Little Mosque on the Prairie

[thistlechaser]

After catching up on Defiance, I needed a new show to watch. I poked through Hulu for a while, then spotted Little Mosque on the Prairie. I had been meaning to check it out; I first heard of it years ago, and have heard only good things about it. Perfect chance to try it!

Boy was I surprised. I had thought it was a documentary! I had only heard that it was about a mosque that opened in a small Canadian town. Turns out it's a sitcom.

Once I got over that surprise, I really enjoyed the show. I was disappointed it wasn't serious (I think it would make an interesting documentary series if it were real), but it's darned funny enough for me to be happy with it as-is.

Sitcoms are rarely funny to me, but this one gives me multiple laughs out loud per ep. (Plus I love the music!) The characters are all fun, the whole show is really enjoyable (and has surprising heart to it).

The one downside is a small thing: Like most sitcoms, everything has to be 'reset' by the end of the ep -- all characters are left basically the same as they were at the start of the ep. This greatly reduces the chance for character growth, but it's a fault of the genre, not of Little Mosque's.

While in 2008 FOX bought the rights to recreate the show for the US, they haven't done anything with it. I doubt they ever will. It pains me to say there is no way this show would ever fly in America. The rabid Right would have a field day over it.

But! You can watch the entire Canadian series on Hulu -- free!

(Edit: I'm only in the middle of the second season, so if there are any big changes coming, please don't spoil me. :) )

Comments

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

Why do you think non-US tv shows are remade into American versions? Is it to be more culturally relevant?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of Americans would be put off by foreign accents, even nonthreatening ones like British or Australian. (That is not an opinion I share with them. So many people here are AMERICA GOOD, EVERYONE ELSE BAD about everything.)

In the case of this show, I don't see why it would need to be remade at all. Other than occasional mentions of Toronto, it could pass for being American-made.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

I just don't see the need to remake a Canadian sitcom. It is all in English, and I can't imagine the sense of humor is that different? Maybe they want familiar US actors to boost the ratings.

Of course, there is the need for US producers to have creative control...even if they don't know what they are doing they like to have their 2 cents in to justify their astronomical salaries. Nope, not bitter at all. ;p

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Other than the rare-ish (once every five eps?) mention of Toronto, I'd have assumed this was made in US if I hadn't known better. I can't see any reason to remake it.

Maybe it's to use familiar actors, like you said? For me, that would harm the show -- I like it that I recognize nobody in it.

even if they don't know what they are doing they like to have their 2 cents in to justify their astronomical salaries

Ha! That's likely it.

[evilgrayson.livejournal.com]

There's a long history of the US remaking British stuff, and casting 'sexy' people who really don't suit the roles. If Lister and Rimmer from Red Dwarf are beautiful men, as they were when the US tried to remake the show, it absolutely ruins a good deal of the humour.

Maybe they're worried that 'average' people will think they could be on TV too? Goodness knows you're only allowed to see an ideal of beauty in your media.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I really hate it when they remake things for the US. As you said, it's always beautiful people/stars added to it. I was watching some British show a while back, and it was amazing -- there were normal-looking people in it. GASP there were even unattractive people in it!

I really don't understand why everyone on TV in the US has to be skinny as heck and drop-dead beautiful.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

FWIW, I watched the show up until midway through S3, but lost interest around then. I won't say why, just...preparing you just in case.

But up until that point, I loved it. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm interested to see what changes then! I seem to be watching about a season a day (I'm dead in the water with reading at the moment), so I'll probably hit that point tonight or tomorrow.