Corner Gas

Corner Gas
The Corner Gas logo
Created by	Brent Butt
Starring	Brent Butt Gabrielle Miller Fred Ewanuick Eric Peterson Janet Wright Lorne Cardinal Tara Spencer-Nairn Nancy Robertson
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	107 (88 aired as of April 21, 2008) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Brent Butt David Storey Virginia Thompson
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	CTV
Release	January 22, 2004 – Spring 2009

Corner Gas is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt and airing on CTV and in the United States on WGN America. 1.5 million viewers tuned in to the intial premiere of Corner Gas on January 22, 2004. Deriving its name from the roadside gas station located in the fictional town of Dog River, the series revolves around life in small-town Saskatchewan. The series is scheduled to complete its run following broadcast of its sixth season in the spring of 2009 with a total of 107 episodes.

Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37 mi) in any direction (according to season one, episode one “Ruby Reborn” and season one, episode two "Tax Man"). Brent Leroy (Brent Butt) is the proprietor of the station and Wanda (Nancy Robertson) works at the station’s convenience store as a retail assistant. An adjoining coffee shop (The Ruby) is owned by Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller), who inherited it from her Aunt Ruby.

The show became an instant hit and has never gone below the million-viewer mark. Cornt Gas has been the recipient of six Gemini awards, and has been nominated about 70 times for various awards.

Production

Concept

The series was created by Canadian comedian Brent Butt, who came up with the idea for the series after wondering what his life would be like if he had not pursued stand-up comedy (he would still be in a small town in Saskatchewan pumping gas). With the exception of the first season finale and second season premiere episodes, which are linked, most other Corner Gas episodes are stand-alone storylines that can be viewed in virtually any order, though occasional incidental references to previous episodes can be found.

Brent Butt originally developed the story line for CTV and The Comedy Network {TCN). The show brings together coffee shop humour within a community. The characters are achetypal. They have the personality of friends and family which international viewers can relate to. The show focuses on the lifestyle of small town folk. Though set in some small town in Saskatchewan it is not about Saskatchewan or Canada. It is about the day to day interactions of the residents.

Executive producers, directors, and co-producers

Corner Gas is produced by CTV and Prairie Pants Production. Prairie Pants Production is a company assembled by Brent Butt, Virginia Thompson and 335 Productions. 335 Productions is a partnership between Brent Butt and David Storey. At The Comedy Network, Michelle Daly is Director of Content and Ed Robinson is the President and General Manager. At CTV Inc., Susanne Boyce is President, Creative, Content and Channels and again Ed Robinson is Executive Vice-President, Programming. Brent Butt has been a driving force as creator, writer, showrunner executive producer, actor and occasionally director of the show. Paul Mather, David Storey, Brent Butt and Viergina Thompson created the series Corner Gas. Paul Mather, Mark Farrell, Brent Butt, Andrew CArr, Kevin White, Robert Sheridan have contributed to the wrting of the series. Robert de Lint provided direction in the program.

Corner Gas is promoted by CTV as the network’s “first original narrative comedy series.” While it is not, in fact, the first Canadian-produced sitcom ever aired on CTV, having been preceded by The Trouble with Tracy, Snow Job, Excuse My French and Check It Out!, it is the first CTV sitcom in which the network itself has held a primary production role, rather than acting solely as a holder of broadcast rights, and the first to postdate the network's late-1990s corporate restructuring from a cooperative of its affiliated stations into a conventional corporation. Corner Gas can also be verifiably called the most successful of these shows.

Filming locations

Corner Gas is filmed entirely on location in Saskatchewan. The inside scenes (Ruby Cafe interior, Police Department, Oscar and Emma's house, etc.) are filmed at Canada/Saskatchewan Production Studios in Regina. All of the outdoor scenes and all scenes that take place in the gas station are filmed in Rouleau, Saskatchewan. Rouleau is a small town on the highway between Moose Jaw and Weyburn. The grain elevator has been repainted to read “Dog River” instead of “Rouleau.” Corner Gas is produced by Prairie Pants Productions in association with CTV. Also Regina, Saskatchewan, is known as the "City" in Corner Gas.

