Makes me almost, sorta, kinda proud to be a Canadian, in a manner of speaking

Now, I must confess something – I have never been to Saskatchewan. That’s likely a reality I share with many of my compatriots. I’ve been through Saskatchewan – on a train. I’ve been over Saskatchewan many times, in a plane. But as for actually setting my feet down there on that particular chunk of bold, bald prairie, not so much.

That notwithstanding, I have developed a huge affection for the residents of Dog River, Sask. Dog River, if you don’t know, is a tiny little fictitious prairie community consisting of a water tower, a bar, a gas-station cum general store, an eatery, and a main street you could probably spit the length of. In this urban scene is an eclectic mix of folk from a wise-acre (but very smart) employee of the store/gas station, a foxy city slicker high-maintenance broad who runs the eatery, two cops (male and female), a battling late middle age couple, the resident bonehead and ne’er do well, and the central character, personified by a former stand-up comic named (wait for it, because the name’s for real) Brent Butt.

I refer, of course, to Corner Gas. Corner Gas is utterly unique amongst Canadian TV offerings for, in the first place, people actually watch it, and secondly, because it’s genuinely funny and genuinely charming. We like these folks. Such a sentiment is an anomaly among viewers of Canadian TV who judge virtually everything by US or British standards of TV production.

Even more of an anomaly is that the people behind CG have actually succeeded in selling this delightful sitcom to the US, mainly because it has built up a sizable fan-base south of the 49th. And why not? Small town Saskatchewan is really not so very different from, say, small town Nebraska, or small town North Dakota.

I like CG, and look forward to airings of the show. The primary reasons I’m a bit enchanted with it are because it’s both homegrown, and it’s not lame. The ‘Lame Factor’ has been a killer of many Canadian TV series. The only ones to come to mind that managed to escape the LF were the Red-Green Show, Kids in the Hall and SCTV. Otherwise, sorry, la-a-a-ame!

Not only lame but, in the case of many comedies, outrageously ‘unfunny’. I mean, there has been a bit of crud kicking around the CBC for it seems like a half-century, called Royal Canadian Air Farce. Folks, these guys have honed unfunny to a fine art, and were arguably only surpassed by the always unfunny yet so-called "comedy" team of Wayne and Shuster. I also have an insider comment I cherish by a woman who worked with them that they were detestable, ego-driven swine. Man, when I set out to damn someone, I pull out all stops and even bring in reserves. Oh well, works for me.

Some people might like to cite Rick Mercer as being terrifically funny, witty, satirical and so forth. Sorry. In the first place he works for the CBC. Secondly, he was mildly amusing nearly a decade ago. Finally, Jon Stewart he ain’t, no matter how much he tries to be, and he really tries.

Which brings me back to CG. These people are funny for two reasons. In the first case, the writing is superlative, and secondly, the cast is not self-involved. The members are pretty much what you see and they never appear to belabor anything. Just a fine group of down-home, decent, and outrageously dysfunctional folks, just like the rest of us.