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Seems time to start yet another Top 100 list (yeah I know we often don't ever finish these) but this one is of personal interest to me as it features my home country...what were the best TV shows produced in Canada? I know there's several other Canadian posters on here and I'm sure they know as well as I do that many Canadian series have been far less than good over the years but there have been some I've found myself really enjoying and sometimes really surprised by...so here's where we get to list the best of the best (at least as far as our opinions here go)....

I'll start it off with...

# 1 - Night Heat (1985-1989) - great gritty cop show with a low budget but surprisingly gripping enough it had me watching it at all odd hours of the night. Actually set in the U.S., this featured a newswriter covering the exploits of a Mid-South Precint group of detectives. Starred Scott Hylands as Detective Kevin O' Brien, Allan Royal as the "Night Heat" news columnist Tom J. Kirkwood and Jeff Wincott as Detective Jeff Giambone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dfqv_HIUZU

List so far:

1. Night Heat (1985-1989)
2. Lexx (1997-2002)
3. The Kids in the Hall (1988-1994)
4. You Can't Do That on Television (1979-1990)
5. Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
6. Corner Gas (2004-2009)
7. The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985-1992)
8. The Red Green Show (1991-2006)
9. Degrassi Junoir High/Degrassi High (1987-1991)
10. So Weird (1999-2001)
11. Ready or Not (1993-1997)
12. Twitch City (1998-2000)
13. SCTV (1976-1981)
14. Survivorman (2004-2008)
15. King of Kensington (1975-1980)
16. Undergrads (2001)
17. The Littlest Hobo (1963-1965, 1979-1985)
18. The Hilarious House of Frightenstein (1971)
19. Ghostly Encounters (2005-now)
20. The Outer Limits (1995-2002)
21. Are You Afraid of the Dark (1990-2000)
22. The Beachcombers (1972-1990)
23. The Wonderful Grand Band (1980-1983)
24. Wayne and Shuster (1954-1985)
25. Mr. Dressup (1967-1996)
26. The Tom Green Show (1994-1996)
27. Codco (1986-1992)
28. Seeing Things (1981-1987)
29. Forever Knight (1992-1996)
30. RoboCop: The Series (1994-1995)
31. Due South (1994-1999)
32. E.N.G. (1989-1994)
33. The Edison Twins (1982-1986)
34. Prisoners of Gravity (1989-1994)
35. The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979-1986)
36. Degrassi: The Next Generation/Degrassi (2001-present)
37. Parlez Moi (1978-1979)
38. Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996-1999)
39. African Skies (1991-1994)
40. Sweating Bullets/Tropical Heat (1991-1993)
41. History Bites (1998-2003)
42. The Nature of Things (1960-present)
43. Instant Star (2004-2008)
44. The Twilight Zone (1985-1989)
45. Traders (1996-2000)
46. Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990)
47. The Sentinel (1996-1999)
48. Danger Bay (1984-1989)
49. Taking the Falls (1995)
50. The Odyssey (1992-1994)
51. Viper (1994, 1996-1999)
52. Highlander (1992-1998)
53. My Secret Identity (1988-1991)
54. Magic Shadows (1974-1987)
55. Beyond Reality (1991-1993)
56. The Swiss Family Robinson (1974-1976)
57. The Adventures of Sinbad (1996-1998)
58. Charlie Jade (2005)
59. Katts and Dog (1988-1993)
60. La Femme Nikita (1997-2001)
61. Counterstrike (1990-1993)
62. TekWar (1994-1996)
63. Earth: Final Conflict (1997-2002)
64. First Wave (1998-2001)
65. Street Cents (1989-2006)
66. Mr. Microchip (1983)
67. Adderly (1986-1989)
68. Calgary Stampede Wrestling (1957-1989)
69. F/X: The Series (1996-1998)
70. Hockey Night in Canada (1952-present)
71. The Tommy Hunter Show (1965-1992)
72. This Hour Has 22 Minutes (1992-present)
73. The Rick Mercer Report (2004-present)
74. The Friendly Giant (1958-1985)
75. Just For Laughs Gags (2002-present)
76. Strange Paradise (1969-1970)
77. Da Vinci's Inquest (1998-2005)
78. Hawkeye (1994-1995)
79. Rabbit Fall (2007-2008)
80. Road To Avonlea (1990-1996)
81. Wojeck (1966-1968)
82. Rocket Robin Hood (1966-1969)
83. The Starlost (1973-1974)
84. PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1996-2000)
85. Royal Canadian Air Farce (1981, 1993-present)
86. The Frantics/Four on the Floor (1985-1986)
87. Haven (2010-present)
88. The Raccoons (1985-1992)
89. Bizarre (1980-1985)
90. Spider-Man (1967-1970)
91. The Shirley Show (1989-1995)
92. ReBoot (1994-2002)
93. The Fifth Estate (1975-present)
94. W5 (1966-present)
95. The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo (1974-1975)
96. Live It Up! (1978-1990)
97. Trailer Park Boys (2001-2008)
98. Andromeda (2000-2005)
99. Wonderfalls (2004)
100. Canadian Case Files (2005-2006)

2. Lexx

3. Kids in the Hall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJUgu9qr8wI&feature=related

4) You Can't Do That on Television (1979-1990): This was a can't miss show for me for many years in my youth. It features many sketch style comedy skits with several memorable characters played by Les Lye (very memorable as burger-serving Barth and handyman Ross) and Abby Hagyard (who together with Lye played all the adult characters on the show). The show was aimed primarily at kids and featured teens/kids usually in the lead including Christine McGlade, Lisa Ruddy and Alasdair Gillis. Of course there was also the added gimmick of water dropping on someone's head should they absent-mindedly mention it and slop dropping sometimes when other key words (I Don't Know) were mentioned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-KVz3eqbnA

5)  Stargate SG-1

Does half american half canadian productions count? A lot of shows are from america but filmed in canada.

6.)Corner Gas One of the better shows of the decade. Funny characters & has a small town feel, just my style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Re8xqDb6sE

As long as Canada is listed at IMDB as a country of origin, I guess it's O.K.. Night Heat is listed as a combined Canada-U.S. show but to me it feels and looks far more Canadian...anyway continuing...

7) The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985-1992): anthology series based on the short stories and novel works of the one and only Ray Bradbury. The show was actually filmed in several different countries but I still feel it has that Canadian production feel. Some of the episodes are terrific adaptations of Bradbury's works albeit mostly done on a low budget or a budget which likely was mostly spent on the stars involved. The likes of Drew Barrymore, Jeff Goldblum, William Shatner, Jennifer Dale, Patrick MacNee, Nick Mancuso and many other notable stars over its run. Sometimes the show wasn't quite as good as other times but more often than not, it felt true to the spirit of Bradbury's work. Sometimes it was I'd argue brilliantly done for a low budget series. Well worth seeking out if you haven't already...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z8HhW_OMVM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA1ridJ3dTc

8.)The Red Green Show. A funny parody of home improvement shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlS-hN6EmIA

9) Degrassi Jr. High/Degrassi High (1987-1991): This one kind of goes without saying, about teens in a Canadian High School setting and their real everyday lives, it was surprisingly gritty and dealt with realistic, important, significant issues of the day. It kind of felt like I grew up in a way with Joey Jeremiah, Snake, Wheels, Spike, Shane, Caitlin, Melanie, Yick and the rest. It perfecty captured the often awkward painfulness of teenage life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsYIe6TSkzg

10.) So Weird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8frXzn2pDc
A show produced by Henry Winkler, and produced in Canada for Disney Channel.  About a girl, her dad died, and her mom is a musician.  They travel around on a bus, and encounter all sorts of supernatural phenomena. 

