I figure a few of of us are trying CBC Gem, might help if we shared knowledge and recommendations!
Lana Longbeard is great if you are looking for an Adventure Time-esque cartoon
I’m enjoying Kim’s Convenience and North of North. Also looking forward to the next season of Short Film Face-off and The Great Canadian Potery Throw-down
Tall Boyz: absurdist sketch comedy somewhat evocative of Kids in the Halls (which makes sense Bruce McCulloch was executive producer). Or hell just watch old Kids in the Hall.
Haven’t gotten around to seeing it myself but I’ve heard North of North is pretty good. It’s a sitcom set in Nunavut
Das Boot is also really good. A very raw and suspenseful Second World War drama set both in occupied France and inside a German submarine. There’s also no “pretend this guy isn’t speaking english” thing which is pretty cool. The actors actually speak German when their characters speak German, French when they speak French, etc. So most of the show is subtitled.
Kim’s convenience and schitts creek
“Please like me”
I loved Sort Of, wholesome and funny queer comedy if you’re into that sort of thing.
I like documentaries, so I’d like to recommend Canada: A People’s History and Stuff the British Stole.
I have a soft spot for corner gas
Republic of Doyle is a great Newfie show. Plus Allan Hawco is great. I met him at a Costco in St. John’s once, buying peaches with Mark Critch. Both awesome people, super friendly.
Luther. If you’ve not seen this twisty police procedural starring Idris Elba, give it a good go. Short seasons, great pacing, some of the best British TV I’ve seen.
The only other show I’ve gone to Gem for was Schitt’s Creek. I want to watch Station Eleven and Poker Face (b/c Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne).
Films currently on Gem worth the watch:
- Incendies
- Snowpiercer
- Parasite
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Moonlight
And I hear good things about:
- Call Me By Your Name
- Captain Fantastic
Anyway, this a pretty good start for the non comedy side of Gem.
We love Schitt’s creek
I’m a fan of Family Feud for kinda mindless trivia questions, and Family Feud Canada ain’t bad. The questions aren’t real trivia, but survey results, so trying to get in the heads of the average Canadian is fun.
Zarqa, the funniest thing I’ve ever watched. A spiteful, middle-aged, Pakistani Muslim divorcee in Regina tries to manage/rehab her reputation and ego… With disastrously hilarious results. It’s a short mini-series that can be watched in about two hours.
I just stumbled upon Gangnam Project. It’s about two biracial Korean-Canadian teens who go to S. Korea to connect with their roots and get all caught up in the K-Pop making machine. It’s meant for the tween market, but it’s just so different than anything I’ve seen (maybe I haven’t seen much) that I find it interesting. Plus who doesn’t live an eternally optimistic lead when the real world is crazy times? Obviously it’s dramatized, but I am kind of peripherally aware that idol-culture is a very serious deal in Asia, esp Korea. (Last year some K-Pop star publicly apologized for having a boyfriend?!) I wonder how much of it is based in reality and how much is just made up.
I wish there was a Canadian option for watching old school Trailer Park Boys, but I think Netflix has the monopoly on that right now.
Just pirate it for the time being.
Oh wow I could’ve sworn it was on crave but I don’t see it anymore.
A good tool to find what’s well rated or popular is just watch
Great suggestion, thanks!