Hidden Gems on CBC Gem
Want to save on your streaming bill, and support Canadian comedy? There are some truly great shows on the free CBC Gem app — and it’s so easy to use, I could even convince my mom to do it (once she found out it has Coronation Street on demand).
This list is the best of the best. While The Hits may be obvious, we dug a little deeper to find something for everyone in Sitcoms, Sketch and Stand-up. And The Shorts were even more special than expected. Enjoy binging!
The Hits
...need no introduction. There are six seasons of Catherine O’Hara in incredible wigs on Schitt’s Creek, along with four seasons each of Kim’s Convenience, and Workin’ Moms. Tax paying Canadians should already be up to date.
Sitcoms, Sketch & Standup
Slings & Arrows (Seasons 1-3) is a criminally under-watched series about the onstage, backstage, and bedroom antics of a theatre town not unlike Stratford, Ontario. Starring Paul Gross, Mark McKinney, and greats of the Canadian theatre festival circuit (along with adorable baby Rachel McAdams and Luke Kirby!), it’s beautifully made and wonderfully funny.
Why watch a normal show when you could watch Crawford (Season 1), about a failed rockstar who can talk to raccoons? Crawford stars an ensemble cast led by Jill Hennessy, Kyle Mac and John Carroll Lynch.
Some of the most hilarious sketches from the all-female comedy team at Baroness von Sketch Show (Seasons 1-4) make the rounds on Facebook, but you’re missing out if you don’t watch the full episodes. The creators and stars of this beloved sketch comedy series recently revealed that the upcoming fifth season will also be their last!
The TallBoyz (Season 1) are the latest sketch comedy troupe to get a show on CBC, and happily, they’re just as funny on screen as on stage. Starring Guled Abdi, Vance Banzo, Tim Blair and Franco Nguyen, the show is often more absurdist than Baroness, in styles ranging from satirical, to broad to razor sharp.
There are always new attempts to push the envelope at CBC Comedy, but none is as successful as the original genius insanity of The Kids in the Hall (Seasons 1-4). Amazon Prime Video recently announced The Kids in the Hall will return for an eight-episode original series.
In Still Standing (Seasons 1-5), stand-up Jonny Harris travels across the country, earnestly interviewing people in small towns and then performing stand-up based on the fun things he finds out. This mellowly funny show is like visiting some friendly neighbours, which is perhaps what we need more than anything right now.
The Shorts
The Amazing Gayl Pyle is a revelation. This retro, bingeable show about one man's misguided quest to conquer the world of home shopping is like a nightmare Napoleon Dynamite. I can’t stop thinking about it.
If you think you might like a show called Earthling House Huntress, you will definitely like it. If you think you might not — as I did — you should still give it a shot. With a show description like “An optimistic young real estate agent is on a quest to help extraterrestrials find their forever homes in the Greater Toronto Area,” how could you not give it a whirl?
If Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller Bridge were a mean old lady, it would be a lot like Hey Lady! This series of shorts written by the darkly comic playwright Morris Panych, and blessed by Jayne Eastwood, features cameos from Don McKellar and Scott Thompson.
In Ming’s Dynasty wannabe 6ix rappers Whyte Wyne and Young Riesling head to Coaldale, Alberta to help YR’s dad out at the family’s restaurant. “Do not embarrass me with your Toronto rap shit. No one wants to hear that.” Yes. Yes we do.