11) Ready or Not (1993-1997): show about two preteen girls, who are also friends, and what they go through very realistically captures all the important issues they face as they move into puberty brilliantly. Also dealt with many other important issues such as racism, eating disorders, peer pressure, poverty and much more. Starred Laura Bertram as Amanda Zimm and Lani Billard as Busy Ramone. Great show for young girls in particular. It was suprisingly good and well done for what it was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUAi7Xej4lg

12) Twitch City (1998-2000): one of the most original, intriguing shows ever stars Don McKellar as shut-in Curtis, Molly Parker as girlfriend Hope, Callum Keith Rennie as friend and grocery shop attendant Newbie plus Mark McKinney as talk show host Rex Reilly. Really, truly something different and uniquely funny and entertaining. Great stuff! :thumbup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDble5hkrtg

13)  SCTV (Second City Television) (1976-1981)

Great Canadian sketch series that gave us Bob and Doug Mackenzie! And also started the careers of many great Canadian comedians that are still acting to this day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96I1GiHmNG4

Even as a kid in the 80s renting video tapes was more important to me than watching TV.
I did however watch a few series. The Little Vampire (1986) was a Canadian co-production, and so was Forever Knight (1989) but I wouldn't really nominate them.
One series I enjoyed the most is the one I can't remember the name  :lookingup: Probably made in the early 80s taking place in some small coastal town. It was a family/kids adventure show and it read made in Canada during the speedy end credits. I'd include that in the top 100 if I could remember the title.

14.)Survivorman (2004-2008) The show consist of Les Stroud being dropped off in deserted areas and trying to survive,live off the land & make due what he has for a week. The show is entertaining and also can be helpful if you ever get lost in the middle of no where.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljEJ8B4OWe4

15. King of Kensington - Sitcoms were something Canadian television didn't do particularly well for many years, but King of Kensington was a huge hit. Really funny and occasionally pushed the boundaries of TV in the 70s. For example, the episode that focused on Larry and Cathy's fertility problems, in which Larry must get a semen analysis. The humour was similar to Norman Lear shows of the time, and Larry King (Al Waxman) was sort of Canada's answer to Archie Bunker - friendly, liberal, proudly living in an ethnically diverse part of Toronto, and often landing in funny predicaments while trying to help people. The show ran for five years, although the last two seasons were crap, after the supporting cast and the setting changed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrP8mjsmy8U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj_IejhnU_U&feature=related
That is Mike Myers in the Cub uniform, by the way.

16. Undergrads (2001): great adult-themed cartoon about life in university and the transitions involved (or perhaps sometimes lack thereof...) for four childhood friends now attending three different local colleges. Hilariously funny toon! (IMO) This show should have had more than one season, very underrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIos7u3FM88

For my money SCTV was funnier than SNL.

17. The Littlest Hobo - Canada's Lassie. Kind of a corny family show about a stray dog who roams around befriending people and helping them, then moving on. Kind of similar in premise to The Incredible Hulk series, but with an intelligent dog instead of a scientist who turns into a monster. The show originally ran in the 60s, and then returned from 1979 to 1985. The show was widely viewed by Canadian kids at the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGKSjiw0HQ

The Littlest Hobo was also the subject of an episode of Corner Gas, which was a great show for popular references that appealed to 30-something Canadians. A stray German Shepherd shows up in town, and Hank is convinced it's the real-life Littlest Hobo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R--80ufAeHo

(http://www.ycdtotv.de/img99/86p_172.jpg)
Best show ever! What do think is in the burger! Barth: DaaAaaa... I heard that!



I can watch that show all day! Props. :thumbup:

Les Lye was absolutely hilarious. He played so many great characters on that show. I also remember watching him on Willy and Floyd.

Don't know if Willy and Floyd belongs on the list, but I will add another low-budget Canadian kids' show...

18. The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, starring Billy Van and featuring special guest star Vincent Price, who I believe recorded all of his little intro pieces in one session. The show was produced at CHCH TV in Hamilton, Ontario, back in the days when local television stations actually produced real shows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsaFDZfz8Lc&feature=related

The Hilarious House of Frightenstein! Yeah you beat me to it. That was a GREAT show!

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N0awAnVY05A/TW_jkFc-OuI/AAAAAAAAATE/saBML7zAVrI/dracula.jpg)

I'm thinking I'll order the DVDs someday. :thumbup:

I've loved The Littlest Hobo show since I was a little kid and Hilarious House of Frightenstein is great fun too! Great additions AndyC!  :thumbup:

19) Ghostly Encounters (2005-Present): Perhaps the best of all the ghost story shows on television. This show hosted by Lawrence Chau is very well done with a likable host, sit-down interviews with real people who claim to have experienced ghostly encounters from throughout Canada interspeced with dramatic recreations of the events they're telling us in their interviews. Great use of sound effects and notable props enhance things considerably as well as conducting the interviews in a darkly lit small room. Smartly done all the way around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwxZOf-9PqU

20) The Outer Limits (1995-2002): The reimagined 1990s Outer Limits was actually quite different and ultimately I'd argue inferior to the original but definitely had some great episodes here and there and was largely a Canadian production. I feel it has more in common actually with The Twilight Zone and even Tales From the Crypt with many tales that involve moral lessons of sorts. Still there were episodes that were very good indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tppLw1ZTZ0

21.)Are You Afraid Of The Dark (1990-2000)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jitg-3xbmKU

22. The Beachcombers (1972-1990)

Canada's longest-running dramatic television series. Used to watch it every Sunday night as a kid. Combined a bit of adventure, drama and comedy, in a family show centred around small-time salvage operators and their friends. I once heard a stand-up comedian describe it as "an Indian guy, a Greek guy and a drunk guy looking for logs." That was pretty much what they did for a living - salvage stray logs along the coast of British Columbia. The CBC used to be very big on building shows around things like unusual regional occupations. The star of The Beachcombers, Bruno Gerussi, really wasn't known for much besides Beachcombers and his daytime show, Celebrity Cooks, which some of you might have seen recreated in the Bob Crane biopic, Auto Focus. Americans might remember Robert Clothier from guest appearances on The X-Files, and Jackson Davies as the neighbour in Freddy Got Fingered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-oB1LB5Qr0&feature=related
And here's the intro from Celebrity Cooks. I wouldn't put it on the list, but it is a fun bit of Canadian pop culture, and very much a product of the 70s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ1EhGqVwa8

Personally I found The Beachcombers to be particularly painful TV viewing and it was like you couldn't avoid it back in the day as much as you wanted to given as we were limited to only two channels where I lived and it inevitably came on when absolutely nothing else was on...still I found it rather painful to watch.

