The End of Corner Gas

Well, when I first heard this on CFRN news, I had to go online looking for confirmation. Sadly, this year, the rumours are true.

Today, it was announced that next season - the 2008/2009 TV season - will be the final season for Corner Gas.

In his statement to the press, Corner Gas creator and star Brent Butt said that he's ending after season 6 because he wants to go out while they're still on top.

And just like that, it's the end of a Canadian pop culture phenomenon. Who knew, that this simple sitcom about life in a small town in Saskatchewan, would become the most successful Canadian sitcom since King of Kensington.

I remember having a debate with a friend of mine around a year ago. There are two notable Canadian sitcoms about small town life: Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys. We finally agreed that the differences between the shows essentially boil down to this: Corner Gas is the fantasy of small town life...Trailer Park Boys is the reality.

I'll never forget when Corner Gas first premiered. I got a call from my best friend going, "They stole your idea!" For the longest time, in our drunken midnight ramblings, I'd been going on and on about a sitcom about life in a small Alberta town. And I'll admit, Corner Gas was darn close to what I envisioned.

Sadly, I haven't watched any Corner Gas this season. They changed its time to way late at night (10PM...that's late at night when you're up at 4AM) and I never bother to set my VCR. But we got summer re-runs coming up.

Needless to say, I'll be back for it's final season next year. Here's hoping that they go out with a bang.

Oh, and CTV. If you're looking for a replacement, I've got this idea for a show about life in a small Alberta town....