Monday night television

I don't watch too many television programs. In fact, once I move, I have no intention of getting cable or satellite television. I'll still have a TV, of course - but I'll use it to watch DVDs and to keep some plants off the floor. (Umm... I can still get Coronation Street on Channel 6, right?)

Nonetheless, I get pretty excited on Mondays because season two of Tout sur moi has finally started. I discovered it last year as part of my push to improve my language skills by immersing myself more in French culture, and soon became a veritable fanatic.

The narrative outlines the personal and professional lives of three well-known Québec actors, who play... well, themselves. Or at least versions of themselves, peppered up by insanely comedic situations and the whims of screenwriter Stéphane Bourguignon. Every week is another angst-filled, trippy voyage through their lives, with many cameos by other Québecois cultural icons who also play skewed versions of themselves.

What makes this program more likeable than a reality show is that it purposefully - and joyfully - blurs the line between reality and fiction. For example, Serge Postigo, that nice man who's married to Marina Orsini and who does summer theatre in the Eastern Townships, makes his entrance and you're expecting him to behave exactly like Mr. Marina-Orsini-who-does-summer-theatre should.

Except in this universe he's a sex addict. And it works.

How big a jones do I have for this show? Last fall, I crossed Valérie Blais (one of the leads) while walking from the metro station to my office. It took every fibre of my being not to run back and gush about how much I love her, how she's a brilliant comedic actress, how if they ever wanted to write in a stalker for VB on the show - like an anglo Emilie Bibeau - I would be more than available... and then she would have hugged me...

You get the picture.

So season two has started (season one not yet available on DVD, I checked), and already there have been many insane moments that made me laugh out loud. If you're home on a Monday night, check it out and let me know what you think.

What's on tonight? Season two of The Wire on DVD... "do you feel me?"