Katie Couric wishes for a Muslim Cosby Show. Clarence Page thinks that is a good idea. Then again, Canada has had a comedy about Muslims since 2007. Maybe a cable network can pick up episodes of Little Mosque on the Prairie from the CBC.
Fox had agreed to do an American version as far back as 2008, but the Americanized version of the show hasn't hit the air, or even been cast.
Little Mosque on the Prairie takes place in Saskatchewan (the prairie) and has a mixed cast of Muslims and non-Muslims. Some of the Muslims are more conservative, others more liberal.
I got a chance to see an episode in November, as I was barely across the border. If you are on the Canadian side, you can access previous episodes through the CBC Web site.
The episode centered around a Muslim fast to raise money for the mosque, which actually is a room within a church. The church, at the same time, puts in a candy bar machine, so that the fast won't make enough money.
Canadian comedy isn't as fast-paced or joke-oriented as American comedies, but the interaction of Muslims and non-Muslims feels very real, and you do feel like you learn something about Muslims, even if the scenarios are fictitious.
Americans would benefit from a straight feed of CBC on U.S. cable systems. World-oriented newscasts, lots of great hockey coverage, and of course, sitcoms that embrace elements not normally seen in the States.
Since Fox isn't likely to put an American version on, and it might be even worse than the attempt to redo Coupling, the best solution would be a U.S. cable channel acquiring the rights to carry reruns of the show. There are four years worth of episodes, so the run would be significant.
Couric and Page are correct in that Muslims need to be shown in a better light, good and bad, like everyone else. Couric probably still doesn't realize there is a Canadian version; Page devoted one sentence to the Canadian show — 23 words in a 693-word column.
Couric and Page use the Cosby Show analogy. To be frank, Muslims need a Good Times more than a Cosby Show. By the time the Cosby Show aired on NBC, African-Americans had more than a few shows on the air, such as Good Times and What's Happening. That doesn't even count starring vehicles such as Benson.
Muslims haven't even had a Julia moment. Cosby Show is a long way to go, but the best way to start is to import Little Mosque on the Prairie from the CBC to American audiences. Then again, Muslims are as obscure to American audiences as Saskatchewan — maybe it will feel more like Vulcans and Klingons in Star Trek.
photo credit: Little Mosque on the Prairie show/CBC
Just thought I'd mention that season 1-3 are on dvd. you can get them through amazon.com, if they're not available in stores in the u.s.
Posted by: SelahBeth | January 23, 2011 at 12:17 AM
Thanks. Good to know. But the awareness of the program would increase if a cable outlet carried the episodes.
This would increase the awareness also of Katie Couric, Clarence Page, and others in the MSM.
Posted by: Chad | January 23, 2011 at 08:14 PM