psyop6 I stumbled across this one as a surprise on my local PBS station; and fell in love with it immediately.Jake's embittered by his situation and not the most likable person as a result. He falls in with a bunch of folks who, in his view, might well be escapees from the Twilight Zone. Conversely, his new co-workers regard his as a stereotype come to life...and an escapee from the Twilight Zone.Watching the Yank and the Canucks learn first to tolerate than take a positive delight in one another is a riot. Judy, the news producer who is Jake's boss and foil, is a delight: Mary Richards as woman of (mostly) steel. Bill, the station manager is a continual laugh as a man who really believes he knows all about Americans but who really needs to get a clue or three.This show is always fun for what is says about Canada and Canadians as much as what it says about us. Ultimately, no one escapes unscathed.

mmcloughlin As the title implies, an American moves up to Canada - and to his surprise, he discovers he's living in a foreign country! Amusing for me, since I grew up on the U.S. side of the Metro Detroit/Windsor area, as a fifth-generation American-born expatriot Canadian -- so, I have something of a different take on the joke about Americans knowing nothing about Canada (except maybe moose and Mounties, and Austin Powers); because, in Metro Detroit/Windsor/Toledo, we all grow up watching the CBC (avec l'exception des Michiganois(es), qui se grandisent à voir le SRC télévision).Anyway, the gist of the series is that an American who knows nothing about Canada ends up learning a lot about Canada and, in the process, learns a lot about himself and the really important things in life.As to the basic premise of American ignorance of Canada, I should say the matter is understated. Americans don't know much about ANYBODY, even other Americans. And it should be noted that Canadians do NOT know as much about Americans as they think they do. For example, Canadians often remark that one of the differences between the two countries is that Canada has two official languages whereas the United States has only one. In fact, the United States has NO official language, and the First and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, together, probably forbid the U.S. Government from establishing one as power reserved to the several states. (In contrast to Canada, where all power not assigned to the provinces by the Canadian Constitution is reserved the federal government; all powers not assigned by the U.S. Constitution to the American federal government are reserved to the governments of the 50 states.) But I digress.Most of the series after the first couple of episodes focuses on Jake Crew's burgeoning journey of self-discovery (to the extent one can pursue self-discovery in a sitcom - or in this case, a "Can-com"), and his slowly developing relationship with Judy.Not great or rip-roaring fun, but a nice "Sunday-ish" bit of low comedy.

sjrenter I have only recently come upon this series thanks to a PBS station. It is well written,deftly acted and paced perfectly. Such a welcome change from US situation-comedies which grow increasingly shrill as they become more and more predictable. While there are echoes of Northern Exposure and various news-room shows (The MTM Show,Sports Night,News Radio et al),An American in Canada manages to be fresh and interesting. The performers are just about perfect.An unexpected delight.I am not familiar with Canadian television and wonder what other worthwhile series there are. I was an original fan of SCTV and am addicted to Kids in the Hall.

shrek2004 An American in Canada is really very boring and the jokes are something Canadians have all seen before. This might work if it was recast and on a bigger American network like CBS or something, but this show is too long. Plus a few other CBC shows, like Royal Canadian Air Farce and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, do skits based on the premise of "an american in canada" and they are a lot funnier. CBC needs some better shows......fast!