An Introduction to Canadian Television

To anyone outside of Canada, the idea of Canadian television might be right up there with the idea of unicorns and other fantastical creatures. But to most people living within Canada, particularly those without cable television, Canadian television is real and very present. In fact, Canadian television is a much more alive entity in other countries than they would realise.

There are four main types of Canadian television that can be found. Because Canadian television is most often compared with American television, I've chosen to use America as the "other side" of the coin.

1) Made in Canada, Aired in Canada. These are shows that are made by Canadian actors, with Canadian crew, on Canadian soil, and aired in Canada. Typically these shows are not aired in the US, and often don't last very long due to lack of funding and competition from American shows that are aired on the cable channels. The two most successful series' to fall under this heading are "The Beachcombers" and "North of 60", neither one of which still airs except in occasional repeats. Sometimes the shows are aired in syndication in the US after their Canadian cancellation, such as "Lonesome Dove: The Series" and "Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years", and gain a new following. Under this heading also fall any shows that are made in joint ventures between Canada and non-American countries, such as the Canadian/French shows "Highlander: The Series" and "The Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew Mysteries". Typically many Canadian-made shows have aired Saturday nights, which has always been prime viewing time.

2) Made in Canada, Aired in America. These are the shows that can be made more cheaply in Canada, or would better be filmed in Canada, or what-have-you. They usually manage to meet Canadian content guidelines, and despite often having a large number of American cast, typically the supporting cast, most of the crew, and many of the guest stars will be Canadian. The most famous example of this is the popular sci-fi soap "The X-Files". Although it has recently moved to the States, "The X-Files" was born and raised in Canada, in part due to lower film costs. Another famous example is the now-syndicated television series "The Commish", which despite being set on the eastern coast of the US, was actually filmed in Canada.

3) Made in America, Aired in Canada. These are the shows that Canadian networks pick up to air on their stations. Typically these shows do very well in the Canadian market, which is why they are aired. Often these shows can be chosen on the basis of which one has Canadian actors. While some Canadian networks are slowly cutting off American programming on their rosters, others try to maintain a balance of Canadian and American programming to offer Canadian viewers a greater choice in their viewing. These shows are usually fairly non-violent, as well as not very sexually explicit. "NYPD Blue" began it's American tenure also airing on Canadian networks, but it was later dropped from the schedule after it started becoming too violent for the Canadian public.

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