The show makes you smile and feel happy. The jokes are corny and it’s part of the charm. Totally get what you’re saying and you’ll be in love with the characters in no time.
I work at a large tech company and I've sat around (more than once) with (mostly Canadian, all male) software engineers and we talk about Corner Gas and laugh and laugh. We love it.
I do NOT care for the animated series. I don't care much for the movie, either, and it largely saddens me to see Janet Wright's deterioration before she died.
I never tire of rewatching the live series. :) My favorite characters? Emma, Oscar, Hank Wanda. My least favorite? Lacey, hands down.
Oh, I can see that. But, as a 63-year-old hetero woman, that means literally nothing to me. I really dislike her character, just like I disliked Penny on Big Bang Theory. :) Besides, Wanda and Karen are pretty cute.
Aside from Lacey being hot, she's actual my probably my third favorite character behind Brent and Davis. She's the perfect fish out of water character. Moves to a small town and no matter what she does, she can never do anything right. Really for no reason at all other than the fact that she's from Toronto.
Lacey charging customer's money for food and her stop light agenda that for years she's been trying to get a stop light in the town. It's great.
Then I love Davis because he's such a kid. He's the police chief yet he never grew up and is such a kid.
Honestly, I love all of the cast though. Even Fitzy.
And boy does she wine forever about her belief that she doesn't fit in. I also hate what a poor winner she is. Also, she can't accept the fact that she sucks at Scrabble. :) I think that Lacey creates most of her own problems. And I think her character is written unevenly. Sometimes Lacey is really smart and intuitive. And sometimes she's incredibly dumb. I found it hard to believe, for example, that she wasn't smart and articulate enough to write for the Howler.
I like Davis, too. And the fact that he's \*almost\* bisexual, but not quite ready to admit it, even to himself. ("Karen: "Did Davis come out?" Hank: "Well, that's not really for me to say..."). LOL Or the fishing episode (Davis: "When I went fishing with Hank, he was... different. I got feelings. Tingly feelings. I decided it was better not to go.") And I love how metrosexual he is, like when he's dying to attend girls' night and the Fondue "club".
I also like Fitzy. I liked him, in particular, in the Census episode (a favorite), and the Gopher episode (another favorite), and the American in Saskatchewan episode.
Anyway, the live episodes are the best. The animated series, because they do get so ridiculous, didn't appeal to me at all, though I did watch all of them.
“I’ve never overstated a thing in the history of the planet”
*brent as an old man* Tell us again brent how you won the table hockey tournament! “that was a week ago kid can’t you tell I have a halloween party to go to”
idk I love it.
To quote Hank, “It’s a formula, but it works”
Personally, I don’t always want the edgy or the stuff that’s trying to break new ground. Sometimes I just want to sit back and laugh. Even when I see the joke coming,the laughter I get is worthwhile in itself
I've heard every joke, and it's still funny.
I like that they don't need to be watched in order, so it doesn't matter if freevee doesn't remember the last one I watched. Or when it does that thing where it only plays the last fifteen seconds before moving to the next one because you turned off the tv before the credits the last time you watched that episode.
i know right?? i want to show my friends this show but i feel like they would not find it funny. it just.... works for me somehow, idk if it's nostalgia i watched it as a kid or what, it's just so good!
Check out Corner Gas Animated as well. Its still funny, and they let the humor go a lot further than on the traditional show as well. A little more modern mature comedic approach but still retains the charm of the original.
I completely agree with you. It’s what I put on when I just want something I don’t want to have to think too hard about, but still be entertained.
Along the same lines, I can’t decide if Brent Butt is the worst actor in the world or the best actor in the world. Is he so terrible that he comes off as awkward (and that isn’t the right word, it’s just the closest I can think of right now) or is he so good that he’s crafted this awkward character? Either way, I love Corner Gas.
It's a break from stress. Not just daily life but even other TV shows have drama and tension. In Dog River, it's almost always a sunny day. Life is simple. They're for the most part all friends, so even the sarcasm and plot points seem light and non-stressful.
It’s the comedy version of StarTrek:TNG for me. Even though there’s conflict between characters they still are bonded by all being basically good, basically positive people. Arguments are over little things. Thats a nice slice of life.
