Corner Gas: The Best Fill-Up I've Had in a Long Time

About a week ago I discovered the Canadian import, Corner Gas, on WGN. This half-hour sitcom shows life in the fictional Canadian town of Dog River and focuses on the life of Corner Gas station owner and operator Brent Leroy, played by successful Canadian comedian Brent Butt. It seemed like a way to fill thirty minutes so I took a chance and began watching one night and have been hooked ever since. Corner Gas is the best comedy fill-up I've had in a long time and beats anything I've seen on American television in a long time. Quirky, funny, and each episode is self-standing, as opposed to most American television where if you miss one episode, you miss important plot lines that occur later on. Sure, some episodes refer back to events that transpired previously, however Corner Gas can be watched without any serious knowledge about the show or without hints about "what went on" before you got there, a breathe of fresh air in the sitcom genre.

The show, created by Brent Butt and written by himself and a small team of comedy writers, began in Canada in 2004. A few months after the first episode aired on CTV in Canada, the network renewed it for a second season. The show debuted in January of 2004 with over 1 million viewers and has never fallen below that million-viewer mark. After production of the third season finished in November of 2005, co-stars Brent Butt and Nancy Robertson, who plays Wanda Dollard (the retail assistant at Corner Gas), were married. The show, being shown on WGN daily (episodes being taken from the second season), has also played host to many Canadian cameos, including two sitting Prime Ministers, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper.