If you are anything like me, and have already binged your way through Schitt’s Creek and are hungry for more Canadian content, then here is a list of more current Canadian television shows that are worthy of some fresh American attention.
After watching Schitt’s Creek I had a craving for something different, something like Schitt’s that didn’t have the same gleam as typical sitcoms. Most new television comedies can feel overproduced and overpolished, moving away from realism towards what has been successful in the past. Sacrificing some creativity in favor of highlighting common tropes and stereotypes that we have come to know and expect.
Schitt’s is different, it feels new and interesting. The show is hilarious and ridiculous, while at the same time it still feels grounded. The characters can be over the top, and almost tragic in their naive interactions with normal life. It is a joy to watch a rich, reality TV-inspired, family try to make sense of their lives after the loss of their fortune; while having to live a life like many of us, just trying to get by. The premise alone worked well enough to offer a few laughs at the expense of the Rose family, but the show is more than that.
I was surprised with the amount of heart that the show boasts in its 80 episodes, surpassing the emotion and growth of the characters that we typically see in sitcoms with overinflated episode counts. Along with its message of inclusivity and acceptance, it’s no wonder that Schitt’s Creek swept the Emmys in every major comedy category, and became a critical darling overnight. The most surprising fact is that this Canadian made show sat on digital shelves for years, without much attention stateside. Maybe, it was due to its Canadian-ness, something that is oft-overlooked unless it is named Ryan, Keanu, or Seth.
If you are anything like me, and have already binged your way through Schitt’s Creek and are hungry for more Canadian content, then here is a list of more current Canadian television shows that are worthy of some fresh American attention. Like a pre-2020 Schitt’s Creek, they are not as widely known, but they remain equally as unique and entertaining.
Kim’s Convenience (2016 – Present)
Four Seasons (Fifth releasing in January) – All current 52 Episodes streaming on Netflix.
Starring: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (The Mandalorian), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) Jean Yoon (The Expanse), and Andrea Bang (Luce).
Kim’s Convenience is a Canadian sitcom set in Toronto, which follows the story of first-generation Korean-Canadian parents, Appa and Umma (Korean for Dad and Mom), and their second-generation adult-children, Jung and Janet, as they navigate the complexities of family, the daily issues in running a convenience store, and figuring out exactly what they want out of life.
Like Schitt’s, Kim’s is at its core a show about family. When we first meet the Kims, they are a family divided, due to an argument that had happened years before, Jung and Appa are estranged, but are quickly thrown into a collision course. Kim’s is at its best when it focuses on its relationships between the first and second generation Kims. Both Jung and Janet are continually at odds with their overbearing parents, who themselves are hyper-focused on the lives of their children, and all of the expectations that come with it.
The show, like the play it was based on, centers around the character of Appa, a first-generation Korean-Canadian, who is continually learning and growing. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who has played this character for a number of years both on stage and screen (alongside Jean Yoon for many of these years) has crafted a well-developed and fleshed out character in Appa.
At no point does he feel like a stereotype, or a broadly written caricature. Lee, like many of us, is an avid nerd, who frequently dons Star Wars cosplay (which led to his two-episode cameo in The Mandalorian, much to the joy of many a Canadian), and has been known to engage in nerd-inspired podcasts.
Kim’s is a show that feels good to watch, from a perspective that is not frequently seen on television. The creators and writers have spent a lot of effort crafting complex and realistic relationships and maintaining them effectively throughout the entirety of the show. Nothing is wrapped up in a neat bow, changed in the middle of the show, or forgotten about in later seasons.
It works because there is a practicality to the slow and gradual growth of the characters, who feel real and fleshed out. There is no winking at the camera or exaggerated plot lines that prevent the show from feeling grounded in reality. On top of everything, the show boasts an impressive cast that possesses some serious nerd cred, with Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Syfy Channel credits, to name a few, scattered throughout the cast.
Letterkenny (2016 – Present)
Eight Seasons (Ninth releasing on Boxing Day) – All current 54 Episodes streaming on Hulu.