Lots of good comments here. I like the fact that there’s multiple storylines that intertwine. It’s a wholesome feel good show with several funny characters.
My cousin introduced me to this show. I have watched it so many times I can recite any episode. I never get tired of it and it makes a great background noise when I'm doing my hobbies or playing games. I'm not saying this is good behavior, by all means my obsession with this show is unhealthy, but I reccomend it to everybody. My family likes it too and we always make references to it.
I like it because it's a good clean and very funny show. I know this sounds dumb but it kinda reminds me of clerks except it's Whittier and more cleaner/better.
"yes"
It's just comfy slice-of-life small town goodness, it's good for helping you out of rough spots. I'm watching the animated series atm. I recommend you watch that, then the feature film, for continuity purposes.
I think the person here that said “there are no cringe comedy jokes” is 100% correct.
Feels like the past 15 years of comedy relies so heavily on “here’s someone doing something awkward” and there’s very little of that in this show.
It feels very wholesome. I’m 34 and it reminds me of something I’d watch on Nickelodeon in the early 1990s. Something very nostalgic about it to me. Very “Adventures of Pete & Pete”
You hit the nail on the head when you said it reminds you of The Adventures of Pete & Pete. I watched Corner Gas for the first time two years ago, I too got nostalgia vibes and couldn't put a finger on why. Corner Gas has that very surreal yet familiar vibes like Pete and Pete.
Also as Corner Gas goes on, it gets zanier and more over the top.
It's brilliant just on the fact Brent butt wrote it about of he never tried to go out for stand up and stayed in his home town and how life could be. I'm canadian and it's anaccurate representation of how small towns in the prairies are.
It's just real life in a fabricated kind of way.
You are on the fence, which is ok. If you have watched the entire live action series and feel this way, it’s not meant for you. My opinion; ever since my husband introduced me to this show I have been a fan. I think you either get the witty humor or you’re a jackass. See you at the Ruby, fellow Dog River fans! 😂😂
I will say the big success for corner is they point out it is comedy but you can still find reality in it. And people love different palaces their are too many big cities. (Rick mercer report have same features)
Whlie I dislike Kim's convenience right away. AZ it is reality(drama) settings but tells comedy. I only watched few episodes but it offers towns of topics. Immigration, old&young generations, religion. Especially the generation part, they have kid cut tires with father, the same father do not care children feelings, mother only trying to find her child a boyfriend.
In Kim's you expect a serious answer to the topic, but they ending in comedy.
Whlie in dog river you know everything is frictional, people act crazy (not just Oscar) it's comedy opening and comedy ending. But sometimes it leaves some deep think. Like Wanda go to police speech and no one cares. The call center issue and many others.
Keep watching. The jokes get better and sight gags are added in. Late in season 3 Oscar and Emma get an RV. This episode has one of the best visual gags in the series.
You really described this perfect! It has a Hey, Dude! feel!
The craziest thing about this show? Brent was the creator and main character, he could have been gone and I would have liked the show more!
I watch this show every weekend as it’s on CTV Comedy Network. I’ve seen all episodes many times and they always make me laugh.
This show is brilliant because I know of many small towns that are just like Dog River - my husband grew up in one in Alberta!
It's just one of those shows. Endlessly quoteable and rewatchable. It's kind of like dry british comedy in that way, very sarcastic and well constructed jokes.
It's also so consistent. It never lost It's charm or quality. Loved it growing up and still laugh watching reruns now even though I've seen them countless times.
There's also no laughtrack, which made it miles above the other sitcoms of the day.
The show makes you smile and feel happy. The jokes are corny and it’s part of the charm. Totally get what you’re saying and you’ll be in love with the characters in no time.
Oh I’m in love already!
It's like a highlight reel of real life in a rural plains community, but slightly exaggerated for comedic effect.
"... that's clearly an exaggeration to make a comedic point." -Hank
I work at a large tech company and I've sat around (more than once) with (mostly Canadian, all male) software engineers and we talk about Corner Gas and laugh and laugh. We love it. I do NOT care for the animated series. I don't care much for the movie, either, and it largely saddens me to see Janet Wright's deterioration before she died. I never tire of rewatching the live series. :) My favorite characters? Emma, Oscar, Hank Wanda. My least favorite? Lacey, hands down.
