The Canadian Screen Awards were handed out last week in Toronto. There were many worthy winners and even more talented Canadians in the film and television industries who deserve all the accolades that come their way. My take, however, is that the flood of categories and escalating number of nominations diminishes the value of each award. It’s a bit like giving every kid a soccer trophy just for participating. When does affirmation just seem like pandering or fundraising?
In some instances, as well, it seems that trophys are distributed in reverse proportion to the size of the audience. Popular shows such as Murdoch Mysteries and Son of a Critch seem to get snubbed while shows that are canceled or barely draw a carload of viewers fill their trophy cases.
This is not a shot at The Porter or Sort Of, two well-crafted, well-cast, worthy shows that won boatloads of trophies last week. When shows that are barely seen win almost everything in sight, however, it can’t help but feel odd to many Canadian viewers. There is an old saying in television: the audience is always right.
To be fair, they are not always right. Some shows are ahead of their time, or too niche, but are still amazing. They deserve all the encouragement an industry award show can muster. The CSAs, however, as I’ve pointed out before here, are scheduled too late in a season to bring viewers to a series that has already been cancelled. There’s a reason why the Emmys are handed out in September — that is, in broadcasting, still the start of a season.
Okay, annual rant over. For lists of all the Canadian Screen Award winners in the various Film and TV categories, go here. Below are some photos of presenters and winners at the CSAs (all photos by George Pimentel):
