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Humour is an integral part of the Canadian identity. There are several traditions in Canadian humour in both English and French. While these traditions are distinct and at times very different, there are common themes that relate to Canadians' shared
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and
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situation in
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and the world. Though neither universally kind nor moderate, humorous Canadian literature has often been branded by author Dick Bourgeois-Doyle as "gentle satire," evoking the notion embedded in humorist
Stephen Leacock Stephen Butler Leacock (30 December 1869 – 28 March 1944) was a Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humourist. Between the years 1915 and 1925, he was the best-known English-speaking humourist in the world. Early life S ...
's definition of humour as "the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life and the artistic expression thereof." The primary characteristics of Canadian humour are irony, parody, and satire. Various trends can be noted in Canadian comedy. One thread is the portrayal of a "typical" Canadian family in an ongoing radio or television series. Examples include ''
La famille Plouffe ''La famille Plouffe'' was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec City family that first aired in the French language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone tel ...
'', with its mix of drama, humour, politics and religion and
sitcoms A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...
such as '' King of Kensington'' and '' La Petite Vie''. Another major thread tends to be political and cultural
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
: television shows such as '' CODCO,'' '' Royal Canadian Air Farce'', ''
La Fin du monde est à 7 heures LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
'' and '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes,'' monologuists such as Yvon Deschamps and Rick Mercer and writers, including Michel Tremblay, Will Ferguson and
Eric Nicol Eric Patrick Nicol (December 28, 1919 – February 2, 2011) was a Canadians, Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper ''The Province''. He also published over 40 books, both origin ...
draw their material from Canadian and Québécois society and politics. Other comedians portray absurdity; these include the television series '' The Kids in the Hall'' and '' The Frantics,'' and musician-comedians such as The Arrogant Worms, Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie and Bowser and Blue. Elements of satire are to be found throughout Canadian humour, evident in each of these threads, and uniting various genres and regional cultural differences. As with other countries, humour at the expense of regional and ethnic stereotypes can be found in Canada. Examples are '
Newfie ''Newfie'' (also ''Newf'' or sometimes ''Newfy'') is a colloquial term used by Canadians and others for someone who is from Newfoundland. Many Newfoundlanders consider "Newfie" a slur first used by American and Canadian military forces statione ...
' jokes (with 'Newfie' being a colloquial term for a person from the island of
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
) and jokes revolving around English-speaking Canadians' stereotype of French Canadians, and vice versa.
Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
and the École nationale de l'humour in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
offer post-secondary programs in comedy writing and performance.
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
is also home to the bilingual ( English and French) Just for Laughs festival and to the Just for Laughs museum, a bilingual, international museum of comedy.


