InsideTheCBC.com » Little Mosque: A TV Insider’s Detailed Critique

Little Mosque: A TV Insider’s Detailed Critique

TV scriptwriter Denis McGrath has weighed in with a thoughtful, detailed critique of Little Mosque on the Prairie. What makes Denis’ critique so compelling is that he’s in the business of actually writing television comedy. (As opposed to most TV critics who simply watch TV, then write about it.)
For instance, in a character-by-character critique, Denis points out that:

Fatima plays the same role in the show as Babur. Two characters who play exactly the same role does not work in Comedy. You don’t need two Dumb Joeys…you don’t need two space cadet Phoebes, and you don’t need Fatima and Babur, both. One’s gotta show a different side or it’s gonna be a bitch trying to service them both. It’s not enough that she’s a person of color. What makes her distinct and unique? She was useful as a plot point (she’s a woman and wants the barrier too!) but useful as a plot point does not a good character make.

Denis’ blog, called Dead Things On Sticks is always a compelling insider’s read about his line of work, and it’s at http://heywriterboy.blogspot.com

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2 Responses to “Little Mosque: A TV Insider’s Detailed Critique”

M. Mortazavi says:

Frankly, I do not think the two characters are identical or redundant.

One major difference between the two is their gender. It is necessary to have both because the views they hold does represent farcical rendition of some views held in both gender communities. If Fatima was eliminated, we would not know this and it will deepend our biases against the community. If Baber is eliminated, the story loses some credibility. So, I think the writer has made the right choice and held to her premise here.

I’m sure we’ll see them develop their character in different ways as this series unfolds.

By the way, I’ve written about the series a bit here: http://blogs.sun.com/MortazaviBlog/entry/little_canadian_sitcom_on_the

I think all the main characters in this comedy have potential for development. The series has qualities that might be similar to those of an earlier series: Northern Exposure.