail, and given CTV the taste for a homegrown hit. As much as Corner Gas changed the thinking at networks, its effect on people making TV was greater. Producers used to pitching earnest Canadian dramas with more social than entertainment value took one look at this genial little show with its sly, understated humour and didn't know what to make of it. It was not uncommon in the first couple of seasons to go to industry events and hear people run Corner Gas down. But a new generation of writers saw in Corner Gas an alternative. It was something to shoot for: a popular homegrown show for a homegrown audience. Corner Gas was run like an American show. They set up a story room where writers broke stories and polished scripts, as a group. The star had input, but writers kept the tone consistent. Executive producers Virginia Thompson and David Storey engaged a showrunner – a senior writer whose creative vision trackedthe show through the process, as a production partner – not merely a peon. This represented a sea change from the usual Canadian method, where non-writing producers and directors would routinely change and tinker with scripts so that by the time they were shot, they wound up looking like any other piece of art made by committee – drab and unfocused. On Gas, the writers' work was respected, and that attracted the finest comedy writers in the country. The jokes were slightly absurd, sharp but never mean. The characters were pleasingly self-deprecating and not too full of themselves. Canadians recognized themselves in them. At industry events, the anti-Corner Gas chatter soon faded to whispers, and stopped. It's hard to argue with success. In the end, credit goes as much to its audience as to Brent Butt or CTV or the show's producers and writers. The audience found the show, stuck with it, and made it a hit. It may not have been the thing people were talking about in the ivory towers of Toronto – it has always done better outside of Canada's cities – but the rest of the country knew what they liked. Now, Corner Gas is part of the national conversation. When people want to knock the CBC, they repeat the story that the public broadcaster passed on the show. (Not true.) It's held up as a successful export; an exemplar of Canadian values. The show's filming locale, Rouleau, Sask., has even become a minor tourist attraction. And even as the show ends, its influence grows. Brent Butt, and the three showrunners who guided Gas through its long run – Mark Farrell, Paul Mather, and Kevin White – all have comedy series in development at Canadian networks. Mather writes for The Rick Mercer Report, and Mark Farrell is an Executive Producer of 22 Minutes. The effect of Corner Gas writers on current comedy in Canada cannot be overstated. Canadian creators may still have to fight for their share of the airwaves. But now we have an example that proves that a homegrown hit is indeed possible. For a town where "there's not a lot going on," Dog River turned out to be culturally, pretty important. Denis McGrath is a screenwriter, and serves on the Council of the Writers Guild of Canada. He blogs about Canadian TV at heywriterboy.blogspot.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TV or Not TV .... Smart (TV) People on Ice! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
