Summer series report card

Summertime has traditionally been a TV wasteland, with network schedules mostly filled by reruns, as viewers are otherwise engaged cottaging, sipping margaritas on patios, or, if they absolutely need their fix of dramatic entertainment, they’re getting it with a Hollywood shoot-’em-up down at the local movie palace.

That is changing, though, with new summer shows – mostly in the reality genre – attracting surprisingly strong numbers. New dramas have also recently proven that they can successfully launch in the summer, as The O.C. did in August 2003.

The season also provides a good time for CTV and Global to give a Canuck show a shot while network brass map out exactly how all those cash-cow Hollywood series will fit into their fall skeds. CBC, meanwhile, never has a shortage of Canadian programming on its airwaves, but summer provides an opportunity for the pubcaster to schedule shows it suspects might not reel in big eyeballs in the higher-stakes seasons.

This summer has seen a half-dozen scripted Canuck series launch in hopes of breaking through – if not necessarily to genuine hit status, at least to seeing their respective broadcasters greenlight another run.

And so, as summer starts to wind down, I offer the following observations on the latest Cancon offerings.

The CBC has offered a trio of half-hours, and the fact that none has drawn big eyeballs has mostly to do with a network-wide inability to rise out of its post-lockout funk. The dilemma is simple: how can you properly promote your programs when there are no hit shows in your lineup? These new shows are only landing 10% to 16% of the ‘Stursberg Million’ – the number of viewers CBC TV head Richard Stursberg believes scripted Ceeb shows should get. Of course, allowances must be made for the slower summer season.

The stop-motion animation series What It’s Like Being Alone, owing an obvious debt to the bizarre characters and dark humor of Tim Burton, arrived with some expectation, as it was the brainchild of lauded prodigy Brad Peyton, who is now off developing projects for Tom Hanks. The quality of the animation is good, and the show is often arresting for its humor and innovation, but an over-emphasis on gore suggests an adolescent target demo, and who’s the last teenager you know who watched a Ceeb show that didn’t feature Don Cherry? The show has averaged 121,000 viewers.

11 Cameras is a drama for the Internet age, following various characters’ online interactions. Entirely shot as though from the perspective of a webcam, it sounds like this show would fast become tedious – and perhaps that’s the case, as particularly low numbers would indicate. But to my eyes, the show pulls it off. The individual storylines are generally engrossing, although one about an Iraq-based contractor is unconvincing. Average viewership: 103,000.

Northern Town is about the quirky residents of a small Yukon town that witnesses a spectacular explosion in the sky. It boasts name talent in front of and behind the camera: a cast featuring up-and-comer Luke Kirby, and Tom McCamus in support; Gary Burns helming; and Don McKellar as story editor. The creators were wise to end episode one with the mysterious explosion, because it is questionable whether the slacker escapades of its drunks and thieves would have been enough to bring viewers back. Average viewership: 157,000.

The Jane Show marks Global’s first foray into real Cancon in a while, although more is on the way. Teresa Pavlinek makes a sympathetic lead in this sitcom about the professional and personal life of a thirtysomething office worker. The personal observations work better than the generic office humor. The show proudly wears its Toronto setting on its sleeve, and the supporting cast is strong. While some eps fall flat, others are laugh-out-loud funny. The show has performed relatively well in Toronto and with that precious 18-49 demo. Average viewership: 179,000.

CTV’s Whistler, about the tawdry goings-on in everyone’s favorite resort town, is the only one of these new shows that is a one-hour, and has brought in the biggest numbers, although it also comes with the highest price tag and expectations. On the downside, its storylines are hard to follow and the look of the thing is – as has been the case with many a Canadian drama – overly cold and stylized. However, it does deliver on its hyped sexiness, and it is a good showcase for B.C. actors, especially Jesse Moss. It’s getting 30% less viewers than CTV’s returning Instant Star. Average viewership: 399,000.

What Whistler could use is a little more of what CTV’s half-hour comedy Alice, I Think already has – an irreverent sense of humor. This show is the happiest surprise of the bunch. Starring Carly McKillip as a lovably awkward teenager in the middle of a goofy family, it offers none of the pat moralizing one would usually see in a family show. Instead, it brazenly sends up everything from feminism to tree-huggers to midlife crises, knocking the clichés on their ears. Numbers aren’t huge (some would have seen the show earlier on The Comedy Network), but there are signs it’s picking up steam. Average audience: 299,000.