| An American in Canada | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Howard Busgang Jebb Fink |
| Starring | Rick Roberts Hélène Joy Stewart Francis Timm Zemanek Matthew Ferguson Robin Brûlé |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC |
| Release | February 28, 2003 – January 30, 2004 |
An American in Canada is a Canadian television sitcom that aired on CBC Television in 2003 and 2004.
The show starred Rick Roberts as Jake Crewe, an American television news host who was forced, after beating up his station manager, to accept a job in Calgary, Alberta as co-host of the lowest-rated morning news program in the city.[1] The show found its comedy in Crewe's attempts to adapt to Canadian culture, as well as his interactions with coworkers such as producer and love interest Judy Surgick (Hélène Joy) and egotistical host Dennis McIlvane (Stewart Francis).[1]
An American in Canada was loosely based on the real-life experiences of Jebb Fink, an American comedian who moved to Canada after marrying a Canadian woman, and did become a morning television host on CKAL-TV, Calgary's A-Channel station.[2] It was created by Fink and Howard Busgang.
The show's pilot aired as a special in January 2002 as part of the CBC's early-2000s strategy of airing comedy pilots to test viewer reaction before ordering the production of a full series.[3] Viewer reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and the series went into production and premiered in 2003.[4] The show produced 16 episodes over two seasons before being cancelled in 2004.[5]
The program won the Gemini Award for Best Comedy Program or Series at the 17th Gemini Awards.[6]
It has also aired on Australia's The Comedy Channel with the title Frostbite, and in syndication on Showcase in Canada and HDNet in the USA.
Cast
- Rick Roberts - Jake Crewe
- Hélène Joy - Judy Surgick
- Stewart Francis - Dennis Macilvane
- Timm Zemanek - Bill Robinson
- Matthew Ferguson - Derrick
- Robin Brûlé - Mara
- Sugith Varughese - Aftab
Episode list
Season 1
| # | Airdate | Prod. Code | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 1 - 1 | February 28, 2003 | 101 | The Bare Naked Lady |
| 2 1 - 2 | March 7, 2003 | 102 | The Order of Canada |
| 3 1 - 3 | March 14, 2003 | 103 | Dirty Kwebeck |
| 4 1 - 4 | March 28, 2003 | 104 | Call Me Dr. Ken |
| 5 1 - 5 | April 4, 2003 | 105 | True North Strong and Almost Free |
| 6 1 - 6 | April 4, 2003 | 106 | To the Good Ol' USA |
Season 2
| # | Airdate | Prod. Code | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 2 - 1 | October 24, 2003 | 201 | A Kiss is Just a Kiss |
| 8 2 - 2 | October 31, 2003 | 202 | Jake and the Fat Men |
| 9 2 - 3 | November 7, 2003 | 203 | Love Notes From the Edge |
| 10 2 - 4 | November 21, 2003 | 204 | Citizen Jake |
| 11 2 - 5 | November 28, 2003 | Some Like It Hot Zone | |
| 12 2 - 6 | December 5, 2003 | Play Misty For Me | |
| 13 2 - 7 | January 9, 2004 | Dennis Anyone? | |
| 14 2 - 8 | January 16, 2004 | Frisky Business | |
| 15 2 - 9 | January 23, 2004 | A Non-Date to Remember | |
| 16 2 - 10 | January 30, 2004 | I Dream of Judy |
References
- 1 2 "Only in Canada? Pity: An American pokes some gentle fun at us". Calgary Herald, January 17, 2002.
- ↑ "The American in him is always trying to break out: Calgary TV host Jebb Fink lets his ambition show in a CBC sitcom". National Post, January 18, 2002.
- ↑ "Please pick An American In Canada ; CBC really wants your input on new comedy output". Toronto Star, January 17, 2002.
- ↑ "He's American, eh?: Jebb Fink's life as a transplanted Yank basis for new TV series". Calgary Herald, February 6, 2003.
- ↑ "Jebb Fink goes live and unleashed". Calgary Herald, April 22, 2004.
- ↑ "Trudeaumania alive at Gemini Awards". Kingston Whig-Standard, November 5, 2002.