''Material World'' was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

, which aired on CBC Television from 1990 to 1993. In its first season, the show was a conventional sitcom, shot on

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...

with a

laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...

, but in subsequent seasons the show adopted a single-cam comedy drama format. The show starred Laura Bruneau as Kitty, a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

fashion designer. The cast also included

Linda Sorenson Linda Sorenson (born January 19, 1940) is a Canadian film, television and voice actress, best known for playing Mrs. Stegman in ''Class of 1984'', Warden Howe in ''Murphy Brown'', Virginia Reeves in '' Material World'' and Isabelle Carrington in ...

as Kitty's mother Virginia (Seasons 1-4),

Jayne Eastwood Jayne Eastwood (born December 17, 1946), also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is best known for her film roles as Anna-Marie Biddlecoff in the comedy film ''Finders Keepers'' (1984), Judy the Wai ...

as her office assistant Bernice (Seasons 1-3), Chris Potter as her boyfriend Tim (Seasons 1-3), Angela Dohrmann as her downstairs neighbor and then roommate Angela (Seasons 3-4), James Kee as her business partner Martin (Seasons 3-4), and

Karen LeBlanc Karen LeBlanc is a Canadian film, television and musical theatre actress. Early life LeBlanc grew up in Tottenham, Ontario to family from Nova Scotia. She attended the musical theatre program at Sheridan College. Career Starting with a minor rol ...

as her store employee Lucy (Season 4). The show's original theme song, "World of Wonder", was composed by series creator Jane Ford and performed by actress and singer

Taborah Johnson Taborah Johnson, also known as Tabby Johnson, is a Canadian singer and actress. She is the sister of actor Clark Johnson and rock and jazz singer Molly Johnson. She began her career in the Toronto production of '' Hair'' as a teenager. She was ...

. Johnson, who is the sister of actor

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in '' E.N.G.'' (1989 ...

, appeared in the opening credits, singing the song on a street corner. Season four saw a change to the opening credits sequence, using

Bob Wiseman Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman (born 1962) is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former ...

's "What the Astronaut Noticed and Then Suggested" as its new theme music. It won the Gemini Award for Best Comedy Series at the 5th Gemini Awards in 1990."Flaherty, lang win Geminis". ''

Waterloo Region Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

'', December 4, 1990.

Episodes

Season 1 (1990)

Season 2 (1991)

Season 3 (1991-1992)

Season 4 (1992-1993)

References

External links

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TVArchive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Material World (Tv Series) CBC Television original programming Television shows set in Toronto 1990 Canadian television series debuts 1993 Canadian television series endings Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series winners 1990s Canadian comedy-drama television series