# Do they cuss on Canadian TV? In fact, tell me about Canadian TV in general. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152 "2011-03-18T14:01:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/61 "2011-03-20T00:21:43Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > When you live next door to the US, constantly reminding yourself that you’re a different country is kind of necessary to keep from being completely submerged. British race car driver Perry McCarthy in his book “Flat Out and Flat Broke” has a story about the time he was in Montreal. A bartender tells him on how Canadians always feel overwhelmed by living so close the the much larger United States. One newspaper had a contest to find the Canadian equivalent of “As American as mom’s apple pie”. The winning entry was “As Canadian as possible under the circumstances”. One thing I’ve noticed with the NHL Gamecenter package is the Canadian TV feeds will show the national anthems a lot more than American stations (most of which are FOX. But then Rupert Murdoch did hire left wing pinkos like Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann). An exception is Chicago. They are always pretty good of showing home games national anthems with the magnificent Jim Cornielson, the American equivalent of Ottawa’s Lyndon Slewidge. On the other hand people I know who watched the six hour TSN trade deadline broadcast that was shown on the NHL network complained that when they weren’t talking almost exclusively about the six Canadian teams, it was lots of talk about the one year anniversary of Canada winning the Olympic hockey gold medal. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/62 "2011-03-20T00:53:11Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > _We_ stayed overnight in the Roleau Hotel (aka the Dog River Hotel). Beat _that_! Well I shared a pitcher of beer with Lorne Cardinal (Davis)! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/63 "2011-03-20T01:00:15Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > \The winning entry was “As Canadian as possible under the circumstances”. Exactly. > [@](#): > > it was lots of talk about the one year anniversary of Canada winning the Olympic hockey gold medal. WooHoo! Double gold, man! 😃 > [@Ludy](#): > > Well I shared a pitcher of beer with Lorne Cardinal (Davis)! OOOOoooooh. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/64 "2011-03-20T02:38:53Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > “Corner Gas” was on CTV, not CBC - I don’t think CBC is capable of 1. Making a funny show and B. Shooting a show anywhere except Toronto or Vancouver. “Little Mosque on the Prairie” is most definitely not set in Toronto or Vancouver. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/65 "2011-03-20T03:03:45Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “Little Mosque on the Prairie” is most definitely not set in Toronto or Vancouver. I didn’t say set, I said shot. Looking it up, I see part of the show is actually shot in Saskatchewan; I just assumed it was all shot in Toronto, since the show has zero prairie flavour and almost painful for this Saskatchewan native to watch. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/66 "2011-03-20T03:33:51Z")
I grew up about 20 minutes from (Canadian) Niagara Falls. I remember watching Canadian shows on cable when I was a kid in the early 80s: Degrassi Jr. High Hockey Night in Canada (Thursday night’s, I believe it was) Curling. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/67 "2011-03-20T03:35:45Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Hockey Night in Canada (Thursday night’s, I believe it was) During the playoffs, every night there’s a Canadian team still in the running. The rest of the time, Saturday nights. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/68 "2011-03-20T04:04:01Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > During the playoffs, every night there’s a Canadian team still in the running. The rest of the time, Saturday nights. OK- like I said, I was a small kid and it was 30 some years ago! (:eek:) ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/69 "2011-03-20T15:37:13Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I didn’t say set, I said shot. Looking it up, I see part of the show is actually shot in Saskatchewan; I just assumed it was all shot in Toronto, since the show has zero prairie flavour and almost painful for this Saskatchewan native to watch. On a happy tangent, Insecurity is filmed in Regina. I got to watch the original pilot and it was hilarious to see them driving around ‘Toronto’ with a SARCAN building in the shot. Regina has a great soundstage, I wish it got used more. