Made in Canada (1998)
Made in Canada is a Canadian television situation comedy which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2003. Rick Mercer co-created the program and starred as mercenary TV producer Richard Strong. In the United States, France, Australia and Latin America, the show was syndicated as The Industry. It was produced using a single camera setup.
-
Episode 1 - The Pitch
Release Date: 2001-10-12Richard's latest pilot is a disaster. Victor lords it over him as they enter a meeting with Alan. Alan decides to bring in a creative team known as ""The Two Daves"" When they arrive however, they're on Dave short. Dave has a great deal of difficulty coming up with any good ideas on his own. Richard helps him out saying he has an annonymous writer with some ideas. The writer wants 50% of Dave's consulting fee ($50,000). Dave finally agrees. The writer of course, is Richard. Victor wants a date with Veronica's friend but she thinks he's gay. He then finds out Veronica's Gym (female only)is only four blocks away. Alan and him sue for membership. Hours later they find out there is a better gym even closer, the only catch, is that its a gay Gym.
-
Episode 2 - Trojan Horse
Release Date: 2001-10-19Eliza, who is Network Brian's daughter, is at the office on a school work study. Alan gets asked by Network Brian to keep Richard and Victor away from her, and he tells the to go away, but not too far. Victor takes Richard to an empty soundstage where they brianstorm about a sci-fi history movie. Meanwhile, Eliza pitches show ideas that are all old shows with minor, and not workable, differances and falls in love with Veronica, and Veronica rejects her. Richard and Victor end up taking a drunken and depressed Eliza home, to find Alan and Network Brian in the apartment.
-
Episode 3 - Roomies
Release Date: 2001-10-26In an attempt to be sure the reality show ""Roomies"" dosen't get canceled, Alan makes sweeping changes, including the eventual firing of the actual 'roomies' in favor of Veronica, Victor, and Alan himself. Of course the network cancels the show.
-
Episode 4 - Office Rumours
Release Date: 2001-11-02Veronica complains to Alan about the feeling of a posionous work envrionment, as well as how babyish the Beaver Creek actors have been lately. Wanda suggests Veronica get child care books to help her deal with the actors, which sparks the rumour that Veronica is pregnant. Victor can't let go of getting a ""password"" for when he, Alan, and Richard talk about Veronica's ""situation"". Alan decides to make Veronica quit, so he doesn't have to pay her matromony. To do this, he decides to start a fake company to hire her away. Belinda has a brief conversation with Richard and Victor, where she's told not to make any press releases. The guys then decide to put Belinda in Veronica's place when she goes on leave, so they can be in control. Belinda sends out a press release, and before Alan can fire her, she first announces that she's pregnant, and then states she's going to try to get a job with the fictious company the guys were trying to get Veronica to join.
-
Episode 5 - Corporate Retreat
Release Date: 2001-11-09Alan hears of a great team building retreat through Moses Znaimer. Without knowing anything about it Alan signs up the office staff to attend. When they get there they discover a Facillitator who won't let them leave. All of his activities have long drawn out storries attached to them, but in actual fact they are just lame games we all played in school. (Egg on spoon) The retreat ends with Victor falling into the fire pit and the group leaving. In order to make up for the hell they went through, Richard calls another production company and tells them about a ""Great Retreat""
-
Episode 6 - Everyone's a Critic
Release Date: 2001-11-16A series of bad reviews come in for some of Alan's shows that get him very upset. Meanwhile, Wanda's cat needs an operation and the crew don't seem to care. Wanda, upset by their lack of care sets Alan on all of them by constantly reminding him of everything he's asked them to do. Richard finds out and decides to train Wanda to be as evil as him. Pulling pranks on the group and getting Victor in trouble by writing a letter to the editor in Victor's name bashing the critic who won't lay off Alan. Wanda begins to feel guilty and promises never to be evil again. Meanwhile the group comes up with a plan to create a show about Television reviewers. The critic (JW) tells Richard that the reason she hates Alan so much is that they slept together ten years ago and never called her back. When Alan confronts JW she tells him that they never slept together, it turns out that Victor was the person that jilted her.
-
Episode 7 - Beaver Creek Commercials
Release Date: 2001-11-23An aging US star seeking a comeback is set to appear on Beaver Creek. She arrives late to set, complaining of the baggage handler strike going on at the air port. She begins to push her ultra conservative agenda, arguing everything from the Trickle Down Theory with Blind Jimmy to the futility of gun locks with Richard. Alan returns from Japan, sans Victor who has been taken by several angry baggage handlers and beaten. Alan announces he has seen a commercial in Japan starring Blind Jimmy. Worried that their funding will be cut if the network discovers the ads Alan decides to cash in on the idea, and makes the entire cast do commrecials for Japan in secret.