Literature

According to author Stephen Scobie, Canadian humorous writing has tended more towards prose than poetry.Scobie, Stephe
"Humorous Writing in English"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia.'' Retrieved on: March 24, 2008.
An early work of Canadian humour,
Thomas McCulloch Thomas McCulloch (September 1775 – September 9, 1843) was a Scotland, Scottish-born, Presbyterian minister, author, educator, and education reformer. He was the founder and principal of Pictou Academy (pronounced ''pick-toe'') and the first ...
's ''Letters of Mephibosheth Stepsure'' (1821–23) appeared in the Halifax weekly '' Acadian Recorder''.
Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, ''Fearful Symmetr ...
described McCulloch's satirical letters as "quiet, observant, deeply conservative in a human sense"; he asserted that McCulloch's persona, the "conventional, old-fashioned, homespun" farmer, was an extension of a centuries-old satiric tradition, and that the letters set the tone for later comedic writing in Canada. Compared to McCulloch's dry and understated style, Thomas Chandler Haliburton showed the same conservative social values in the brash, overstated character of Sam Slick, the Yankee Clockmaker. Haliburton's Sam Slick persona in ''The Clockmaker'' (1836), as Arthur Scobie notes in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', "proved immensely popular and, ironically, has influenced American humour as much as Canadian." Authors responded with folk humour and satire to the domination of 19th-century
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
culture by the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Napoléon Aubin satirized Quebec public life in his journals ''Le Fantasque'' (1837–45) and ''Le Castor'' (1843), and through his theatre troupe, ''Les Amateurs typographiques, '' established in 1839. He was imprisoned during that same year for his views. This cosmopolitan tradition is also seen in the journalism of Arthur Buies, editor of ''La Lanterne canadienne'' (1868–69), a highly satirical journal of that era.Lacombe, Michell
"Humorous Writing in French"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia.'' Retrieved on: March 24, 2008.
Light comedy that mocked local customs was typical of 19th-century
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
in Quebec. Examples include Joseph Quesnel's ''L'Anglomanie, ou le dîner à l'angloise'' (1803), which criticized the imitation of English customs, and Pierre Petitclair's ''Une partie de campagne'' (1865). More serious
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
s attacked specific targets: the anonymous ''Les Comédies du status quo'' (1834) ridiculed local politics, and ''Le Défricheteur de langue'' (1859) by Isodore Mesplats, (pseudonym of Joseph LaRue and Joseph-Charles Taché), mocked
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
ian manners. Other examples of theatrical satire were Félix-Gabriel Marchand's comedy, ''Les faux brillants'' (1885) and Louvigny de Montigny's ''Les Boules de neige'' (1903), which took aim at
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
's
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...
. Humorous magazines in French included ''La Guêpe'', "journal qui pique", published in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
1857–1861. By the early 20th century, the satirical tradition was well developed in
English Canada English Canada comprises that part of the population within Canada, whether of British origin or otherwise, that speaks English. The term ''English Canada'' is also used for any of the following: *Describing all the provinces of Canada ...
as exemplified in the writing of Stephen Leacock. In ''
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town ''Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town'' is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock, first published in 1912. It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian humorous literature. The fictional setting for these st ...
'' (1912), Leacock, already known for his satirical wit, used tragic irony and astute insight in examining day-to-day, small-town life. The book remains a classic of Canadian literature, and was followed by '' Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich'' in 1914. An annual Canadian literary award, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, is named in his memory. The award is presented to the year's best work of humorous literature by a Canadian. Donald Jack, three-time winner of the Leacock Medal, wrote a number of comedies for the stage, radio, and television, but is best known for his nine-part series of novels about aviator Bartholomew Bandy. Following the '' Révolution tranquille'' in Quebec, theatrical satire reappeared in 1968 with Michel Tremblay's play '' Les Belles sœurs,'' written in Québécois joual. The controversial play picked apart the myth of a stable bourgeois Quebec society with a mix of realistic comedy and allegorical satire. Following Tremblay's lead, Jean Barbeau exposed Quebec popular culture in ''La Coupe stainless'' (1974). Tremblay and Barbeau set the stage for reviews such as ''Broue'' (1979), a collective production, which toured English-speaking Canada as ''Brew'' (1982). Humorous fiction in French Canada draws from the oral tradition of
folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
s and folktales which were the common coin of humour in the 19th century. Only a few of these folk tales surfaced in writing prior to the 20th century. However, contemporary writers such as Jacques Ferron (''Contes du pays incertain,'' 1962) in Quebec and Antonine Maillet in
Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...
New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
(''La Sagouine,'' 1974, and ''Pélagie-la-Charrette,'' 1979), rely extensively on folk humour and popular culture. Other Quebec writers noted for their humour include
Roger Lemelin Roger Lemelin, (April 7, 1919 – March 16, 1992) was a Quebec novelist, television writer and essayist. Biography Lemelin was born in Quebec City. From 1944 to 1952, he was a Canadian correspondent for the American magazines ''Time'' and ...
,
Gérard Bessette Gérard Bessette (25 February 1920 – 21 February 2005) was a Canadian writer and educator. Bessette was born in Sainte-Anne-de-Sabrevois, Quebec, and grew up in Montreal. He attended the Collège Saint-Ignace. He continued his studies at th ...
, Jacques Godbout, Roch Carrier and Yves Beauchemin. Beauchemin's
picaresque novel The picaresque novel ( Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for ' rogue' or 'rascal') is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish but appealing hero, usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrup ...
''Le Matou'' (1981) is the all-time best-selling novel in Quebec literature. The plain talking alter-ego as an instrument of satire continued with
Robertson Davies William Robertson Davies (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished " men of letters" ...
' series of Samuel Marchbanks books (1947–67) and John Metcalf's James Wells in '' General Ludd'' (1980). Davies is one of many Canadian writers of "serious" literature who were also known for humour in their work.
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...
, Farley Mowat, Paul Quarrington,
Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are ''The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (novel), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and ''Barney's Version (novel), Barney's Versi ...
, Raymond Fraser,
Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as t ...
, W. O. Mitchell, Ray Guy,
Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian historian, writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular cultur ...
, M.A.C. Farrant and Miriam Toews are all well-known writers of mainstream literature who have also been acknowledged for using humour and wit in their writing. Many other writers of Canadian humour have been published as newspaper or magazine commentators, including Gary Lautens, Richard J. Needham,
Eric Nicol Eric Patrick Nicol (December 28, 1919 – February 2, 2011) was a Canadians, Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper ''The Province''. He also published over 40 books, both origin ...
, Joey Slinger, Will Ferguson, Marsha Boulton and Linwood Barclay. Humour is also central to the work of Canadian children's writers such as Gordon Korman, Dennis Lee and Robert Munsch.