Episode format

Each episode of Corner Gas is written following a specific formula: Two or three storylines (Plot A, Plot B and Plot C) are presented in each show. The main storyline, A, opens and closes the episode and is usually driven by a single character. Plot B is usually more comedic in tone and sometimes slightly intertwined with the other stories, often moving story arcs forward. Plot C, when used, is usually a thread in a season-long arc.

Opening sequence

The Corner Gas opening sequence follows a two to three minute cold open. This would set up the first comedic banter between 2 or 3 characters. The theme music, "Not A Lot Goin’ On" was written by Northey Valenzuela. Northey Valenzuela is a collaboration between Craig Northey and Jesse Valenzuela.

Overview

Main article: List of Corner Gas episodes

Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37 mi) in any direction (according to season one, episode one “Ruby Reborn” and season one, episode two "Tax Man"). Brent Leroy (Brent Butt) is the proprietor of the station and Wanda (Nancy Robertson) works at the station’s convenience store as a retail assistant. An adjoining coffee shop (The Ruby) is owned by Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller), who inherited it from her Aunt Ruby.

The first episode of Corner Gas aired on January 22, 2004, and attracted 1.5 million viewers. It became an instant hit and has never gone below the million-viewer mark. The first season consisted of 13 episodes. Less than two months after the first episode aired, CTV renewed it for a second season of 18 episodes. The first season was released on DVD in Canada on October 19, 2004. In keeping with the theme of the series, each DVD set included a coupon good for a free coffee at Petro-Canada service stations. The second season was released on DVD on September 27, 2005, and features the distinction of being one of the few regular TV series whose DVD box set includes described video for the visually impaired. The season three DVD was released on October 3, 2006. Unlike the previous sets, the third season DVD set is presented in widescreen (letterbox).

In late September 2004, to promote the start of the second season, the cast members of Corner Gas travelled to cities across Canada where they pumped gas at local service stations for the day (the fuel being provided to motorists free of charge). By the halfway point of the promotion, more than 40,000 litres of free gasoline had been pumped.

Brent’s main co-writers are This Hour has 22 Minutes writers Mark Farrell, Paul Mather, Kevin White, and Andrew Carr.

As broadcast of the fourth season finale approached, there was a flurry of news reports suggesting that the series was coming to an unexpected end, based upon televised promotions for the episode, leaked plot details, and wording of a CTV press release issued on March 6, 2007 that implied that the series finale would air on March 12, 2007. Two segments of production footage with timecode circulated on YouTube also seemed to indicate a series finale as imminent despite the show’s continued success in Canada and recent U.S. sale. On March 7, 2007, CTV clarified its press release, stating it was a season finale, and on March 13, 2007, CTV confirmed an order for a 19-episode fifth season, that premiered on September 24, 2007. The fourth season was released on DVD on September 18, 2007. This was the first time the DVD set of the previous season was released before the current season started airing; the set includes a series of “Mobisodes” which were short (approximately two minutes each) skits focusing on the main characters.

On April 10, 2008, as production of the sixth season began, Brent Butt announced via a press release that he and his production company, Prairie Pants, have decided to conclude production of the series after the sixth season, with the final episodes airing in the spring of 2009. Butt said the decision to end the series while still a popular offering on CTV was "a very difficult decision ... and one I felt I had to make. (CTV) made it clear that they were keen to do more seasons ... I wanted to exit gracefully, on top of our game."

Characters

The surnames of all Dog River residents (with the exception of Fitzy Fitzgerald) are names of small towns in Saskatchewan.

Main cast

• Brent Herbert Leroy (Brent Butt) is the comic book-reading proprietor of Corner Gas. He is almost always good-natured, but has a tendency to fixate on minor details. He is a fan of adventure fiction such as The Saint in New York and The Executioner. His favorite food is chili cheese dogs, to the point where he can identify the individual ingredients by taste. It has been shown that he is adept at many sports, such as curling, hockey and golf. He and Hank have been best friends since childhood, and Brent can name multiple instances of Hank's stupidity. As of the Season 5 finale, Brent is 40 years old. Brent is said to be the hottest guy in Dog River, although other characters on the show acknowledge this is faint praise.

• Co-stars Brent Butt and Nancy Robertson married on November 19, 2005 following production of the third season.

• Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller) took over the previously unnamed coffee shop in Dog River after the death of her aunt and renamed it in her honor, calling it The Ruby. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, she is perpetually trying to fit into small-town life, with mixed results. She is a terrible liar, quick to jump to conclusions, a poor winner, thinks everybody has a crush on her, and is not the best at math. Lacey frequently exhibits insecurity and regretfulness about the path her life has taken. She has also expressed frustration at being unable to find "a stable guy" to date in Dog River, though it has been hinted that she may harbor romantic feelings for Brent. She considers herself a sweetheart and secretly believes that she alone of the town's women deserves the "Woman of Distinction" award (which she eventually wins).

• Richard Henry "Hank" Yarbo (Fred Ewanuick) is Brent’s perpetually unemployed best friend and most likely candidate for Dog River’s village idiot. He often hangs out at Corner Gas talking to Brent about whatever is on his mind. He constantly borrows money from other characters and rarely pays them back, nor does he pay his tab at The Ruby, and is always wearing a hat because of perpetual bad hair days. He has worked a range of jobs, from census worker to crossing guard to city accountant, never being able to hold down or stay focused in one for long. He expressed a goal of working as a rodeo clown. His mother lives in Saskatoon, and his favourite foods are grape Pop Rocks and pickles, the only food he keeps regularly stocked in his house. He is shown to have a lot of interest in the CFL, most notably the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Saskatchewan's football team. In a Christmas-themed episode, it is revealed that as a hockey fan, he likes the Vancouver Canucks. Despite his village idiot routine, Hank actually has experience in many physical and maintenance activities, including auto mechanics, gardening, woodworking and plumbing, making him something of a jack-of-all-trades. His poetic side emerges when he goes fishing.

• Wanda Dollard (Nancy Robertson) is a quirky retail assistant at Corner Gas, and the self-professed smartest person in town. She has a sardonic and caustic personality and often enjoys lording her knowledge over others. Wanda is a single mother and has an 11-year old son, Tanner, who has never been seen or heard on screen; also, it is unclear who Tanner's father is or as to why he is not around. Wanda is also one of very few residents of Dog River who has gone to university; she holds a degree in linguistics with a minor in comparative religion. She is shown as having a case of mild agoraphobia in one episode.

• Oscar Leroy (Eric Peterson) is Brent’s stubborn and occasionally senile father and former owner of Corner Gas, now retired. His all-purpose word is "jackass", and he often demands that the Dog River police arrest everyone who annoys him. He frequently and belligerently points out that "My taxes pay your salary!” to government workers. Oscar also has a tendency to exclaim "Holy hell!" upon encountering something new or surprising.

• Emma Leroy (Janet Wright) is Brent’s mother, and the brains and muscle of the family. She usually ends up having to deal with the fallout from Oscar’s actions, although she does truly love him. She has also found it hard to "let go" of Brent, and reacts badly when someone else appears to replace her in some aspect of his life. She is frequently shown knitting or crocheting on the show. Emma has also been shown to possess great strength (being able to hurl a cinder block at a skunk across the yard with little effort) and is also a water diviner.

• Sergeant Davis Quinton (Lorne Cardinal) is the overly-sensitive senior police officer in Dog River, who has a habit of misspending the police budget and making up the laws as he goes along (he's never actually read the police manual). He is obsessed with Cosmopolitan Magazine, retro-TV and classic cartoon shows; and is a science fiction aficionado. He believes that the original Battlestar Galactica may have really happened. His catch phrase is an enthusiastic "All right!". He once competed in rhythmic gymnastics; he also has a collection of the original Hardy Boys books. Davis was once married, but is now divorced. Brent Butt has described Davis as a Metrosexual. His mother left him when he was only a baby to join a band. For a long time he thought their cleaning lady was his mom. In the episode named 'I Love Lacey', Davis reveals himself to be a member of the Cree Nation. In season 5, Davis has been showing an attraction for Lacey, who isn't interested.

• Constable Karen Pelly (Tara Spencer-Nairn) is the ambitious and sometimes neurotic junior police officer in Dog River. Before becoming a police officer, she ranked fifth in Canada in the sport of static apnea, with a personal best of more than six minutes. She’s a very good cook, but doesn’t like to bring it up for fear it will stereotype her. She doesn't want to admit that she doesn't know how to ride a bike. She is also at least ten years younger than most other characters on the show. She also may or may not have slept with Hank.

