Corner Gas is a
CanadianTelevision in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
television sitcom created by
Brent ButtBrent Butt is a Canadian stand-up comedian actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also created. The series was an instant hit when it made its debut in 2004....
. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and
The Comedy NetworkThe Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
in Canada; it formerly aired on WGN America in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Deriving its name from the roadside gas station in the fictional town of Dog River,
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) in any direction. Brent Leroy (
Brent ButtBrent Butt is a Canadian stand-up comedian actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also created. The series was an instant hit when it made its debut in 2004....
) is the proprietor of the station and Wanda Dollard (Nancy Robertson) works at the station’s convenience store as a retail assistant. An adjoining
coffee shopA coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
, The Ruby, is owned by Lacey Burrows (
Gabrielle Miller-Career:She was a cast member of the Canadian television series Corner Gas, for which she won a shared Gemini Awards for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series in 2007 and two Leo Awards for Best Performance or Host in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series .She is also...
), who inherited it from her Aunt Ruby.
The series completed its run following broadcast of its sixth season on April 13, 2009, with a total of 107 episodes.
The show became an instant hit, averaging a million viewers per episode.
Corner Gas has been the recipient of six
Gemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s, and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards.
On April 6, 2009, Saskatchewan premier
Brad WallBradley John "Brad" Wall, MLA is a Canadian politician who has been the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan since November 21, 2007....
signed a proclamation that declared April 13, 2009 (and the same day every year after), "Corner Gas Day" in Saskatchewan.
Concept
The series was created by Canadian comedian
Brent ButtBrent Butt is a Canadian stand-up comedian actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also created. The series was an instant hit when it made its debut in 2004....
, 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
gasGasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
). 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
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and
The Comedy NetworkThe Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
(TCN). The show brings together broad, coffee shop humour within a community. The characters are archetypal. They have the personality of friends and family to which international viewers can relate. The show focuses on the lifestyle of small town folk. Though set in a small town in Saskatchewan, it is not about Saskatchewan or Canada, but rather the day to day interactions of the residents of Dog River.
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. (The name of the production company is derived from the fact that Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Butt's home town, lies at the junction of Saskatchewan Highways 3 and 35.) 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. Brent Butt created the series
Corner Gas. Paul Mather, Mark Farrell, Brent Butt, Andrew Carr, Kevin White, Robert Sheridan,
Norm HiscockNorm Hiscock is an Emmy Award winning screenwriter and producer. He is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, The Kids in the Hall, Corner Gas and most recently Parks and Recreation...
, Dylan Wertz (or "Worts") and Gary Pearson all contributed to the writing of the series. David Storey, Mark Farrell, Robert de Lint, Jeff Beesley and Brent Butt 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 TracyThe Trouble with Tracy was a Canadian television series produced by CTV for the 1970–1971 television season, with intended distribution by the U.S.-based National General Pictures. It is considered by some to be one of the worst situation comedies ever produced.The show was produced as a daily...
,
Snow Job,
Excuse My FrenchExcuse My French was a Canadian television sitcom, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 1976. Produced by CFCF-TV, the series starred Stuart Gillard and Lisa Charbonneau as Peter and Marie-Louise Hutchins, a mixed anglophone-francophone couple living in Montreal.The series, produced in Montreal, was...
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 was filmed entirely in Saskatchewan. The inside scenes (Ruby Cafe interior, Police Department, Oscar and Emma's house, etc.) are filmed at
Canada/Saskatchewan Production StudiosThe Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios are located in Regina, Saskatchewan at the corner of College Avenue and Broad Street. Built in 1913, the structure has served as a normal school, military training facility, and fine arts building for the University of Regina...
in
ReginaRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. All of the outdoor scenes and all scenes that take place in the gas station are filmed on location in
Rouleau, Saskatchewan-Location:-External links:*** Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan...
. Rouleau is a small town on
Highway 39Highway 39 is a provincial paved undivided highway located in the southern portion of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan connecting North Portal and Moose Jaw in the north. This is a primary Saskatchewan highway maintained by the provincial and national governments providing a major trucking...
between Moose Jaw and Weyburn. The
grain elevatorA grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
has been repainted to read “Dog River” instead of “Rouleau", however the water tower still reads "Rouleau" - with post production effects used to repaint it to read "Dog River" in the first season episode "Grad 68". 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 (almost always three, once four) storylines are presented in each show. The main storyline usually opens and closes the episode and is most of the time driven by a single character. The secondary plots are sometimes slightly intertwined with the other stories.
Opening sequence
The
Corner Gas opening sequence follows a
cold openA cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
. The
theme musicTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, "Not a Lot Goin’ On", was written by
Craig NortheyCraig Northey is a Canadian musician and one of the founding members of the band Odds.After the breakup of Odds in 1999, Northey has embarked on several other ventures, including working with Colin James, Rosanne Cash, Glen Phillips, Bruce McCulloch and many others...
, of the rock band
OddsOdds are a Canadian alternative rock band. The band's power pop style has been frequently compared to that of contemporaries such as Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Weezer, Tom Petty, Sloan, The Clash, XTC, Franz Ferdinand, and The Tubes.-Odds :...
, and
Jesse ValenzuelaJesse Valenzuela was the original vocalist of the alternative rock band Gin Blossoms when it was formed in 1987. In 1988, he switched roles with the band's new guitarist, Robin Wilson. He continued to be a member until the band's breakup in 1997, and reunited with the rest of the group in 2002...
formerly of the rock band
Gin BlossomsGin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
.
Overview
Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) in any direction (according to season one, episode one “Ruby Reborn” and season one, episode two "Tax Man"). Brent Leroy (
Brent ButtBrent Butt is a Canadian stand-up comedian actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also created. The series was an instant hit when it made its debut in 2004....
) is the proprietor of the station and Wanda Dollard (Nancy Robertson) works at the station’s convenience store as a retail assistant. An adjoining diner (The Ruby) is owned by Lacey Burrows (
Gabrielle Miller-Career:She was a cast member of the Canadian television series Corner Gas, for which she won a shared Gemini Awards for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series in 2007 and two Leo Awards for Best Performance or Host in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series .She is also...
