What a difference a red herring makes.

CTV enjoyed a boost to its ratings on Monday night when the much-buzzed fourth season ender of Corner Gas aired to a record-setting season high of two million viewers, coming in 29% higher than its season average, thanks — there can be little doubt — to the net’s carefully planted hints that the smash sitcom would not be brought back for a fifth

It will, of course, be back. The net confirmed on Tuesday that it has ordered another 19 x 30 run and will send stars Brent Butt, Gabrielle Miller and Fred Ewanuick back to work in Saskatchewan in May, backed up by a new writing team.

Corner Gas lost writers Paul Mather and Rob Sheridan to CBC’s Little Mosque on the Prairie last week, but has filled their chairs with Emmy winner Norm Hiscock (Kids in the Hall, King of the Hill) and Gary Pearson (MADtv, This Hour Has 22 Minutes). Hiscock steps in as a consulting producer, while Pearson is story editor, working under Butt, who writes and exec produces. The show has also promoted Kevin White to showrunner.

The Corner Gas gang has high hopes for its new writing ‘dream team’ — which is filled out by Mark Farrell and Andrew Carr

‘We had our first writers meeting in Toronto and we just sat around laughing ourselves sick,’ said Butt in a release. ‘It really bodes well for the scripts.’

The season finale won its 8-8:30 p.m. timeslot, beating House on Global and a Ron James special on CBC, and provided a strong lead-in to Robson Arms. The sitcom has been struggling in its second season — it usually airs on Saturdays — but hooked 747,000 viewers after the Gas ender, its highest ratings ever.