Recurring characters

• Fitzy Fitzgerald (Cavan Cunningham) is the mayor of Dog River. He tends to take his position very seriously. He is a bit paranoid about losing his job and thinks that anyone will do anything for the position of mayor.
• Wes Humboldt (Mike O’Brien) owns and operates the liquor and insurance store in town. His father died saving his entire platoon in the Korean War, although everyone told him that he ran off to join the circus. Wes later learns the truth when Brent reads out a passage from a book detailing the history of Dog River, not knowing that Wes was not supposed to hear it.
• Paul Kinistino (Mark Dieter) is the bartender at the Dog River Hotel. In the episode “Cell Phone,” he replaced the shuffleboard game in the bar with a claw game, to which Oscar became addicted. He speaks a little bit of Cree (not unusual for a Cree man) and went to high school with Brent, Wanda and Hank. In “Friend of a Friend,” he claimed to have a Master’s degree in history. In season four, it appears Paul has been replaced by a new bartender, Phil Kinistino (it has not been mentioned whether he is Paul's brother, father or related to him in some other way).

Notable guest stars

Corner Gas is known for attracting notable Canadian actors and politicians, including a former Governor-General and two Prime Ministers, to appear either as guest stars or in gag cameos. Sometimes the celebrities have made the trip to the Rouleau or Regina sets to film their appearances, while at other times the scenes were filmed in the applicable locations. (For example, scenes involving cast members of Canadian Idol and Canada AM were filmed at the respective programs’ studios.)

The series includes cameo appearances by a large number of Canadian celebrities, including two sitting prime ministers, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, the only fictional sitcom (as opposed to sketch comedy series) in which sitting prime ministers have appeared. The sitting premier of Saskatchewan, Lorne Calvert, also appeared in an episode, as has former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson. Canadian television personality Ben Mulroney, son of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has also appeared on Corner Gas.

During the first season Kevin McDonald of Kids in the Hall plays Marvin Drey, a Canada Customs and Revenue Agency agent in episode 1-02 The Taxman. The same episode films Dan Matheson, a news anchor for CTV, appears as himself. Julie Stewart, in the filming of In the episode, 1-05 Grad ’68, plays a paint store clerk (parodying her role in Cold Squad). Comedian Mike Wilmot plays Carl Vawn, Brent’s snobby cousin, and actor Dale Wilson appears dressed as in his well known “Glad Man” attire for the episode 1-08 Cousin Carl. Colin Mochrie, a prolific Canadian comedy actor best known for his work in Whose Line Is It Anyway?, makes a cameo appearance as part of a joke about how he seems to turn up on every Canadian TV show. Colin appeared in 1-10 Comedy Night. Pamela Wallin, former CBC newscaster and later Canadian Consul General, a native of Wadena, Saskatchewan, plays herself. Canadian Idol judges Sass Jordan, Zack Werner, Jake Gold, and Farley Flex appear as themselves rating Brent’s rendition of “(There’d Be No Rain in Dog River) If I Could Squeegee the Sky” in the epidsode 1-11 Hook, Line and Sinker. TSN sportscaster (and U8TV: The Lofters alumnus) Jennifer Hedger and her SportsCentre colleague Darren Dutchyshen appear as themselves during the episode 1-12 Face Off.

The second season also attracted notable personalities. Episode 2-02 Wedding Card films Hockey star Darryl Sittler as himself. 2-06 Poor Brent has an appearance by Lloyd Robertson, long-time CTV National News anchor, playing himself. Canadian and world champion curlers Randy Ferbey and Dave Nedohin (both of whom curl for Alberta) appear as themselves, are looked to for advice during the hotly-contested Dog River curling championship, the Clavet Cup in episode 2-11 Hurry Hard. Episode 2-12 An American in Saskatchewan features Mark McKinney, a veteran of both Kids in the Hall and Saturday Night Live McKinney plays Bill, an American who came to Dog River by accident. Saskatchewan-born musician Colin James appears as a local musician (although it is implied that Colin James’ character really is Colin James) who performs an audition in Brent’s garage. The rock group The Tragically Hip appear as “local kids” who practise in Brent’s garage. The Tragically Hip play a rough version of "It Can't Be Nashville Every Night" off their In Between Evolution album. Both The Tragically Hip and Colin James are filmed on episode 2-15 Rock On!.

