Chop Suey hits 200

Some 200-plus episodes after it first went to air in the fall of 1987, Chop Suey has become the longest running sitcom in Quebec tv history.

Produced by Tele-Metropole and written by Christian Fournier, Chop Suey has been a consistent entry in the top 10 primetime programs seen in the province. Now in its seventh season, the show is still drawing network audiences in the 1.4 million range.

Stars include Marie-Soleil Tougas, Isabelle Miquelon and Valerie Gagne in the roles of three young middle-class women who are very much part of their times. As they pursue new careers, the women are never short of comments when it comes time to take a stand against contemporary social ills such as pollution, violence and excessive consumerism.

Other long-running sitcoms on Quebec tv include Symphorien, which ran seven years through to the spring of 1977; Cre basile, which lasted five years, ending in June 1970; and two additional titles, Quelle famille and Peau de banane.

SMPTE mini conference

the Toronto section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers will be presenting a mini conference April 21-23. The conference is call ‘Technology in the Arts’ and will be held at the Sutton Place Hotel.

To register, call Steve Pumple at Immad Broadcast Services (905) 470-2545.