Commentary - Global TV's lack of Canadian content this fall

All I could do was roll my eyes and sigh as I read Global's fall lineup a couple months back. With only one scripted series--a sitcom called Da Kink In My Hair--on their fall roster, I noticed immediately that there was a major lack of Canadian dramatic content. Not that I was surprised or anything...after all, Global has a history of getting around the Cancon rules (rules? Ha!) by calling non-scripted series "dramatic programming" and completely Americanizing the dramas and sitcoms they do air. This past summer, a show called The Best Years aired. It was Canadian-produced but the characters and setting were in Boston, U.S.A. It's kind of a slap in the face to Canadians when networks use their Cancon money to create American shows. Basically the message that comes across, is Canada isn't good enough to have a show set there. The same can be said of the now-cancelled Falcon Beach, which tried to hide the fact it was Canadian--they set that in New England as well. I've listened to the logic used by Global to explain why they do that. It's claimed American viewers don't want to watch shows not set within America. However, I want to point out that Da Vinci's Inquest, Degrassi: The Next Generation and Instant Star all have Canadian settings and show many things that are Canadian, yet they are big hits south of the border. I think Global needs to get off its highhorse if you know what I mean and start showing some Canadian (and not Americanized) shows. I've been hearing that a Canadian drama called Search and Rescue will debut sometime midseason on Global but there's not much known about it. Hopefully it won't be another Global muckup.