Ben Mulroney, host of TV shows Canadian Idol and eTalk Daily and the son of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, parodies himself during the third season episode 3-03 Dog River Vice. 3-07 Fun Run films then Prime Minister Paul Martin as himself. This is the first time a sitting Prime Minister has appeared on a sitcom (although sitting Prime Ministers have appeared on sketch comedy shows like Royal Canadian Air Farce, and other political satire programs like This Hour Has 22 Minutes). Singer Jann Arden appears as herself in 3-07 Fun Run. Noted actress Shirley Douglas (mother of Kiefer Sutherland, and daughter of Tommy Douglas former Premier of Saskatchewan) plays a woman with the hots for Oscar. Shirley Douglas is featured in 3-08 Trees a Crowd. Then-federal finance minister Ralph Goodale appears as a Ruby Café customer in 3-09 Picture Perfect. (The episode aired the same day Goodale filed a “mini-budget” in the House of Commons.) Lorne Calvert, premier of Saskatchewan, appears as himself. He appears three times—twice to poke fun at Sweden and once to almost get hit by a thrown newspaper during the appropriately named 3-12 Ruby Newsday. Vicki Gabereau appears as herself during a fantasy sequence in the same episode. Prior to the debut of Corner Gas, the cast had appeared on Gabereau’s CTV talk show, during which Brent Butt promised to get the talk show host a guest appearance. 3-13 Merry Gasmas films This Hour has 22 Minutes anchor Gavin Crawford appears as a worker in the Calgary International Airport. He would always call cities their airport names (YYC, YEG) which confused Lacey horribly. In the same episode Dan Redican from The Frantics, and more recently Puppets Who Kill, makes an appearance as a worker in the Regina International Airport. He repeatedly says “made that call.” Comedy Inc. star Roman Danylo makes a cameo as a passenger sitting next to Lacey on a plane from Alberta to Vancouver. He claims to be a “cat doctor,” and not a veterinarian. He manages to out-chat Lacey while talking about cats during the same episode, 3-13 Merry Gasmas. Ken Read, also known as “The Crazy Canuck,” is a champion alpine skier and member of the Canadian Olympic Association. During episode 3-16 Physical Credit, Read receives a browbeating from Oscar (which first aired the day after closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics).

Olympic medal winner Cindy Klassen makes a cameo appearance in the fourth season episode 4-02 Dog River Dave. The show 4-05 Demolition features Former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson appears, taking a sledgehammer to an old barn. Mike Holmes, the star of Holmes on Homes, helps to fix Oscar’s bathroom. Wanda states that she had formerly dated the Holmes character in the episode 4-06 Jail House. CTV CEO Ivan Fecan makes a cameo appearance during the episode 4-08 Blog River. 4-19 Gopher It featured Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper as himself. Canada AM co-anchors Seamus O’Regan and Beverly Thomson appear, playing themselves. Unlike most cameos, O’Regan and Thomson appear extensively in this episode to parody their on-screen image. CTV National News reporter Rosemary Thompson appears, playing herself in a scrum with the Prime Minister at the gas station.

During the fifth season three episodes bring in notable personalities. 5-16 Coming Distractions Duane "Dog" Chapman and Beth Smith from Dog the Bounty Hunter appear to arrest Brent on a trivial charge during a fantasy sequence. In the episode 5-18 Bed and Brake Fast hockey player Travis Moen makes a cameo appearance with the Stanley Cup and during season 5-19 Final Countdown actor Kiefer Sutherland makes a cameo appearance.

Setting

Dog River

Dog River has a population of “around 500” according to “Census Sensibility.” According to the Corner Gas tagline, it is 40 kilometres (25 mi) from nowhere, but still within a relatively short drive to “The City,” where characters are often shown going to shop or attend “support meetings,” in the case of Davis and Lacey. The rival town of Wullerton is apparently “just down the road.” It is stated in the episode “The Taxman” that Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37 mi) in any direction. Series creator Brent Butt has said the town lies somewhere between Regina and Saskatoon; these two cities are 257 kilometres (160 mi) apart, so this fact does not contradict anything said on the series. In fact, the term “The City” has been used at various times in the series to refer to Regina. The third season episode, “Fun Run,” has one character drive to Weyburn for a lark, suggesting Dog River is probably closer to Regina than it is to Saskatoon. In the episode “Outside Joke,” when the Corner Gas station is believed to actually be outside the town limits, it is said to be in the fictional municipality of “Pitt Creek.” In “Kids’ Stuff,” Wanda says it is south of the also fictional Crowley Lake.