), who inherited it from her Aunt Ruby and moved to Dog River from
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Brent's parents, Oscar Leroy (
Eric PetersonEric Neal Peterson, C.M. is a Canadian stage and television actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland.-Personal life:...
) and Emma Leroy (
Janet WrightJanet Wright is a Canadian actress and theatre director. She is best known for her role as Emma Leroy on the hit Canadian sitcom Corner Gas. She won a 2003 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for her role in Betrayed...
), are lifetime residents of Dog River. Oscar is always up to something, much to the dismay and embarrassment of his wife Emma. Dog River's police force, consisting entirely of veteran Davis Quinton (
Lorne CardinalLorne Cardinal is a stage, television and film actor, best known for portraying character Davis Quinton on the Canadian television series Corner Gas.-Personal life:...
) and rookie Karen Pelly (
Tara Spencer-NairnTara Spencer-Nairn is a Canadian actress best known for her work on the television series Corner Gas, in which she plays police officer Karen Pelly....
), keep the peace in the small town, which proves a very simple task, and the officers have an overabundance of free time. Finally, Brent's best friend Hank Yarbo (
Fred EwanuickFred Ewanuick is a Canadian actor of Ukrainian and Italian heritage, known for his role in the television series Corner Gas as Hank Yarbo. He was also a regular in a CTV anthology series, Robson Arms.-Early life:...
), who is constantly unemployed, spends his time 'hanging out' with Dog River's residents and drinking coffee at the Ruby (which he never pays for).
The first episode of
Corner Gas aired on January 22, 2004, and attracted 1.5 million viewers. It became an instant hit. 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.
Brent’s main co-writers are
This Hour has 22 MinutesThis Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
writers
Mark FarrellMark Farrell is a Canadian comedian and writer, who honed his talent in the Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving to Toronto in 1989. One of the founders of Canada's alternative comedy scene. Farrell helped lead an exodus from the Yuk Yuk's chain, along with other prominent...
,
Paul MatherPaul Mather is a Canadian comedy writer.Along with Donovan Workun, he is a founding member of the Edmonton improv troupe Atomic Improv. While living in Edmonton, he also worked with Rapid Fire Theatre and Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie. He has won four Canadian Comedy Awards for his work on This...
, 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
time codeA timecode is a sequence of numeric codes generated at regular intervals by a timing system.- Video and film timecode :...
circulated on
YouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
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.
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."
The show's final episode aired on April 13, 2009, airing in simulcast on CTV, The Comedy Network and A. The episode attracted 2,914,000 viewers on terrestrial television and an additional 235,000 on The Comedy Network, for a total viewership of 3,114,000.
Characters
The surnames of all Dog River residents (with the exception of Fitzy Fitzgerald) are names of small towns in Saskatchewan. Note: There is a Fitzgerald, Alberta.
Main cast
- Brent Herbert Leroy (Brent Butt
Brent Butt is a Canadian stand-up comedian actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also created. The series was an instant hit when it made its debut in 2004....
) is the comic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
-reading, sarcastic 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 YorkSimon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
and The Executioner. His favourite food is chili cheese dogs, to the point where he can identify the individual ingredients by taste. Brent is 'adept' at many sports, such as curlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, hockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
and softballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. His favorite football teams are the Saskatchewan RoughridersThe Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
and Minnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. He and Hank have been best friends since childhood, and Brent often makes fun of him and name multiple instances of Hank's stupidity. As of the Season 5 finale, Brent is 40 years old, and was born on November 6 (thus, his date of birth can be assumed to be November 6, 1967, since Brent graduated high school in 1986). Brent is said to be the hottest guy in Dog River, although other characters on the show acknowledge this is faint praise. He is also the Dog River Table Hockey Champion using a "dump it into the corners" style of play. It is implied that he and Lacey Burrows have feelings for one another, although neither will admit or act upon them. After the end of the series he went on to fulfill his dream of fly-fishing in the YukonYukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, while looking to wrestle a bear (he didn't find any bears, but he did see either a Sasquatch or an oddly shaped stump).
- Co-stars Brent Butt and Nancy Robertson married on November 19, 2005, following production of the third season.
- Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller
-Career:She was a cast member of the Canadian television series Corner Gas, for which she won a shared Gemini Awards for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series in 2007 and two Leo Awards for Best Performance or Host in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series .She is also...
) took over the previously unnamed coffee shop in Dog River after the death of her aunt and renamed it in her honour, calling it The Ruby. Originally from TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, she is perpetually trying to fit into small-town life, with mixed, but usually disastrous, 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 mathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. Lacey frequently exhibits insecurity and regret 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. 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). She is also very knowledgeable when it comes to hockey, coaching Dog River's hockey team, the Dog River Riverdogs. It is implied that she and Brent Leroy have feelings for one another, although neither will admit or act upon them. In season five Karen describes Lacey as, "Too upbeat, overly fastidious, a little needy - same old Lacey!". Her fashion sense trends toward the revealing. This was mocked in the episode "Doc Small", in which she welcomes Dr. Chris Garner, a doctor from an even smaller town than Dog River, to town, and Garner is shocked by Lacey's "slutty" top, which is actually one of her more conservative tops. After the end of the series, she opened a second Ruby in Wullerton, but it was quickly shut down by local health inspectors.
- Richard Henry "Hank" Yarbo (Fred Ewanuick
Fred Ewanuick is a Canadian actor of Ukrainian and Italian heritage, known for his role in the television series Corner Gas as Hank Yarbo. He was also a regular in a CTV anthology series, Robson Arms.-Early life:...
