Deal me out, Canada
EDMONTON (CUP) -- Following the Super Bowl -- one of the most hyper-American televised events, right behind NASCAR, war and poorly run federal elections -- Global Television kicked off a weeklong run of the NBC prime-time game show “Deal or No Deal.” The catch? The contestants, the audience and the cash prizes were all Canadian.
This harkens back to the short run in 2000 of an all-Canadian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. The only real difference is that Regis Philbin's hosting duties were dumped onto former CTV personality Pamela Wallin, while Howie Mandel, a Canadian citizen, is hosting both versions of “Deal Or No Deal”.
But while the questionable selection of hosts for these ice-locked versions is surely an issue that needs to be addressed, the bigger concern lies with why people feel Canadian versions of these shows need to be created in the first place.
As a nation, does Canada feel so left out that we need to create five-day runs of other countries' intellectual property to make ourselves feel like a part of some global community?
If “American Idol” is already scraping the bottom of the barrel in a country with a population of around 300 million, what's the point of having the exact same contest for what's essentially the same demographic but in a market one-tenth the size?
Not only is it a pretty ridiculous competition in the first place, but having “Canadian Idol” be its own entity doesn't make much sense. I, personally, don't feel any more proud to be Canadian knowing that Ben Mulroney is flaunting our nation's karaoke singers instead of Ryan Seacrest.
But it isn't even always as blatant as the same shows being repackaged for distribution above the 49th parallel. CTV's “Whistler” is essentially “The OC” with snow -- same horrible acting, same melodrama and same overtly ridiculous storylines.
I've got a few ideas for CTV: how about a “Desperate Housewives”-type show set in Peterborough, Ont.? There's nothing like the relaxing vibes of cottage country to make people commit adultery. Or how about a gritty, serialized crime-drama on the mean streets of Edmonton's inner city? That's got Gemini award written all over it.
We've already commercialized our identity through “patriotic” advertisements for shitty beer, Tim Hortons -- which has been American-owned since 1995 -- and the fact that we're the only legitimate television market for professional hockey in the world. Canadians shouldn't feel the need to define themselves and their entertainment by adding a colon followed by Canadian Edition to everything that's popular south of the border.
It would be nice if television was as easy to break into as music, what with the Canadian music scene being as prominent -- both nationally and internationally -- as it is. However, we're slowly plodding along with shows such as “Corner Gas”, “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and “The Rick Mercer Report”. They may not be the greatest programs, but at least they're legitimately Canadian and getting some exposure.
We need to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses in regards to television. Canadian entertainment industries may not have the capital to produce first-rate shows, but re-branding American atrocities to give “the little guy” a chance to strike it rich or gain national fame for six months isn't something we should be proud of.
Howie, tell the banker to fuck off. No deal.
This harkens back to the short run in 2000 of an all-Canadian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. The only real difference is that Regis Philbin's hosting duties were dumped onto former CTV personality Pamela Wallin, while Howie Mandel, a Canadian citizen, is hosting both versions of “Deal Or No Deal”.
But while the questionable selection of hosts for these ice-locked versions is surely an issue that needs to be addressed, the bigger concern lies with why people feel Canadian versions of these shows need to be created in the first place.
As a nation, does Canada feel so left out that we need to create five-day runs of other countries' intellectual property to make ourselves feel like a part of some global community?
If “American Idol” is already scraping the bottom of the barrel in a country with a population of around 300 million, what's the point of having the exact same contest for what's essentially the same demographic but in a market one-tenth the size?
Not only is it a pretty ridiculous competition in the first place, but having “Canadian Idol” be its own entity doesn't make much sense. I, personally, don't feel any more proud to be Canadian knowing that Ben Mulroney is flaunting our nation's karaoke singers instead of Ryan Seacrest.
But it isn't even always as blatant as the same shows being repackaged for distribution above the 49th parallel. CTV's “Whistler” is essentially “The OC” with snow -- same horrible acting, same melodrama and same overtly ridiculous storylines.
I've got a few ideas for CTV: how about a “Desperate Housewives”-type show set in Peterborough, Ont.? There's nothing like the relaxing vibes of cottage country to make people commit adultery. Or how about a gritty, serialized crime-drama on the mean streets of Edmonton's inner city? That's got Gemini award written all over it.
We've already commercialized our identity through “patriotic” advertisements for shitty beer, Tim Hortons -- which has been American-owned since 1995 -- and the fact that we're the only legitimate television market for professional hockey in the world. Canadians shouldn't feel the need to define themselves and their entertainment by adding a colon followed by Canadian Edition to everything that's popular south of the border.
It would be nice if television was as easy to break into as music, what with the Canadian music scene being as prominent -- both nationally and internationally -- as it is. However, we're slowly plodding along with shows such as “Corner Gas”, “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and “The Rick Mercer Report”. They may not be the greatest programs, but at least they're legitimately Canadian and getting some exposure.
We need to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses in regards to television. Canadian entertainment industries may not have the capital to produce first-rate shows, but re-branding American atrocities to give “the little guy” a chance to strike it rich or gain national fame for six months isn't something we should be proud of.
Howie, tell the banker to fuck off. No deal.