The town’s name is an homage to series creator Brent Butt’s hometown of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, through which the Doghide River flows. However, in the show itself, the second season episode “Rock On!” revealed that the town was named after a great uncle of Lacey’s who drowned a dozen dogs in the river. She discovered this trivia while researching information for a history plaque. In order to play down this unsavoury branch of her family tree, Lacey instead used a story that Karen made up—that pioneers somehow got hold of a hot air balloon, got an aerial view of the town site, and noticed that the creek formed a shape similar to that of a dog’s leg. “Block Party” revealed that the town was founded in 1905, and its founder was a Mr. Harald Main after whom Main Street was named (it was renamed “Centennial Street” in 2005, the origin of the name being forgotten); Main also constructed Dog River’s first building, a wooden shack that would later be burned down by Hank Yarbo a century later in order to maintain the accuracy of his Lego scale model of the town (he ran out of blocks and could not make a replica of the shack).

A real-life Regina tour operator regularly takes busloads of tourists to Rouleau to visit “Dog River.” Visitors can tour the on-location sets of Corner Gas, including the service station. Many components of Dog River are, in fact, real attributes of Rouleau, notably the combined liquor and insurance store.

The Howler

The town has its own newspaper, The Dog River Howler (usually just called “The Howler”), to which almost everybody has contributed at one point or another. Its headlines are usually rife with inaccurate, sensationalist reporting. An example of exaggeration can be seen in “Hero Sandwich,” in which a proposal to install traffic lights at a four-way intersection prompts the headline “Crosswalk HELL—Mayor Insane.” An example of simply untrue reporting can be seen in the first episode, in which a headline reads “Moose Jaw Gets NBA Franchise.” The paper is also rife with misspellings, for example in the third season that “Hank is phycic.” or in the fourth season that "Local cop catches barely thief."

Emergency services

The "Police Department", consisting of two officers, keeps the peace in Dog River, though most of the time their duties consist of shooting pests at farms and using their radar guns to clock the flying speed of sparrows (which can apparently do 40 km/h).

In “The Littlest Yarbo,” a short-lived Fire Department consisting of two firefighters, David and Carol (both showing remarkable similarities to Davis and Karen, respectively), was established by the mayor when the volunteer fire chief decided to sleep in as opposed to respond to a fire. The volunteer system was reestablished after Hank, Davis, and Oscar lit an uncontrollable leaf fire and the fire department did not respond as they were chasing a stray dog (the same one Hank thought to be “The Littlest Hobo”). Fitzy saw Davis in the aftermath as the only first responder there and gave him the new title of Chief, Volunteer Fire Department.

The Dog River Police have two police cars, both 1994 Ford Crown Victorias. With the exception of the first episode and "Dark Circles," the police use only one of them. (In actual production, only one police car is on the Corner Gas set, and represents both cars.)

Wullerton rivalry

The residents of Dog River have a pathological dislike of the residents of Wullerton, a neighbouring town, to the point that they spit on the ground whenever the rival town is mentioned (they are so used to it they sometimes do not realize it when they spit). Ironically, the people of Wullerton may not hate Dog River, as seen in the fourth season’s finale (however, this was only part of Hank’s fantasy sequence, and may not accurately reflect Wullerton’s actual sentiment towards Dog River). The reason for this has yet to be explained. Publicity for the second season indicated that the season finale would reveal the reason for the spitting; however, the episode as broadcast did not actually do so. It should be noted that this practice of looking down on neighbouring towns is common in many prairie communities, primarily those in Saskatchewan and Alberta. There is a real existing rivalry between Tisdale, Saskatchewan (where series creator Brent Butt is from) and Melfort, Saskatchewan. Another example is the rivalry between Yorkton, Saskatchewan and Melville, Saskatchewan.

Thunderface

Thunderface is an in-universe fictional band that was formed in the mid-’80s by lead singer Hank Yarbo, lead guitar player Brent Leroy, and bass guitar player Wanda Dollard. In 2005, the band was expanded to include drummer Karen Pelly, arguably the most competent musician in the group.

