Canadian TV: Underappreciated or Total Wasteland?

July 1st is Canada Day, and in honor of my country I’ve decided to write a short post on Canadian television. Why so short, you ask? Because I have to confess, I barely watch any Canadian TV. Despite the fact that Canada practically oozes talent (seriously, more Canadians walk among the celebs in Hollywood than you realize) Canadian TV doesn’t have the greatest reputation. I mean, even Sesame Street went south (or North?) after splitting from the American show. I mean, seriously, folks? Sesame Park? No. Just no.

Unless you count the news, I can’t say I’ve watched any Canadian TV regularly. I’ve caught episodes of Corner Gas, and they were pretty funny. I’ve also seen my fair share of Degrassi: The Next Generation and a couple episodes of the old-school Degrassi as well. I’ve seen an episode of Being Erica here and there and kind of dug it, but not enough to remember to regularly tune in.

I used to hear good things about Little Mosque on the Prairie, but I’ve tried to watch and didn’t really connect with the show. I’m ashamed to admit I used to watch quite a bit of Instant Star, but that was purely a guilty pleasure.

The only Canadian shows I’ve really followed are Canadian Idol (I’ll never forgive CTV for shelving that) and Canada’s Next Top Model (I love Mr. Jay playing host, and Canadian girls are hot!).

So, fellow Canucks, do you have a favorite homemade TV show? Am I being unpatriotic in only following Canadian knock-offs of British and American reality competitions? What should I be watching?