) 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; also, his hat repels mosquitoes as is revealed in season 2. He is a small sort of fellow, considering he can fit into a "Kung-Fu Johnny" T-shirt that Brent wore in grade 5. He has worked a range of jobs, from census worker to crossing guardA crossing guard , a school crossing patrol officer , school crossing supervisor or school road patrol is a traffic management specialist who is normally stationed on busy roadways to aid pedestrians...
to city accountantAn accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, never being able to hold down or stay focused in one for long. He expressed a goal of working as a rodeo clownA rodeo clown, also known as a bullfighter or rodeo protection athlete, is a rodeo performer who works in bull riding competitions. The primary job of the rodeo clown is to protect a fallen rider from the bull, whether the rider has been bucked off or has jumped off of the animal...
. His mother lives in Saskatoon, and his favourite foods are grape Pop RocksPop Rocks is a carbonated candy with ingredients including sugar, lactose , corn syrup, and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that it creates a fizzy reaction when it dissolves in one's mouth.-Background and history:...
and picklesA pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
(despite accidentally choking on the same pickle two times). Hank is quite childish, doing such things as going to see an adventure movie designed for 6-year-olds five times in one week. He is shown to have a lot of interest in the CFLThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, most notably the Saskatchewan RoughridersThe Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
, Saskatchewan's football team. In a Christmas-themed episode, it is revealed that as a hockey fan, he likes the Vancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
. Despite his village idiot routine, Hank actually has experience in many physical and maintenance activities, including auto mechanics, gardeningGardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
, knitting, woodworkingWoodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
and plumbingPlumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
, making him something of a jack-of-all-trades"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person that is competent with many skills but is not necessarily outstanding in any particular one....
. His poetic side emerges when he goes fishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. This may have culminated in him sleeping with Karen. After the series, he continued to remain "Awesomely" unemployed.
- Wanda Dollard (Nancy Robertson) is a quirky cashier 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 a 6-year-old son, Tanner Vincent Dollard, who has never been seen or heard on screen. Her son is displayed as a living nightmare for prospective babysitters (Season 1, Episode 4). Accused of being a know-it-all, Wanda is also one of very few residents of Dog River who has gone to university; she holds a degree in linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
with a minor in comparative religionComparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
but took classes in many other subjects as well. Despite her extensive education, she considers her job at Corner Gas a privilege. She is shown as having a case of mild agoraphobiaAgoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
in one episode. Like Brent and Hank, Wanda grew up in Dog River. After the end of the series, she pursued a Ph.D. in theoretical physicsTheoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
though she still works at Corner Gas, albeit with a pay raise.
- Oscar Leroy (Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson, C.M. is a Canadian stage and television actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland.-Personal life:...
) is Brent’s angry, stubborn and occasionally senile elderly man stereotype father and former owner of Corner Gas, now retired. His all-purpose word is "jackassThe donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
", 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. He rivals Hank in his brain capacity and ability to make mistakes and the two are often shown scheming together. Oscar likes to show his handiwork around the house, but usually makes things worse every time he tries to fix something. When Brent presented his idea of selling Corner Gas to a huge company, Oscar replied "How dare you, How dare you keep the Pump and Go people waiting, sell it, sell it now" showing that he has no love of his old job. After the end of the series, he would go on to say "Jackass" over 1,275 more times...and counting. (Which ended up being the final spoken word of the series.)
- Emma Leroy (Janet Wright
Janet Wright is a Canadian actress and theatre director. She is best known for her role as Emma Leroy on the hit Canadian sitcom Corner Gas. She won a 2003 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for her role in Betrayed...
) 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, and he often embarrasses and annoys her, but despite this, 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 blockIn the United States, a concrete masonry unit – also called concrete block, cement block, and foundation block – is a large rectangular brick used in construction. Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete, i.e. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks...
at a skunkSkunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
across the yard with little effort). She has a quick-tempered and a domineering personality. After the end of the series, she remained married to Oscar, despite doctor's orders.
- Sergeant Davis Quinton (Lorne Cardinal
Lorne Cardinal is a stage, television and film actor, best known for portraying character Davis Quinton on the Canadian television series Corner Gas.-Personal life:...
) is the overly-sensitive senior police officer in Dog River, who has a habit of misspending the police budget, taking naps on the job, and making up the laws as he goes along (he's never actually read the police manual). He tends to treat his police position more as a 'fun hobby' than a serious job. He is obsessed with Cosmopolitan Magazine, retro-TV and classic cartoon shows; and is a science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
aficionado. He believes that the original Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
may have really happened. His catch phrase is an enthusiastic "All right!". He is a fan of the Saskatchewan Prairie FireThe Prairie Fire are a Canadian Rugby Union team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The team plays in the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship and draws very few of its players from the Saskatchewan Rugby Union, one of fourteen Rugby Unions that have rep teams in the RCSL.The Prairie Fire play...
(he is often seen wearing their gear while off duty). Davis once competed in rhythmic gymnasticsRhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
; he also has a collection of the original Hardy Boys books. He is unable to make coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, but is unwilling to tell anyone. 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 is not interested. At the end of season 5, Davis is said to be 46 years old, which would make 1961 his year of birth. He was also seen as a police officer in Dog River in 1986 (the "Grad '68" episode in season 1). Davis is divorced but after the end of the series he eventually re-married. He lost his sense of smell after being hit on the head as a child, and his smell is only temporarily regained after being hit on the head by a ball, thrown by Brent.
- Constable Karen Pelly (Tara Spencer-Nairn
Tara Spencer-Nairn is a Canadian actress best known for her work on the television series Corner Gas, in which she plays police officer Karen Pelly....
) 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 apneaFreediving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include breathhold spear fishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkeling...
, with a personal best of more than six minutes. She’s a very good cook, but does not like to bring it up for fear it will stereotype her. She does not want to admit that she does not know how to ride a bike. She is also at least ten years younger than most other characters on the show. Karen plays a mean table hockey game using a fast-paced style of game. Along with her excellent style of play, she is apparently an expert on the different types of table hockey games as she describes the year and model of the game. She tends to take her police position very seriously, unlike her partner Davis, and treats even the most minor problem officially. Karen frequently becomes annoyed with Davis' willingness to obey the mayor in everything and bend rules. They differ greatly on their views of what a police officer should portray; on one occasion, Karen states that "a police officer should be respected by the community", to which Davis casually replies, "Who said that?" Despite these differences, Karen and Davis get along well, although they don't spend much time together outside of work. In the episode "Hook, Line and Sinker" Karen goes fishing with Hank and is seduced by his "sexy fish talk". After the end of the series, she fell in love and married.
