CORNER GAS: SEASON 1

If you have a passing interest in "Corner Gas", skip buying the DVDs and watch some of the episodes free online instead. Hopefully they won't bore you to death.I watched this Canadian TV show in the late 2000s when it was broadcast late at night on WGN America. Only because there wasn't much else to watch late at night at the time. I was always tired when it came on, and never quite sure what to think of the show during those years. But the characters became familiar. When it was no longer on WGN, I missed the routine and a friend and I later wound up buying the DVD sets when they were discounted, and the two companion books.The show should have a lot going for it. I like the setting in a rural, sparsely-populated Canadian prairie town. I like some of the cast members - Hank, Emma, Lacey - most of the time. I never cared for the Oscar character, and Karen seemed unnecessary. For that matter, both police officer characters are unnecessary and unrealistic - why would a town with a population of 500 pay two on-duty uniformed police officers when there's nothing for them to do anyway. Small towns of that size usually don't have their own police officer, and if they do, it's a part-time on-call position.I finally realized that I really don't like Brent - the "star" of this show. Brent Butt is not a Jack Benny or a Bob Newhart straight man - by far. His attitude is almost always smug, sour and insulting, a miserable character. Same can be said for Wanda and Oscar. If you enjoy hanging around miserable people like these characters, you'll probably like the show more than I do. The Lacey character is usually more upbeat and sensitive, and although the Hank character has issues, his role is probably the best on this series.I hadn't watched the DVDs for at least 8 years until this winter. I can't say the same about any other DVDs that I've purchased over the past 15 years. There's a reason for that. This show just is not funny or exciting. I read some of the other reviews here, some people wrote that it's "laugh out loud comedy" or that they "couldn't stop laughing". I don't understand it. I can't remember ever laughing out loud when watching this show, either during the WGN broadcasts or when watching the DVDs. I can put in old DVDs of shows like "Three's Company", "Newhart", "The Odd Couple", "Hogan's Heroes", "Gomer Pyle", "The Monkees", "The Lucy Show", "The Addams Family", etc. - and I laugh, or at least smile listening to the jokes or watching the physical comedy. With "Corner Gas" it's a waiting game for something to happen in the storyline that will hopefully be funny. It's a terminal wait. The storylines are mostly mundane, trivial and underdeveloped. A lot of times the episode is suddenly over and I ask myself, "that's it?" The writing just isn't very good. And the editing - especially the "swooping" or "swishing" sound effect with the fast camera movements switching from one scene to another - is annoying.Maybe "Corner Gas" could have benefitted from being filmed before a live audience. That way the actors would have had some connection with the audience in delivering their lines.Anyway, when I tried to watch these episodes on DVD again this winter after many years at the back of my storage shelf, I couldn't make it through the first half of season one. I was so bored with the shows that I pulled out the DVD in the middle of a show and remarked to myself, "this is just a waste of my time", realizing I could have spent that time watching another "real" comedy series that I like so much better than this one. I put in a DVD of "The Odd Couple" and it had me laughing within minutes.Despite all the accolades, ratings and awards this show got in Canada, it's really a lame TV series, and I wish I'd never bought the DVDs. Sad to say, I honestly think that the two books are a lot better than the show itself!

More people need to find this

Corner Gas Animated does a great job continuing the Corner Gas story.

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I had a few friends recommend I watch Corner Gas, and I'm glad they did! I love a good situation comedy, and there aren't that many on American TV anymore. This Canadian import, created by Brent Butt, is set in the small town of Dog River. The characters are strong right out of the gate and include Brent, who owns Corner Gas; his parents Oscar & Emma; his co-worker Wanda; his friend Hank; diner owner Lacey; and policemen Davis & Karen. The ensemble cast works together well and the dialog is some of the cleverest I've heard in ages. I sometimes have to rewind to hear lines I've laughed over. While all the characters are funny, my early favorite is Oscar, who reminds me a lot of my own dad. While you do get some of the sort of small town humor you'd expect in a show that takes place in... well... a small town, there's much more to it that that. Most of these characters are smart and, while they don't flaunt it, it's evident in their dialog and wonderfully plays against expectations. I know there are a few references I'm missing since I'm not Canadian, but that doesn't affect my enjoyment of the show at all.While I like watching the show on WGN, it's nice to see it in order and watch the characters develop. If you're a comedy fan, do yourself a favor and get this set. And then the next. And the next. You'll be glad you did.

The humor is sublimely in your face and it's always a joy to watch and re-watch these programs as there is always something you can pick up that you may not have paid attention to the first time even if you laughed the first time it just deepens the hilarity of these programs. Corner Gas is my new go to comedies, used to be Marx Brothers, which I still do watch, but their movies are too long for a short fix for when I need a distraction from some of life's too ugly to deal with or too stressful to deal with. Like getting up from your desk and doing something totally different such as walking around the building or just cleaning out your desk to relax the tension. That's what I get from Corner Gas, total relief.

You'll like it if you like women making fun of men. If you're a guy, it's crap!

Corner Gas is a highly entertaining comedy gifted to us from the great nation of Canada. It is witty, sometimes slapstick, and everything in between. Based in the present-day fictional town of Dog River, Saskatchewan, Corner Gas draws us in to experience the lives of many unique characters. It is atypical in the methods it uses to draw out our laughs, but the end result is the same. You will find a minimal amount of profanity, which is often tongue-in-cheek. Viewing each episode is akin to visiting a peaceful town filled with the strangest of denizens, that welcomes you with open arms (and sarcastic remarks). When you need a good laugh, or to be reminded of simpler times, come visit Corner Gas. You'll be glad you did!Thank you for your time.

This is really one of the most intelligent comedy shows around, and script writing in the same league as Monty Python. Oh, it is very different, but as quirky funny. And there's no canned laughter, so you will enjoy watching the episodes with regular intervals as each time you discover some new details, as a lot of the jokes are just quiet little comments. The actors are so much 'in character' that I wonder if they'll have problems shedding their Corner Gas persona.Also, in many respects, Corner Gas shows how different Canadians are to US Americans, and in particular that Canadians' mannerism and sense of humour is much more civilised and sophisticated. (Bias herewith admitted: Canadophile).The commenting on the three first episodes gives good clues on how much work was involved getting this show to be the sterling effort it is.The quality of both sound and picture are excellent, and it is played problem-free on a newer DVD player in Europe as well (and then will be in Australia).Now it is just to get the rest of the series!

the first canadisn comedy tv show i bought was absolutly boring but this time i hit the jackpot.i was sorry when the disc ended.was there more than one series.ihope so.

Corner Gas is a great comedy with a great future. If you ever lived in a small town you can realte to these characters.Brent Butt is classic on the screen and in the writing.Would like to see a better format for next years DVD with the bloopers esp the sound is very hard to hear. Good Quality however on the actual story.

Corner gas is a Canadian very funny comedy tv show . It is hilariously witty without trying hard. No fake laughter in the background. My one regret is that it ended in season 6!

works great