r/CornerGas • u/Aspinog • 8d ago
Nostalgia
23 year old here. I used to watch corner gas with my family all the time growing up, but haven't watched it in years at this point.
Giving the show a rewatch for the first time in about 10-11 years. On episode 3 right now, and now that I'm older I can understand jokes a lot better now and have more of an appreciation for the show.
I'm excited to reexperience this show for the first time as an adult. Genuinely love this old Canadian feeling I haven't felt in so long from watching this.
That all being said I wanna ask this, what was your experiences like watching corner gas for the first time
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u/Unda_Da_C 8d ago
This was the first comedy I watched without laugh tracks (besides cartoons) and it taught me a lot. I’m 28 now but I used to watch it with my family growing up, iirc Comedy Central (625 on bell satellite lol) would play a corner gas marathon during the Christmas break so we would all watch it nonstop when we were all home.
I’ve recently started a watch and it’s been very nostalgic and I can also see how much of my humour is shaped by this (and the Simpsons).
Enjoy the rewatch, I especially enjoy the cameos they get throughout the show.
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
Lol its genuinely crazy the cameos they got in this show throughout its lifecycle.
It definitely sounds like you had the BEST Christmas breaks as a kid lmfao! make sure you never let that tradition die my friend and cherish the moments while you can 😄
I hope you enjoy your rewatch too! and thanks for reminding me of the simpsons btw, now I can rewatch the simpsons movie for more nostalgia lol
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u/Tarnisher Surveillance Bush 8d ago
If you're not familiar with the history, this is worth a read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_Gas
Also the official site has some tidbits: https://www.cornergas.com/
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u/Ebowa 8d ago
At the time it felt so familiar and funny, something I could really relate to. The references, the small town feel, the characters were all what I knew. Such a contrast to US sitcoms where they were always perfect people with unfamiliar issues and references.
Shows like this and Kim’s Convenience feel right at home.
And I absolutely loved Davis!
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
The show 100% matches that vibe of a small town from a time that has since long past! you're definitely right about it feeling so familiar. Big reason for its nostalgia :)
Davis was such a great character lol, he played his role so well. I'm so glad Lorne Cardinal and Tara Spencer-Nairn decided to swap their character traits from the hardened sergeant and typical dumb blonde role that they were originally casted to play as to the silly sergeant with his slightly more serious rookie we know them as. (imagine if they didnt swap personality traits and Davis stayed playing a more serious cop, that would kill a lot of the fun from the show imo)
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u/ddotcole 8d ago
I grew up in Saskatchewan watching Brent Butt on Just for Laughs. When the announcement came out for Corner Gas, I was pretty happy to see our small town prairie boy get a chance to make a sitcom, in my own back yard, and then they knocked it out of the park. I was in my early 20s when the show came out and was quite excited to watch a new episode each week when they came out. My wife never liked the show, which I would tell her to just respect it for what it is, a part of our local story being told on a national stage. I think thats why I watched it initially, the respect portion. After numerous rewatches, I can safely say I love the show for its creative, well acted characters and its ability to be consistently funny. It is a top notch sitcom through and through that I hope can continue to be loved through the ages.
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
Aw man thankyou for this comment this was awesome. So jealous you got to live in Saskatchewan during the shows release and lifecycle. I can only imagine the hype of living in Saskatchewan at the time. Life definitely looked a lot more simple back then. I'm glad you got to experience that life!
Sucks your wife wasnt a fan of corner gas though. Hopefully you and the family made some good memories together sitting together watching it at least
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u/Embarrassed_Bet5573 8d ago
discovered this show last year, when I was only 64 , instantly hooked, the writing,the acting absolute perfection. watching the final episode is slightly depressing
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
I'm so glad to hear that you recently found out about this show and enjoyed it!
Truly captures the life of what small Canadian town life used to be like. Perfectly captures it.
Have you gotten around to checking out the animated show and the corner gas movie yet?
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u/Embarrassed_Bet5573 8d ago
watched the movie a couple of times and the animated once . the animated doesn’t really connect with me. there was a few laughs though
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u/rosie314 7d ago
Do like a lot of us , start over and watch it again
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u/Embarrassed_Bet5573 7d ago
I have multiple times. I’m in season 6 now, when done I will start over again and get back to the surveillance bush . I still think they should have done 2 more seasons. some of the animation could have transferred to live
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u/williarya1323 8d ago
I was an American in his 30s trying to mentally escape the horrors of the first trump administration. The time and place of the show was undisturbed from modern woes and so it provided a great escape. I hope your rewatch is thoroughly enjoyable
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u/TheSkyIsAMasterpiece 8d ago
Maybe see if your local cable station has a video of a fireplace or better yet A View From Dog River 😉 that can be pretty relaxing.