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, although no one really wants it.
- Wes Humboldt (Mike O’Brien) owns and operates the liquor and insurance store in town. His father died saving his entire platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
in the Korean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, 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
Table shuffleboard is a game in which players push metal-and-plastic weighted pucks down a long and smooth wooden table into a scoring area at the opposite end of the table...
game in the bar with a claw game, to which Oscar became addicted. He speaks a little bit of CreeCree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
(not unusual for a Cree The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
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, Paul was replaced by a new bartender, Phil Kinistino; but, it's never revealed how they are related.
- Josh the Cook (Josh Strait) is the only chef at The Ruby and behaves very silent and reserved. In the episode "Safety First", he temporarily quits his job in order to become a llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
farmer. When Lacey asked Brent as to whether or not he was aware Josh wanted to work with llamas, Brent replied, "I didn't even know he could talk." In addition, the actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who plays Josh (whose real name is "Josh") also hosts the tours of the Corner Gas set in Rouleau, Saskatchewan-Location:-External links:*** Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan...
.
- Fitzy's Grandma (Helen Jensen) (Jean Freeman) is always seen out and about.
Notable guest stars
A number of notable Canadian celebrities and politicians appeared as guest stars or in cameo roles on
Corner Gas. Some celebrities made the trip to the Rouleau or Regina sets to film their appearances, others were filmed in the applicable locations (e.g., scenes involving cast members of
Canadian IdolCanadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
and
Canada AMCanada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...
were filmed at the respective programs’ studios).
Two successive sitting prime ministers,
Paul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
and
Stephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, made cameo appearances;
Corner Gas is the only fictional sitcom (as opposed to sketch comedy series) in which sitting prime ministers have appeared. Two successive sitting premiers of Saskatchewan,
Lorne CalvertLorne Albert Calvert, MLA was the 13th Premier of Saskatchewan, from 2001 to 2007. Calvert, was the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 2001 to June 6, 2009, when he was succeeded by Dwain Lingenfelter.In 1975, Calvert married Betty Sluzalo of Perdue, Saskatchewan. After attending...
and
Brad WallBradley John "Brad" Wall, MLA is a Canadian politician who has been the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan since November 21, 2007....
, also appeared in episodes, as did former Governor General
Adrienne ClarksonAdrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
. Canadian television personality
Ben MulroneyBenedict Martin Paul "Ben" Mulroney is a Canadian television host, and is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.-Early life:...
, son of former Prime Minister
Brian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
, appeared in a small role.
In the first season
Kevin McDonaldKevin Hamilton McDonald is a Canadian comedian and actor, known as a member of the Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall.-Early life:...
of
The Kids in the HallThe Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States...
played Marvin Drey, a disliked
Revenue CanadaThe Canada Revenue Agency is a federal agency that administers tax laws for the Government of Canada and for most provinces and territories, international trade legislation, and various social and economic benefit and incentive programs delivered through the tax system...
agent in episode
1-02 Tax Man. In the same episode
Dan MathesonDan Matheson is a Canadian journalist and news anchor currently presenting the news in the primetime hours on CTV News Channel, since September 2001.-Early life and career:...
, a news anchor for CTV, appeared as himself.
Julie Stewart- Biography :Julie Stewart studied acting in Montreal at the National Theatre School of Canada and now makes her home in Toronto. She was the star of the Canadian television series Cold Squad. Her credits also include continuing roles in Chasing Rainbows, North of 60 and The Border.- External links :...
, in episode
1-05 Grad 68, played a paint store clerk (parodying her role in
Cold SquadCold Squad is a Canadian police procedural television series first broadcast in 1998 that followed the investigations of a part of the Vancouver Police Department Homicide Division tasked with solving cold cases, the titular Cold Squad, as led by Sergeant Ali McCormick .The cast of Cold Squad was...
). Comedian
Mike WilmotMike Wilmot is a Canadian stand-up comedian. In 2005 he won two Canadian Comedy Awards for best male stand-up and best actor for his work in It's All Gone Pete Tong....
played Carl Vawn, Brent’s snobby cousin.
Colin MochrieColin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish Canadian actor and improvisational comedian, most famous for his appearances on the British and US versions of television improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.-Early life:...
, a prolific Canadian comedy actor best known for his work in the British and American versions of
Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
, made 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 WallinPamela Wallin, OC, SOM is a former Canadian television journalist and diplomat. On January 2, 2009, she was seated in the Canadian Senate, where she sits as a Conservative.-Early life and career:...
, former CBC newscaster, later Canadian Consul General and recently appointed senator, a native of
WadenaWadena is a town in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, located east of Saskatoon, north of Fort Qu'Appelle and north-west of Yorkton on the eastern shore of the Quill Lakes. The town is known for its birdwatching opportunities, and hosts the Shorebirds and Friends Festival every year...
, Saskatchewan, played herself.
Canadian IdolCanadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
judges
Sass JordanSarah "Sass" Jordan is a Canadian, Juno Award winning, rock singer/songwriter who grew up in Montreal.- Biography :...
,
Zack WernerZack Werner has had a career in the music industry as an artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager. He is also president of Toronto-based Venus Management and Venus Records , where he spends his time finding and developing new talent across Canada.He attended the St...
,
Jake GoldJake Gold is an American-born Canadian musician manager. He was a judge on the Canadian Idol television program. In addition to Idol participants, he has managed popular Canadian artists like The Tragically Hip and The Watchmen. His management company, The Management Trust, currently works with a...
, and
Farley FlexFarley Flex is a Canadian music promoter, artist manager, and motivational speaker. He is best known for being a judge on the reality television series Canadian Idol....
appeared as themselves rating Brent’s rendition of “It would never rain in Dog River... If I Could Squeegee the Sky” in the episode
1-11 Hook, Line and Sinker.