Thunderface has suffered from relative anonymity due to confusion with their name (as well as the fact that they’ve only had one gig since 1986). They have been referred to as “Rumblepuss,” “Thunderbread,” “Thunderchunks,” and “Wonderface,” among other names. Their sound is described as similar to “a small animal caught in some kind of machinery,” and their sole gig since 1986 was booked due to the humorous nature of their poor performance. The only song they’ve been heard to play is “Capital Cash” by Fast Exit, a band that Brent Butt played guitar in before he got into comedy.

Broadcast and distribution

First run broadcast

Corner Gas is the only current top-20 Canadian show in all of Canada (other than hockey)—the rest being American imports—Corner Gas debuted in January 2004, outperforming all U.S. sitcoms in the territory among adults 25-54.

Since 2004, production of this series coincides with that of another CTV program, Robson Arms in which Gabrielle Miller and Fred Ewanuick also co-star. Miller also had a recurring role in the series Alienated in 2004, giving her the rare distinction of playing major roles in three unrelated television series during the same calendar year (although Robson Arms wasn’t broadcast until 2005). As of fall 2007, two seasons of Robson Arms featuring Miller and Ewanuick have been produced and released to DVD.

Fred Ewanuick appeared as Hank on the Royal Canadian Air Farce’s 300th episode in a spoof of Corner Gas, in which Yasir (Carlo Rota) and Sarah (Sheila McCarthy) from CBC’s Little Mosque on the Prairie bought the gas station and fired Brent. Hank then debated with them the location of Mercy (the Saskatchewan town where Little Mosque takes place) in relation to Dog River.

Live episode

In the summer of 2006, the cast of Corner Gas performed a fund-raising benefit event for Regina’s Globe Theatre called Corner Gas...Live, in which the cast performed a live episode of the TV series. The popularity of the hit sitcom caused such a rush for tickets that the Globe Theatre’s online ticket sales system briefly went down as a result. Another benefit was held during the summer of 2007.

MPDC American distribution

The American distribution rights have been acquired by Arthur Hasson’s Multi-Platform Distribution Co. (MPDC) for syndication to U.S. broadcast stations and to U.S. cable. The show is being sold on a cash-plus-barter basis to broadcast stations, while it will be offered to cable on an all-cash basis.

WGN America distribution

In an unusual case, WGN America has picked up Season 5 episodes while they are currently airing on the show's home network CTV. In most cases, the new episodes would usually take a year or more to air in another country.

DVD releases

Season 5 will be available on DVD on October 7th, 2008. Seasons 1 through 4 have been released. Each season boxset includes extra features such as biographies, bloopers, mobisodes and commentaries.

Complementary media

Online content

"Corner Gas Online" provides cast biograhies, episode synopsis, bloopers, and a visit to Virtual Dog River. The Virtual Dog River features The Howler providing the latest news about the television series. There are online games avaiable such as prairie scramble, combine racing and the perfect pump when visiting various locations in virtual Dog River. At Oscar and Emma Leroy's virtual home you may watch some Corner Gas bloopers. Visting the Ruby will provide an online chat room. While at the virtual gas station you may shop online for licensed merchandise.

Special episodes

In the first season, the series premiere, “Ruby Reborn,” was the fourth episode to be shot. “The Tax Man,” the second episode to air, was the first to be shot. The first scene of the series filmed was of Oscar rooting in the closet for his tax forms.

The second-season episode “Hero Sandwich” establishes that the events of the first season and the first half of the second season take place over the course of 10 months. Midway through the second season, CTV moved the series from Tuesday to Monday when American Idol returned on Fox (which CTV rebroadcasts), ending up competing with The Rick Mercer Report, on CBC. The third season episode “Dog River Vice” includes a joke that pokes fun at CTV’s rescheduling of the show. In the “Rock On!” episode, from season two, “Capital Cash,” the song performed by Thunderface, was written by Brent Butt. Butt was in a band called Fast Exit as a guitarist before he got into comedy, and they are mentioned in the episode as the band that originally did the song. In the episode “Mosquito Time” there is one split screen shot of several characters trying a homemade mosquito repellent recipe (lemon dish soap). The split screen shot is similar to those from the Fox series 24 which played on CTV’s rival station Global during the same Monday evening timeslot as Corner Gas.

