That's funny, because I am born, raised, and have never lived outside the US, nowhere near the Canadian border, and I can tell you everything you wanted to and didn't want to know about Degrassi Jr. High, Degrassi High, Kids of Degrassi St, and the latest Degrassi: The Next Generation.

If you include teens in America, Degrassi:TNG is by far the most popular canadian show seen here today.

Ok I watch Rogers Sportsnet and The Score - so I guess am not as bad. :-))

I watched the premiere of Alice I think and it's nothing to write home about. It's not funny, it offers nothing really knew. It felt like a bad night at the improv.

Canadian content will blow compared with big budgeted shows. Blue Murder just wont hold against the jugernaut that is CSI.

But we do have masters like Rick Mercer who could teach Stewart/Colbert a few tricks and of course other news and political satires that are way out there.

But it's not like that in all of Canada though. In English Canada, the top 10 shows are all American. In the province of Quebec (Or French Canada) the top 10 shows are all Québecois. (though I dont watch much of them either - french reality shows don't interest me either)

The problem with Canadian TV is that it's badly funded. Unless they are paid for by US interests, like Stargate SG-1 and a slew of others made in Canada by Canadians but for American TV.

A very good article. I almost wrote a review of Alice, I think but wondered who would care...

Ty, I didn't even think of Degrassi when writing this, since I'm a bit out of its demographic now, but way back in school, that was the water-fountain show to talk about for sure.

Q Bit, hmm, sports shows are kind of like news to me - they don't count ;-)

Jeliel, the point about quality could be a whole other post (or two or three) but mine was about not even having the chance to judge that quality because I'm not even aware of them. A lot of Canadian shows are low-budget and scream low-budget, and some just suffer from the stigma that all Canadian shows must be bad, but there are quality TV shows here that just doesn't get viewers for a lot of reasons. One upcoming series I do know about is Intelligence by Chris Haddock, who was involved with DaVinci's Inquest, but I only heard about it in the context of having missed the miniseries that preceeded it.

Sorry to hear Alice, I Think wasn't very good - though I still wish I'd been able to judge it for myself!

Thanks for the interesting read. I find the same problem with Canadian TV regarding promotion. That's the machine that needs the work. And it's partly to do with the outlets that Canadian producers have at their disposal. Even so called Canadian pop entertainment publications and shows (shows reporting on entertainment) seem to focus heavily on the American market. Everyone complains that we have no star system here yet there is no one really willing to try to create one.

Stars are created, then star status elevates the show, the show attracts viewers and viewers attract advertisers. Networks then charge advertisers higher air time fees increasing revenue and potentially budgets. There is no chicken or egg question here. The star came first.

Now in the case of "Alice I Think" TCN promoted the show heavily both on air and on their website. but you've got to be tuned into the system to get any of that. I actually think they were very good to the show.

I won't get into countering what others have commented on regarding the show because to each their own. I liked the show, I was part of making it. And truly I may hope for a more positive response but in the end I can't please everyone. But I will say that in a world dominated by US television as our competition I do hope that someday people get a chance to understand exactly how hard it is to make shows for a fraction of a US budgeted show. There are countless things that money buys on US shows that the average viewer has no clue about. Things we can only dream of. This is not an excuse, in fact it's this very thing that has made me better at what I do, year after year. By figuring out ways to do without.

I do hope you get a chance to see "Alice I Think" Diane. And thanks for launching this discussion.

Thanks gdott for the thoughtful comments, and good luck with the show. What I'd heard about it (other than here) was positive.

I think there's a prevailing attitude among many Canadians that our own TV shows and movies can't be good, because we don't have the money to compete with American products. And it's self-perpetuating - people won't watch because of a perception that it must be bad, therefore they won't discover the good shows. Let's not forget how much crap is on American TV, too - it's just pricier crap.

It's an unfortunate stigma, because a big budget is no guarantee of quality - to paraphrase you, creativity can come from necessity. But if I don't even know about the shows, I don't have the opportunity to watch them to judge their quality myself.

It's not as though I can't try to catch the second episode of Alice, I Think. But it's an example of how our publicity machine, or lack thereof, hurts Canadian shows. I read and write about TV and I have to hunt to find out about upcoming Canadian shows. What hope is there for a casual viewer? That comes down to money too. Who's going to put a lot of effort into a pop culture publication focused solely on Canadian TV when there isn't a big enough population base, never mind viewer base, to make money off it?

Sigh. I still have no solutions.

As you said:

Who's going to put a lot of effort into a pop culture publication focused solely on Canadian TV when there isn't a big enough population base, never mind viewer base, to make money off it?

Precisely that's the reason.

I don't complain because besides the sports channels, the comedy central is cool.

And to think about it - for a country that lives and dies by the puck, what's the point anyway.

A website promoting Canadian Television! Well...you've identified something that we need, and it seems to bother you that there is no such thing....Why not be the one to create it?!

Be part of the solution. Take action. Too many Canadians whine instead of being proactive.

Is Canadian television the BEST thing on the air? No. Is it doing it's best in a market that has to compete with wealthy American networks? YES.

Canadian stories should be told by Canadians for Canadians. And, believe it or not, there are countries in the world who are interested in our programming - who prefer anything BUT Americans.

Put your action where your complaints are.

;-)

Try going back and watching the first season of Seinfeld, or the Simpsons...or any other popular show.....TV series in their first year have yet to find their feet - the characters grow and change over time....This too will happen with "Alice, I Think".

Mary Tyler Moore was HATED by test audiences because they didn't like seeing a working woman. They hated Lou Grant, they hated Ted Knight even more. This show, because someone believed in it - went on to become a comedy classic...

The Canadian television industry is YOUNG - give it time, give it support, give it your belief.

Often our Canadian Networks will put shows on in the summer in order to give them the chance they deserve, knowing that it's extremely difficult to compete with American shows during the Fall Launch Season.

Set your recorder to catch some Canadian shows and watch them.

A website promoting Canadian Television! Well...you've identified something that we need, and it seems to bother you that there is no such thing....Why not be the one to create it?!

I would love to, and have thought about it, but that would require time I don't have - finding the sources is hard enough when I'm just trying to be a viewer, never mind trying to launch and promote a website.

MacDuff, if that was directed at me, I am trying. It's hard to set the DVR if you don't know about the shows, though. I have been following and loving The Jane Show, but take a look at their website - hasn't been updated since before the launch a month ago. They have yet to respond to my request for an interview about the show. If the industry can't promote their own shows properly, what hope does anyone else have?

I have emailed Teresa Pavlinek about your desire to interview her. I'm sure she'll be in touch with you....

I can also put you in touch with one of the actors from Alice, I Think if you'd like....

Which is on Comedy Network Fridays @ 8pm, and on CTV Sundays at 7pm...Supposedly it's on one of those channels on Saturdays...THREE chances to see it!

MacD.

Thanks MacD, I haven't seen Alice, I Think yet but I will try to catch it, and I'm always open to promoting Canadian shows ... as long as they don't make me work too hard for it!