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Wild Roses - Not So Wild
February 6th, 2009 by winna
Photo from nationalpost.com
Wild Roses, which airs on CBC TV Tuesdays at 9pm, is definitely more mild than wild. I’d call it a classic soap opera with love triangles and forbidden love, back-stabbing, filthy rich white people and the working class, and shamelessly tacky dialogue. The twist however is that it’s set in Calgary, a renowned Cowboy oil-rich city, which I guess sets it somewhat apart from other soap operas in the US. The tragedy however, is exactly that: it is just another soap opera. It’s not really different from any other show in terms of predictable story plots and outcomes, corny lines and very good looking people.
Is it just me or do Canadians want Canadian shows to do well and therefore are willing to sit through lame Canadian dramas and sitcoms over and over gain? After watching an episode of MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives long ago and Being Erica just recently, I was so disappointed in our home bred talent, or lack thereof, in our Canadian TV industry. One good thing about Wild Roses is that it is somewhat relatable in terms of the struggles a working class family goes through. It also gives an interesting insight into the Alberta Oil Industry, which, of course, is over-sensationalized for TV. Another is that there is some solid acting from characters like Kate and Maggie Henry.
It feels to me that Canadian television shows just try too hard, or rather try too hard to be American. I’m all for creativity and something uniquely Canadian, but Wild Roses is really neither. To me it’s like Dallas, but with a few Canadian references here and there. It’s as if just plopping a bunch of actors onto Canadian soil will make the show Canadian. Where’s our unique sense of humour? Where’s the creative dialogue? Where do we find better actors that we haven’t already seen in the all of the other countlessly recycled Canadian TV shows? Better yet, who can stop CBC from funding such bad shows?
It’s shows like Wild Roses that anger me as a tax-paying Canadian. My money is being used to fund shows like this when money can be better used elsewhere. How many shows has CBC flushed through in the last year? The sad part is, there were probably some good ones like Jpod, which was the best written Canadian show on CBC that I’ve ever seen, though that got canceled. I’m willing to give shows a chance, but it seems like CBC just makes bad decision after bad decision. Honestly, whoever green lights these shows needs a better understanding of what the Canadian public wants or, at least, make a more conservative effort to spend our money wisely.
Wild Roses again airs on CBC TV 9pm Tuesdays. For more info, visit their website.
February 7th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I was just at an alumni talk the other night with Jim Williamson who is a CBC producer, and it was interesting to hear him talk about this issue of good/trashy Canadian programming. He mentioned a Canadian TV show called Little Mosque on the Prairie…have you seen it? Apparently some think its charming and others just cheesy….
In terms of a show being uniquely Canadian, I would question just how different we can be beyond using Canadian actors and locations….I don’t know, is our sense of humour/taste really all that different from the American mainstream? Maybe it’s not that they’re trying too hard to be American, but rather that a TV show needs viewers and ratings, and well, there are go-to formulas for that regardless of what country you’re from. Personally when I want something different I turn to Blackadder and old British skit shows…..
February 7th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
You’re probably right, but when I think of shows that are uniquely Canadian I think of Slings and Arrows, The Red and Green Show, Da Vinci’s Inquest. There’s something quirky or different about these shows which I guess I just WANT to believe makes them uniquely Canadian. Perhaps I was wrong to generalize but it’s merely the fact that there so little creativity I believe, in Canadian TV.
Actually I’ve only seen a few episodes of a Little Mosque on the Prairie and I think it’s a little bit of both charm and cheeziness. However, a show like that is a step in the right direction in representing Canadian multiculturalism. Although I’m not saying a show’s purpose should be to “represent” anybody or anything. I think it’s nice to have something different and I think Little Mosque on the Prairie is different albeit a little cheezy.
February 7th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Wow, I can’t believe you even garnered the patience to watch this. CBC has been producing quite a few “estrogen powered” (quoted from Rick Mercer) shows lately. I honestly thought we had enough of cowboy shows considering they already have one (Heartland). Then again, you never know, this show could be wildly popular in the Prairies or the East Coast…
As for Canadian television shows, I’ve heard that Little Mosque is rather popular and it seems to have an interesting concept. Corner Gas was considered a hit when it came out, although it’s sad that I think they’re on their last season. I think CTV’s “Flashpoint” is Canadian and really popular at the moment as well…
Other than that, I feel that Canadian TV shows generally either play into comedy (Rick Mercer, This Hour has 22 Minutes), Spinoffs from American reality shows (SYTYCD, Idol) or drama with an explicit Canadian setting. Somehow, I think the need to make the programme “Canadian flavoured” in these dramas overshadows the need for a decent plot. And then with all of this, the marketing just doesn’t work because CBC is usually stuck with these crappy dramas and they end up in a vicious cycle where people already associate CBC with bad TV shows…
February 8th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
good point jess about the “Canadian flavoured” comment. I never saw it that way before.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
It’s a miracle that CBC produces shows that get some really decent ratings — in this hypocritical culture of people who scream all the time about the need to support Canadian arts and entertainment, but who tune in to just as crappy American brain-dead fare. Get over it. If you want to make some changes, get into the TV business and make your own wonderful shows happen.
February 19th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Decent ratings for what? I see what you’re saying so perhaps I should’ve critisized Canadians and their lack of taste? Please, it’s not like CBC hasn’t made some good choices like with the Red and Green Show, Rick Mercer, The Hour and Jpod (though that’s the viewers fault). It’s CBC’s inability to produce MORE of these shows and yet settle for seen-it-before dramas.
March 11th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Hi, I’m really surprised at how critical you are about some of the newest CBC shows to come out. I find that with most shows, they need to be given a chance to ‘grow’ into themselves. This has been happening with both Wild Roses and Being Erica. I think that the characters are becoming stronger and I look forward to new developments each week. Maybe I expect less (than you) out of what the television can give to me when I sit down in front of it, but I find that lots of Canadian programming is very interesting and entertaining. Just to give you a taste, I enjoyed jPod just as much as MVP…I also like This Hour, Rick Mercer, Sophie, The Border etc…
ps - if you wanted Canadian programming to come even close to some of the quality (though I think a lot of it is junk) of American shows, the budgets would need to be tripled. The Canadian film and television industry is woefully underfunded, both privately and publicly. We could take a lesson from Québec’s industry!
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:10 am
My family and I LOVED this show!!!!!! I really want a season 2 and I’m sure the viewership will grow if it is well advertised. Acting and plot are terrific. It would be a sham to not renew this.