During the third season the series occasionally breaks the fourth wall. For example, in “Physical Credit” Wanda and Brent are talking about films with poor production values when a boom microphone (apparently the one recording the scene) intentionally drops into the shot and hits Wanda on the head. To promote the “Merry Gasmas” episode in 2005, Brent Butt recorded “Christmas in Dog River” with Craig Northey. In the third season episode “Mail Fraud” Brent created the term “staycation” to explain the act of taking a vacation without actually leaving home. This term is now in use on many pages on the internet. In the episode “Trees a Crowd,” Hank can be seen reading issue #18 of The Walking Dead inside the tree house while Brent is trying to convince him to leave.

In the fourth season “Dog River Dave” episode, a fictional radio station from Regina, CJKL “The Jackal,” was featured. An actual CJKL-FM exists in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The name “Jackal” is most likely a reference to the real Regina station CFWF-FM, "The Wolf". In the “The Good Old Table Hockey Game” episode, homage is paid to the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the then USSR. The title of the episode is a homage to lyrics in “The Hockey Song” by Stompin’ Tom Connors.

The fifth season "Classical Gas" was accidentally broadcast by The Comedy Network on December 15, 2007, a full month before it was supposed to first air on CTV. "The Accidental Cleanist" was accidentally broadcast by The Comedy Network on March 29, 2008, two weeks before it was supposed to first air on CTV.

The first season finale “I Love Lacey” takes place during the Grey Cup in November, the third season episode “Merry Gasmas” takes place at Christmas time, the fourth season episode "Hair Comes the Judge" takes place in August, and the fifth season episode "No Time Like the Presents" takes place in July. These are the only four episodes (to date) to clearly indicate a time frame for when they take place, although the season two finale “Harvest Dance” presumably takes place in the fall, and “The Brent Effect” takes place soon after “I Love Lacey.” Neither “I Love Lacey” nor “Brent Effect” show any signs of it being early winter, despite taking place in November. “Block Party” explicitly takes place sometime in 2005 as it makes references to Saskatchewan’s centennial celebrations that year, although the episode itself wasn’t broadcast until February 2006.

Licensed merchandise

Corner Gas has spawned a merchandising business, with hundreds of retail items, sold-out live touring productions, and best-selling DVDs. A companion book to the show, called Tales from Dog River: The Complete Corner Gas Guide, was published on November 4, 2006. It was written by Toronto journalist Michele Sponagle and was produced in conjunction with CTV, Penguin Canada, and Prairie Pants Productions. The book debuted in the number two spot among new releases, behind only Vincent Lam’s Giller Prize-winning book Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. On December 12, 2006, it was the top-selling non-fiction paperback in Canada, according to BookMarket data. It includes cast interviews, an episode guide, insider jokes, bloopers, best lines, a look at the real Dog River (Rouleau, Saskatchewan), and a chronology on how the show was created from inception to debut episode.

Book

Tales from Dog River: The Complete Corner Gas Guide by journalist and editor Michele Sponagle. Actor Eric Peterson and author Michele Sponagle went on a book tour to Edmonton, Alberta to promote the book.

Motion Picture

The fourth season began airing on CTV on September 18, 2006. On November 24, 2006, it was announced that Corner Gas will air on the American WGN America beginning September 17, 2007. In an interview with the Canadian Press published on November 24, 2006, Brent Butt revealed that there has also been talk of a motion picture being produced based upon the series, though nothing as of yet has been decided.

Impact

Awards

• Nine Canadian Comedy Awards wins:
  • Best Direction (TV Series)—2004–2006
  • Best Male Performance (TV)—2004 and 2005 (Brent Butt), 2007 (Eric Peterson)
  • Best Female Performance (TV)—2006 (Janet Wright)
  • Best Writing (TV Series)—2004 and 2007

• Six Gemini Award wins:
  • Best Comedy Program or Series—2005, 2006, and 2007
  • Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series—for the episode "Gopher It"; 2007
  • Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series—Mark Ferrell for the episode "Gopher It"; 2007
  • Best Interactive—2005

The show also has eight other Gemini Award nominations.

• Nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2004.

• 2004 DGC Award win for Outstanding Team Achievement in a TV Series—Comedy. Also nominated in 2005.

• 2005 WGC Award win for Best Comedy & Variety Program.

• Seven Leo Award wins.

External links

• Corner Gas official website
• Corner Gas at WGN America
• Brent Butt on possibility of Corner Gas movie