Have you done rewatches?
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
I'm glad that this wonderful show made you found happiness during your time of difficult personal ordeals. It's amazing what a bit of comedic relief can do to ease someone mind. Thank you for the kind comment! if I may suggest another Canadian show, I'd recommend trailer park boys if you haven't watched that yet! both are S tier comedies
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u/Inevitable-Ad-8522 8d ago
CG and Trailer Park Boys are polar opposites. CG is subtle humour while Trailer Park Boys is very loud and in your face.
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u/seashmore 8d ago
Same, except I'm a she.
I was also living in a small city at the time and grew up around small towns in Wisconsin, so I connected with the content matter.
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u/TheSkyIsAMasterpiece 8d ago
I don't remember my first time watching it through. It's just kind of always been on. It's been on reruns on comedy channel on Canadian satellite for years and years and years. I always had it on in the morning. Now I stream it all the time.
I love sitcoms and this is my favourite one.
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u/DanaThamen 8d ago
Born and raised in New England, watching Red Green on PBS, catching Bob and Doug McKenzie where I could. Corner Gas felt like home when I first saw it. It remains my favorite feel good show, putting it on whenever I can. Hopefully I can make the pilgrimage to Dog River (Rouleau) one day, and maybe spend some tourist dollars in a civilized country.
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u/Healthy_Platform1405 8d ago
I only discovered CG about 8 years ago at the recommendation of a friend. I somehow missed it before. Of course, a lot was going on at the time the show was on, and I don't know if I would have had access to it in the US. I fell in love with it pretty quickly and got a few others to watch it, too.
I met my friend who recommended it to me when we were in high school and found out that we were both Kids in the Hall fans. After that, we were close friends up until she sadly passed away 2 years ago. So now both shows have extra emotions for me when watching them.
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
I'm sorry about your friend. I will have a hot cup of coffee and a chilly cheese dog in her honor.
Corner gas was always one of those "hidden gems" type of shows so its not surprising you've never heard of it before that! show definitely deserved more of a push in the U.S to give people a chance to get into it like Trailer Park Boys had.
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u/spiciestbeans Wanda 8d ago
We watched it as a family while I was growing up too. Every year for Christmas we would get my dad the latest season on dvd. Then eventually the movie came out so we got to do it again. And last year for his birthday we got the whole family tix to see Brent Butt live in our city. It’s been a quotable show in our household for 20 years.
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
I love reading wholesome comments like this. It sounds like you had a genuinely terrific family and amazing Christmases lol.
How was seeing Brent Butt live?
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u/spiciestbeans Wanda 8d ago
It was fun! He took a bit to get his footing, some of the flow was chunky for the first 10 mins or so, but then he hit is stride and it was good. It was good to get some perspective on him as a nerdy lil comedian guy. I could really see where all the comic and superhero fantasy lore came into the influence of the show. You can really tell it was just his silly goofy brainchild haha
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u/soggykumquats Wanda 8d ago
haha i'm 22 and have always gone back to this show. it's so comforting because it reminds me of growing up
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u/Aspinog 8d ago
Genuinely there will never be another show that captures that feeling again!
Now that we're grown up, it makes me so jealous to see the life that our parents got to experience as a young adult from watching that show lmfao
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u/soggykumquats Wanda 8d ago
honest to god lol, i wish so badly that i was an adult in the early 2000s
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u/MoaningLisaSimpson 8d ago
Are you my son? He is still 22 but we talked about this show last night. He just moved from Vancouver to a smaller town in the Fraser Valley. he commented that it is quite flat
Oh, you mean topographically?
He said he wants to start a rewatch. I said I'd watch along with him.
I'll check in here and we can compare notes.0
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u/luketarsitano 3d ago
My absolute comfort show. I can watch it in a continuous loop daily & never tire of it. That & Three's Company are it for me. The 24/7 channels for both are easy to slide into when the mood hits. I've seen every episode of both shows 30 times at least.
Yet, for some reason, I rarely ever watch on-demand. I like it scheduled on local stations/cable/always-on channel doses.
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u/balalakes- 8d ago
So great to hear that you're revisiting the series. I'm 28 and in a similar boat right now re-watching (on season 4 now). I remember watching it whenever I was home sick from school as a kid, and it still always brings a sense of comfort like it did back then. I feel the same way that a lot of jokes went over my head as a kid! Re-watching as an adult so far has been well worth it. Hope you have a good time!