If you dont get 'it' I'm not going to explain.

[Road Runner]

Just found this quote that applies to a Canadian produced TV series that was very popular in the US, Canada and the UK.
Unfortunately I doubt that the Aussies and Kiwis have seen it because I'm sure you would get the joke.

The only reason why the use of these... names would be funny to Canadians... was because such references would be unknown to Americans who Canadian viewers knew would be watching the show in the United States

If you don't understand the quote - then you don't get 'it'

RR.


PS. I found after a little explanation that the Thais do get it.

[Torurot]

What's the name of the show? Septics don't "do" Irony. Just like they "do" hypocrisy, but don't "get it".

[kahuna]

I'm not certain the word irony is the correct word here...but...The name of the show is Due South...

Nonetheless, perhaps the answer to RR's question rests someplace in the following from Wikipedia...

"The series was known for its extensive use of in-jokes for character names. The characters who appeared over the course of the series included Dawn Charest, an RCMP inspector named Meg Thatcher (alluding to Margaret Thatcher), Doctor Esther Pearson (an allusion to Lester B. Pearson), newspaper reporter Mackenzie King, and a trio of police agents named Huey, Dewey and Louis. As well, Stanley Kowalski's wife was, unsurprisingly, named Stella. When Fraser was asked by an official for his mother's maiden name, he answered, 'Pinsent.' In the episode 'North', Steve Smith appears as a ticket agent in a small Canadian airport playing a character reminiscent of Red Green, Vecchio angrily calls him 'Mr. Funny-hat.' Finally, Fraser's pet Diefenbaker is named for a Canadian Prime Minister.

The radio and television series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon was an influence on writer Paul Haggis;[14] Diefenbaker's being named after a Prime Minister may be an allusion to Sergeant Preston's dog, who was named 'King.' There are also significant resemblances to Corporal Carrot and the werewolf Angua of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.[15]

The names 'Fraser' and 'Frobisher' are references to Canadian explorers, both connected to the search for commercial passages to the Pacific. Simon Fraser journeyed from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in 1808. However, the Fraser River (named after him) turned out to be unusable as a trade route. Sir Martin Frobisher was a 16th Century explorer who attempted three voyages in search of a Northwest Passage, but did not make it further than Northeastern Canada."

But the truth is, I'm don't get it either...I think maybe it's a British joke that a Yank can never understand...Sorry RR...Maybe we can coerce him into telling us the real answer...

PS...The show was apparently broadcast in Australia...

More info here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_South

[rxpharm]

kahuna, yes, that is a good summary of the show's quirks. I use to watch it when it was first broadcast and certainly the additional humor from the names was great - it was broadcast in the US too, as it was co-produced by a US and Canadian network. Ratings were ok in the US for it to last around 3 seasons or so. The last episode was bizzare involving parachuting mounties, a submarine and dog sleighs!

[Road Runner]

Well Done Kahunna!

But like I said in the topic title if you don't get it I'm not going to explain it.

Part of the fun of the show was the way some of the jokes were constructed - there were often two or three levels to each one.
You often have to watch a program two or three times to catch each part of the joke.

Even the basic plot was a joke - Benton Fraser was a stereotype of what many Americans think Canadians and especially Mounties are like.
On the other hand he dispayed atributes more like a superhero (Batman etc.) and brushes each instance off as if it's something everyone can do.

RR.