Erin’s Top 10 Canadian TV Shows
by Erin Q. Gillis, Esq.
10 – My Secret Identity
What I’m pretty sure was a Saturday-morning show (or at least when I watched it it was), “My Secret Identity” was all about living two lives – one, a teenage boy; the other, a teenage boy who could run really fast. Mind blowing! Actually, he could fly too, but I seem to remember that he needed cans of spray paint to get him going. Which is probably wrong, but it was a long time ago okay?! The point is that “My Secret Identity” is a relatively big part of my life. In the past, I looked up to that guy a lot, and there was a period of about five years during which I honestly thought I could run as fast as he could. Presently I’ll watch anything with him in it just based on the fact that it’s the dude from “My Secret Identity.” Like Kangaroo Jack. Which I still haven’t seen. Crapheads.
Note: For my #10 spot I was actually torn between “My Secret Identity” and “The Odyssey.” “The Odyssey” was just as good, but I went with “My Secret Identity” because the theme song was better and one of the characters was named Erin.
9 – The Littlest Hobo
I’m pretty sure James did a good job at covering the basic plot of “The Littlest Hobo,” and I’ve got 45 minutes to actually get this up by the end of Canada Day. I like doggies! :) As a side note, did you ever notice how the dog got a new name every episode? That was fun. w00t.
8 – Road to Avonlea
Mock me if you will, but Sunday night was not Sunday night without Sara Stanley and Felix King and Jasper Dale and Aunt Hetty and pretty much any other character Lucy Maud Montgomery ever created. “Road To Avonlea” was based on her books and set in atlantic Canada around maybe the 1920’s? It kind of got crappy for the last few seasons, but for the most part it was great. Well, maybe not great, as the humor was basically “Oh that Felix fell in the hay again!” But, when you watch it every week for like 10 years of your life, you get attatched. And it was neat that they referenced Cape Breton a lot. Plus I had quite a crush on Gus Pike… Shut up.
7 – Jonovision
I’m fully aware that “Jonovision” ended up sucking, but there were at least two seasons during which it was gold, if only for the appearances of Ken from “Street Cents.” Naw, during those good seasons it was a combination of talk-show and sketch-show that was both funny and informative, and even when it got crappy we could just look at Jono and reminisce about when he was on Street Cents and obsessed with ducks. Ahhh.
6 – Trailer Park Boys
”Trailer Park Boys” – a mock reality show (also set in atlantic Canada) that’s all about growing pot and stealing shopping carts. It’s not hard to believe that upon hearing about the show, I assumed that it was awful and I would never watch it. Turns out I was very very wrong, because I decided to watch it one night and am now borderline obsessed. I don’t really know how they manage to turn trailer trash into comedic brilliance, but they do. The characters and dialogue are hilarious and so well done, and it’s impossible to not love Bubbles. Watch this show.
5 – The Kids in the Hall
There are a LOT of Canadian sketch comedy shows, but this is the only one that will keep me laughing non-stop for the whole episode. I guess the main appeal is how totally bizarre it is… Either that or the cross-dressing. Yup.
4 – The Raccoons
When the good guys and the bad guys are both incredibly awesome, you know you have a winning cartoon. I don’t think it’s possible to not like this show, which outlines the lives of raccoons who run a newspaper, an aardvark (if that’s what Cyril Sneer even is… it’s kind of hard to tell…) who is trying to take over the forest, two really awesome doggies, and various other forest animals. Plus each episode had a montage scene set to ‘80’s music! Wheee!
3 – Street Cents
Like “Jonovision,” “Street Cents” ended up being shitty (or, “fit for the pit” if you will). Unlike “Jonovision,” however, “Street Cents” was good for a much longer amount of time. The original hosts (including Two-Bit, the resident hedgehog) were the best ones, but there were no pictures of them so I went with Ken, the evil, lacky-sporting head of Buy-Co. “Street Cents” was all about youth consumerism, so’s that Canadian kids were smart about their monies and purchases, and back in the day it even had a loose plot to follow too! It’s still on I think, but unfortunately its glory days are over. Le sigh!
2 – Degrassi
I only vaguely remember the kids from Degrassi Street, and the new Degrassi sucks, so this place in the list is reserved for good ol’ Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. Degrassi was just your basic “tackling teenage issues” dealy, but it was oh so very Canadian and oh so very ‘80’s. We all grew up idolizing those characters, who happened to be played by the most normal-looking kids on TV. It’s true! It’s one of the things that made the show so real – some of those actors were just butt-ugly. Or maybe that’s just because of general ‘80’s-ness. Either way, Degrassi is one of the best things I’ve ever seen on TV, with the highlights being… no, there are too many highlights. If you can’t spend hours talking about Degrassi, there’s something wrong with you. That is all.
1 – Mr. Dressup
Thank you Mr. Dressup. :)