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/70 "2011-03-20T15:43:43Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I didn’t say set, I said shot. Looking it up, I see part of the show is actually shot in Saskatchewan… They fly the entire cast and crew out to Regina for quite a lot of weeks; my brother in law’s on the show and has learned the city (and the little town where they do the shoots) pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/71 "2011-03-20T15:59:10Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I don’t know how this SCTV "CBC feed"episode went down with American viewers, since it contained so many in-jokes that only those of us who had spent years watching CBC would get, but it sure had us laughing. Homer Simpson is absolutely correct when he says, “It’s funny 'cause it’s true.” The SCTV sendup of CBC was certainly both. Living in a border town, I certainly got it. Especially “[It’s a Canadian Fact](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dak_HKE2Tk)”. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/72 "2011-03-20T20:22:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > They fly the entire cast and crew out to Regina for quite a lot of weeks; my brother in law’s on the show and has learned the city (and the little town where they do the shoots) pretty well. You can pass on from me to him then that they need to try A LOT harder to try to get any prairie flavour in the show then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/73 "2011-03-20T23:43:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > When you live next door to the US, constantly reminding yourself that you’re a different country is kind of necessary to keep from being completely submerged. It’s completely understandable. It’s just kind of amusing when Canadians occasionally claim we slap the flag all over everything. We’ve got nothing on the ubiquity of the maple leaf. To the OP, is there anything on CBC currently that’s excellent or even really good tv? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/74 "2011-03-21T01:05:54Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > It’s completely understandable. It’s just kind of amusing when Canadians occasionally claim we slap the flag all over everything. We’ve got nothing on the ubiquity of the maple leaf. I think the difference is that we don’t treat our flag (or iconography, like the maple leaf) with the reverence that Americans treat their flag. We’ll use flags to advertise sales on used-car lots, for example, and it has nothing to do with patriotism–it’s just eye-catching. Remember, although we’ve existed since 1867, we’ve only had our own flag (that is, one that’s not based on the UK flag) since 1965, and the novelty may not have worn off yet. And the lack of a formal flag code like the US’s, dictating the display and treatment of flags may have something to do with it also. Don’t misunderstand–Canadians may well be as passionate about their flag as Americans are about theirs, and we do treat ours seriously at times–you can see the seriousness at military funerals and Remembrance Day ceremonies, for example. And many Canadians would remember the international kerfuffle that erupted when, during the 1992 World Series, a colour guard of US Marines flew the Canadian flag upside down. At such times, and others, we certainly feel a certain sense of pride and patriotism. But in our day-to-day lives, it’s pretty much just a decoration at the gas station, the corporate campus, the hotel (where it might be hidden among other national flags), or the used-car lot. As for the maple leaves in corporate logos, it’s simply a way to indicate that this is the Canadian arm of the US parent. Why that’s necessary, I don’t know. There are certainly many US companies doing business here that don’t see the need to put maple leaves in their logos (examples would be IBM, Microsoft, Halliburton, Citi, and GM). > [@](#): > > To the OP, is there anything on CBC currently that’s excellent or even really good tv? I’m not the OP, and it may not be what you were looking for, but I’d suggest that the CBC excels at news–while a bias may at times appear in domestic news, international news is usually presented factually, and without a spin one way or another. That may or may not be as a result of not having business or geopolitical interests in a lot of foreign places, as the Americans do, so things can be presented neutrally without losing or offending viewers. But for whatever reason, you can get a good idea of what’s going on in the world from the CBC, and you can make your mind up from there. Sports is another area that the CBC does very well, especially hockey. They’ve been broadcasting it for sixty years or so, so they know how, and in the process, they’ve spoiled us all–it is sometimes painful to watch a US broadcast of a hockey game; the cameras have no idea how to follow the action and as a result, the director doesn’t know how to present the play for the TV audience. And in large international sports events, such as the Olympics, the CBC will try to show all the action by all the athletes–it will show an entire event (downhill skiing, for example), and not cut between events just because a Canadian happens to be competing. Lastly, children’s programming is another thing the CBC does well. How many Canadian Dopers recall shows like “Mr. Dressup,” “Friendly Giant,” and “Chez Helene”? They were nice, simple, kid-friendly shows, but not at all like what we often think of as a kid’s show (i.e. recycled cartoons and a Krusty the Clown-type host). They were often educational in some way, but the education was so subtly done that we kids never noticed until we all realized we could play the Friendly Giant theme on school-issued recorders, or learned enough French from Helene to stumble through our first school French lessons. No parent ever worried about leaving a child in front of a CBC children’s show, and the CBC did them extremely well. