As we prepared to get back to Trego, one of the things we anticipated was getting Canadian TV channels again. It had been about a quarter-century since we enjoyed that particular form of entertainment – so we bought a special, long range antenna to bring them in. Sadly, developments and improvements as we passed into the third millennium eliminated the repeater stations that had made it possible in the eighties.
Still, the goal wasn’t forgotten – merely filed away for later use. Finally, I found a search routine that brought Canadian TV series from the past to my computer screen. Here are some of the enjoyable Canadian programs I’ll be enjoying during the long evenings of the upcoming winter.
Corner Gas – This program went on for five years, then had about three years of an animated version, centering on the minimal life of a gas station/convenience store operator in Dog River, Saskatchewan, 40 miles from anywhere. Search it out on youtube – it’s worth watching.
Kim’s Convenience – the parental Kims (Korean immigrants) run a convenience store somewhere in Toronto. It’s a bit more current than Corner Gas, but takes humor into a few politically incorrect areas. I didn’t find much on youtube – a few outtakes, but it’s just a search away. It ran from 2016 until last April. The scripts were written by the same writers that did Corner Gas.
There are 72 episodes in Due South – the first episode is available on youtube. It’s a combination of comedy and crime, and looks like a story about an RCMP guy working with a Chicago cop.
It looks like Trailer Park Boys is also available – this one had a seven-season run while I was far south of the 49th parallel – and it looks like they’re available on youtube.
It may be a while before I get a current episode of “this hour has 22 minutes” – but I can get back to watching Canadian TV.
Trego's Mountain Ear 