Corner Gas - farewell to one of the best

yesterday (Monday, April 13th, 2009) marked the end of an era; Corner Gas, the most successful Canadian sitcom to enter global living rooms, said good-bye after six LoL seasons. it ended the way it began and thrived - with everyday characters, tons of laughs, and no shocking bombshells. every episode, incuding the series finale, was self-contained, beginning and ending within itself. and you didn't need to watch the episodes in any particular order. this will make re-runs all the more enjoyable...if somewhat saddening since they ARE only re-runs. part of me wishes the show could go on forever but i know that the length of a show is often inversely related to its success. i am (reluctantly) glad that Corner Gas ended before it jumped the shark. i would have hated to see such a great and humourous show suffer a slow death... *whispers: the Simpsons.

so what made Corner Gas so successful? my humble opinion is obviously that of a fan and not an unbiased TV critic. but bear with me...

- the humour of the show is that of regular joe people - regular joe FUNNY people, but regular nonetheless. there was wit, sarcasm, and Oscar's frequent calls of 'jackass!' and it was nothing totally out of the ordinary. watching the show was like spending half an hour with a group of your funniest friends. effortless, every day, and very, very comfortable.

- the small Prairie town of Dog River was still with-it and modern: new cars, internet, cell phones. the people could be any one in your average suburban community...except they watch games and clink beers at THE bar instead of A bar.

- they never began any romances between the characters. not that it wouldn't have been easy as most of the main characters were young, single people. early on, the show hinted at a romance between Brent and Lacey but the writers let it remain as friendship, and thank goodness for that. i imagine a lot of fans would have liked to see it happen - the whole fairy tale happy ending thing - but it would have changed the show too much. the episodes would no longer be self-contained and the plotlines would grow complicated. it would lose the everyday fun that made the show what it was.

Corner Gas never strayed from its original vision. it was a small town Canadian sitcom, accessible to an audience of kids, grandparents, and everyone in between. the show stayed fun, simple, and never preachy. but most of all, Corner Gas never tried to be more than what it was. they gave us six years of great laughs and for that, i thank them. you've been great, good night!