Music

Particularly in recent years, Canada has produced a number of musical groups who have been described as "comedy rock". Bands such as Barenaked Ladies,
Odds In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outcome. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. For example for an event that is 40% probable, one could say that the odds are or When gambling, o ...
, Crash Test Dummies, The Awkward Stage and Rheostatics are sometimes misunderstood as being strictly novelty bands, but in fact many of their songs use humour to illuminate more serious themes. A number of other acts, such as Corky and the Juice Pigs, Arrogant Worms, Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie and Bowser and Blue write specifically comedic songs. Nancy White is a noted Canadian musical satirist, whose comedic folk songs about Canadian culture and politics have regularly appeared on
CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
programs. In addition to more serious material on his primary albums, folk musician Geoff Berner — who has also run for political office as a candidate of the Rhinoceros Party — frequently releases pointedly satirical songs, such as "Official Theme Song for the 2010 Vancouver / Whistler Olympic Games (The Dead Children Were Worth It!)", as free downloads from his website. Don Ast, a stand-up comedian who performed in character as befuddled Ukrainian immigrant Nestor Pistor, had his greatest popular success with an album in which he sang
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
songs in character as Pistor. His single "Winestoned Plowboy", a parody of
Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...
's " Rhinestone Cowboy", was a hit on Canada's country music charts in 1977;"RPM Country Playlist"
''
RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'', February 12, 1977.
Pistor returned to more conventional standup comedy thereafter, but received three
Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
nominations for Comedy Album of the Year in the next three years. Jann Arden, a singer-songwriter renowned for writing sad love songs, is also paradoxically known as one of Canada's funniest live performers, whose witty, unpretentious stage patter about herself and her family is as much a part of her relationship with her audience as her music is. She portrayed a fictionalized version of herself in the CTV sitcom '' Jann''. Rapper
Shad The Alosidae, or the shads, are a family (biology), family of clupeiform fishes. The family currently comprises four genera worldwide, and about 32 species. The shads are Pelagic fish, pelagic (open water) schooling fish, of which many are anadr ...
tackles weighty topics with his lyrics but is also known for using humour; for one of his most successful singles to date, "The Old Prince Still Lives at Home", he filmed a video that essentially parodied of the opening credits to '' The Fresh Prince of Bel Air''. Another noted Canadian musical comedian is Mary Lou Fallis, an
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
singer who performs both in classical opera roles and as the comedic character "Primadonna", a touring stage show in which she parodies popular stereotypes of opera divas. Canadian heavy metal frontman
Devin Townsend Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also ...
is known for using humour in his music. Projects such as Punky Bruster and Ziltoid the Omniscient are heavily comedy driven, and Devin's heavy metal band, Strapping Young Lad, use satire and sarcastic tongue in cheek lyrics as well.


