Friday, January 19, 2007

Little Mosque Redux?

And here I thought I had lost my mind!

I dutifully taped 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' on Monday assuming it was going to be Episode #2. I based this assumption on a) the TV listings in StarWeek, and b) the CBC's endless on-air promotions.

Imagine my surprise when I went to watch the tape only to discover that it was Episode #1 - again!

Did my cable company screw up? Did the TV listings get it wrong? WTF?!?

As it turns out, it was all part of the master plan (ok, the revised master plan) at the CBC, as revealed in the Toronto Sun. Seems they had a bit of a panic attack when they realized they had an actual HIT on their hands and they had foolishly scheduled it against the Golden Globes and the '24' season premiere. Instead they decided to throw it against 'American Idol', which is somehow considered to be less of a threat.

See? What did I just say - PVR is gonna save television.

As for what I thought of Episode #2... it was good. Funny. I laughed.

If I seem a little underwhelmed, it's not through any fault of the show. I'm just not that into sitcoms. I'm more of a Studio 60 / ReGenesis / Slings & Arrows kinda gal. I suspect it might also have something to do with the half hour format. I hardly ever watch half hour shows, possibly for the same reason that alcoholics rarely buy mickeys: what the hell are they going to do for the rest of the evening?

I'll keep watching, though. I love Carlo Rota, and the fact that they had him running against himself on '24' on Monday, even briefly, amuses me. Sadly, it looks like we're going to have to wait a while for Episode #3. It seems CBC has defaulted back to their old standby - hockey, hockey, hockey! - for at least the next two weeks.

Definitely NOT the way to maintain an audience.

1 comment:

  1. Great post! I as other Canadians am always amazed at the lack of coordination withing the CBC and their lack of connection with the public. If they get a hit, well they are all surprised and never seem to expect it. I also don't like the 30 minute format, and prefer Drama's to comedys, but I am afraid that if I get hooked onto a CBC series that it won't last past the first season... A shame really.

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