Featuring talents from my own home province (Ron Hynes, Greg Malone, Cathy Jones, Tommy Sexton, Mary Walsh and the rest of the WGB) there was also this show which I personally found to be hilarious yet also very, very weird.

23) The Wonderful Grand Band (1980-1983)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ_MCDlMn1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvLZ0EP71I

I'd definitely agree for some years. With close to two decades and nearly 400 episodes, there was a lot of room to suck. I can't say I watched any of it after about the early 80s, and from what I've seen of the later episodes, I didn't miss much. I admit that when I heard the show was cancelled in 1990, I was surprised that it was still on. But there is that stretch in the late 70s to early 80s that makes me a little bit nostalgic.

Yeah in all honesty it probably should very well be on this list based on its staying power alone. I have to admit it was the later seasons I saw...it may well have been far better in the 70s- early 80s.

24) Wayne and Shuster (1954-1985): The classic Canadian comedy team of Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster had continuining comedy specials on CBC from the 50s up until the 80s. They were very funny and very talented and produced many great, hilarious sketch parodies over the years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIJLVGNPHJI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhQ9aeCE8Oo

I always enjoyed Wayne and Shuster. I could never understand why they weren't better known outside of Canada. They were on the Ed Sullivan Show more than anybody, and I've read that Benny Hill was a huge fan. Not to mention Frank Shuster being first cousin to Joe Shuster.

Here's another CBC show that stuck around for many years:

25. Mr. Dressup (1967-1996, continuing in reruns until 2006)

My favourite show when I was very little. Mr. Dressup did art, he did crafts, dressed up in costumes and put on little plays, sang songs and occasionally had interesting guests. Ernie Coombs was understudy to Fred Rogers, and participated in the early development of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood in Canada. When Rogers headed back to the states to do his show for PBS, Coombs stayed with the CBC, first appearing as Mr. Dressup on the show Butternut Square from 1964 to 1967, before the character was given his own show. Looking back at old episodes of Mr. Dressup, I'm amazed at the simplicity, and how cheap it must have been to produce. Most of the time, it was just Coombs and puppeteer Judith Lawrence on a couple of small studio sets - the patio and inside the house. Looks like they could have shot several episodes in a day, and I get the impression Coombs and Lawrence worked more from an outline than a script, improvising much of the dialogue on the fly. It's very enlightening to look back at the show through adult eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk89rGy_E3s&feature=related
And of course, the relationship between Casey and Mr. Dressup remains a mystery. Mr. Dressup acts very much as a father, or at least a guardian, but Casey calls him Mr. Dressup. Casey also seems to live in a treehouse in the back yard. And if that doesn't raise enough questions, Casey speaks with the same Australian accent as his puppeteer.

26.)The Tom Green Show (1994-1996)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN4eQNppCos

27) Codco (1986-1992): Featuring a number of great Newfoundland talented comedians and entertainers including Greg Malone, the great late Tommy Sexton, Cathy Jones, Mary Walsh and Andy Jones, this show features great comedy parody sketches quite unlike anything else on TV since well probably the Wonderful Grand Band (which featured many of the same stars), although that show was unique in itself as well. This was frequently paired with the Kids in the Hall on Canadian TV at the time. Practically nothing was off hands for parody with this bunch. And some of these parodies were surprisingly true to life too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWZPVDYNDCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR5FGIwAjzA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmTHzgpMqx8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tBW_MONYNM

28) Seeing Things (1981-1987): It's surprising how much this once popular Canadian mystery/comedy TV series now seems to be all but forgotten. It features a journalist named Louis Ciccone (played by Louis Del Grande) who has the gift of seeing visions of the past (postcognitive) which helps him work towards solving crimes. In many ways, this was arguably ahead of its time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ymyjMiJDQ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69-1ir1AavQ

Seeing Things was one of those shows I didn't care for when it was on, but wouldn't mind checking out now. I wonder if it's been released on DVD.

And Louis Del Grande will also likely be familiar to board members who haven't seen Seeing Things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FTXCqxtwo8

29) Forever Knight (1992-1996): this Canadian/West German vampire series starring Geraint Wyn-Davies as detective/vampire Nick Knight was in reality more a cop-buddy series with vampires thrown in for good measure. It was really quite good in its fashion featuring interesting crime stories/mysteries the detectives had to unravel week after week, Nick benefitted and gifted in his work with his powers while they also curse him in other ways. As viewers, week after week we also got to see an entertaining underground world of vampires. It often also interjects scenes from Knight's extra-long life which often tied in with the current plot. Catherine Disher played his main aid/love interest Natalie while Nigel Bennett played the often villainous vampire LaCroix who had a storied history with Nick. Also important were John Kapelos as Nick's partner Schanke and Deborah Duchêne as Janette, a vampiress with also long ties to Nick's history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPhIEG3JYtg

Forever Knight used to make me laugh, because Nigel Bennett was doing Oatmeal Crisp commercials around the same time. I couldn't see the villainous vampire LaCroix without thinking of him as an angry, oatmeal-loving Scotsman. :teddyr:

30) RoboCop: The Series (1994-1995): Sure it's a bit toned down from the films as one might well expect for a television series. Sure here RoboCop (here played by Richard Eden) is much more superhero than an unstoppable avenger against corruption. This lacks that edge the original film had but truthfully it was still a surprisingly clever, thoughful series that questioned a whole lot of things TV shows rarely question. It parodied and examined the potential of corporate corruption..the show was often quite good at satire, especially in terms of its commercial parodies. Honestly I personally like the series, as goofy as it was at times, a bit better than the RoboCop sequels but that's just me. To me, this show is just plain fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DGPNHHR4_0

31) Due South (1994-1999) A police 'dramedy' featuring the contrast between an archetypal Mountie and a hardened Chicago detective.  Starring Paul Gross, David Marciano and latterly Callum Keith Rennie.  And a wolf-dog.  Leslie Nielsen had a recurring role.  Often cartoonish-funny but endearing.

32) E.N.G. (1989-1994): Popular late 80s, early 90s Canadian drama/soap opera series about  a group of reporters each one trying to get ahead and succeed. Also of particular interest were the many romantic entanglements featuring our lead cast starring Sara Botsford, Art Hindle, Mark Humphrey, Andrea Roth, Victor Garber, Maria del Mar and more familiar Canadian faces. It was extremely popular in its heyday but it's barely remembered now it seems. Still it was well done, well acted, well written and consistently entertaining.

