Wednesday, January 09, 2008 9:39 AM
OK, maybe that's not totally true. We have the Royal Canadian Air Farce, we had SCTV, and we had Marketplace and Venture...but honestly, unless CFL Football was on CBC didn't really make it on my list of stations to record programming on during the week.
Until now.
Douglas Copeland has transformed his book JPod into a tv series. Taking anything from book to small or large screen always has risks: Will the flair and atmosphere of the book transfer to live actors and screenplays? Will there be the same suspended reality by the viewers like the readers did for some of the more off the wall moments (like Ethan helping his drug-growing mother bury a dealer who accidentally died in their basement)? Could Alan Thicke really pull off playing Ethan's girl-crazy father who's persuing his dream of becoming an actor?
Luckily, the answer to all these questions is yes. JPod emersed yourself straight into the pages of the book, with scenes that made you go "I totally remember that!"...although maybe not the same way you *thought* it would play out in your head.
For instance, Cowboy in my head was nothing like what Cowboy was cast as. Everyone else...pretty much bang on. JPod looks like a dream office compared to the stuffyness I had circulating in my head. If that's the bottom floor, basement suite then I'd love to see what Copeland's mind would dream up for the other floors.
Overall, great series with strong storytelling and that draws from great acting and an established storyline.
D