The Norm (radio)
Encyclopedia
The Norm was a CBC Radio
comedy show that ran between 1986 to 1988. It was the immediate successor to The Frantics
' Frantic Times radio show, whose slot they took over in January 1986, and tried to capitalize on its often surreal and zany style with its own cast of characters placed in odd situations.
Its regular cast consisted of Peter McCowatt, Megan Smith, Brian Moffat and Eva Almos, with George Jonas
appearing sporadically in the first season. It was wholly recorded in the studio for its first season, and moved to live stage recordings for its second.
Re-occurring characters including Sammy Silverfish (a bug who got squished at the end of every segment), Galley George ("one sensitive man against the scourge of history's philistines, armed only with a bounteous knowledge of fine cuisine"), and the always obtuse "Norm Theatre" segments.
The Norm had higher ratings than its predecessor in its time slot, but was cancelled anyway. The creators McCowatt and Moffatt were not officially informed but found out when they called their producer David Milligan (same producer for Frantics) to discuss their newest scripts. Insiders claim CBC just couldn't relate to humor that didn't rely solely on Canadian political satire. McCowatt once said "Humor is truth extracted from all of life's bullshit. Since there is no truth in politics, the only thing political humor leaves you with is bullshit."
The Norm was succeeded by the politically satirical show Double Exposure
.
Its distinctive theme music was the Trio
song "Hearts are Trump".
Peter McCowatt's comedy writing and performance can be heard today in the critical charged Stan Noble Presents...Comedy for Short Attention Spans which airs on XM Radio's Laugh Attack
153. McCowatt co-created this program with Jamie Watson, Tom Goudie and several other top Canadian performers.
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
comedy show that ran between 1986 to 1988. It was the immediate successor to The Frantics
The Frantics
The Frantics or Frantics is the name of:*The Frantics , a punk rock band.*The Frantics , a Canadian comedy troupe.*The Frantics , a Showtime network series....
' Frantic Times radio show, whose slot they took over in January 1986, and tried to capitalize on its often surreal and zany style with its own cast of characters placed in odd situations.
Its regular cast consisted of Peter McCowatt, Megan Smith, Brian Moffat and Eva Almos, with George Jonas
George Jonas
George Jonas is a Hungarian-born Canadian writer and columnist. He is the author of 15 books. They include Vengeance , the story of an Israeli operation to kill the terrorists responsible for the 1972 Munich massacre...
appearing sporadically in the first season. It was wholly recorded in the studio for its first season, and moved to live stage recordings for its second.
Re-occurring characters including Sammy Silverfish (a bug who got squished at the end of every segment), Galley George ("one sensitive man against the scourge of history's philistines, armed only with a bounteous knowledge of fine cuisine"), and the always obtuse "Norm Theatre" segments.
The Norm had higher ratings than its predecessor in its time slot, but was cancelled anyway. The creators McCowatt and Moffatt were not officially informed but found out when they called their producer David Milligan (same producer for Frantics) to discuss their newest scripts. Insiders claim CBC just couldn't relate to humor that didn't rely solely on Canadian political satire. McCowatt once said "Humor is truth extracted from all of life's bullshit. Since there is no truth in politics, the only thing political humor leaves you with is bullshit."
The Norm was succeeded by the politically satirical show Double Exposure
Double Exposure (comedy series)
Double Exposure was a Canadian radio and television comedy series which mocked contemporary Canadian politics. The show starred Linda Cullen and Bob Robertson, and focused primarily on the stars' voice impersonations of Canadian political and cultural figures...
.
Its distinctive theme music was the Trio
Trio (band)
Trio was a German band. It formed in the small German town of Großenkneten in 1980. The band is most noted for the song "Da da da, ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha" which was a hit in 30 countries worldwide. Trio was a product of the Neue Deutsche Welle...
song "Hearts are Trump".
Peter McCowatt's comedy writing and performance can be heard today in the critical charged Stan Noble Presents...Comedy for Short Attention Spans which airs on XM Radio's Laugh Attack
Laugh Attack
Laugh Attack is an XM Satellite Radio channel featuring uncensored comedy from Canada. It was born in November 2005 as part of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's regulations for Canadian content on the XM platform....
153. McCowatt co-created this program with Jamie Watson, Tom Goudie and several other top Canadian performers.