(http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/ccf_resources/ccf_resources-programming/television/ccf_programming_pictures/70_lrg.jpg)

Due South is a great addition. Very fun show in its day, recall Leslie Nielsen guest starring in a two-part episode.

I grew up watching this one (honestly I'm not sure it would hold up so much nowadays) and loved it as a kid:

33) The Edison Twins (1982-1986): The show featured fraternal twins Tom and Annie Edison (played by Andrew Sabiston and Marnie McPhail). They'd always get themselves into trouble and adventure and would then used their smarts and scientific wit to work their way out of things in this kids adventure show. "...if you used your head, you'll always win..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CMAK0N3U8k

34) Prisoners of Gravity (1989 to 1994) was a Canadian public broadcasting television news magazine program that explored speculative fiction — science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books — and its relation to various thematic and social issues.  Hosted by Rick Green (of The Frantics comedy troupe fame). The series aired 139 episodes over 5 seasons.  It was done with considerable humour and a style all its own.  The amount and quality of information packed in and the list of 'names' interviewed was impressive for such a 'small' show.  

That was an interesting show. Very simple, very cheap, but some great content. I actually met Rick Green in 94 or 95, when I was helping out with a small sci-fi convention some friends were trying to launch as an annual fundraiser for their arts group. Green was among the guests, along with a couple of authors, a theatre troupe, some costumed Klingons, etc. Really nice guy. He basically did it for gas money and meals. It was a big help, considering what even a relatively minor TV personality would normally cost. They had almost booked Nigel Bennett at one point, but that didn't work out. I was the one who suggested Rick Green, and what was really cool was that my friend was able to just call up TVO and ask to speak to Rick Green and they put her through. Great speaker too. Not only had he been doing Prisoners of Gravity, but he was also doing the Adventures with Bill segments on the Red Green Show at that time, and he talked quite a bit about that as well.

 :thumbup: I loved that show and watched it in reruns for years. Sad it's no longer on.

35. The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979-1986): yeah the original Degrassi series featuring little kids is fascinating to watch in terms of its surprising realism. A lot of the same actors and actresses, mostly just kid amateurs here, would go on to star as other recurring characters on the later Degrassi Jr. High series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbE3qDTi9tc

36. Degrassi: The Next Generation/Degrassi (2001- present): Yeah another Degrassi show, this modern era series obviously has a bit more money behind it than its predecessors and arguably lacks some of the real edge the old shows had. Still it's a really good show and easily one of the most watchable modern series out there these days, one that still deals with real life issues some more serious than others, despite its many cast changes over the years.

(http://tvclash.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Watch-Degrassi-The-Next-Generation-Online-1.jpg)

37. Parlez Moi (1978-1979) Another show that was cheap, simple and very effective. Over two seasons, TVO produced and aired 90 short episodes of this eductional program, which taught simple, practical French. In each episode, Marc Favreau introduces a number of common words and phrases related to a particular topic. This alternates with comical segments of Favreau, as Sol the Clown, using those phrases in an appropriate everyday situation, such as going to a movie or getting on a bus. Sol usually misunderstands what he's supposed to do, and requires assistance from an impatient person who grows increasingly frustrated with him. The show continued to air in reruns for several years, and with VCRs becoming standard equipment in schools at that time, I can remember teachers using taped episodes in class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMdkzfmGtWo

I recall this being used in French class back when I was in high school. Surprisingly funny stuff.

38: Poltergeist: The Legacy ~ for sheer  :buggedout: :buggedout: value.

39: African Skies with Catherine Bach and Robert Mitchum.

40: Tropical Heat aka Sweating Bullets.

I used to watch Sweating Bullets in reruns on Showcase. An enjoyable show with some great locations. Carolyn Dunn also gives off a very exotic sexiness with those gorgeous and unusual eyes of hers. Also used to watch Poltergeist which to be honest I found particularly cheesy but it would likely appeal to folks here.

41) History Bites (1998-2003)  "Making the Historical Hysterical!"  Another Rick Green creation.  Green hosted, offering the  historical context of each episode.  The  cornerstone of the format was "What if TV existed throughout the last 5,000 years of human history?", presented from the view of a channel-surfing viewer: hopping from comedy sketch to comedy sketch; all parodies of various TV tropes (mock news, sports and entertainment programming, commercials etc).  Very well done and entertaining: the history was colourful and sound and the humour was often excellent.  A favourite of mine! ( I sent several episodes to a friend who homeschools her kids in Alaska: her kids were astounded when they had it verified later - from other sources - just how accurate the historical information was.  Painless learning!)

42) The Nature of Things (1960-present): This long running science show starring David Suzuki has to be on this list. It lead to much fascination for me as a child as I wanted to learn more well, about the nature of things. Suzuki has also always been a colorful and entertaining host yet he never forgot that science and learning were at the forefront of what the series was all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqtfpu5ziok

"Instant Star" (2005-8) Because Alexz Johnson is the best singer around today!

44) The Twilight Zone (1985-1989): Granted this was only partly Canadian being filmed also in the UK and the USA yet to me it definitely has a distinctive Canadian flavour to it. While not in the same league as the original series (which would have been a monumental task to accomplish), this series was still very good and perhaps is rather underrated overall. I used to watch it regularly in reruns for years and some episodes are downright amazingly good. There was even a Truman Show style story years before that film. It's certainly one of the best anthology series to come out of the 1980s during which there were actually quite a few.

WARNING: Youtube video may be NSFW due to some cursing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_NrlPfxwsE

45. Traders with Sonja Smits is another good Canadian series.

46) Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990): Surprised this one doesn't seem to have been mentioned yet. "An old antique dealer made a pact with the Devil to sell cursed antiques. When he dies, his store is inherited by his niece Micki (the then smoking hot Louise Robey) and her cousin Ryan (John D. LeMay). With the help of Jack Marshak (Chris Wiggins) [who acts as the voice of wisdom in the series], they fight to retrieve the antiques from the people who bought them to stop them from causing [further] harm." -IMDB Storyline description written by Paul Sasse. Each item possesses some magical quality and gave something to its owner but usually only at the price of someone else dying or being murdered. Said owners hoping to reap these benefits were often unwilling to part with their new treasure sometimes not fully realizing the full scope of the curse the item will eventually put on them or just hoping to continue to reap the benefits. This was a creepy show week after week with quality characters and acting meaning it was must see TV for me back in its day. The series did go downhill a bit in its last season though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9trU9y96m0

That was a truly creepy series: the episode I remember most is Helloween where Uncle Lewis comes back and tries to resurrect a corpse so that he can live again.  :buggedout:

47: The Sentinel with Richard Burgi and Garrett Maggart was another good Canadian series about a military man who receives special perceptive powers and is able to use them as a policeman, all the while being appraised, praised and sometimes irritated by a university professor type who wants to analyze him. The episode I remember most is the one where the terrible twins take on a gang of meth dealing bikers who in their turn are taking on the Yakuza.

That was a good show. I think it suffered for the producers trying to cash in on the slasher franchise by changing the title. It was a decision that managed to go over badly both with fans and haters of the movies. There were definitely people who never gave it a fair chance because of that.