-
Episode 8 - Creative Bookkeeping
Release Date: 2001-11-30Pyramid's CFO dies and Richard helps to replace him with his old stock broker from Ohm Dot Com. He hopes that he will be able to control him, but things get out of hand when he begins dating Veronica and questioning Richard's bizzare spending on Beaver Creek. Meanwhile a magazine keeps calling to do an interview with Alan. He thinks its a feature, but it later turns out to be a joke, focussing on all of the comedians Alan turned down over the years, including: Mike Myers, Jim Carey, and Michael J. Fox.
-
Episode 9 - Tax Audit
Release Date: 2001-12-07Wanda, worried about a Tax Audit demanding money for $75,000 in stock divedends is disheartened to learn that the gang won't help her. When they realise why she is being audited they all try and suck up to her to find out how she makes so much money in the stock market. Little do they know the Audit was a mistake, and Wanda doesn't make the money they all believe she does. She tricks them into all submitting the same show idea to Alan in an effort to make them look stupid. Sadly for Wanda, the plan backfires and Alan is thrilled to see his management team working and thinking together.
-
Episode 10 - Alan's Brother
Release Date: 2002-01-11A man shows up at Pyramid claiming to be Alan's brother. It turns out that Alan has had had a brother who has been living in a mental hospital for the last twenty six years. Frank who seems to want to do no harm, other than annoy Alan seems content on counting things, jelly beans, files, dots on the ceiling, when he comes across a file that shows that he owns a company called AlanLand that owns 53% of Pyramid. With Frank in a home Alan created the company and made himself CEO, but with Frank out, he's now in charge. The group comes up with a plan to drive Frank back to the home and returning their original Lunatic leader back to power.
-
Episode 11 - Book of Damacles
Release Date: 2002-01-25Alan decides to cash in on Damacles' popularity in Germany and asks Michael Rushton (Damacles) to write a book based on the philosophy of Damacles. Unfortunately, after weeks of work all he has come up with is a title. Alan charges Veronica and Richard to write the entire book. The pair get wasted on techilla and end up writing what becomes a best seller. Unfortunately this creates another problem as Michael begins to believe he is a god. Richard is forced to bring him back down to Earth which ends up destroying the books popularity, but saving the show from cancellation.
-
Episode 12 - Veronica's Friend
Release Date: 2002-02-01Veronica's friend from when she was in high school comes to visit. Back then she was a poor nobody, but now she comes complete with fur coats and a snobby euro-accent as well as a shady past where she may have killed her two former rich husbands, and now she's on the lookout for a third. Is Alan next? Richard has to get a web address for Pyramid to get online, but it looks like the Plumbing King of Pensylvania has bought up all the good addresses (like www.pyramid-tv.com), and he's asking way too much. Richard manages to convince Veronica's friend to date the Plumbing King, and in return he gives the web addresses to Richard, who sells them to Alan through a numbered holding company he owns. When Alan suspects Richard of this he tries to call the Plumbing King to find out who he gave the address to, but he had died tragically days earler. Alan is overjoyed, believing he now has a shot with her.
-
Episode 13 - Just Another Week
Release Date: 2002-03-01Alan discovers his senior staff are all giving seminars at the Toronto Film Institute and becomes jealous. When he tries however to get himself admitted as a speaker they reject him. In order to appease Alan the group convinces the TFI to allow Alan to teach a class by giving them two seperate donations out of their Discretionary Production budget. All goes well until Victor decides to one-up them by having things turned into a one night Tribute (roast)The roast is cancelled at the last minute and Alan decides to produce a video for the students. The videos budget is tight as the discretionary production fund is now empty after another round of donations to the TFI and as a result it is terrible. So terrible in fact the TFI fires Veronica, Victor and Richard from their teaching possitions. Alan on the other hand thinks the video is gold and suggests producing another one.
-
Episode 14 - The War of 1812
Release Date: 2002-03-08A brash and irritating American Network exec comes to Pyramid to discuss their new joint project ""The War of 1812"" The exec has problems with everything including the food, the water, and the fact that the Americans lost the war. She forces Richard to change the ending so as to have the Americans win. She also changes the famous British Red Coats to Teal, because they film better.
-
Episode 15 - Damacles, Time Traveler
Release Date: 2002-03-15This episode blended a clever behind the scenes look at Damacles with the real goings on with the show. Richard, in an attempt to save money has a historical monument moved and in turn gets the entire production thrown out of its location. Victor comes up with the idea for Damacles to travel to the future (present) and have the final battle with Hamacles in the Pyramid offices.
-
Episode 16 - Wrap Party
Release Date: 2002-03-22Alan deceides the Beaver Creek Wrap Party is too too expensive, and has it relocated to the office. Blind Jimmy brings some pretty good pot and the entire group get very high. During the party someone rips off all of the office equipment. The reverand tells Allan what he really thinks of him, and he's fired. The Network's representitive gets loaded along with the rest of them and confides that to Richard that he wants his job. Just as things heat up the cops show up and arrest everyone. Richard and the network exec sneak out through an emergency ladder.