TV’s golden age is upon us. The small screen has become a more incisive storytelling medium than ever before. Just ask Walter White, Don Draper, or Frank Underwood.
Finally, creators are using the multiple-episode structure to their advantage, delving deeper into character arcs, constructing complex story lines, and providing a highly satisfying and distinct viewing experience from that of the silver screen.
But where’s the hit homegrown Canadian programming in all of this? I can’t remember the last time a friend recommended that I watch the latest show the CBC picked up, and whenever I do happen to catch an episode of Murdoch Mysteries, the camera-work, lighting, dialogue — well, all of it seems just a bit tackier and less professional than what I’ve grown accustomed to.
Canadian TV has failed to truly resonate with audiences and churn out highly entertaining content over the years. Of course there are the rare exceptions, such as Trailer Park Boys, but if there is a Renaissance happening, I think we ought to be a part of it.
Canadian programming has been lacking in part because one of the CBC’s mandates is to “reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences.” That sounds great, but there are only so many Alberta references I’ll get when I watch Little Mosque on the Prairie because well, I’m not from Alberta. The mandate places predetermined constraints on TV writers, limiting how inventive they can get with their stories.
We of the HBO generation are used to watching sometimes dark, sexual, nuanced, creative television.
To create compelling programming also means likely offending viewers. A good portion of our original programming funnels through the CBC, and as a public broadcaster, they’re not really in the business of pissing people off. Finally, you often need money to make good television, but when you and the rest of your Canadian brethren haven’t proven you can make great TV, no one will trust you with a big budget.
It’s time to take risks, shell out some cash, and join the movement, Canada.
We are the HBO generation. We grew up watching dark, sexual, nuanced, creative television that explore themes that resonated with the human condition. To engage us, you’ll need to start taking risks. Less of the traditional ‘you can watch it with your grandma’ programming, like Murdoch Mysteries, and more “stylized, smart and sexy,” like BBC’s Sherlock.
Moreover, if you want to document our history and culture as the CBC does, you need to do so in a compelling manner. Boardwalk Empire, with its story about Prohibition-era America and the criminals and politicians that ruled it, will be talked about for years to come. If Canadians are to watch programming that tells our story, we need to create honest, thought-provoking drama, no matter how risky and expensive it may be.
Finally, it’s about national pride. We have our authors, our comedians, and our pro athletes. It’s about time we have our TV, too.
The sense of pride we feel when our writers produce great work and the rest of the world watches may just do more for Canadian solidarity than another period drama based in 1900s Toronto can.
There’s a generation of Canadian actors, directors, storytellers ready to tell stories more passionate and challenging than we’re used to, and it’s about time we fully support them. After all, it’d be a damn shame if their homegrown talent is never put to use.
