SURVEY SHOWS PROBLEMATIC PORTRAYALS IN AMERICAN PROGRAMMING
The WGC recently surveyed 1,000 Canadians on their broadcasting beefs, penchants for patriotic programming, and what they actually want to see more of on the small screen.
Key findings of the survey:
1. Accent atrocities acknowledged:
Asked what stereotypes of Canadians that Canucks have seen on US shows, a definitive 71.4% of Canadians said a ‘funny accent’, saying “eh” and “aboot.” They were almost as irritated by problematic portrayals of Canadians being “overly dull and apologetic” (62.3%). Canadians also felt frustrated being portrayed as being “hockey obsessed (60.8%), only rural or living in the north (43.7%), and “dull, awkward and bumbling (22.0%). This was a ‘pick all that apply’ formatted question.
2. Enough with the cliché … Eh!
Many Canadians agree that American TV often portrays Canada and Canadians as clichés. 64.4% of Canadians say they are written as sometimes realistic and sometimes cliché, 23.5% say ‘mostly cliché’, and only 12.1% think they are written in a ‘mostly realistic’ way.
Calling out specific clichés of Canada on American TV, respondents said ‘always winter’ (30. 8%), ‘maple syrup everywhere’ (22.2%), ‘Mounties on horses’ (21.6%), and it’s mostly trees, mountains and lakes (21.3%).
3. Buy Canadian, by Canadians
A whopping 91.7% believe having content written and created by Canadians is important for Canadians, and 89.5% see this as important for Canadian children and youth. 76.7% think that film and television written by Canadians in Canada is important to preserving Canadian culture.
Asked what prevents Canadians from watching more Canadian content, the top reason is that there’s not enough Canadian content (36.4%). 24.2% say it’s hard to find, and 22.4% say they don’t know what’s Canadian. Only 10.8% say they prefer U.S. content. Canadians value their own stories, but they aren’t seeing enough of them on screen.
Not just for Canadians – 66.2% believe that international audiences would watch content written by Canadians, too.
4. What Canadians want:
Asked what they think Canadian TV ‘needs more of,’ Canadians say they want to see “more shows set in Canada” (22.3%). Asked what type of shows they’d like to see more of, Canadians ranked (in order):
• Comedies
• Historic dramas
• Sci-fi
• Fantasy
• Romance
• Indigenous stories
Asked what Canadian shows they think most deserve another season, over a quarter (25.47%) said ‘Schitt’s Creek’ (aired on CBC ending in 2020).
Additional responses included:
Kim’s Convenience (ended 2021, CBC) 16.6%
Workin’ Moms (ended 2023, CBC) 12.0%
Transplant (ended 2024, CTV) 9.9%
Letterkenny (ended 2023, Crave) 9.5%
Orphan Black (ended 2017) 9.0%
5. Canadians ‘Choose Canada.’
“We are done with tired caricatures and clichés,” said Bruce Smith, President of the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC). “Canadians want to see themselves and our country authentically represented on their screens. They want stories that reflect our shared values as Canadians. A strong Canada needs representations of ourselves that make Canadians proud.”
We believe there is no such thing as too Canadian or too much Canadian content, but we know that without support, there can be too little of it. We call on Canadians and decision makers to ‘Choose Canada’ – watch Canadian content and invest in Canadian film and television.