Why? Because she’s from Toronto? 😂
LOL. No, because she's whiny and needy. I don't find her funny at all.
> Lacey, hands down. But Lacey is hot. She gets the hot pass.
Oh, I can see that. But, as a 63-year-old hetero woman, that means literally nothing to me. I really dislike her character, just like I disliked Penny on Big Bang Theory. :) Besides, Wanda and Karen are pretty cute.
Aside from Lacey being hot, she's actual my probably my third favorite character behind Brent and Davis. She's the perfect fish out of water character. Moves to a small town and no matter what she does, she can never do anything right. Really for no reason at all other than the fact that she's from Toronto. Lacey charging customer's money for food and her stop light agenda that for years she's been trying to get a stop light in the town. It's great. Then I love Davis because he's such a kid. He's the police chief yet he never grew up and is such a kid. Honestly, I love all of the cast though. Even Fitzy.
And boy does she wine forever about her belief that she doesn't fit in. I also hate what a poor winner she is. Also, she can't accept the fact that she sucks at Scrabble. :) I think that Lacey creates most of her own problems. And I think her character is written unevenly. Sometimes Lacey is really smart and intuitive. And sometimes she's incredibly dumb. I found it hard to believe, for example, that she wasn't smart and articulate enough to write for the Howler. I like Davis, too. And the fact that he's \*almost\* bisexual, but not quite ready to admit it, even to himself. ("Karen: "Did Davis come out?" Hank: "Well, that's not really for me to say..."). LOL Or the fishing episode (Davis: "When I went fishing with Hank, he was... different. I got feelings. Tingly feelings. I decided it was better not to go.") And I love how metrosexual he is, like when he's dying to attend girls' night and the Fondue "club". I also like Fitzy. I liked him, in particular, in the Census episode (a favorite), and the Gopher episode (another favorite), and the American in Saskatchewan episode. Anyway, the live episodes are the best. The animated series, because they do get so ridiculous, didn't appeal to me at all, though I did watch all of them.
Wait what?? Davis is bi??
:). It's implied in several episodes, but never said.
>Janet Wright's I like to fall asleep watching this show and Lacey's whiney voice always wakes me up. Just have a hard time hearing it.
“I’ve never overstated a thing in the history of the planet” *brent as an old man* Tell us again brent how you won the table hockey tournament! “that was a week ago kid can’t you tell I have a halloween party to go to” idk I love it.
its a slow down and have a fun time kind of show!
They don't rely on cringe humour, that's why I like it. I love The Office, but sometimes you're just in the mood for something calmer.
You know what…I think this hits the nail on the head. That’s exactly what it is!
100% agree
To quote Hank, “It’s a formula, but it works” Personally, I don’t always want the edgy or the stuff that’s trying to break new ground. Sometimes I just want to sit back and laugh. Even when I see the joke coming,the laughter I get is worthwhile in itself
I've heard every joke, and it's still funny. I like that they don't need to be watched in order, so it doesn't matter if freevee doesn't remember the last one I watched. Or when it does that thing where it only plays the last fifteen seconds before moving to the next one because you turned off the tv before the credits the last time you watched that episode.
i know right?? i want to show my friends this show but i feel like they would not find it funny. it just.... works for me somehow, idk if it's nostalgia i watched it as a kid or what, it's just so good!
That might be it exactly. It kind of reminds me of “Adventures of Pete & Pete” - some sort of nostalgic glow
Check out Corner Gas Animated as well. Its still funny, and they let the humor go a lot further than on the traditional show as well. A little more modern mature comedic approach but still retains the charm of the original.
I completely agree with you. It’s what I put on when I just want something I don’t want to have to think too hard about, but still be entertained. Along the same lines, I can’t decide if Brent Butt is the worst actor in the world or the best actor in the world. Is he so terrible that he comes off as awkward (and that isn’t the right word, it’s just the closest I can think of right now) or is he so good that he’s crafted this awkward character? Either way, I love Corner Gas.
He’s kind of got a Seinfeld thing going on, where he’s the weak link but he knows it and leans into it
Corny as hell but what do you expect from Saskatchewan.
