TV, eh?

From Craig Takeuchi of the Georgia Straight:

• Royal Canadian Air Farce takes its final flight on the air
  “Sadly, the CBC’s comedic institution of political satire, Royal Canadian Air Farce, will be permanently grounded when its Air Farce New Year’s Eve Final Flight (Dec. 31, 8 p.m.) concludes the show’s 16 year run.” Read more.

From Ben Kaplan of the Financial Post:

• The Farce fades from TV
  “There were bottles of Crown Royal, Jim Beam and vodka along with plenty of beer backstage when the Royal Canadian Air Farce filmed its final episode last Friday at CBC studios in downtown Toronto.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Farce Farewell a Family Affair
  “The seven member troupe went out in style, offering a fast, funny show that will air as an hour-long special Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. on CBC. There were several guest stars, including Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean, who got to fire the chicken cannon at his favorite target (you know who).” Read more.

From a media release:

ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FARCE ENDS 16-YEAR RUN WITH AIR FARCE NEW YEAR’S EVE FINAL FLIGHT, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, AT 8 P.M., ON CBC TELEVISION

After an unprecedented 16-year run on CBC Television, following two decades on CBC Radio, Royal Canadian Air Farce will be signing off with their annual New Year’s Eve Special.

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From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family,includes ratings for Rick Mercer Report, Sophie, Dragons’ Den, So You Think You Dance Canada, etc.:

• Air Farce Soars in Final Friday Flight
  “Air Farce: Final Flight signed off as a series Friday night with a season high 913,000 viewers, which will rank it as CBC’s third-highest rated series this fall.” Read more.

From Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star:

• Could a political farce be much funnier than this?
  “When the Governor General suspended Parliament yesterday, it may have proved a headache for the average Canadian and a heartache for the politicians, but the crisis has been a much appreciated early Christmas present for those who traffic in satirical comedy. From CBC TV’s Royal Canadian Air Farce through Second City to a revised Bravo! version of a Michael Healey script, it’s all been grist for the mill. ‘It’s manna from heaven,’ rejoiced Roger Abbott of the Air Farce. ‘We’re pumped, stoked, excited.’” Read more.

Photo: Roger Abbott

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family – this week’s ratings for many Canadian shows in the full post:

• Draggin’ Economy Boost Dragon’s Den
  “Wednesday’s So You Think You Can Dance Canada drew 1,439,000 as it dances down to the wire. Corner Gas pumped another steady 1,033,000. The Tudors was steady at 690,000. The Border sank to 546,000 against a stronger episode of Heroes on Global (913,000). The Fifth Estate did 447,000, with Global’s rescue series The Guard struggling at 306,000.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of Sun Media:

• Final Farce: Last regular Friday episode of comedy show airs tonight
  “CBC’s Air Farce, which technically is known currently as Air Farce: Final Flight, will air its 332nd –and final — regular Friday show this evening. The long-running comedy-sketch series will wrap up for good with another one of its traditional New Year’s Eve specials, conveniently on Dec. 31.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family, ratings for Rick Mercer Report, Air Farce, Dragons’ Den, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Border, The Tudors, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Sophie, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas, The Guard, etc.:

• Mercer, Air Farce still flying high
  As expected, Don Cherry helped boost the Rick Mercer Report back on top as CBC’s highest-rated non-hockey broadcast last week, drawing 1,169,000 viewers last Tuesday. In fact, if you add the other 815,000 who checked out Mercer’s Friday rebroadcast, the episode drew close to 2 million Canadians.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family, ratings for The Border, Dragons’ Den, Air Farce, Rick Mercer Report, Heartland, The Tudors, Little Mosque on the Prairie, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Sophie, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas, The Guard, and Degrassi, among others:

• Grace Park Behind Border Jump
  “Boosted by the series debut of Grace Park as Homeland Security Agent Liz Carver, The Border jumped to 765,000 viewers across Canada Nov. 10. That made it CBC’s highest-rated off-ice series last week.” Read more.

