'Royal Canadian Air Farce' sketch series to end 15-year run on CBC- CP

[Yrys]

BC-TV's long-running comedy show, "The Royal Canadian Air Farce," is ending its 15-year run, a mutual decision by the show's producers and the network.

TORONTO - CBC-TV's long-running comedy show, "The Royal Canadian Air Farce," is ending its 15-year run, a mutual decision by the show's producers and
the network. Producers Don Ferguson and Roger Abbott, who also star on the beloved sketch comedy series, have informed the cast and crew that there will be
a truncated, 10-episode season starting in the fall, with a final "Air Farce" farewell edition airing on New Year's Eve. "All good things must come to an end," Ferguson
said Tuesday. "Our last deal with the CBC was made after our 12th season and it was for three years, and the feeling was that would be long enough."

He added the new regime of CBC programming executives seemed to agree. "It's all new people here since then ... there's a totally new regime, and what they want
to do, and I agree with them completely, is they want to do their own thing," he said. "The thing about TV time-slots is you can't make new ones. The only way you can
get your hands on one is if somebody vacates. If they're going to come in and do their job, they don't want to feel they have to carry every predecessor's decision."

Other cast members of the show, in particular Luba Goy, are disappointed by the decision to call it quits, Ferguson added. "She's upset; this has been her main gig forever
and ever," Ferguson said. "I have kind of mixed feelings about it. Thirty-five years is a long time, and if there's a chance we're ever going to do anything else in our lives
besides this, we have to stop this first. But personally I feel bad for all the other people on the staff and the cast - none of them wanted to stop. So I am feeling kind
of responsible in a sense."

Kirstine Layfield, CBC's head of network programming, paid tribute to the show on Tuesday, and added Canadians have likely not seen the last of the "Air Farce" crew.

 

[PMedMoe]

I'm going to miss the Chicken Cannon!  :'(

 

[c_canuk]

should have happened 10 years ago when they were still funny

 

[Jammer]

There's always one out there..... :

 

[Fishbone Jones]

There's always one out there..... :

There's more than one. I think they should have been shot from their own cannon years ago also. They haven't been funny since the radio days of the 70's, and more recently have become nothing but a mouthpiece for the left wing agenda of the CBC, who should follow them into oblivion. Good riddance.

 

[Jammer]

No really, what do you think???

 

[geo]

Love em or hate em, everyone has an opinion.

From a personal perspective, there are enough OTHER Canadian comedy troops out there to take their place.

 

[X-mo-1979]

Never did find them funny,however it's most likely due to my sense of humour. I always found it kind of like bad jokes you see the humour in but not really that funny (like a mushroom being a fungi etc).

Rick Mercer report,this hour has 22 minutes are two really good one's....Maybe they'll bring back CODCO!

Anyone else remember them?

(Side note: the Wonderful Grand Band that played on CODCO,it's lead singer guitar player is Glen Simmons from the Fables.He lives a couple houses away from me back home)

 

[Neill McKay]

There's more than one. I think they should have been shot from their own cannon years ago also. They haven't been funny since the radio days of the 70's,

I never cared for the Air Farce on TV.  Radio comedy rarely seems to make the transition to TV very well.  The Frantics were brilliant on the radio but more or less fell flat on television.

and more recently have become nothing but a mouthpiece for the left wing agenda of the CBC, who should follow them into oblivion.

If the CBC had a left-wing agenda -- which I strongly suspect it doesn't, in fact couldn't based simply on the sheer size and diversity of the place -- surely it wouldn't be cancelling a popular mouthpiece, would it?

 

[sandyson]

The old radio show was excellent.  However the personal attacks became vulgar.  I join the crew that is glad to see them gone.  The Mercer rants are frequently humorous and attack policies not individuals.  I hope he continues to draw the line.  The comedy festivals are the best.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

They used to be funny and more balanced in their attacks, with Mercer gone, any spark and writing talent left with him. I have no doubt that the majority of people got tired of their "anti-bush" rants and their tired jokes about the CPC.

They should have quit a long time ago.

 

[geo]

So I guess we will all look forward to New Year's day 2009...... when there will be no more Air Farce.

Maybe they can retire the Chicken cannon to the War Museum OR the Museum of civilization (or lack thereof)

 

[Spencer100]

One down rest of the corpse to go


Now where is threat on Battlestar..........

 

[davidk]

The only good thing about that show was John Morgan, and he died in 2004. The show should have gone with him.

 

[JesseWZ]

Yes, good old Mike from Canmore. May he Rest in Peace.
I am glad to see the show end. I used to watch it when the cast consisted of Roger Abbott, Don Ferguson, Luba Goy and John Morgan. Once they started bringing in those poor substitutes for John the show took a rapid slide downhill.

 

[Thompson_JM]

Im with the bulk who are happy to see em take off... eh?

They were good on the radio, and in the early years of the TV show I found them humourous..... mind you as I mature and learn and develop my own views of the world, I had begun to discover that they were no longer funny to me, and it seemed like there were far too many jokes being done in poor taste and attacking persons instead of policies...

Like HighlandIslander said "The only good thing about that show was John Morgan, and he died in 2004. The show should have gone with him."

It was funny... but they just let it run on way too long... and no one likes when a joke goes on for too long....

You got that right...
You betcha...
oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah....

 

[Proud_Newfoundlander]

I found it was solid enough, but it was wearing down, especially after Morgan left. I did find their humour disproportionally in favour of the left, even more so with the addition of Alan park. They had a good run, longer than most CBC programs, they should be proud.

As for 22 Minutes that show has been declining ever since most of the orginal cast members have been leaving, and now it isnt as funny as it used to be, and its extremely bias. Rick Mercer isnt bad, great at many times, and dosent really favour one side over the other.

But, I dunno where im gonna see my impressions of our leaders, and their smearing (literally) with the Chicken cannon