A quibble: I actually argued against the idea that Da Vinci's Inquest was cancelled tragically before its time, having a run of seven years in that incarnation and one as Da Vinci’s City Hall. Though her point still stands.
She also took out my naming names so I’ll do it now. I said, as I’ve mentioned here before, that it was Wayne Clarkson of Telefilm Canada who said that maybe shows like Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys are too Canadian for the international market. Of course I’m worried about that kind of spurious objection from someone who has that much power in the Canadian industry.
While the ending might seem to set it up as if the Thunderbird Films distributor guy and I are disagreeing, I think he comes to the same point from the opposite side, without throwing around words like “smug” and “crazy”:
"It's well-known now that we deliver ratings," he says, adding that it's the very Canadianness of the shows he sells that appeals to American buyers. "We make no apologies for our shows being shot in Canada. All our shows are proudly produced in Canada, and it's never been an issue."
Well known in the US. The Canadianness appeals to American buyers. The Canadianness of the shows has never been an issue in the US. So why do our networks do everything in their power to get away from having to broadcast more Canadian shows? Why do our funders even think about the exact amount of Canadianness in our shows? Why do Canadians think our own shows suck? Until they hit it big in the US. Sure, we embraced Cold Squad. When it became Cold Case and those ugly Americans ripped off our superior homegrown product, then embraced the original themselves.
My annoyance on this subject lately is coming out of the CRTC hearings, and the “Canadian TV sucks” refrain I often hear when people find out about the TV, Eh? blog. Soon I will be Zen Diane again. So wipe that smug smile off your face before you drive me crazy.
