Corner Gas: C/D

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Sean C. told me he was enjoying this tv show a lot (although Huk-L told me about it before) and I thought, maybe I can download it! And I downloaded the first 7 episodes. And enjoyed it. Although obviously I am a sucker for the content (as a friend said, it's as if they included me in the mission statement).

But I can't tell if it's actually good or not, since I don't watch sit-coms these days and I kinda don't trust them. I laughed but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone who wasn't a Saskophile. But what do you think?

(It's a CTV show set in a small Saskatchewan town, for those of you who stumbled onto this thread unknowingly. Also the DVD of the first season is apparently out.)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Also thanks Sean!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

It's classic! (Yeah, go figure, after I was mentioned in the first two words of Chris' post!)

I think it'd travel fairly well outside Saskatchewan. Anyone who's lived in or near a rural environment will understand, completely...these characters are a bit exaggerated, but they're close enough to the real thing for the show to really resonate. People live like this, and they interact like this.

It's pretty popular with people in the urban areas too, possibly because urbanites can't really believe that people are like this, and think it's quirky, like Northern Exposure or somesuch. And quite possibly they relate to Lacy's experiences as a big city girl, trying to come to terms with life in a small town. I think Brent's done a really good job with the series, balancing the small town and urban perspectives, poking fun at both without it devolving into anything too mean-spirited.

I laugh out loud at least once per episode, and now going through the DVD set for season one, I've found myself having to stop the playback at least twice because I was laughing so hard. The last time was the world's biggest dirty hoe.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

It's regularly the only non-import to crack the Ratings Top Ten (when Cdn Idol isn't on, that is).
Also, Chris, I don't know how closely you've paid attention, but did you notice anything about the last names of all of the lead characters?

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

That was a nice one. (I couldn't google up the actual hoe at the end of the ep, though.)

It is kind of like Northern Exposure, but without the annoying preachiness. And it's good that most of the humor of the show isn't really "small town bumpkins" -- most of it is dry sarcasm with some light absurdity. And good pacing. Etc. Even when it goes into sit-com stock fodder it usually finds some good angles (babysitting the demon child was pretty dumb, but Hank tied to a chair under a bird cage was pretty great).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Are they all Sask towns? Burrows, LeRoy... I forget what Hank's last name is, something odd.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

You're making it sound a lot like Northern exposure, which is no bad thing really.

xpost

― Ed (dali), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, unlike Northern Exposure, the focus isn't really on the big city woman who moves to town, but on the local guy.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

At it's absolute core, it's just Seinfeld. And I say that neutrally.

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

But Seinfeld was bad.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Bad meaning good?

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

No, bad as in, like, only slightly less painful to watch than Friends.

I didn't even like Seinfeld when he was just a stand-up, though. And then my college went and gave him a PhD. Fuckers.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I meant it neutrally, anyhow. I meant, Corner Gas is basically about a small group of people who are determined not to let the world around them affect their lives.

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

What sit-coms aren't about that? That's somewhat inherent in the form (where nothing is allowed to change, etc.).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:16 (twenty-one years ago)

No, bad as in, like, only slightly less painful to watch than Friends.

I love me the Casuistry.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:16 (twenty-one years ago)

That's somewhat inherent in the form

You're thinking of superhero comics. In sitcoms there are always new babies, new Becky's, weddings, etc.

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes but you'll note that they don't let the new Beckys change anything. They hardly even notice them!

Good long-running sit-coms have to allow some change, either at a glacial pace (the best years of Roseanne) or with sudden drastic changes (more how the Simpsons works). And those changes can shift the dynamics of the show. But the basic structure of the sit-com episode is that nothing changes, lessons are learned but not remembered, few changes are permanent, and problems either resolve quickly or not at all.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm secretly into sit-com theory, and secretly want nothing more than to write sit-coms, ideally in music album form. I haven't worked out yet how to make that happen, though.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

on that note: http://www.craignorthey.com/journal/archives/000451.shtml

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Corner Gas for the simple fact that a) it's funny and b) it breaks the rule that Canadian TV is incapable of producing a decent sitcom.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

wait, the actual seinfeld?

