The Omnifarium - Television

"Not A Lot Goin' On"

Category: Television
Fri, 25 Mar 2005, 16:39

That great staple of American network television, the "SitCom", is almost dead. The last great sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, is nearing the end of its run, and the big networks are struggling to find new sitcoms of the same caliber. But in Canada, one of the most popular TV shows is a sitcom. Corner Gas began in January 2004, and throughout its first season never had a viewing audience smaller than a million! The show has recently been renewed for its third season, and continues to provide fresh and immensely entertaining television viewing.

I must admit that when I first flipped over to Corner Gas, I thought it was boring, and I quickly continued my channel surfing. I returned to the show, but this time, I paid attention from start to finish. I was hooked! Like the best shows produced by Canucks, this one requires you to pay attention. And unlike most other sitcoms, this is a show where individual episodes remain enjoyable even on multiple, consecutive viewings.

Set in the middle of nowhere, in a small town in rural Saskatchewan, Corner Gas is the result of comedian Brent Butt imagining what his life would have been like had he not left Saskatchewan. Butt plays Brent Leroy, the proprietor of the only gas station in town, and chili dog afficionado. Lacey runs the adjoining cafe. She moved to Dog River from Toronto, and desperately wants to be accepted by the community. Brett's best friend, Hank, is your typical hoser, but is remarkably erudite when he talks about fishing, much to the chagrine of the police officers, Davis and Karen. Wanda is probably the most educated person in town, but working at the gas station is her dream job. Rounding out the regular cast are Brett's parents Oscar and Emma. Oscar can usually be counted on to mess things up, but fortunately, Emma is there to put Oscar back in line.

What makes the show so good? Lots of factors come together. First, the writing is intelligent and sharp. Second, Brent Butt has managed to maintain creative control over all aspects of the shows production. Finally, the characters in the show are largely very normal, very believable people. The situations are likewise very ordinary. But somehow, things gradually get out of hand over the course of each twenty minute episode.

What's my favorite Corner Gas moment? That's hard to decide. Perhaps it was how they humiliated the visiting stand-up comic who had stolen one of Brent's best stories. Or perhaps it was the world's biggest hoe. Or when the police questioned Lacey's ex-fiancé in a less than adequate interrogation room. (She dumped him by phoning and leaving a message with his parents!)

We already have the Season One DVD's, and I fully expect to add the later seasons to our collection when they become available.

Hans

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We Want Animaniacs on DVD!

Category: Television
Mon, 21 Feb 2005, 16:45

Over the years, the Warner Brothers studios have produced some of the best animated cartoons ever made. In the early days, the stars of the cels were Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. My earliest memories of television from the 1960's include the classics shown on "The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour". (Those were the days before the WB cartoons were edited, supposedly to remove the most violent bits.)

After we bought a DVD player, the first boxed set we bought was the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, an assortment of 56 WB cartoons. This past Christmas, we eagerly added Volume 2 to our collection. But the brothers Warner still have lots more cartoons in their vault to re-issue on DVD.

Why, oh why, must we wait for the Animaniacs to come out on DVD? The Animaniacs offered up some of the most refreshing and original animation in years. Wakko, Yakko and Dot added much needed vocabulary to the English language. No one was exempt from their antics, as they attacked various individuals and institutions.

If WB issue a box set containing all Animaniacs shows, I will happily buy it. If they issue one season of episodes every six months, I will buy them, but I'd be less happy to have to wait for the complete run.

One rumor says that the Animaniacs might be released in 2006. I think Yakko, Wakko and Dot need to make a visit to the head of WB and convince him (boingy, boingy) to release the DVDs sooner.

Hans

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