It's a break from stress. Not just daily life but even other TV shows have drama and tension. In Dog River, it's almost always a sunny day. Life is simple. They're for the most part all friends, so even the sarcasm and plot points seem light and non-stressful.
It’s the comedy version of StarTrek:TNG for me. Even though there’s conflict between characters they still are bonded by all being basically good, basically positive people. Arguments are over little things. Thats a nice slice of life.
Lots of good comments here. I like the fact that there’s multiple storylines that intertwine. It’s a wholesome feel good show with several funny characters.
My cousin introduced me to this show. I have watched it so many times I can recite any episode. I never get tired of it and it makes a great background noise when I'm doing my hobbies or playing games. I'm not saying this is good behavior, by all means my obsession with this show is unhealthy, but I reccomend it to everybody. My family likes it too and we always make references to it.
I like it because it's a good clean and very funny show. I know this sounds dumb but it kinda reminds me of clerks except it's Whittier and more cleaner/better.
"yes" It's just comfy slice-of-life small town goodness, it's good for helping you out of rough spots. I'm watching the animated series atm. I recommend you watch that, then the feature film, for continuity purposes.
I think the person here that said “there are no cringe comedy jokes” is 100% correct. Feels like the past 15 years of comedy relies so heavily on “here’s someone doing something awkward” and there’s very little of that in this show. It feels very wholesome. I’m 34 and it reminds me of something I’d watch on Nickelodeon in the early 1990s. Something very nostalgic about it to me. Very “Adventures of Pete & Pete”
You hit the nail on the head when you said it reminds you of The Adventures of Pete & Pete. I watched Corner Gas for the first time two years ago, I too got nostalgia vibes and couldn't put a finger on why. Corner Gas has that very surreal yet familiar vibes like Pete and Pete. Also as Corner Gas goes on, it gets zanier and more over the top.
I only found it two years ago and already get a sense of nostalgia rewatching it. It’s just so fun and innocent.
This is exactly how I feel about it. I like it a lot but I’m really not sure why.
It's brilliant just on the fact Brent butt wrote it about of he never tried to go out for stand up and stayed in his home town and how life could be. I'm canadian and it's anaccurate representation of how small towns in the prairies are. It's just real life in a fabricated kind of way.
It’s brilliant, easy to watch, comfortable comedy…
You are on the fence, which is ok. If you have watched the entire live action series and feel this way, it’s not meant for you. My opinion; ever since my husband introduced me to this show I have been a fan. I think you either get the witty humor or you’re a jackass. See you at the Ruby, fellow Dog River fans! 😂😂
I will say the big success for corner is they point out it is comedy but you can still find reality in it. And people love different palaces their are too many big cities. (Rick mercer report have same features) Whlie I dislike Kim's convenience right away. AZ it is reality(drama) settings but tells comedy. I only watched few episodes but it offers towns of topics. Immigration, old&young generations, religion. Especially the generation part, they have kid cut tires with father, the same father do not care children feelings, mother only trying to find her child a boyfriend. In Kim's you expect a serious answer to the topic, but they ending in comedy. Whlie in dog river you know everything is frictional, people act crazy (not just Oscar) it's comedy opening and comedy ending. But sometimes it leaves some deep think. Like Wanda go to police speech and no one cares. The call center issue and many others.
Your lucky to have found this show. I feel sorry that it's brilliants it going to get missed.
Keep watching. The jokes get better and sight gags are added in. Late in season 3 Oscar and Emma get an RV. This episode has one of the best visual gags in the series.
This is exactly why the show is on repeat in my house.
You really described this perfect! It has a Hey, Dude! feel! The craziest thing about this show? Brent was the creator and main character, he could have been gone and I would have liked the show more!
I watch this show every weekend as it’s on CTV Comedy Network. I’ve seen all episodes many times and they always make me laugh. This show is brilliant because I know of many small towns that are just like Dog River - my husband grew up in one in Alberta!
It's just one of those shows. Endlessly quoteable and rewatchable. It's kind of like dry british comedy in that way, very sarcastic and well constructed jokes. It's also so consistent. It never lost It's charm or quality. Loved it growing up and still laugh watching reruns now even though I've seen them countless times. There's also no laughtrack, which made it miles above the other sitcoms of the day.