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

What?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:14 (twenty-one years ago)

That is a nice article. I disagree with the use of the word "baby" in the theme song, though.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Long Friday night up in the frozen prairie there, Sean?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

You know it, Ned!

Wait, I'm not on the prairies...what the!?

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

That was too easy. Or was it?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Obviously the greatest thing about this show is that its enabled newspaper headline writers the world over to put the words "Butt" and "Gas" together without being called childish.

― Huk-L, Friday, 28 January 2005 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

more smalltown sask hijinx here -

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/01/25/returned-tsunami-donation050125.html

― dave q (listerine), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:50 (twenty-one years ago)

haha!

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 28 January 2005 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

That's going to screw with Meadow Lake's tourism for years.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 28 January 2005 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

What's cooler about tonight's episode:
- Brent kicked the Tragically Hip out of his garage
- Colin James stole gas from the gas station after failing the audition for THUNDERFACE?

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 03:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not sure how I feel about the Will&Grace style non sequitur celebrity cameos. On the one hand, it reminds me of Will&Grace, which seems to serve no other purpose than to feature celebrities as themselves, just in case the abstract narrative of Entertainment Tonight goes over your head.
On the other hand, it's not like Colin James, Lloyd Robertson, or even the Hip these days, don't have that certain obscure cachet of Canadian Celebrity that I can't help but enjoy.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

let me know when Sheila Copps is on plz thx!

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 06:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Sheila Copps was on Rick Mercer's Monday Report last night! Granted, it was a best of show, but still...

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Huck, if you want to make the trip to Hamilton (I think it's Hamilton) you can see her perform on stage!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Um.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

NOT THAT KIND OF STAGE!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

No, no...I was just trying to say, it wasn't me who brought up Baby Sheila.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh right. Sorry.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Today is a non-coffee day :(

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

But it's sort of a hilarious idea...as if there were enough reasons for avoiding Hamilton...

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

So, a little birdie tells me that Season 3 began a few days ago, but y'all seem to be too lazy to bittorr3nt this shit. Dub tee eff, I say, DUB TEE EFF.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 22 September 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

I saw Brent Butt and Nancy (Wanda) Robertson at the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago. It's getting to be like Little Hollywood all up in here! (also spotted, the dude from Northen Exposure and Sex In the CIty and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He's tall!)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:02 (twenty years ago)

Nancy seems to be very, very short.

I am very frustrated about not being able to track down these episodes.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't even know how to begin to help you. Sorry. I have failed my homeland in its centennial year. I should be banished to Porcupine Plain.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

I saw Eric Peterson in a play at the Tarragon last year, and he was friggin' awesome

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Thursday, 29 September 2005 10:56 (twenty years ago)

So Corner Gas is having a "Comic Genius" contest on their website. If you know anyone who might have entered it, you should vote for them so they can win a free trip to Regina.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Someone in Canada deserves oral sex tonight! I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. It's pure Christmas in my download queue.

I had managed to download the one with Paul Martin in it. I am glad he was able to be in the show before getting fired.

Huk, what if, say, they live in Regina? Do they get a free trip to Indian Head?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 09:18 (twenty years ago)

I am too lazy/uncommitted. I didn't enter. And I just discovered the contest was still open until SUNDAY. Oh crap. I really fucked up this time. I'm my own worst enemy.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

OK, the episode called "Mail Fraud" where Brent sends postcards to everyone from vacation spots he hasn't been to?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 01:47 (twenty years ago)

I haven't seen that one! You should sue!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

I don't want to sue, I want a cameo!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 23:23 (twenty years ago)

eight years pass...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a572297/canadian-sitcom-corner-gas-for-movie-spin-off.html

― StanM, Tuesday, 20 May 2014 17:43 (twelve years ago)

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