After reading a bunch of negative reviews of this show, I felt I had to write one myself. Most of the reviews seem to be by canadians who know Rick Mercer from other shows, where he supposedly was "a lot funnier. What happened?" I am not from Canada and had never heard about mr Mercer before stumbling upon this show, and I love it.
The show's main premise is that Mercer travels around Canada and meets with people from different places and walks of life. It's a great mix of destinations, and you get to learn a lot about of canadian geography, and the people who live there. Sometimes, he goes to far away rural places, like Inuvik, NT, where he attends the Sunrise Festival. In another show, he goes to The University of Victoria, where he learns about neuroscience. Interspersed with the travel reports are short bits with satirical commentary on canadian political matters.
Mercer is a funny guy and he makes fun of the people he's talking to, and the places he's visiting in his travel reports. The jokes are never nasty, and he always makes himself the butt of the joke in the end. My only criticism is that the constant joking makes the interviews a bit shallow. Then again, the comedy is part of what makes this show great.
The political commentary bits are funny, but are not what makes the show stand out. They feel a bit generical to an outside observer, since it's difficult to identify with the issues when you don't live there. For canadians, they may be spot on, I have no idea. Mercer's outrage for what to me seems to be mild concerns about the canadian government (compared to the US), only makes me feel like Canada is a damn great place to live in.
Coming from northern Europe, I know a lot about US geography and the people there. That annoys me to no end, because I find the USA a lot less interesting than Canada. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about Canada. For instance, I had never heard about a place called Nunavut. I actually had to google it to realize it was a territory, not a town! So this show is a godsend for a foreigner who wants to learn more about Canada and canadian life in a playful way.