48. I don't know if anyone's mentioned Danger Bay yet but that was pretty good entertainment.

49. Taking The Falls was also a good one, although I think it only ran for one season.

Do they show a lot of Canadian television in South Africa, Trevor? You seem quite familiar with shows I never expected many people outside of Canada to have seen.

Technically The Sentinel is an American series but it was filmed in Canada. Danger Bay I used to watch all the time although it was always a kind of guilty pleasure and I honestly never thought it really good. Still it did have its moments.

50) The Odyssey (1992-1994): bizarre surreal series has its main hero Jay (Illya Woloshyn) fall into a coma. While his family and friends continue their lives in the real world, Jay finds himself in the magical Downworld, a mysterious world without adults. Eventually Jay befriends two followers Flash (Tony Sampson) and Alpha (Ashleigh Aston Moore) and sets off in search of his long since disappeared father and hopefully to also help Jay find his way back home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mf1Pzo9mWE

They do indeed, Andy: they even dubbed ENG into Afrikaans at one point. Due South was very popular as was African Skies ~ the latter largely because it was filmed here.

Thanks for the great TV, Canada!  :thumbup:

51) Viper ~ although it may also be a USA series filmed in Canada ~ is also another one that was good. Our Bull would love that car.  :teddyr:

Both Viper and The Sentinel have something in common that always makes me go  :buggedout: :buggedout: ~ their company logo "PET FLY PRODUCTIONS", a still of a fly and then loud buzzing: that reminds me too much of the flies buzzing around my underpants.  :buggedout: :tongueout: :wink:

This one is put in here at the risk of me being brained by many, many shoes....  :buggedout: :wink:

52. Highlander: The Series (1992 ~ 1998)

I actually enjoyed it *Ducks shoes*  :wink:

Viper was partly Canadian made, at least the revived series in 1996-1999 was.

I thought Highlander (although I did think Adrian Paul was well cast in the lead) was pretty bad but it must have had a lot of fans out there given it was on the air for 6 years and more in reruns.

53) My Secret Identity (1988-1991): Young teen comics fan Andrew Clements (Jerry O' Connell) unexpectedly gains superpowers (flying, superspeed, impervious to pain) accidentally after getting in the way of Dr. Benjamin Jeffcoate (Derek McGrath)'s sceintific experiment. Now Andrew secretly uses his powers as "Ultraman"  to help people but must be wary and careful so people don't find out about it and perhaps use the information against him or his family.

This was a fun, innocent  superhero show - the perfect escapist fare with likable characters. I loved it as a teen. It was simplistic yet it was very watchable only really faltering in its later seasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLuXJL2GCgk

54)  Magic Shadows (1974-1987?)  Hosted by the incomparable Elwy Yost this program presented classic feature films in serial format: every weeknight we could sit down to half an hour of great cinema with Uncle Elwy's enthusiastic and apt commentary and guidance.  On weeks when the featured film fell short of filling the time slot (as they often did) episodes of classic serials were aired; again with Elwy's warm and gleeful introduction.  This program is credited by all who watched it with engendering an enduring love of film.

(Upon checking facts on IMDB I see that Elwy was taken from us on JUly 21 of this year.   :bluesad:  I am going to have a nice quiet cry over that.)

Sadly I've never seen that although it sounds like it would have been right up my alley. I do recall another kids TV series where the host used to shows episodes of the 60s Batman and The Munsters TV shows although I cannot recall its name right now.

55) Beyond Reality (1991-1993): this short-lived series featured two university parapsychologists invesitagting reports of ghosts, out of body experiences, telekinesis and other paranormal unexplained phenomena that people claim is happening in their everyday life. The show starred Shari Belafonte as Laura Wingate and Carl Marotte as J.J. Stillman. I recall really enjoying this one even though it was rather short-lived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zlWC2Hmv2o

No doubt at all that it would have been, Jase.  Here's a link to an obit for Yost that I think conveys the 'feel' of his presentations, and includes a clip of the intro to Magic Shadows:  http://beta.torontoist.com/2011/07/elwy_yost_1925-2011/

I still remember the intro from way back. The animation has that kind of surreal hand-drawn feel I tend to associate with that time. Some of the images really stuck with me, such as tentacles coming out of the neck of a business suit. Pretty freaky stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG9AZm1gPDY&feature=related

I'm now certain I would have loved Magic Shadows.

56) The Swiss Family Robinson (1974-1976): this was a quality family adventure series that I looked forward to catching week after week. It taught us valuable moral lessons week after week but never forgot how important adventure and excitement was to the viewing audience as some member of the family, sometimes more than one, seemed to be in peril week after week. It also focused on survival and working together towards that goal with our characters being a family stranded on a deserted tropical island. It ran a total of 26 episodes that got aired in reruns here in Canada for many years. It was quite good I felt. Not  be confused with Irwin Allen's American series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHKh4lOOO-U

57. The Adventures Of Sinbad (1996 ~ 1998) was another one that I had forgotten about and should have remembered as it was made partly here and in Ontario.

58. Charlie Jade (2005)

59. A cheesy one but still fun: Katts and Dog (1988~1993)

60. La Femme Nikita was another good one.

61. Counterstrike (1990 ~ 1993) with Christopher Plummer and the late Simon MacCorkindale.

62. Tekwar (1995 ~ 1996) with Greg Evigan and Eugene Clark.

Good job Trevor!  I am ashamed to say I had forgotten about a few of those.

Pretty solid additions Trevor. I've seen most of those shows, but not all of them in complete, but personally really liked TekWar and Katts and Dog best of that bunch although I saw a lot of high praise for Charlie Jade and La Femme Nikita. Counterstrike felt kind of like a more Canadianized Mission: Impossible. Sinbad was cheesy fun.

63) Earth: Final Conflict (1997-2002): While only partly Canadian made, this was often an interesting show, the concept of Gene Roddenberry, in which an alien race bringing vast benefits to humanity may in reality have more sinister motives, or do they? It's a great concept for a series and there were some good episodes here and there but the show challenging its audience to not think in just black and white terms didn't seem to be working so unfortunately the series got shifted to more black and white, good and evil, extremes in its later seasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y7rSIyrew4

64) First Wave (1998-2001): This series was basically The Invaders updated (some could argue ripped off) for the late 1990s. It featured a lead character named Cade Foster (Sebastian Spence) on the run from aliens, as well the authorities after the aliens framed him for murder, who actually looked to the quatrains of Nostradamus to help guide him against the aliens and in trying to solve their plot. Foster would often be aided by his friend/ally Crazy Eddie (Rob Labelle). Personally I felt the series went down the crapper after adding Traci Lords in the last season, dumbing things down with more action and sex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3tgPdzp_6k

Errmmm..... I cheated a bit, I must admit. I found a Wikipedia page with a list of Canadian TV series and checked through it, and listed the ones I'd seen.  :wink:

65) Street Cents (1989-2006): "In this series, the teen hosts of this show explore consumer issues concerning teens in the form of product tests, answering viewer consumer questions, showcasing teen entrepreneurs and environmental initiatives, examining advertising claims and identifying rip offs. Interspersed in each episode are comedy sketches that help illustrate consumer issues whether it be countering the schemes of the unscrupulous Buyco exec, Ken Pompadour or the misadventures of the hosts themselves. " -IMDB Storyline written by Kenneth Chisholm.

