Royal Canadian Air Farce Ends Run on Canadian TV
Air Farce Takes Final Fligh.. on New Year's Eve
© Y F Chin
Dec 29, 2008
Royal Canadian Air Farce Ends Run On Canadian TV
The Royal Canadian Air Farce is taking its final bow on CBC-TV on New Year's Eve. After 16 successful seasons on the air, the long running comedy show is getting grounded. Roger Abbott, an original member of the team, says the last show is bittersweet.
“It hasn't hit me yet, but I'm sure I'll be feeling some empty spots in my life. For instance this will be the first time in 15 years that every day of the week won't be planned out with our hour-by-hour production schedule. But it's a big wide world out there and I'm sure I'll find plenty of ways to fill my days... books to read, webs to surf, shows to watch, galleries to visit, and friends to see more of.”
The show is beloved for its topical mix of political and social satire so Abbott says he's frustrated about leaving during a volatile time in Canadian politics.
“This has to be the worst time in decades to leave a steady job and wrap up a political satire show. The battle of (Prime Minister Steven) Harper/(Michael) Ignatieff is going to be great fun to watch, and it'll be very frustrating to not have a weekly outlet for taking shots at them... it's going to be a roller-coaster in Parliament for the next six months, maybe the next two years - maybe I'll have to start a blog.”
Air Farce’s Radio Roots
The comedy troupe made its debut on CBC radio in 1973, airing more than 600 broadcasts before going off the air in 1997. But by then, the Royal Canadian Air Farce show (www.airfarce.com) had moved over to CBC television. A New Year’s Eve special in 1992 was a big hit with viewers, leading to a weekly series on televison.
Royal Canadian Air Farce Changed Canadian Television
Abbott is proud of the legacy of his show.
“I think the big thing Air Farce managed to do was bring in a million viewers, week after week, to a comedy show that was totally Canadian. We proved to advertisers and network executives that Canadians will watch Canadian television in big numbers if they are given good stories that they can identify with -- Canadian jokes for Canadian viewers on Canadian topics and Canadian politics... it had never been done in primetime, and right from the start people really embraced Air Farce and made it a weekly part of their lives. We set ratings records, brought more viewers to the network, made the advertisers happy, and that hadn't been done before with a weekly comedy.”
Air Farce says Goodbye.
Abbott says it was time to go.
“Well, it wasn't entirely our decision. Our partners at CBC Television want to develop the network in different directions; especially ‘narrative’ comedies targeted at female audiences aged 25-54. But CBC figured we've had a pretty good run, and they're absolutely right, and most television shows don't last much longer than a few years. The Simpsons, ER and Air Farce have been good 15-year exceptions to the rule. In pop culture, audiences are always looking for something new, so it's time for us to step aside and see what develops.”
The final show, Air Farce New Year’s Eve Final Flight, airs Wednesday on CBC-TV at 8pm across the country.
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