Dog House is a Canadian comedy television series broadcast by YTV in the 1990–91 season.

Dog House
GenreComedy
Created byDan Gordon[1]
StarringShelley Peterson
Jaimz Woolvett
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producerJon Slan[1]
ProducerRichard Borchiver[1]
Running time30 minutes
Production companyParagon Entertainment Corporation[1]
Original release
NetworkYTV
USA Network
Release10 October 1990 (1990-10-10) –
1991 (1991)

Premise

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During a car accident, a police detective's mind is swapped with the mind of Digby, his St Bernard dog partner on duty. Helen Underwood (Shelley Peterson), the officer's widowed sister-in-law, takes custody of Digby where he joins her children Annabelle (Valentina Cardinalli), Richie (Jaimz Woolvett) and Timmy (Jonathan Shapiro).[2] Now inhabiting Digby's body, the detective is able to talk with the family.[3]

Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
TBA"Pilot"UnknownUnknownOctober 10, 1990 (1990-10-10)
1"Speak Digby Speak"UnknownUnknownOctober 21, 1990 (1990-10-21)
2"The Furniture Show"UnknownUnknownOctober 28, 1990 (1990-10-28)
3"Lost and Found"UnknownUnknownNovember 4, 1990 (1990-11-04)
4"Going, Going, Gone"Lee BernhardiJonathan GrossNovember 11, 1990 (1990-11-11)
5"A Dog and His Bone"UnknownUnknownNovember 18, 1990 (1990-11-18)
6"Amazing Annabelle"UnknownUnknownNovember 25, 1990 (1990-11-25)
7"The Cyrano Show"UnknownUnknownDecember 2, 1990 (1990-12-02)
8"Ted Moves In"UnknownUnknownDecember 9, 1990 (1990-12-09)
9"Helen's Date"UnknownUnknownDecember 16, 1990 (1990-12-16)
10"The Great North American Camping Experience"UnknownUnknownJanuary 20, 1991 (1991-01-20)
11"Coming of Age"UnknownUnknownJanuary 27, 1991 (1991-01-27)
12"Rear Window"UnknownUnknownFebruary 3, 1991 (1991-02-03)
13"Ted Meats His Match"UnknownUnknownFebruary 10, 1991 (1991-02-10)
14"Spot Marks the Ex"UnknownUnknownFebruary 17, 1991 (1991-02-17)
15"A Matter of Trust"UnknownUnknownFebruary 24, 1991 (1991-02-24)
16"Dog Day Glickman"UnknownUnknownMarch 3, 1991 (1991-03-03)
17"Uncle Digby's History"UnknownUnknownMarch 10, 1991 (1991-03-10)
18"Obedience School"UnknownUnknownMarch 17, 1991 (1991-03-17)
19"Iris' Cookies"UnknownUnknownApril 7, 1991 (1991-04-07)
20"Fear of Flying"UnknownUnknownApril 14, 1991 (1991-04-14)
21"Eye on Clearview"UnknownUnknownApril 21, 1991 (1991-04-21)
22"Risky Business"UnknownUnknownApril 28, 1991 (1991-04-28)
23"Digby's Secret Is Out"UnknownUnknownMay 5, 1991 (1991-05-05)
24"Bachelor Number Three"UnknownUnknownMay 12, 1991 (1991-05-12)
25"Rentsok"UnknownUnknownMay 19, 1991 (1991-05-19)

Former Ontario premier David Peterson, whose wife portrayed series character Helen Underwood, appeared in a guest role on the series as a school janitor.[4]

Reception

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David Hiltbrand of People panned the series, noting "[t]he humor is very forced. This pooch of a show arrived neutered."[5] Tony Atherton of the Ottawa Citizen also derided the series as "a classically lame-brained TV situation without redeeming values".[2] Greg Quill of the Toronto Star "contains not a whit of original thought nor anything resembling a line worthy of a giggle".[6]

DVD release

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On 19 April 2016, Mill Creek Entertainment released Dog House – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[7]

Dog House Reunion

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On 1 March 2022, cast and crew members from DOG HOUSE reunited online,[8] their first public appearance together in over three decades, to raise money for Literacy Central Vancouver Island.[9] The reunion, organized by NUTFLAKES,[10] a community-run video store in a church basement in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, brought together series stars Shelley Peterson, Jaimz Woolvett, and Valentina Cardinalli, along with series regulars Barry Flatman and David Bronstein. Later in the program, production manager Noella Nesoly and animal trainer Mathilde de Cagny joined in.

During the event, participants discussed the unknown whereabouts of original cast member Jonathan Shapiro, the series' only leading actor besides the deceased Bodie (who played the talking dog, and the 'voice of Digby', the late Bruce Johnson), not to attend.

The reunion was precipitated by extensive media coverage, including interviews with DOG HOUSE star Valentina Cardinalli and event organizer Mark Kleiner on CBC Saskatchewan Weekend with Shauna Powers[11] on 27 February 2022, and with Kleiner on CTV News Saskatoon with Jeff Rogstad on 28 Feb 2022.[12]

To honour the reunion, Mayor Leonard Krog signed a mayoral proclamation on 24 February 2022 declaring 1 March 2022 DOG HOUSE DAY in the City of Nanaimo.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "USA Network". Variety. 6 May 1991. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b Atherton, Tony (10 October 1990). "Dog House a flea-bitten sitcom from YTV". Ottawa Citizen. p. D2.
  3. ^ Moca, Diane Joy (18 November 1990). "Usa Series 'Off The Wall'". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Peterson to give university lectures". The Record. Kitchener-Waterloo. 3 January 1991. p. A3.
  5. ^ Hiltbrand, David (12 November 1990). "Picks and Pans Review: Dog House". People. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  6. ^ Quill, Greg (10 October 1990). "Dance music fans ignored". Toronto Star. p. F3.
  7. ^ The 1990 Canadian Sitcom's 'Complete Series' on DVD Archived 1 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "DOG HOUSE Reunion 2022". 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "Literacy Central Vancouver Island". Archived from the original on 10 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Nutflakes Facebook page". Facebook. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Saskatchewan Weekend: Saskatoon's Mark Kleiner organizes 'Dog House' cast reunion". CBC Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022.
  12. ^ "CTV News Saskatoon at Six for Monday, February 28, 2022". CTV Saskatoon. 28 February 2022. pp. Interview starts at time stamp 44:23.
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