Aghanada, Intelligence, and Canadian Content

If you've read my earlier posts, then you'll know that I am a big fan of the radio drama Afghanada which airs on CBC One on Thursday nights. The program follows a group of Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

I have enjoyed listening to the series through its entire run, and I will be sad to lose it when the last episode is aired in April. The show does, however, raise a question for which I have no answer: why has CBC One been able to find an audience for Afghanada while CBC Television has not been able to do so for Intelligence.

Intelligence is a gripping drama set in my old home town of Vancouver. It tells the story of professional ganster Jimmy Reardon (played by Da Vinci's Ian Tracy) and the head of Organized Crime Unit, Mary Spaulding (played by wonderful Klea Scott). The scripts are well-written, the acting is great, and the atmosphere is, well, wonderful. So why did the show struggle to find an audience this past season?

For that matter, why do Canadian networks have such a difficult time creating shows that attract Canadian audiences. Perhaps the answer lies in what Canadians prefer to watch. If you look at the ratings for the week of March 12th to 18th, you find only three Canadian-made programs (marked in red) in the top 10 shows:

1. American Idol (CTV, Tuesday) - 2,742,000
2. Grey's Anatomy (CTV) - 2,700,000
3. American Idol (CTV, Wednesday) - 2,272,000
4. Corner Gas (CTV) - 1,889,000
5. C.S.I. Miami (CTV) - 1,861,000
6. Amazing Race (CTV) - 1,821,000
7. Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (Global) - 1,804,000
8. Criminal Minds (CTV) - 1,640,000
9. Hockey Night in Canada Game 1 (CBC) - 1,633,000
10. CTV Evening News (CTV) - 1,612,000
(Source: http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2007/02/23/3659049-cp.html)

Only one of the Canadian-made shows (Corner Gas) falls into the category of comedy or drama; the other two are sports and news broadcasts. Perhaps surprisingly, only three of the seven remaining American-made shows are dramas; the rest are reality shows (including two evenings of American Idol).

Perhaps the real question is why Canadians prefer US cops and mindless reality shows to comedies and dramas. If CBC Television can crack that mystery, perhaps it will still be here 10 years from now.