Radio

Many of Canada's comedy acts and performers have started out on radio, primarily on the national
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
(CBC) network. While individual comedy show and segments have been around almost as long as the network, the focus has tended be more on specific shows featuring particular groups of comedians. The real beginnings of Canadian radio comedy began in the late 1930s with the debut of '' The Happy Gang'', a long-running weekly variety show that was regularly sprinkled with corny jokes in between tunes. It debuted in 1938 and ran until 1959. The '' Wayne & Shuster'' show debuted on CBC radio in 1946, their more literate and classy humour regularly appearing on the airwaves well into the early 1960s. Max Ferguson's long-running shows ''After Breakfast Breakdown'' and ''the Max Ferguson Show'' featured short satirical skits based on current events, with a variety of characters voiced by Ferguson. The '' Royal Canadian Air Farce'' started as a radio show debuting in 1973 featuring mainly political and some character-based comedy sketches. It ran for 24 years before making a permanent transition to television. It started a tradition of topical and politically satirical radio shows that inspired such programs as ''
Double Exposure In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be id ...
'', ''The Muckraker'' and '' What a Week''. A zanier, more surreal brand of radio comedy was unveiled in the early 1980s with the debut of The Frantics' ''Frantic Times'' radio show, which ran from 1981 to 1986. Its smart and surreal style fostered a new take on Canadian radio comedy that was followed by the likes of successor shows as ''The Norm'', '' Radio Free Vestibule'' and '' The Irrelevant Show''. Another enduring radio comedy program is '' The Vinyl Cafe'', hosted by Stuart McLean. The show is centred around McLean's Dave and Morley stories, a series of narrated short stories about a Toronto family and their friends and neighbours; many of the stories have been compiled in book form, and the books have often won or been nominated for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. Satirical and zany elements merged in two of the more notable CBC radio comedy shows of the 1990s: '' The Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour'' offered bitingly satirical pieces from a
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
perspective mixed in with general silliness, and '' Great Eastern'', was set in a fictitious Newfoundland "national" radio station featuring improbable news stories, fictitious archival recordings, and unlikely archeological findings played straight. CBC Radio continues to play an important part in developing comedy performers on radio. '' Madly Off In All Directions'' became a weekly national forum for regional sketch and stand-up comics, a practice that continues in the more recent series '' The Debaters'' and '' Laugh Out Loud''. Just for Laughs Radio, a channel programmed and broadcast by SiriusXM Satellite Radio to Canada and the United States, features predominantly Canadian comedy.


