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The intricacies of Canadian television...
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| JT | Date: Thursday, 31 Oct 13, 10:55 PM | Message # 1 |
 Kitsune
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| Not sure if this belongs here, but it's not really LG related per se, so here it shall be.
I was catching up with the forum and I've seen a few mentions the number of episodes in a season.
Yes, more than likely, Prodigy got caught off guard because they got 22 eps for s2, but the process of getting funding is really messed up here.
The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission) basically controls how a television network and how production companies get outside sponsorship.
If anyone has seen the end-credits for LG or any Canadian-produced show, you'll notice that all of them mention funding from the government. There are a lot of hoops that must be jumped in order to meet the requirements to get that grant. A grant which is lost if they get too much outside money.
AND getting that outside money is also very tricky and difficult, since the CRTC doesn't allow product placement at all. Unlike American networks, Canadian networks aren't allowed to show any brands for monetary gain or any kind. This is why production companies like Prodigy, rely mostly on government grants to get shows made and to a certain extent, ad revenue from whatever network picks up their shows. By ad revenue, I mean money the network makes from selling air time for commercials, which of course depends on how popular a show is.
Those are just some of the reasons why most Canadian-produced shows have on average 10-13 eps, with a few going as high as 18, but those are very rare and that only happens in major networks or government-owned networks, which Showcase isn't.
Prodigy, more than likely, couldn't get enough money from Showcase so we get stuck with 13 ep seasons 
Those are also the main reasons why Canada loses so many good actors, writers, producers and directors to the U.S. It's a hell of a lot easier to get something done there than it is here.
"My personality is who I am... my attitude depends on who you are..."
Post edited by JT - Thursday, 31 Oct 13, 11:09 PM |
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| Fangirl-outlet | Date: Thursday, 31 Oct 13, 11:52 PM | Message # 2 |
 Your face sucks
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| Wonder how they managed 22 episodes for season 2, then.
But that's seriously irritating. One of the biggest parts of American television and film is the product placement. Strategic marketing is an entire field of study, and it dictates how a lot of shows and films are shot, written, produced, and shown. I never noticed that the Canadian shows lacked this, but it's kind of upsetting that they do.
That said, they make some kick ass shows.
"Why do you care so much!?"
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| ValkyrieLiquorCabinet | Date: Wednesday, 06 Nov 13, 5:57 AM | Message # 3 |
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| Absolutely, most of my fav shows are Canadian
Post edited by ValkyrieLiquorCabinet - Wednesday, 06 Nov 13, 5:58 AM |
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| Fangirl-outlet | Date: Thursday, 14 Nov 13, 10:48 PM | Message # 4 |
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Your face sucks
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| Quote ValkyrieLiquorCabinet (  ) Absolutely, most of my fav shows are Canadian
I've stuck more to the American shows. Lost Girl is the only Canadian show I haven't dropped (unfortunately none of the others grabbed my interest enough). But this does explain a lot about the shows in general. Interesting stuff.
"Why do you care so much!?"
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