Everything about Little Mosque on the Prairie, eh?

In the news: Canadian shows may benefit from strike

From Andrew Ryan of the Globe and Mail:

  • U.S. strike may deliver Canadian TV homeruns
    “The bill for the U.S. TV writers’ strike finally arrived. In this country, we’ll barely feel the pinch. Viewers will experience some changes in the weeks ahead, but any reduction in service will seem less pronounced on Canadian screens, where the winter forecast includes both frantic U.S.-network strike programming and worthy homegrown programs. Think of it as having the best of both worlds.” Read more.

Plus, Andrew Ryan takes questions live online Monday.

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The year in TV

Alex Strachan of CanWest News Service lists the best of TV, including Intelligence, Corner Gas, and Robson Arms:

  • Cheer up, television has never been better
    “Good grief. So that was the TV year that was. A writers strike. Catfights, celebrity spats and family feuds — and that was just The View. Here’s a look back, through the prism of the stages of grief, as defined by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of On Death and Dying.” Read more.

Joel Rubinoff of the Waterloo Record isn’t as optimistic about the state of TV, and gives Falcon Beach and Whistler the dubious distinction of being among the worst of 2007, while Degrassi is one of his best:

  • TV’s Year of Living Dangerously
    “Degrassi: The Next Generation (CTV): The greatest teen show on the planet rediscovers its mojo with a same sex romance between control freak Paige and teen rebel Alexa. The year’s most compelling — and bittersweet — love story.” Read more.

Rob Salem of the Toronto Star includes Little Mosque on the Prairie in his best of 2007:

  • We’re crazy about TV’s Mad Men
    “A provocative premise, a terrific cast … and, however unlikely and unprecedented, a large and loyal Canadian audience. (Runners-up: Durham County, Across the River to Motor City.)” Read more.

The Globe and Mail names Zarqa Nawaz of Little Mosque on the Prairie one of their people of the year:

  • Arts Person of the year runners-up
    “The public broadcaster gambled that Little Mosque would be the breakout hit it so desperately needed. Turns out, it placed the right bet. In its first season, roughly 1 million viewers tuned in weekly. This season, the average was 785,000 — a respectable turnout for a show that managed to lure away two top writing guns from its comedic rival, CTV’s Corner Gas, the most-watched Canadian comedy on TV.” Read more.
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In the news: Saskatchewhere?

The Regina Leader-Post prints one man’s quest to discover if CBC is hiding the Saskatchewan setting of Little Mosque on the Prairie:

  • CBC changes story on series’ setting
    “It finally admitted that ‘in order for the show have the broadest appeal, Saskatchewan, for example, was never mentioned by name as it could just as easily be North Dakota or anywhere else on the prairies’. But the second e-mail states there have been regular references to Toronto, ‘and those references have not been removed for foreign sales.'” Read more.
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