This series which was on the air for a considerbale period of time usually featured a bunch of kids in the regular cast testing products and dealing with real issues and how they affected consumers. It was surprising funny and entertaining although it definitely felt to be more aimed at a youth audience. The cast weren't afraid to take to the streets of scenic Halifax, Nova Scotia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wff6U56GBY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhgANQCQ8z0

66. Mr. Microchip (1983)

Simple Saturday morning show produced by Nelvana for the CBC, starring computer consultant Skip Lumley. In each episode, the neighbour kids, Dayna and Steve, visited Skip's garage workshop, and learned about a different function or practical use of computers. Episodes were devoted to understanding how computers worked, simple programming, simulations, music, modems, etc. At a time when many of us kids were playing with our first home computers, and watching stuff like War Games and Whiz Kids, Skip's little lessons and ideas about the future were fascincating and at times exciting.

I can't find a video clip or even a picture from this show. From what I've read, only 13 episodes were made and it never aired outside of Canada. I suppose by its nature, the show didn't lend itself to rebroadcasting. The episodes quickly became outdated. But it was a great show at the time.

67)   Adderly (1986–1989)  Winston Rekert as handicapped super-spy V.H. Adderly who is relegated to minor duties close to the office due to his maimed hand.  He proves a hard man to keep down.  An inept bean-counting/pencil-pushing boss and a 'slightly daft' secretary with James Bond-type aspirations provided lots of light comedy.  It was good light fun, even addictive: the underdogs always came through.  And it was fun seeing Canadians saving the world.   :wink:

68) Calgary Stampede Wrestling (1957-1989): This Calgary based wrestling promotion from promoter Stu Hart was a stable of Canadian television for many, many years. Hosted by Ed Whalen, the show featured a virtual who's who of the wrestling world over the years. In its early days, Stampede was a part of the NWA so the NWA World Champion was known to visit to battle and defend his world championship against the local stars including World Champions Harley Race and Dory Funk Jr.. In its later days, Stampede changed to recognize the AWA World Champion and so Nick Bockwinkel also defended his AWA World Championship there. Also the area boasted many local stars some who learned the ropes there and moved on to become even bigger stars worldwide including Chris Benoit, The British Bulldogs, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Owen Hart, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Brian Pillman, Junkyard Dog, Superstar Billy Graham, The Honky Tonk Man, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Steve Blackman, Makhan Singh who'd become Norman and later Bastion Booger, Bad News Allen (AKA: Bad News Brown), Rip Rogers, Gary Allbright (As Vulcan Singh) and others who spent a large portion of their careers there including Kerry Brown, Ben Bassarab, The Cuban Assassin, Jerry Morrow, The Great Gama Singh, Bruce Hart, Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie, "Bulldog" Bob Brown, Biff Wellington, "Rotten" Ron Starr, Leo Burke, Goldie Rogers, Ron Ritchie amongst others. Also several name attractions spent some time and put in special appearances in the promotion over the years including Don Muraco, Andre the Giant, Killer Khan, Abdullah the Butcher, Ox Baker, Antonio Inoki to name but a few. After many many years as a TV stable, the Canadian wrestling show of choice for many, Stampede finally closed its doors in 1989 with most of its name talent being lured away by the WWF and NWA and it just not being to compete with the global expanison of the WWF product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-QG_KndGBs

I had no idea "Tek War" was Canadian made. I only watched it because I was a big Shatner fan and it ran on the USA Network right after Wrestling.

69: F/X The Series (1996 ~ 1998) ~ an entertaining series, (based on the movies starring Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy) with Cameron Daddo and Kevin Dobson.

70) Hockey Night in Canada (1952-present): This weekly hockey show which sometimes runs more than once a week has been a staple on the Canadian airwaves for close to sixty years now. I'm actually not a huge hockey fan but leaving this off the list of Canadian TV shows just wouldn't feel right I don't believe. Hosted by Ron Maclean and with commentary between periods by the ever entertaining and opinionated Don Cherry on Coach's Corner add to its appeal. Long time broadcasters like Bob Cole and Dick Irvin were voices that became very well-known to most Canadians and they were certainly some of the best in their field of play by play. Color Commentators Howie Meeker and Harry Neale come to mind for me personally as standing out. And of course all the great hockey and hockey teams over the years although Hockey Night in Canada typically focuses on games featuring Canadian teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Montreal Canadians, the Ottawa Senators, the Winnepeg Jets, the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames and the Quebec Nordiques. The instantly recognizable original theme song on CBC may be gone as other stations acquired the rights but the spirit remains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydpgOS1R3Ps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcE_DKzPEM

 :thumbup:

71) The Tommy Hunter Show (1965-1992): This was the longest running nationally broadcast country music show in North America. I remember my parents and their friends wouldn't miss this week after week and it was definitely a staple on the airwaves for many, many years. There were numerous guest country stars over the years, a vitual who's who of the world of country music in the era. The show had a real good wholesome down home feel about it too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OoTCy1iE9o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXPz9HfP_0g

72. This Hour Has 22 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seYUbVa7L7w

Might as well add...
73. The Rick Mercer Report
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiCle1Vk4Sg&feature=related

Ah, more gifted and funny Newfoundlanders!

74) The Friendly Giant (1958-1985): What Canadian kid from the late 50s through the early 80s doesn't recall the sweet-natured Friendly Giant (played by Bob Homme) and his puppet friends Rusty the Rooster, who played an harp and lived in a book bag inside the Giant's caste and Jerome the Giraffe who dropped by to visit. Music and friends was usually the theme of the day. The puppeting was done by Rod Coneybeare. The show was a throwback to a simpler time or it sure seemed that way. A children's show classic!

Look up! Way up!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV2P6P4p6Hg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV2P6P4p6Hg)

75) Just For Laughs Gags (2002-present): This is basically an hidden camera practical joke show where we witness practical jokes being playing on unsuspecting people throughout Quebec mainly. It usually doesn't feature any real dialogue most likely because it would be in French if it did and the way it is now, anyone practically around the world can watch and feel they're in on the jokes/gags. This show is sometimes extremely funny producing belly guffaws of laughter from yours truly. Some of the same familiar jokesters appear on many episodes and aren't afraid to dress up (in police uniforms, nun outfits, whatever have you) or sometimes dress down (in states of partial undress) to pull off the pranks. Some segments were filmed in the UK and Mexico as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OedfVYbMwRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjaPA8evcqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8DgTnPq2S4

76) Strange Paradise (1969-70) Canada's answer to Dark Shadows: a Gothic horror serial.  Half-hour episodes featuring lots of Voodoo, a tragedy, mysterious servants prone to giving meaningful looks, ghosts, a family curse and (if I am remembering the right show) a white rabbit randomly hopping by?  It started out in a looming plantation house on a Caribbean island and when that burned down the setting was moved to the equally looming ancestral home in Canada.  Far creepier than Dark Shadows.  Great fun!