Television

CBC Television's first Canadian-produced television series was '' Sunshine Sketches'', an adaptation of Stephen Leacock's iconic humour book ''Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town''. Original Canadian television comedy begins with Wayne and Shuster, a sketch comedy duo who performed as a comedy team during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and moved their act to radio in 1946 before moving on to television. They became one of Canada's most enduring comedy teams on Canadian television and in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as well: they appeared on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
'' 67 times, a record for any performer. Their
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
sketch, ''Rinse the Blood off My Toga'', with its legendary
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, "I told him, Julie, don't go!", was particularly noted. Wayne and Shuster continued to appear on
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
until the late 1980s, with specials that mixed new sketches with their classic material. ''
La famille Plouffe ''La famille Plouffe'' was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec City family that first aired in the French language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone tel ...
'', the first regularly scheduled television drama in Canada, was produced in 1953 by
Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...
, in French. The program was broadcast on both English and French networks of CBC TV from 1954 to 1959, (in English as ''The Plouffe Family''). It was a mix of drama, humour and social commentary about a working-class Quebec family in the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
era. Another of the CBC's earliest productions was '' Sunshine Sketches'', a television adaptation of one of the enduring classics of Canadian humour writing,
Stephen Leacock Stephen Butler Leacock (30 December 1869 – 28 March 1944) was a Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humourist. Between the years 1915 and 1925, he was the best-known English-speaking humourist in the world. Early life S ...
's ''
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town ''Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town'' is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock, first published in 1912. It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian humorous literature. The fictional setting for these st ...
''. Another pioneer in Canadian television comedy was, oddly, a news series. '' This Hour Has Seven Days,'' which debuted in 1964, was primarily meant as a
newsmagazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...
, but its segments included political satire as well as serious news reports. Later series such as '' Royal Canadian Air Farce'', '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' and '' Rick Mercer Report'' have all drawn on the tradition of political satire established by ''Seven Days'', and have been among Canadian television's most popular comedy series in recent years. Canadian born
Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian and American television writer and film producer. He created and produced ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and produced the ''Late Night (franchise) ...
, who had moved from Toronto to Los Angeles in 1968 to work on Rowan and Martin's ''
Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by come ...
'', launched the NBC comedy show ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' in 1975. Over the years, several Canadians were part of the SNL cast, including
Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...
,
Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...
, and
Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
. Michaels also produced '' The Kids in the Hall'' for Canadian TV in the 1980s. Many Canadian comedy shows, while not directly about politics per se, have made profound political statements by satirizing society and
pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...
. This includes shows such as '' SCTV'', '' Buzz'' and '' CODCO''. ''CODCO'', in particular, was intensely controversial at times for its use of comedy in tackling sensitive subjects; founding member Andy Jones quit CODCO in protest after the CBC refused to air a sketch that made a very explicit political statement about the Mount Cashel Orphanage child abuse scandal. The series '' History Bites'' was ostensibly a show presenting history in a sketch comedy, but frequently used the historic setting to satirize current political events and social trends. Other shows, such as '' The Kids in the Hall'', '' 4 on the Floor'', '' Bizarre'' and '' Puppets Who Kill'', revelled in absurdist humour, making household names out of characters such as Chicken Lady, Mr. Canoehead and Super Dave Osborne. Other notable sketch series have included ''
Zut! ''Zut!'' was a Canadian sketch comedy television series which aired Saturday evenings from 1970 to 1971 on CBC Television. It was based loosely on relations between Quebec and the rest of Canada. The cast included Peter Cullen, Barrie Baldaro, J ...
'', ''
The Gavin Crawford Show ''The Gavin Crawford Show'' is a Canadian sketch comedy series, which aired from June 19, 2000, to July 1, 2003, on The Comedy Network.The Holmes Show''. Canadian television also frequently showcases stand-up comedians. The popular series '' Comics!'', based around one comedian each week, has been the first national television exposure for many of Canada's current comedy stars. Another series, '' Just for Laughs'', has for many years presented comedians appearing at the Montreal Comedy Festival. That series has also spawned the more recent '' Just For Laughs Gags'', a practical joke show similar to '' Candid Camera''. Although several notable Canadian sitcoms have been produced, such as '' Excuse My French'', '' King of Kensington'', '' Hangin' In'', ''
Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Reruns still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The series ...
'', '' Little Mosque on the Prairie'', Letterkenny, '' Mr. D'', '' Kim's Convenience'', and ''
Schitt's Creek ''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy (Canadian actor), Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread ove ...
'', many other sitcoms, including '' Material World'', '' Mosquito Lake'', '' Snow Job'', '' Check it Out!'', '' The Trouble with Tracy'', '' Rideau Hall'' and '' Not My Department'', have often fared poorly with critics and audiences."Why do Canadian sitcoms suck?"
. '' canada.com'', March 21, 2014.
Critic Geoff Pevere has pointed out, however, that American television has produced a lot of bad sitcoms as well. The difference, according to Pevere, is that the economics of television production in Canada mean that whereas an unpopular American sitcom may be cancelled and largely forgotten after just a few weeks, Canadian television networks can rarely afford to lose their investment — meaning that a Canadian sitcom almost always airs every episode that was produced, ''regardless'' of its performance in the ratings. According to television critic Bill Brioux, there are a number of structural reasons for this: the shorter seasons, typical of Canadian television production, make it harder for audiences to connect with a program before its season has concluded, and put even successful shows at risk of losing their audience between seasons because of the longer waiting time before a show returns with new episodes; the more limited marketing budgets available to Canadian television networks mean that audiences are less likely to be aware that the show exists in the first place; and the shows tend to resemble American sitcoms, in the hope of securing a lucrative sale to an American television network, even though by and large the Canadian sitcoms that have been successful have been ones, such as ''
Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Reruns still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The series ...
'' or '' King of Kensington'', that had a more distinctively Canadian flavour. On the other hand, Canadian television comedy fares much better when it breaks the sitcom form, especially with
dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
. Unconventional comedy series such as ''
The Beachcombers ''The Beachcombers'' is a Canadian comedy drama television series that ran on CBC Television from October 1, 1972, to December 12, 1990. With over 350 episodes, it is one of the longest-running dramatic series ever made for Canadian English-langu ...
'', '' Due South'', '' Made in Canada'', '' Kenny vs. Spenny'', '' Chilly Beach'', '' The Newsroom'', '' Primetime Glick'', '' The Red Green Show'', '' La Petite Vie'', '' Seeing Things'', ''
Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...
'', '' Supertown Challenge'', '' Les Bougon'' and '' Twitch City'' have been much more successful than most of Canada's conventional sitcoms, both in Canada and as international exports. Canada has a national television channel, The Comedy Network, devoted to comedy. Its programming includes some of the classic Canadian comedy series noted above, repeats of several hit American and
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
series such as ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'' and '' Absolutely Fabulous'', and original series such as '' Kevin Spencer'', '' Odd Job Jack'', ''The Devil's Advocates'', '' Improv Heaven and Hell'' and '' Puppets Who Kill''. Rick Mercer began his career in 1990 with a touring one-man show, ''Show Me the Button, I'll Push It'', about Canadian life in the immediate aftermath of the failed
Meech Lake Accord The Meech Lake Accord () was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial Premier (Canada), premiers. It was intended to ...
. That show was a sellout success; in 1993, he made his television debut as one of the writers and performers on ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Mercer's "rants", short op-ed pieces on Canadian politics and culture, quickly became the show's signature segment. When he published a collection of rants in 1998 as ''Streeters'', the book quickly became a bestseller. Mercer left ''22 Minutes'' in 2000 to devote more time to his other series, '' Made in Canada''. When that series ended its run, he launched the new '' Rick Mercer Report''. Another famous comedic export in the same era was Tom Green, whose surreal and sometimes grotesque humour on '' The Tom Green Show'' began as a community cable show in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
before becoming a hit on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. As with many other genres, Canadian television comedy also frequently plays with the topic of Canada's relationship with the United States. Mercer turned another ''22 Minutes'' segment, '' Talking to Americans'', into a 2001 television special, which was a ratings smash. In ''Talking to Americans'', Mercer, in his ''22 Minutes'' guise as reporter "J.B. Dixon", visited American cities to ask people on the street for their opinion on a Canadian news story — the joke for Canadians was that the news story was always fabricated, and either inherently ridiculous (e.g. a border dispute between
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
and
Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...
or an annual
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
hunt) or blatantly out of context (e.g. wishing Canadians a "Happy Stockwell Day".) Another notable show, the sitcom '' An American in Canada'', reversed that formula, finding comedy in the
culture shock Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...
of an American television reporter taking a job with a Canadian TV station. Tom Green once played with this staple of Canadian comedy as well, during a controversial segment in which he burned a Canadian flag.