TSNThe Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
sportscaster (and
U8TV: The LoftersU8TV: The Lofters was a Canadian reality television series, which aired on the Life Network and online through its website U8TV.com, in 2001 and 2002.-Format:...
alumnus)
Jennifer HedgerJennifer Frances Hedger is a Canadian television personality, the co-host of TSN's nightly sports news program SportsCentre...
and her
SportsCentreSportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
colleague
Darren DutchyshenDarren Dutchyshen is a Canadian sportscaster, who cohosts the evening edition of SportsCentre on TSN. He was born in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. Dutchyshen graduated from the Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatoon, and went on to stints at STV and Global Edmonton before his current...
appeared as themselves in the episode 1-12 Face Off.
The second season also attracted notable personalities. Episode
2-02 Wedding Card films
HockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
star
Darryl SittlerDarryl Glen Sittler is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.On February 7, 1976, Sittler set an NHL...
as himself.
2-06 Poor Brent has an appearance by
Lloyd RobertsonLloyd Robertson, OC is the currently the co-host of CTV's weekly magazine series, W5. Robertson previously served as the chief anchor and senior editor of CTV's national evening newscast, CTV News with Lloyd Robertson, until September, 2011, when he retired from the CTV National News...
, long-time
CTV National NewsCTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
anchor, playing himself. Canadian and world champion
curlersCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
Randy FerbeyRandy Ferbey is a Canadian curler from Sherwood Park, Alberta.Ferbey is a six-time Canadian champion and a four-time World Champion....
and Dave Nedohin (both of whom curl for
AlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
) 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 McKinneyMark Douglas Brown McKinney is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for his work in the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Following the run of their television series and feature film , he went on to star in Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1997...
, a veteran of both
The Kids in the Hall and
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
McKinney plays Bill, an American who came to Dog River by accident. Saskatchewan-born musician
Colin JamesColin James is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, who plays in the blues, rock, and neo-swing genres. He grew up as a Quaker.-Early years:...
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 HipThe Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
appear as “local kids” who practise in Brent’s garage. The Tragically Hip play a rough version of "It Can't Be
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
Every Night" off their
In Between EvolutionIn Between Evolution is the ninth full-length album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. It was recorded at Studio X in Seattle and was released June 29, 2004. The album debuted at #1 in Canada, selling 22,500 copies in its first week. However, sales of the album dropped by 50 percent the...
album. Both The Tragically Hip and Colin James are filmed on episode
2-15 Rock On!.
Ben MulroneyBenedict Martin Paul "Ben" Mulroney is a Canadian television host, and is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.-Early life:...
, host of TV shows
Canadian IdolCanadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
and
eTalk Daily and the son of former
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
, parodies himself during the third season episode
3-03 Dog River Vice.
3-07 Fun Run films then Prime Minister
Paul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
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 FarceAir Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
, and other political satire programs like
This Hour Has 22 Minutes). Singer
Jann ArdenJann Arden is a Canadian singer-songwriter.-Life and career:Arden was born and raised near Calgary in Springbank, Alberta and attended Springbank Community High School. Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1993 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You"...
appears as herself in
3-07 Fun Run. Noted actress
Shirley DouglasShirley Jean Douglas, OC is a Canadian television, film and stage actress and activist. Her acting career combined with her family name has made her recognisable in Canadian film, television and politics.-Personal life:...
(mother of
Kiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
, and daughter of
Tommy DouglasThomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
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 GoodaleRalph Edward Goodale, PC, MP was Canada's Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006 and continues to be a Liberal Member of Parliament...
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 CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.)
Lorne CalvertLorne Albert Calvert, MLA was the 13th Premier of Saskatchewan, from 2001 to 2007. Calvert, was the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 2001 to June 6, 2009, when he was succeeded by Dwain Lingenfelter.In 1975, Calvert married Betty Sluzalo of Perdue, Saskatchewan. After attending...
, premier of Saskatchewan, appears as himself. He appears three times—twice to poke fun at
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and once to almost get hit by a thrown newspaper during the appropriately named
3-12 Ruby Newsday.
Vicki GabereauVicki Frances Gabereau is a Canadian radio and television personality. Most recently she hosted an eponymously titled afternoon talk show on CTV Television Network, which wrapped up production on April 8, 2005 after 8 seasons...
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 MinutesThis Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
anchor
Gavin CrawfordGavin Crawford is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for The Gavin Crawford Show and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Crawford is a graduate of the BFA Acting Program at the University of British Columbia...
appears as a worker in the
Calgary International AirportCalgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown Calgary...
. He would always call cities their airport names (YYC, YEG) which confused Lacey horribly. In the same episode
Dan RedicanDan Redican is a Canadian comedy writer and performer and puppeteer, best known for his work with the comedy troupe, The Frantics. As a founding member of the troupe he has worked since 1979 on numerous stage shows, the Frantic Times radio show, Four on the Floor TV show...
from
The FranticsThe Frantics is a Canadian comedy troupe consisting of Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican and Peter Wildman.The group formed in 1979. In 1981, they were given a weekly radio slot on the CBC Radio show Variety Tonight, then hosted by Vicki Gabereau. In the summer of 1982 they were the summer...
, and more recently
Puppets Who KillPuppets Who Kill is a Canadian television comedy programme co-produced by The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada on the Comedy Network in 2002, and in Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004....
, makes an appearance as a worker in the
Regina International AirportRegina International Airport is an international airport located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, located south-west and west south-west of the city centre. It is run by the Regina Airport Authority. It is, as of 2010, the second busiest airport in Saskatchewan Regina International Airport is...
. He repeatedly says “made that call.”
Comedy Inc. star
Roman DanyloRoman Danylo is a Canadian comedian, improviser and actor based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. He currently stars in the CTV television network show Comedy Inc.-Career:...
makes a cameo as a passenger sitting next to Lacey on a plane from
AlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. 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 ReadKen Read, CM is a retired Canadian Olympic alpine ski racer, Corporate Director, sport advocate and international sports leader....