77) Da Vinci's Inquest (1998 ~ 2005)

78) Hawkeye (1994~1995) ~ just because Lynda Carter was in it.  :teddyr:

79) I can't leave out the weird Rabbit Fall (2007 ~  )

80) Road To Avonlea (1990 ~ 1996)

81) Wojeck (1966 ~ 1968) with John Vernon.

I have been assuming Sanctuary and Lost Girl were too new to have proven themselves worthy of listing yet. What does everyone think?  

Also: has anyone mentioned Andromeda (2000-2005)?  I have lost track.  :lookingup:

No, Andromeda hasn't been added yet. I'm going to update the list on the first page now.

Great additions btw guys and gals. I used to watch STRANGE PARADISE in reruns on the old Scream channel. I had been thinking before that ROAD TO AVONLEA while not really my kind of show really should be on the list so I'm glad someone added it. I'm not terribly familiar with the rest but they all seem to have pretty good reputations.

82) Rocket Robin Hood (1966-1969): Strange, bizarre Canadian cartoon classic featuring Robin Hood and his Merry Men as space adventurers was a mainstay on the Canadian TV airwaves for many years. No this wasn't fantastic but it was so weird and different it was memorable and it was fun to watch. While partly American, I think most people associate this one with Canada. Many Canadian kids grew up watching this. I loved it myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXGrm_nGs_M

83) The Starlost (1973-1974): Yeah, I know this one has been criticized by many due to studio interference. Still I really enjoyed the show as a kid and it's largely responsible for turning me into a huge Sci-Fi fan being one of the first Sci-Fi shows I watched even if it was in reruns. Some episodes are actually pretty solid and interesting IMO and the concept overall was great, it was just the execution at times that was flawed and the limitations put on the writers, etc.. Still IMO the show was a lot of fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26jWup608s

84) PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1996-2000): This fictional paranormal sci-fi/horror series featured added wraparounds by host Dan Aykroyd to blur the lines between reality and fiction. It featured a paranormal investigative team and their adventurous exploits involving the supernatural week after week. It wasn't a fantastic show but it wasn't half bad either. In fact at times, I'd argue it was even pretty good. Originally the show was played almost as quasi-fictional but this would eventually be abandoned in favor of a more traditional approach. The series had a bit of a revolving cast but did feature prominently Nancy Anne Sakovich, Barclay Hope, Colin Fox, Matt Frewer, and Soo Garay. The first season also starred Paul Miller and Maurice Dean Wint who would leave in Season 2 and Matt Frewer would then be added. Nigel Bennett would also join the cast in Season 2. In Season 3, Peter MacNeil joined. By season 4, Soo Garay was added to the main cast after numerous guest appearances and Joanne Vannicola was added.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u73tCx9L8ZI

85. Royal Canadian Air Farce

I must admit I didn't watch for the last few years, but the earlier seasons on TV were funny. That would be with the cast of Abbott, Ferguson, Goy and Morgan. Also really funny in its earlier radio incarnation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0GgeT1kexI

While I'm thinking of radio comedy shows that moved to TV, I might as well add:

86. The Frantics: Four on the Floor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6iSk9vsK_E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl_x8C2KbyE&feature=related

I used to enjoy Air Farce back in the day but it seemed to get dumber and dumber the longer it was on the air. Still it probably should be on the list here.

Air Farce was good up to the late 90s, and maybe until John Morgan retired in 2001. After that, I didn't watch it very much, and I didn't see the last few seasons at all. Air Farce always had kind of a dumb, silly element to it, but it was also funny. The later seasons, I thought it just got more silly than funny, the political humour just turned into very broad, generic (and generally toothless) swipes at everybody, and everything had a "wink wink, nudge nudge" vibe to it. It just got lame. But for a few years there, it was a great TV show, and a great radio show before that.

87) Haven (2010-present): This recent series is actually pretty decent. It features a FBI agent named Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) with a mysterious past arriving in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve the murder of a local ex-con only to stumble on to the fact the small town is like a refuge for numerous people with supernatural powers, a new emerging mystery which may in fact hold the key to her own past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qZOE3ITMcE

88) The Raccoons (1985-1992): This classic Canadian animated series, which I watched throughout my teenage years, is arguably part of our Canadian heritage. It mainly was about trying to teach a moral message through a story and yeah, it got bit preachy at times but it was still a good, entertaining little show that featured great characters which was arguably its strong suit be it the adventurous, rebellious, always getting in trouble Bert Raccoon, the megalomaniacal rich villain Cyril Sneer who seemed a constant threat in the Evergreen forest, Sneer's more likable and good natured but much more timid son Cedric, Ralph Raccoon as the voice of reason who usually worked to get Bert out of trouble and Lisa Raccoon, who was a little like a raccoon version of Lisa Simpson, but mostly came to Bert's aid as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r29ih2hsAes

89) Bizarre (1980-1985): Canadian sketch comedy series hosted by John Byner from the days before politcal correctness. It was frequently quite funny with lots of female cleavage featuring into the jokes and was also host to Super Dave Osbourne skits before he got his own show (honestly I never cared for his show but in the small bits here I found him much more tolerable). Some of its regular sketch stars included Philip Akin, George Allen, Billy Barty, Cynthia Belliveau, Tanya Boyd, Dave Broadfoot, George Buza, Lally Cadeau, Christine Catell, Jennifer Dale, Laura Dickson, Jack Duffy and Jayne Eastwood. It was hosted early on by Richard Dawson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIYUlXPT9X4

Bizarre was great, and I still consider the Bigot Family to be one of the most ingenious pieces of TV comedy. They figured out how to sit around telling ethnic jokes on TV and get away with it.

And I agree, Super Dave was hilarious on Bizarre, but I didn't like his show at all.

90) Spider-Man (1967-1970): Yeah, the classic Spidey cartoon was largely Canadian made. It was a weird mish mash. In its early seasons, it focused on real Spider-Man villains in short stories based loosely on the comics but later it just got really bizarre putting Spidey in weird futuristic or past settings where he encountered all sorts of strangeness that leaves one wondering just what experimental drugs the creators might have been playing with at the time, kind of like Spider-Man placed into Rocket Robin Hood type settings, not surprising I guess as I'm pretty sure a lot of the creative team worked on both. Yet this cartoon remains a beloved favourite for many who grew up with it including me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o29VoxtsFk

91) The Shirley Show (1989-1995): Canadian talk show that ran for 6 years. It typically ran in the afternoon between soap operas and I recall it being quite popular during my late teenage years. The host was Shirley Solomon and it had a distinctive friendly Canadian flavour to it IMO. Surprisingly the show would even get syndicated to several American networks. Still for all, no one seems to remember it nowadays and I'd probably get strange looks for even bringing it up. Still this was a mainstay on the airwaves for 6 years.

