Likes on Wednesday - Corner Gas

Are you guys always this sarcastic?

'Nothing else to do.

And thus began my love affair with "Corner Gas."

I started watching this little Canadian gem about a month ago after my youngest daughter (all of 3 months) established her sleep schedule. She nods off every night between 11 and 11:30 which is when "Corner Gas" aires, and my wife and I stumbled upon it and were charmed immediately. It's now to the point where we both catch each other humming the theme song (dammit, it's catchy).

"Corner Gas" has aired for four seasons on Canadian National Television, as far as I can figure. The basic premise reads like the bastard child of Garrison Keilor and Jerry Seinfeld - Brent (show creator Brent Butt - yes, Brent Butt, it's right there on the show's credits) is the owner of Corner Gas located in rural Saskatchewan. Adjascent to his station is a diner. Brent's parents live near by, as does his childhood friends, local law enforcement and other random characters. That's it. The comedy comes not from the situation but from a mix the most laid back sharp dialogue I've ever heard and a collection of very well defined characters.

It's the characters that make the show immediately charming. Let's face it - Corner Gas is nothing complex but the read-throughs must be amazing. If you were to read an average episode in script form, my guess is it would do very little for you. For example:

Oscar: (on buying a new wheelbarrow) That's why I'm waiting for next week's money.

Brent: Next week's money?

Oscar: Yeah. This week's won't quite cover it so I have to wait for next week's.

Hank: What is this next week's money? Is it like a pension or something?

Oscar: The money Emma gives me.

Brent: Mom has you on a budget? That's adorable.

Oscar: It's not adorable and it's not a budget. I get so much money every week and that's it.

Hank: So it's more like an allowance.

Oscar: Oh very funny smart guy. It's not an allowance. It's a set amount of money that Emma dolls out at a set time every week.

(pause)

Holy Hell! I'm on an allowance.

Not all that funny, huh? Now check it out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOe_pXt8v4

See! Isn't that the most charming damn thing? Watch other clips. They're charming too!

I've decided there are three main reasons I'm hooked on this show like John McCain is hooked on scary looking ladies.

1) The decided un-Hollywood looking cast. Aside from the fact that Brent Butt looks like a Dick Tracy character, everyone on the set is remarkably and attractively unspectacular (although I wouldn't kick Gabrielle Miller out of bed for eating crackers, as the saying goes). There's not a sprayed-on tan, surgical enhancement or overly toned body in the bunch. It's charming and it also makes it easier to believe these are authentic rural folk, which is essential to the show having any charm on you at all.

2) The absence of a laugh track allows the jokes to crawl under your skin and explode long after the shelf life of an average joke. It's hard to explain because it's not that the jokes are difficult to "get," on the contrary, many are simple. It's the ease in which the jokes flow, the delivery that's decidedly unforced. There are no rimshots, no pauses for chuckles, just a stream of jokes that range from cute to boarderline brilliant, all inviting you to laugh at your own pace.

3) The whole rural thing. I'm a rural guy, as much as I might want to fight it and I relate to the lyric "that's why you can stay so long when there's not a lot going on." Amen, Brother Butt. I'm with ya, on the tone, on the jokes, on the trip. Good work.