If you get CTV, the series premiere of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is tonight (Thursday) at 10:00pm. Glad they had that small information bar pop up while I was watching Justice last night. I could have sworn that Studio 60 was set to premiere this Sunday on CTV, with NBC showing it on Monday night. I know I could have sworn it, because I did the research. But apparently, they changed the premiere without telling anyone, probably because they had to make room for The Amazing Race on Sunday. This is why I hate Canadian television networks.
I am a proud Canadian. Well, I don’t eat poutine, I do watch hockey and the CFL and I do feel a sense of pride when a Canadian music artist does well in the States. The one thing I can’t stand about Canada is its crappy television and network programming. When it comes to the shows I love to watch, I try my hardest to see them on their original American network. Thankfully, I am able to get the eastern feeds, so I can watch Lost at 6pm instead of waiting til 9pm. You see, if I waited until 9, then CTV takes over the ABC station and I’m stuck watching that annoying guy trying to sell me on more Shaw services. On the American stations, you always see previews for the next episode; on Canadian stations I keep seeing promos for Canadian Idol with the much-despised Ben Mulroney. And don’t get me started on their repetitive commercials.
I also have a hard time watching Canadian original shows. I hate Corner Gas. I don’t find it funny at all. I’m not from the prairie, I’ve never been to the prairie, I’m not even sure I’m correctly spelling prairie. I just can’t relate to Corner Gas whatsoever. And I don’t want to try. Other than that, are there any worthwhile Canadian programs? Does Degrassi count as worthwhile? Trailer Park Boys? Has it come to that? Okay, those Canada: A People’s History documentaries are supposed to be well done. But still, that’s pretty sad.
What bothers me most about Canadian networks is that there is no consistency when it comes to their schedule. Because they are showing various series from various American networks, they need to keep adjusting. A special two hour episode of something will mess up an entire week of Canadian programming. Some friends of mine tried to watch Alias on CTV. The geniuses at the network put it on at 4pm on Sunday.... sometimes. I think they moved it to 11:00pm on Monday for a week. Without telling anyone. Then they skipped some weeks because of the Academy Awards and a miniseries. My friends gave up and are waiting for the DVD now. CTV let them down. They don’t get American stations so they must rely on the sub-par talents of Canadian programming. So think of this a public service announcement for those who don’t possess cable (I seriously don’t know how they survive), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip in on tonight at 10pm. You got that Dave and Andrea?
After writing this, I went to the CTV website and they say Sopranos are on tonight at 10pm. So maybe that Studio 60 information was wrong last night. Maybe it’s not. Tune in tonight at 10pm and see what CTV decides to do. Don’t blame me, blame CTV. And that’s why I hate Canadian television networks.
5 comments:
Ah, how true. How many times over the years have I tried to watch Scrubs only to find that they've moved some other show into its spot? They did the same thing with the short-lived Hidden Hills. (I know, not the same calibre, but Scrubs is worthy of staying in a stable spot.)
I hope you find your show...
I can't say that I entirely understand your passionate loathing of Canadian original programming. Of course the Canadian entertainment industry isn't as high-falutin (sp?) as the American industry, or British industry. Most of our best talent goes south, probably for many of the reasons you have listed (as well as the fact that Canadian networks are constricting and tight-budgeted).
When Canadian networks try to make American style shows, they fail every time. Everything from a Canadian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionare (I know it was originally British but 90 percent of Canadians are unawares)to the Canadian Idol (I know it was originally British but 92.5 percent of Canadians are unawares) to countless sitcoms (I know sitcoms were originally British but 97.32 percent of Canadians are unawares).
And so I agree that Canadian TV is generally not as good as American TV but there have been some great Canadian TV Shows that you probably have never watched (and maybe you wouldn't like them if you did see them but they are good shows nonetheless).
- The Newsroom
- North of 60
- The King of Kensington
- Made in Canada
- This Hour has 22 Minutes
- Mercer Report
- Corner Gas
- Red Green
- Powerplay
- He Shoots He Scores
- Street Cents
- Kids in the Hall
- Due South
- SCTV
- The Edison Twins
- Littlest Hobo
- Mr. Dressup
- Friendly Giant
- The Raccoons
- Traders
- ENG
- You Can't Do That on Television
- Bizarre
- The Super Dave Osborne Show
- ReBoot
Ned, thanks for the list of Canadian programs. I will give you Kids in the Hall, SCTV, and Mr Dressup. And I even heard good things about The Newsroom. But I should have clarified shows that are currently on TV. Oh yeah, and before I forget,Kenny Vs Spenny is awesome. But you still can't deny the sheer audacity of the network programmers who mess around with scheduled shows. That's what I hate most.
I agree 100%. I didn't even follow any shows until I moved back south. It's like Canadian TV is all run by Fox (I'm still bitter about the Futurama debacle). On the bright side, at least you can get a lot of the HBO programs on basic cable.
All CTV and Global do is hijack American programming non-stop. What a pathetic bunch of thwarts.
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