The “this” I’m referring to is Little Mosque on the Prairie (Tuesdays, 8:30pm), the new CBC sitcom about clashing cultures and religions in small town Saskatchewan. It has garnered world-wide coverage (even a panel discussion on CNN that bordered on the surreal), and it has become the most talked about CBC series in ages…and the talk was rewarded last night with the highest ratings for a CBC TV sitcom in years (over 2 million viewers for the premiere episode).
What’s the verdict?
The pilot was fairly tame, but it was full of the folksy preposterousness that seems to be the hallmark of Canadian comedy — think of Corner Gas with religious arguments. It was also charming, with moments of great hilarity (“Why are they desperate [housewives] when they are simply performing their womanly duties?”), and it left one hell of a smile on my face afterwards (and the local DJ’s triade against “Johnny Jihad” nearly made me lose control of my bladder).
So, on the writing front, it’s a work in progress…but with an solid foundation.
It also boast a stellar cast of veterans, such as Derek McGrath, and the sublime Sheila McCarthy…but the star of the show is Arlene Duncan as Fatima. She runs the local greasy-spoon diner, takes no crap from anyone, and makes the best BLT in town…although her idea of cappucino is a bluntly-scooped chunk of ice cream into the new Imam’s coffee! And wait until you see this woman curl…
So, give the show a chance…because I feel it’s just warming up. It’s an equal-opportunity offender of Christians, Muslims, city-folk & rural residents — the distinctly Canadian balance of edgy satire and small town silliness. It definitely has the potential to become one of those delightful bedrocks of Canadian television, joining Royal Canadian Air Farce and the Rick Mercer Report. It’s not All in the Family…but it has no interest in being that sort of sitcom. It simply has to be itself in order to succeed, and to my mind, that makes it a typical Canadian success story.
And remember…it’s all about Fatima!