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/75 "2011-03-21T03:39:01Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > \ > I’m not the OP, and it may not be what you were looking for, but I’d suggest that the CBC excels at news–while a bias may at times appear in domestic news, international news is usually presented factually, and without a spin one way or another. That may or may not be as a result of not having business or geopolitical interests in a lot of foreign places, as the Americans do, so things can be presented neutrally without losing or offending viewers. But for whatever reason, you can get a good idea of what’s going on in the world from the CBC, and you can make your mind up from there. I’m also getting quite fond of [Doc Zone](http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/), a documentary program that I usually watch online. > [@](#): > > Sports is another area that the CBC does very well, especially hockey. They’ve been broadcasting it for sixty years or so, so they know how, and in the process, they’ve spoiled us all–it is sometimes painful to watch a US broadcast of a hockey game; the cameras have no idea how to follow the action and as a result, the director doesn’t know how to present the play for the TV audience. And in large international sports events, such as the Olympics, the CBC will try to show all the action by all the athletes–it will show an entire event (downhill skiing, for example), and not cut between events just because a Canadian happens to be competing.\ What a brouhaha we had when Hockey Night in Canada let the theme song go (I don’t recall the reason). I believe it was because they weren’t willing to pay more to keep the theme song. It was a travesty - HNIC without the [HNIC theme](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByKu8BwT5K4)?!? What next, changing the maple leaf flag to _green_?!? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/76 "2011-03-21T04:11:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > What next, changing the maple leaf flag to _green_?!? Undoubtedly, some Saskatchewan Roughriders fans would see that as a good move. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/77 "2011-03-21T04:16:08Z")
Re: HNIC theme. The owner of the publishing rights wanted more money: a lot more money. The CBC said, take off, eh. So the publisher sold the rights to privately-controlled CTV. For once, I am proud of the CBC for standing its ground and not giving in to cultural blackmail. It’s my tax money, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/78 "2011-03-21T11:56:38Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > 1-800-Missing (renamed “Missing” for the 2nd & 3rd seasons) I had no idea that was Canadian, it’s broadcast in one of the open channels in Spain and my mother loves it - so why did I think it was American. ETA after checking: I see, another non-US-made product which is set in the US. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/79 "2011-03-21T16:22:25Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Comedy Central often will take off any language restrictions for some of their late night programming. They still blur things like bare tits, though. I think for some of their late night stuff they even show the nudity. And for those of you who get IFC as part of the regular cable package, they also show stuff completely uncut. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152/80 "2011-03-21T16:34:35Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Others like Forever Knight, Flashpoint, Due South, Lexx, Cash Cab, Blood Ties, Sanctuary, Once a Thief etc are probably familiar to a lot of US viewers too. I have U.S. relatives who watch Flashpoint and have asked if Toronto really looks like that. I think they weren’t expecting as many skyscrapers or something. In the 1990s your standard primetime swearing like “bitch” and “ass” has been pretty standard on post-9 or 1o-pm TV shows. NYPD Blue’s nudity was considered pretty trivial. Then a few years ago, CTV started broadcasting _The Soporano’s_ and I’m pretty sure it was unedited, but they did air a _long_ disclaimer before the show and every time they came back from commercials with stuff like “may contain this, that, the other, more other, frightening this, violent that, nudity and adult situations, this show is not intended for young or immature audiences, some scenes may be very disturbing, some viewers may be offended.” And so on. In the 1980s public broadcast type stations like CBC and TVO had a _lot_ more nudity when I was growing up due to all the foreign films theyd show. I made that discovery after leaving the TV set on one night after Doctor Who was over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-cuss-on-canadian-tv-in-fact-tell-me-about-canadian-tv-in-general/575152.md?page=5)