, also known as “
The Crazy CanuckThe Crazy Canucks was a group of Canadian alpine ski racers who rose to prominence in the World Cup during the 1970s and 80s. Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, Steve Podborski, Jim Hunter and Ken Read earned themselves a reputation for fast and seemingly reckless skiing....
,” is a champion
alpine skierAlpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and member of the
Canadian Olympic CommitteeThe Canadian Olympic Committee - COC is the private, non-profit organization representing Canadian athletes in the International Olympic Committee and the Pan American Games. It was formally recognized by the IOC in 1907. The COC also represents the selection of Canadian cities in their bid for...
. During episode
3-16 Physical Credit, Read receives a browbeating from Oscar (which first aired the day after closing ceremonies of the
2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
).
Olympic medal winner
Cindy KlassenCindy Klassen, OM is a Canadian long track speed skater. Klassen is a six-time medalist at the Winter Olympics. She is tied with Clara Hughes for Canada's all-time most decorated Olympian with 6 medals each...
makes a cameo appearance in the fourth season episode
4-02 Dog River Dave. Episode
4-05 Demolition features Former Governor-General
Adrienne ClarksonAdrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
appears, taking a sledgehammer to an old barn.
Mike HolmesMichael James Holmes is a Canadian professional contractor. He is the host of television show Holmes on Homes, where he rescues homeowners from renovations gone wrong; and its successor TV series, Holmes Inspection...
, the star of
Holmes on HomesHolmes on Homes is a Canadian television series featuring general contractor Mike Holmes visiting homeowners who are in need of help, mainly due to unsatisfactory home renovations performed by hired contractors....
, helps to fix Oscar’s bathroom. Wanda states that she had formerly dated the Holmes character in the episode
4-06 Jail House.
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
CEO
Ivan FecanIvan Fecan is a retired Canadian media executive. Fecan was the president and CEO of Baton Broadcasting and its successor CTVglobemedia from 1996 to 2011, and CEO of the CTV Television Network from late 1998 to 2011....
makes a cameo appearance during the episode
4-08 Blog River.
4-19 Gopher It featured Current
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Stephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
as himself.
Canada AMCanada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...
co-anchors
Seamus O’ReganSeamus O'Regan is a Canadian broadcast journalist and co-host of Canada AM, CTV's national morning show.- Biography :O'Regan was born in St. John's, Newfoundland...
and
Beverly ThomsonBeverly Thomson is a Canadian journalist and co-host of Canada AM, CTV's national morning show. In 2006, she received the Gemini Humanitarian Award....
appear, playing themselves. Unlike most cameos, O’Regan and Thomson appear extensively in this episode to parody their on-screen image.
CTV National NewsCTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
reporter
Rosemary ThompsonRosemary Thompson is the Director of Communications for Canada's National Arts Centre, located in Ottawa. She is the former deputy bureau chief of the parliamentary bureau for CTV News. She was a reporter and frequent guest host on CTV programs including Question Period and Mike Duffy Live...
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" ChapmanDuane Lee "Dog" Chapman, Sr. is an American bounty hunter and a former bail bondsman. He stars in Dog the Bounty Hunter, a weekly reality television program which is broadcast on the A&E Network , FOX8 and GO! , OLN and A&E Network , MAX and RTL II .Chapman claims he has made more than 6,000...
and Beth Smith from
Dog the Bounty HunterDog the Bounty Hunter is a reality television show on A&E which chronicles Duane "Dog" Chapman's adventures as a fugitive recovery agent, or 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 MoenTravis Moen is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . Although he was born in Swift Current, he grew up in Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan...
makes a cameo appearance with the
Stanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
and during season
5-19 Final Countdown actor
Kiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
makes a cameo appearance. In the same episode, Shirley Douglas' voice is heard.
Michael BubléMichael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
appears in the sixth season episode
6-13 TV Free Dog River.
Dog River
Dog River (
Rouleau, Saskatchewan-Location:-External links:*** Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan...
) has a population of “about 500” according to “Census Sensibility.” According to the
Corner Gas taglineA tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
, it is 40 kilometres (24.9 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 (Dog River residents spit anytime the name is mentioned) is 'just down the road.' It is stated in the episode “Tax Man” that Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) in any direction. Series creator Brent Butt has said the town lies somewhere between Regina and Saskatoon; these two cities are 257 kilometres (159.7 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
WeyburnWeyburn is a city in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located on the Souris River southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is north of the border with the United States. The name is reputedly a corruption of the Scottish "wee burn," referring to a small creek. The city is...
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 "Kid Stuff," Wanda says it is south of the also fictional Crowley Lake.
The town’s name is an
homageHomage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to series creator Brent Butt’s hometown of
Tisdale-Geography:5 major parks are located within the town.Some regional and provincial parks near Tisdale are:*Kipabiskau Regional Park is located in the Barrier Valley nearby.*Greenwater Lake Provincial Park is the largest neighboring park....
, 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 treeA family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...
, Lacey instead used a story that Karen made up—that pioneers somehow got hold of a
hot air balloonThe hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
, 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. Harold Main after whom Main Street was named (it was later 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 operatorA tour operator typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. The most common example of a tour operator's product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one price. Niche tour...
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
insuranceIn law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
store.
On February 9, 2010,
Google Street ViewGoogle Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world...
extended its coverage of Canada, including all streets within Rouleau. The remnants of the Corner Gas and Ruby standing sets, along with the grain elevator labelled "Dog River" are visible from ground level at the junction of Highways 39 and 714.
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.” Another example occurs when coyotes wander into town to eat chickens, prompting the incorrectly spelled headline "Cattle Slaughtered by Werewolfes [sic]." 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
phycicA psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
.” or in the fourth season that "Local cop catches
barelyBarley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
thief."
Emergency services
The "Police Department", consisting of Davis and Karen, 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 at 40 km/h (24.9 mph). They also park behind the "surveillance bush" waiting for speeders.
