We have to hand it to them, Canadians can be pretty funny. The biggest recentsitcomfrom our neighbors to the north isobviouslySchitt’s Creek. It’s easy to see why, as the characters, humor, and tone cemented the show’s status as one of television’s best comedies. ButSchitt’s Creekwas far from the first show to explore the oddities and goings-on of a small Canadian town.
In 2004, CTV launched the comedyCorner Gas. It followed the remote town of Dog River, Saskatchewan and the colorful cast of characters who called it home.Corner Gashailed from stand-up comic Brent Butt, who also starred in the leading role. Despite its relative obscurity today, the show actually ran for an impressive six seasons and over 100 episodes. And it’s even free to stream for our readers in the States. WhileSchitt’s Creekhas definitely earned its place in history, it doesn’t need a monopoly in theCanadian comedic sphere. Underrated shows likeCorner Gasdeserve love, too. So let’s take a look at why fans should check it out, and where all 107 episodes can be streamed for free.
The Quirky Cast of Corner Gas
Each colorful main character represents some cliché of small-town people. Brent Butt stars as Brent Leroy, owner of the titular Corner Gas station. He’s your good-natured everyman, if a little bit sarcastic and lazy. The restaurant connected to the gas station is owned by the neurotic Lacey (Gabrielle Miller), who’s just moved from Toronto at the start of the show. Brent’s dim-witted best friend Hank (Fred Ewanuick) is unemployed throughout the series, often hanging around and pestering those at the gas station. That includes Brent’s co-worker Wanda (Nancy Robertson), who takes pleasure in reminding everyone else that she’s the most educated in the town.
Brent’s father, Oscar (Eric Peterson), is the proverbial grouchy old man. He complains about anything under the sun, from the trivial to downright inane. This leads to constant bickering with Brent’s mother Emma (Janet Wright), who calls the shots around the house. The main cast is rounded out by Dog River’s entire police force of two officers, Davis and Karen (Lorne Cardinal and Tara Spencer-Nairn). Senior officer Davis doesn’t take his job too seriously, with the town’s low crime rate leading to frequent slacking off. Rookie Karen is more of a rule-follower and tries to keep Davis on track.
The recurring cast is made up of the remainder of the eclectic Dog River population. This includes the wonderfully-named Mayor Fitzy Fitzgerald and his grandmother, bartender Paul, and insurance and liquor salesman Wes. Several prominent celebrities and politicians also made cameos on the show, including then-Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper.
‘Corner Gas’s Unique Styles of Humor
It’s difficult to placeCorner Gas’s humor into one tidy categorization. But the style was enough to net the show several Canadian Comedy and Gemini Awards over its run. Much of it is character-based, with some misunderstanding or common goal driving each week’s plot.Rather than telling rapid-fire jokes, the humor arises out of the characters’ commentary on the situation. In that sense, it’s similar toSchitt’s Creek. But there’s also aSeinfeld-esque elementto the writing.
Many plots are indeed about “nothing” and the minutiae of daily life. In one episode, Oscar and Emma have a days-long fight over whose responsibility it is to put the lid back on the sugar container. Another sees Brent refusing help from Hank to avoid “owing him one” in the future. And in the very first episode, Brent incurs the wrath of Oscar when he begins selling movies at the gas station. It’s your classic situational humor to which everyone can relate in one form or another.
Corner Gashas also experimented with cutaway gags and fantasy, though not to the extent of something likeFamily Guy. These are mostly limited to daydreams and fantasy sequences dreamt up by one of the main characters. Headlines in the local sensationalist tabloidThe Dog River Howlerprovide the show’s fair share of visual and sight gags. That newspaper was ahead of its time with its inaccurate, fear-mongering, and often misspelled stories. And there’s the obligatory neighboring town that everyone in Dog River hates. Here it’s the town of Wullerton, and the Dog River residents all spit on the ground whenever they hear the name.
Corner Gasran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. It was revivedfor the big screenin 2014 withCorner Gas: The Movie, which boasted similar rave reviews. An animated spin-off, appropriately titledCorner Gas Animated, ran for four seasons from 2018 to 2021. It featured every cast member except for Janet Wright, who passed away in 2016. The animated show allowed for further experimentation with the fantasy and absurdist storylines favored by the original hit.
All 107 episodes of the original series can be streamed for free on The Roku Channel. And Amazon Prime Video has the first season of the animated sequel. Fans of north-of-the-border humor should put this one on their list.
