''In Opposition'' was a Canadian television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

, which aired on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

in 1989."Some Hon. Members: Yawn; In opposition a political sitcom without politics -- or laughs". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'', October 24, 1989. The show lasted only a single season."In Opposition loses its seat on CBC". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', January 23, 1990. It starred

Kathleen Laskey Kathleen Laskey, sometimes credited as Kathy Laskey, is a Canadian film and television actress."Second City's Laskey now every inch a leading lady". ''Toronto Star'', April 2, 1988. An alumna of The Second City's Toronto troupe, she is most common ...

as Karen Collier, a rookie

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

who represented the fictional riding of Moncton—Macquedewawa for the also-fictional Dominion Party of Canada. The show also starred Judy Marshak as her secretary Grace Kiley,

Lawrence Dane Lawrence Joseph Zahab (April 3, 1937 – March 21, 2022), known professionally as Lawrence Dane, was a Canadian actor and film producer, best known for his role as Lt. Preston in ''Bride of Chucky''. Life and career Born in Masson, Quebec, Dane ...

as her party leader Joe Reynolds, Damir Andrei as her caucus colleague McGillivray,

Peter Keleghan Peter Keleghan is a Canadian actor and writer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Bellow in the comedy series ''18 to Life'', Clark Claxton Sr. in the comedy series ''Billable Hours'' and Ranger Gord in ''The Red Green Show''. Currently has a ...

as backroom organizer Tom Sheridan, and

Jennifer Dale Jennifer Ciurluini (born January 16, 1956 in Toronto), known professionally as Jennifer Dale, is a Canadian actress. Biography She is the sister of Canadian actress Cynthia Dale. From 1980 to 1986 she was married to Robert Lantos; they have t ...

as her neighbour and friend Mary Margaret McCarthy. The show's pilot had to be refilmed, after the role of Tom Sheridan, originally played by

David McIlwraith David McIlwraith is a Canadian actor who has appeared in numerous television series and in several films since the 1970s. He co-starred in the 1993 television series ''White Fang'' and also had a prominent role as Dr. Reginald Murdoch in the 2001 ...

, was recast."CBC reworking political sitcom In Opposition". ''

'', August 18, 1989. The show was the CBC's second unsuccessful attempt to create a politically themed sitcom, following 1987's '' Not My Department''. Six episodes were produced and aired.

References

External links

* CBC Television original programming 1989 Canadian television series debuts 1989 Canadian television series endings Canadian political comedy television series Television shows set in Ottawa 1980s Canadian sitcoms {{Canada-comedy-tv-prog-stub