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 HoboThe Littlest Hobo is a Canadian television series based upon a 1958 American film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived for a popular second run on CTV from October 11, 1979 to March 7, 1985.All three productions...
"). 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 Victoria-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
s. With the exception of the first episode and "Dark Circles," the police use only one of them.
Wullerton rivalry
The residents of Dog River have a pathological dislike of the residents of Wullerton, a neighboring 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, and that the local newspaper will print "(SPIT)" after printing the town's name). 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 neighboring towns is common in many prairie communities, primarily those in Saskatchewan and Alberta, such as Tisdale and Melfort.
Thunderface
Thunderface is an in-universe fictional band that was formed in the mid-’80s by lead singer Hank Yarbo,
lead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
player Brent Leroy, and
bass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Wanda Dollard. In 2005, the band was expanded to include
drummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Karen Pelly, 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 have had only 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. Along with their gig in 1986, they seemed to have done some school performances considering they blew the principal's eyebrows off. The only song they have been heard to play is “Capital Cash” by Fast Exit, a band that
Brent ButtBrent Butt is a Canadian stand-up comedian actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also created. The series was an instant hit when it made its debut in 2004....
played guitar in before he got into comedy.
The Surveillance Bush
The Surveillance Bush is a bush that is only seen in the first episode and the last episode. Karen is seen hiding behind it in the Police Cruiser in Ruby Reborn. Davis and Karen are also seen on the last episode hiding behind it before tailing Brent in the final episode. Since there is no wind a cast member is actually laying down shaking the bush. The bush was only planted for those two scenes.
First run broadcast
In 2006,
Corner Gas was the only current top-20 Canadian show in all of Canada (other than hockey)—the rest being
American importsTelevision is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
—
Corner Gas debuted in January 2004, outperforming all U.S. sitcoms in the territory among adults 25-54.
Since 2004, production of this series coincided with that of another
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
program,
Robson ArmsRobson Arms is a Canadian television series that began airing on CTV on June 17, 2005 and ended on June 30, 2008. Robson Arms is a co-production between Vancouver-based Omni Film Productions Limited and Halifax's Creative Atlantic Communications....
in which Gabrielle Miller and Fred Ewanuick also co-starred. Miller also had a recurring role in the series
AlienatedAlienated is a Canadian science fiction TV series filmed and set in Victoria, British Columbia. The series premiered 8 July 2003 on Space and lasted for two seasons.- Synopsis :...
in 2004, giving her the rare distinction of playing major roles in three unrelated television series during the same calendar year (although
Robson Arms was not broadcast until 2005). As of fall 2007, two seasons of
Robson Arms featuring Miller and Ewanuick have been produced and released to DVD.
Early in the show's run,
Toronto SunThe Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
television critic Bill Brioux reported an unconfirmed rumour that
Corner Gas had been unsuccessfully pitched to
CBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, which came to be cited as evidence of the public broadcaster being out of touch with Canadian audiences. This was later revealed to be untrue; The Comedy Network was in fact the first and only network to which the show was proposed.
Fred Ewanuick appeared as Hank on the
Royal Canadian Air FarceAir Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
’s 300th episode in a spoof of
Corner Gas, in which Yasir (
Carlo RotaCarlo Rota is a British-born Canadian actor, best known to Canadian audiences for his role on Little Mosque on the Prairie and to international audiences for starring on the FOX series 24.-Early life:...
) and Sarah (
Sheila McCarthySheila McCarthy is a Canadian film, stage, television actress, and singer. She is one of the most honoured actors in Canada, having won two Genie Awards , two Gemini Awards , and two Dora Awards among multiple nominations. As of 2007, she can be seen on the Canadian television series Little...
) from CBC’s
Little Mosque on the PrairieLittle Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...
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 TheatreThe Globe Theatre in Regina, Saskatchewan, was founded in 1966 by Ken and Sue Kramer. It was the first professional educational theatre company and the only professional theatre company in Saskatchewan.-Background:...
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
On November 24, 2006, it was announced that
Corner Gas will air on the American WGN America beginning September 17, 2007.
In an unusual case, WGN America picked up Season 5 episodes while they were airing contemporaneously on the show's home network CTV. In most cases, new episodes usually take a year or more to air in another country.
DVD releases
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-CanadaPetro-Canada was a crown corporation of Canada in the field of oil and natural gas. It was headquartered in the Petro-Canada Centre in Calgary, Alberta. In August, 2009, Petro-Canada merged with Suncor Energy, a deal in which Suncor investors received approximately 60 per cent ownership of the...
service stations. At the Canadian Entertainment Network Awards, Season one DVD was honoured as "Best Canadian DVD-English". 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 second season set was released by CTV and Video Service Corporation and includes a peek at Season 3, bloopers, cast and crew interviews, a Thunderface music video as well as all season 2 episodes. The season three DVD was released on October 3, 2006. Unlike the previous sets, the third season DVD set is presented in widescreen (
letterboxLetterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image...
). 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. Season 5 was released on DVD on October 7, 2008 and is presented in a bobble-head theme. Besides all 19 season 5 episodes, the set includes
Corner Gas character commentaries, 'My Happy Place' in a music video format and bloopers. Season 5 DVD set has enclosed a
$The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
10 discount coupon towards a
Corner Gas mechanic shirt. Season 6 was released on June 9, 2009, two months after the series finale.
In Australia only the first three series have been released. The cover art for the seasons differ from the Region 1 releases. The first two seasons having the group of the cast in front of the gas station which is in the distant background, while the third season has them in front of the grain silo.
- Corner Gas - Series 1 (2 Disc Set) - April 13, 2007
- Corner Gas - Series 2 (2 Disc Set) - July 14, 2009
- Corner Gas - Series 3 (2 Disc Set) - July 14, 2010
Complementary media
BEYOND CORNER GAS: Tales From Dog River is the official
Corner Gas documentary. CTV and 90th Parallel Productions Ltd jointly produced this show featuring the impact made by
Corner Gas. Brent Butt offered the eight city “Gassed Up” tour beginning March 21, 2004. The
$The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
70,000 “Great Canadian Gas Giveaway Tour” began September 27, 2004. 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
gasolineGasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
had been pumped. The cast of
Corner Gas crossed Canada visiting six cities in a comedy tour called
CTV Presents Corner Gas Live! which began September 21, 2005. Eight Canadian radio stations broadcast the show live at the start of the fourth season.