Starring: Jared Keeso (Elysium), Nathan Dales (Broken Hearts Gallery), and Michelle Mylett (El Camino Christmas).
Letterkenny is another Canadian sitcom, which follows Wayne, Daryl, Katy, and Dan as they deal with day-to-day life in the fictional town of Letterkenny, Ontario. The premise of the show revolves around three very different groups of characters: hicks (farmers – the main cast), skids (drug addicts), and hockey players. The interaction between these groups is what makes this show unique, with a constant barrage of insults that fly back and forth, in some of the most distinctive exchanges in any television show in recent history. The slang and language used in Letterkenny are carefully crafted and sharply delivered in some of the funniest exchanges on television.
Like Schitt’s, Letterkenny focuses on outlandish and over the top characters in a small town butting up against one another. A great thing about Letterkenny is the amount of heart that is hidden underneath its gruff exterior. Letterkenny is not a show about a particular family, but rather a community, who, no matter their differences, support each other in a tribalistic fashion. It is this feeling of comradery and support that is the backbone of Letterkenny and something that is lost in many current television shows, an emphasis on helping those around you, even if you don’t particularly like them very much.
The community of Letterkenny consists of oddballs and weirdos who consistently find themselves in situations that they have to fight or drink their way out of. The show is at its peak in the relationships between its characters, particularly when the principal cast interacts with some of the more minor characters, allowing the brilliance of Jared Keeso’s quintessential straight man to stand out. A character whose subtle lack of emotion allows all those around him to shine through. Though many of the characters are outrageous and at times ridiculous, none of them feel poorly conceived, and even the characters who are one-note find their place in the bizarre and surreal world of Letterkenny.
Workin’ Moms (2017 – Present)
Four Seasons (Fifth in production) – All current 47 Episodes streaming on Netflix.
Starring: Catherine Reitman (Black-ish), Dani Kind (Wynonna Earp), Juno Rinaldi (Wayne), and Jessalyn Wanlim (Orphan Black)
Workin’ Moms is another Canadian sitcom, again set in Toronto. The show focuses on four moms, Kate, Anne, Frankie, and Jenny, who are set to return to work after their maternity leave, to various levels of success. The show was created by Catherine Reitman (who also stars as Kate), whose father is Ivan Reitman, and the brother is Jason Reitman, two of the most successful filmmakers in recent history, collectively bringing us more amazing movies than I could even start to mention. Catherine Reitman does not fall far from the tree, her quick wit and sharp social critique on modern parenting is so on point it’s a wonder that she is not more well known.
Unlike Schitt’s and some of the other shows I have previously mentioned on this list, Workin’ Moms does not do ridiculous or over the top, instead, it takes a realistic approach to the lives of mothers in the workplace. It deals with subjects of sexism, pregnancy, abortion, post-partum depression, and feelings of inadequacy and exhaustion in a respectable way. Granted, this does not make the show sound like a fun time, but I assure you that it is.
The title Workin’ Moms would have you believe that this is a show you would tell your own mother to watch during quarantine, or over the holidays, in order to pass time while she is at home. With frequently swearing and talk about sex, masturbation, and pornography (a whole episode features Reitman’s character’s proclivity toward hentai), this is not a show for the faint of heart. It is a frank show that does shy away from taboo subjects. There is no glad-handing here, you are simply thrown into the fray, whether you are ready or not.
It’s hard to pick a standout here as all four women do an incredible job making us sympathetic to the issues that they are dealing with, in an honest and funny way. Reitman’s Kate takes center stage and does so to great success, but her issues are often not as complex as those of her friends from her mom group. Like Schitt’s, Moms continually runs the gambit from comedy to drama and doing both with a deft hand.
The greatest part of Moms is that it focuses on women, giving them a voice that isn’t that common in sitcoms. Sure, they are identified with their motherhood, but that isn’t all that they are. In many sitcoms mothers are defined as such, in Moms, it is the duality of motherhood and the individual that makes the characters feel fresh and new.
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