Unfortunately the only clip I can find features Celine Dion so be warned!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYV8d-HCvbE

92) ReBoot (1994-2002): This Canadian CGI animated series was pretty cleverly written and innovative. Set inside the computer world of Mainframe, a guardian program sprite named Bob an his friends work to defend the system from threats such as viruses, the User and villains such as Megabyte and Hexadecimal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roaumlgV7qA

93) The Fifth Estate (1975-present): This news/documentary/investigative report series is arguably one of history's most hard-hitting news magazine shows dealing with and tackling issues, often touchy and controversial ones others won't, and presenting different points of view. There's been many different journalists working and reporting as well as topics tackled over the years. Just to name some of the more interesting issues tackled: 9/11 Truth, Al-Qaeda in Europe, the Airbus affair, Airport Security, Chris Benoit, Communications Security Establishment, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Polygamy, "To Sell a War" and much much more. This show was always professionally done and even has an Academy Award to its credit for 1982 Documentary feature for "Just Another Missing Kid", originally an episode of "The Fifth Estate".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idybBPDIt4g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilMSCWC-Yvs

94. W5 - Another investigative news program that was on for many years. I used to really like it in the early 90s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHUi3gPgJSo&feature=related
Always liked that Supertramp theme too.

95. The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo (1974-1975): Recall watching and thoroughly enjoying this animated kids cartoon. It was pretty well done and promoted science and scientific research, trying to learn more about the creatures of the ocean. It was also kind of a pro-environmental show if you really think about it...all in short little stories so your attention rarely wandered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeC0wqU3JoU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fM6Mj17Je4

96. Live It Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFd-uN-uRvY&feature=related

Interesting we're nearing the end of this list. I initially wondered if it could even be completed. Now I knew there were a lot of Canadian shows but I wasn't sure we'd be able to dig up 100 different names when we started. Yet now I see several notable names not even on the list as of yet, granted most of these are shows aimed more at the female viewer which might explain their absence here so far given there's far more guys active on the site...still I'm kind of surprised no one's added "Being Erica", "Heartland", "North of 60", "Andromeda", "The Dead Zone", "Cold Squad", "Wonderfalls", "Odyssey 5", "Starhunter", "Lonesome Dove", "The Adventures of Shirley Holmes", "Nancy Drew" and "The Black Stallion".

97. Trailer Park Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etkarB72RbE&feature=related

...but Jase, I don't watch 'girly' shows!  IMO Heartland and North of 60 (and arguably several others) are soaps.   :tongueout:  Being Erica started off OK but I lost track of it quickly - too soapy/relationship oriented; the first season of Cold Squad turned me off (the acting was sooo awful!) and the Black Stallion never grabbed me at all (though as a kid the books did).

Although I feel several you mentioned have merit (Dead Zone had its moments), I will add a couple of personal favourites:


98. Andromeda (2000-2005) - or more properly: "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda"  Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) and his sentient ship (Lexa Doig) emerge from the clutches of a black hole after 300 years and resume their mission to restore order to the universe.  He recruits a handful of diverse (and skilled) misfits to aid him.  Lots of good ideas, explored well and decent production values.  Even the semi-'mystical' side of things worked very well when it came to the fore in later episodes.  A good mix of mystery, action and concepts.  Good fun and thought-provoking.  Had a 'feel-good' faith in the potential of humanity: Roddenberry would have been proud.

99.  Wonderfalls (2004) was quirky, quick, clever, VERY funny and a lot of fun.  One of the best things on TV!  (I seriously thought it was listed as an American show when I first looked it up on IMDB or I would have mentioned it long ago!)  The trials and tribulations of Jaye: an under-achiever with oddball family and friends who has random inanimate objects talking to her, offering cryptic comments and advice that sets all sorts of hilarious action in motion.  Hard to describe, but will not disappoint!   Greatly missed: one season was not enough.

(We are fans: we keep a cow creamer by the computer.)

Wonderfalls is partly American, partly Canadian.

100) Canadian Case Files (2005-2006): Underrated little true crime stories show hosted by Art Hindle (of "E.N.G." fame) that digs into different real life Canadian crime files and dramatizing the situations surrounding them in a 30 minute format. It was fairly well done if a little dry at times.

And yeah this list is completed. If anyone wants to discuss some more Canadian shows not on the list, feel free to do so.

Another Canadian show I really enjoy is Northern Mysteries(2005-present). It's hosted by Kenneth Welsh and is a show that deals with paranormal happenings like ghosts, mysterious creatures that may or may not exist but also stuff like buried treasures and bizarre murders. It's a really enjoyable show but it seems episodes only appear sporadically.

This link describes the episodes so far. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mysteries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mysteries)

Boy, talk about a walk down memory lane! Lots of good shows that I've watched over many a year. For example, Reboot, animation light years ahead of animation from south of the border. I remember listening to a radio interview with one of its creators and he mentioned that one problem they had selling the program in the U.S. was that one of the female characters showed too much "cleavage" for a kids program!

A couple of shows that everyone has missed:

- Razzle Dazzle (1964-1966). A kids show with  live actors and an animated turtle.

- Forest Rangers (1963-1965). About a bunch kids living in an abandoned Hudson Bay fort in northern Ontario. Without any adult supervision!

- And my favourite, Smith and Smith, (1979-1985) which was a little independent show out of CHCH in Hamiliton, Ontario and consisted of the husband and wife team of Steve and Morag Smith. The show consisted of the two doing a bunch of little skits, one of which was Steve and his character "Red Green." Now you know the rest of the story!
    

How did we miss that one?  It was outstanding in its day.   :thumbup:

Don't know how we missed that one. It was a funny show.

What about CATWALK? Any love for a young Neve Campbell? It was like FAME but a few years too late. I think it would be a hit today, especially if thay made it more PG 13 and aired it on Nickelodeon, it would fit right along side shows like VICTORIOUS or BIG TIME RUSH. Another problem is that it was too similar in tone to the Fox show THE HEIGHTS (which was not as good).

If so, I'd like to nominate the X-Files.

Also, I've been watching a show called Jimmy Two-Shoes, but it hasn't been on long for me to determine whether I'd put it on the best ever list. It's one of the few cartoons making new episodes that I don't find insanely stupid.

Loved this one! Thought I was the only person who dug it - it was a little corny but cool "it's tough to be in a band" show. I think I remember Faruzia Balk in one episode.

I remember a show called Strange But True in the 80s. Not the British show - this one was Canadian. The intro always creeped me out. Couldn't find any YouTube clips though.

A couple more long-lasting Canadian TV series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tma8_QELjIM

On the Road Again (with Wayne Rostad)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K-lD2bDncU

Land and Sea