Film

Film critic Barry Hertz created a list of the 23 best Canadian comedy films ever made for ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'' in 2023, although he included two films that had Canadian themes, settings and creative participants but were not Canadian productions:Barry Hertz
"The 23 best Canadian comedies ever made"
''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'', June 28, 2023.
In addition to Hertz's own selections, sidebars asking other notable figures in Canadian comedy to identify their own choices singled out the films '' Rare Birds'' as a choice of Mercer and '' You're Sleeping Nicole'' as a favourite of Levack, while Mark Critch reiterated Hertz's choice of ''Seducing Doctor Lewis''.


Web

In the same vein as ''Air Farce'' and ''22 Minutes'', a number of notable web sites have emerged to publish articles that either satirize real events or wholly invent stories that lampoon aspects of Canadian culture. Frank magazine, which originated as a printed publication, has been joined in recent years by The Beaverton, The Daily Bonnet, and Walking Eagle News each broadly modelled after
The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based in Chicago, but originated as a weekly print publication ...
.


Comedy clubs

Notable Canadian comedy clubs and showcases include
The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...
branch in Toronto (originally housed at The Old Fire Hall), the Yuk Yuk's chain, and The ALTdot COMedy Lounge. The top clubs in Canada are Rumor's Comedy Club in Winnipeg, The Comic Strip in Edmonton, The Laugh Shop in Calgary, and Absolute Comedy in Ottawa.


Awards

The Canadian Comedy Awards were founded by Tim Progosh and Higher Ground Productions in 1999, and present awards for achievements in Canadian comedy across a variety of domains, including live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The Canadian Screen Awards present a number of awards for television comedy, including Best Comedy Series and awards for performance, writing and direction in comedy series. Just for Laughs and SiriusXM Canada stage an annual SiriusXM Top Comic competition for Canadian stand-up comedians. The annual Tim Sims Encouragement Award also provides a $2,500 prize to an emerging comedian. The annual Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour is presented to works of comedic literature, across both fiction and non-fiction genres.


Personalities


See also

* List of Quebec comedians * British humour * Canadian comics * American humor * Canadian clowning


Notes


Further reading

*


External links

* {{Authority control Ethnic humour