From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:

• Plenty of promise in new Canadian TV comedies
  “I mean, how do you replace a Trailer Park Boys? In fact, there is Showcase’s thrice Gemini-nominated Cock’d Guns, a similarly deadpan rock twist on the same mockumentary style. On the other hand, if you related more to Trailer’s taboo-toppling vulgarity, you need tune no further than the same cable channel’s new and resolutely rude Testees, which has thus far made the Boys look more like altar boys.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family, ratings for the below as well as So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas, The Guard, Degrassi:

• Weekly Ratings in Jeopardy
  The Rick Mercer Report, opposite U.S. presidential election returns, drew 843,000 last Tuesday night. Air Farce Final Flight, still stubbornly resilient, drew 728,000, The Tudors, 652,000, The Border, 643,000, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, 631,000, Dragon’s Den, 617,000, Doctor Who, 547,000, Doc Zone, 515,000, Little Mosque, 514,000, Nature of Things, 455,000, Heartland, 430,000, fifth estate, 289,000 and dead last–below MVP and jPod numbers–poor Sophie at 251,000 viewers.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family, with ratings for Mercer, Dragon’s Den, The Border, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Tudors, Heartland, Air Farce, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Sophie, The Guard, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas and Degrassi:

• Last Week: Mercer’s Back On Top
  “He shoots, he scores: last week’s Rick Mercer Report topped all CBC prime time shows with 1,114,000 viewers, outdrawing even Saturday night staple Hockey Night in Canada (1,021,000).” Read more.

From BBM Canada:

• Top Programs – Total Canada
  So You Think You Can Dance Canada at #14 (1.32 million)
  Corner Gas at #18 (1.176 million)
  Air Farce at #29 (859,000)
  Rick Mercer Report at #30 (856,000)

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• What a Farce – CBC Shutting Down its No. 1 Show
  “Saturday Night Live isn’t the only sketch series getting a boost from all these elections. Air Farce (featuring Alan Park as Barack Obama, above) continues to surprise heading into its final flight on Friday nights. Last week 859,000 tuned in, well above last season’s average.” Read more.

From Joshua Ostroff of Eye Weekly:

• The fall and rise of CanCom
  “Two pillars of Canadian comedy, Corner Gas and Royal Canadian Air Farce, have just launched their last-ever seasons. The former show is this country’s most popular home-grown sitcom, the latter its longest-running sketch-comedy show. So is this end of CanCom? Hells no.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Degrassi: The Lost Generation
  “Degrassi The Next Generation continues to be one of the lowest ratings shows on Canadian television, drawing just 398,000 viewers for its eighth season premiere Sunday.” Read more.

From Andrew Ryan of the Globe and Mail:

• Fasten your seat belts: Air Farce is prepared for landing
  “There’s almost too much going on out there these days,” says original Farce member Don Ferguson, who plays both U.S. presidential candidate John McCain and NDP Leader Jack Layton in the opener. “At our first script meeting, we realized we had enough for two shows. Along with all the Canadian stories, we were caught off-guard by the recent stock-market meltdown. The way this week is going, we could be writing sketches right up to the first taping.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of Sun Media:

• Palin by comparison
  “A lot of people are saying, ‘Oh, you have big shoes to fill,’” said Corrin, who will be back tonight with the rest of the Royal Canadian Air Farce cast for the debut of the venerable show’s final half-season on CBC. “And I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, Sarah Palin is a juicy character.’ And they’re like, ‘No, we mean Tina Fey.’ ” Read more.

From a media release:

AIR FARCE TAKES OFF ON FINAL FLIGHT, FRIDAY, OCT. 3, AT 8 P.M., ON CBC-TV

• RECORD-BREAKING SERIES ENDS WITH NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECIAL

A landmark Canadian comedy series is coming to an end. After 35 years on CBC Radio and Television, Royal Canadian Air Farce will take a final bow at the end of 2008. Titled ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FARCE—FINAL FLIGHT! for its farewell season, it gets underway Friday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m., on CBC-TV, with its regular weekly half-hours. The show then wraps up with its traditional New Year’s Eve Special, Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m.

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From Alex Strachan of Canwest News Service:

• Taking the Air out of the Farce: venerable show set to retire
  “Don Ferguson has played Brian Mulroney, Rex Murphy, Vladimir Putin, Stockwell Day and Bob Dylan — yes, that Bob Dylan — in his time on Royal Canadian Air Farce. Right now, though, he’s looking forward to just playing Don Ferguson, when Air Farce retires at the end of the year after 16 seasons as a tradition in Canadian comedy. Read more.