Online content
"Corner Gas Online" provides cast biographies, 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 available 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. Visiting the Ruby will provide an online chat room. While at the virtual gas station you may shop online for licensed merchandise.
Corner Gas episodes can now be watched on demand on The CTV Video Player at CTV.ca and thecomedynetwork.ca.
Special episodes
In the first season, the series premiere, “Ruby Reborn,” was the fourth episode to be shot. “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 IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
returned on
FoxFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
(which CTV rebroadcasts), ending up competing with
The Rick Mercer Report, on
CBCCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
. 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
2424 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
which played on CTV’s rival station
GlobalGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
during the same Monday evening timeslot as
Corner Gas.
During the third season the series occasionally breaks the
fourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
. For example, in “Physical Credit” Wanda and Brent are talking about films with poor production values when a
boom microphoneA microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
(in use 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 episode “Trees a Crowd,” Hank can be seen reading issue #18 of
The Walking DeadThe Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white US comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue...
inside the tree house while Brent is trying to convince him to leave.
In the fourth season episode, “Dog River Dave”, a fictional radio station from Regina, CJKL “The Jackal,” was featured. The real
CJKLCJKL-FM 101.5 is an FM radio station in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The station is owned by Connelly Communications Corporation, which also owns CJTT-FM in Temiskaming Shores. Connelly Communications is owned by Rob Connelly of Kirkland Lake....
is an FM radio station in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The name “Jackal” is most likely a reference to the real Regina station
CFWF-FMCFWF-FM is a radio station owned by Harvard Broadcasting and is operated out of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is currently branded as 104.9 The WOLF and plays an active rock format....
,
"The Wolf". In “The Good Old Table Hockey Game” episode, homage is paid to the 1972
Summit SeriesThe Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972...
between
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the then USSR. The title of the episode is an homage to lyrics in “
The Hockey Song"The Hockey Song" is a song written and originally performed by Canadian folksinger Stompin' Tom Connors.The song first appeared on Connors' 1973 album, Stompin' Tom and the Hockey Song. However, the song did not reach its tremendous popularity until 1997. It was at this time that the song was...
” by
Stompin’ Tom ConnorsCharles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC is one of Canada's most prolific and well-known country and folk singers.He lives in Wellington County, Ontario.- Early life :...
.
The fifth season "Classical Gas" was accidentally broadcast by
The Comedy NetworkThe Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
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 NetworkThe Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
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 CupThe Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
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. 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 “The 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 was not broadcast until February 2006. In the fifth season episode "Outside the Box", Karen, after Lacey tricks her into moving some furniture, is amazed to find that Lacey still hasn't unpacked a box after living for 5 years in Dog River. There is no reaction from Lacey (at least at the time), so it's reasonable to assume that each season lasts about a year.
Licensed merchandise
Corner Gas has spawned a
merchandisingMerchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
business, with hundreds of retail items, sold-out live touring productions, and best-selling
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s. 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 LamVincent Lam is a Canadian writer and medical doctor.Born in London, Ontario and raised in Ottawa, his parents came to Canada from the Chinese expatriate community in Vietnam. He attended St. Pius X High School and did his medical training at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1999...
’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. Actor Eric Peterson and author Michele Sponagle went on a book tour to Edmonton, Alberta to promote the book.
A follow-up to the book called
Dog River Confidential: The Super, Even More Complete Corner Gas Guide, also by author Michele Sponagle, was released by Penguin Canada on November 10, 2009.
Motion picture
In an interview with the
Canadian PressCanadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
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
Corner Gas presently airs in 26 countries. Free land was awarded through the
Corner Gas website which enabled a Quebec couple to move to
Climax. In
Rouleau-Location:-External links:*** Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan...
, a local resident started a "Ruby" café. In the third season episode “Mail Fraud,” Brent created the term “
staycationA staycation is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays and relaxes at home, possibly taking day trips to area attractions. Staycations achieved popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007–2010...
” to explain the act of taking a vacation without actually leaving home. This term is now in use on many pages on the internet and has passed into the general lexicon, even to the extent of being included in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Also there is now a band in Australia called Spearmint Fur, named after the fictional author of a child psychology book seen in a season one episode where Brent babysits Wanda's son Tanner.
Awards
Corner Gas has won a variety of awards since it debuted as a series January 2004 including nine
Canadian Comedy AwardsThe Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
and six
Gemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s. The
Canadian Comedy AwardsThe Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
include 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) and Best Writing (TV Series)—2004 and 2007.
The six
Gemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s include 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; and Best Interactive—2005. 2007 was the third consecutive year that
Corner Gas won the best comedy award.
The show also has eight other Gemini Award nominations. It was nominated for an
International Emmy Award in 2004.
In 2004, the show was honoured with the
DGC Award win for Outstanding Team Achievement in a TV Series—Comedy. They were also nominated in 2005.
Corner Gas received the
WGC Award win in 2005 for Best Comedy & Variety Program.
Corner Gas also lays claim to seven
Leo Award wins.
Corner Gas received two awards at the 7th Canadian Comedy Awards. The awards were given for best direction and to Janet Wright achieved the award for top female performer.
Corner Gas writers received an award for the episode "Comedy Night" at the 9th annual
Canadian Screenwriting AwardsThe Canadian Screenwriting Awards are administered by the Writers Guild of Canada, and are awarded to the best script for a feature film, television or radio project produced within the Guild's jurisdiction, written by a guild member in good standing, and broadcast or released in North America or...
on April 18, 2005. Writers Mark Farrell and Robert Sheridan received the 2008 Canadian Screenwriting Award for best half-hour drama series on April 14, 2008.