Bollywood meets Corner Gas

Hmmm ... the CBC announced it is producing a new comedy sitcom called, Little Mosque on the Prairie on its official blog. Does this sound familiar at all?

The series creator, Zarqa Nawaz, hopes that "... by using comedy to disarm people of all races, it will invite them to think outside of their fixed cultural perceptions." Perhaps the CBC is trying to ride the popular CTV sitcom Corner Gas, a truly homegrown show staring series concept creator Brent Butt, who grew up in a prairie small-town. Also, there's Little House on the Prairie which was a very popular series about life on the Western American frontier. I guess Little House on the Prairie was a hit. They have released the series on home video for everyone to re-live the pioneer life.

Does the creation of this new series suggest that Saskatchewan's popularity is still on the rise? Or is that the Canadian television viewing public are looking for more grassroots entertinament?

Looking back, Saskatchewan has produced many talented artists, such as songwriter and painter Joni Mitchell, bands like Northern Pikes and the Waltons, the Regina Five (artists), to name a few. Now Zarqa Nawaz, who has produced more serious films about how Muslims are perceived.

Corner Gas may have put Saskatchewan on the map for humour. People actually want to see the set of Corner Gas, which is set in Rouleau, Saskatchewan - a typical southern Saskatchewan town that has a row of buildings and is located just outside of Regina. Rouleau is a blip on the flat prairie land. Really, not much to see. Most people who say they've been to Saskatchewan say they've flown over it or driven through it or by it. It's not usually a place people choose to spend their hard-earned vacation days. I'm quite mystified how such a show has garnered such keen interest from the Canadian public. (Just a note: apparently there's a person who is hired to be stationed by the set so fans don't go too close to the set.)

Several years ago, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert spent a few million dollars on an advertising campaign to promote how great it is to live and do business in Saskatchewan. This campaign caused quite the stir. Taxpayers did not want their hard-earned cash going towards what they considered a pointless cause. Who is going to come to a new province, start a new life based on one television ad they saw? It's hard to say (and tangibly measure) if these ads really had any impact on the Saskatchewan economy.

Maybe if enough people can laugh and relate with Saskatchewan folk, they might want to become their neighbours.