Seeing Things

For those of you looking to rewatch this series - it's on YouTube right now.

I went looking for where to watch it after watching "Scanners", and recognizing Loius Del Grande (before his head exploded) from this series.

It's cool watching it now, getting a snapshot of Toronto in the 1980s.

Very dated, though - some sexism and racism. I enjoy the humour, spooky visions, and occasional visual reference to the CBC.

I just learned that the leads Louie and Marge are married in real life. I feel like Louis is essentially being himself, and much of his character is based on his actual traits.... minus the ESP of course.

'Cos I'm seeing things, believe me! I've never seen before! 'Cos I'm seeing things, deceive me, Like when you're walkin' out the door, I couldn't believe my eyes !!!

Man I loved this show. I remember the theme song like it was yesterday even though I haven't seen it since i was about 8 years old back in the 1980's. That eerie music when he had the visions, used to scare the pants off me. Gave me nightmares the first time I saw it, but when I got a year older, I found it again and loved it. Too young to be allowed to watch it though. But I still sneaked in the lounge without Mum and Dad seeing me and watched it from behind their chairs. A really great show, probably my favourite show of all time. I hope I get to see it again someday on DVD, I'll buy it straight away. It just had such a charm to it. It's great to see that you guys have seen it too. I also have asked people if they remember it and they look at me as if I'm losing my mind.

I loved this show when I was a kid and have rediscovered it just in the past few months. Compared to some of the shows on TV today this one is very good. Louie was a Canadian cross between Groucho Marx and George Costanza. DelGrande's ad-libs are hilarious. I wonder how much funnier the outtakes were.

Sadly, the CBC will probably never bring this out on DVD. Broadcast royalties were part of most contracts for the crews of CBC shows back then so if they were to bring a show out on DVD they would have to pay massive royalties to anyone who was linked to the show, from the stars all the way down to the clapboard clapper.

This series ran for about six years. Excellent off-beat humor, with witty commentary on Canada, the U.S., family relations, media industries (film, TV, newspapers, music, etc) and life and society in general. The unlikely hero is Louis (as in Looie), who starts having visions after separating from his wife. When he touches a corpse or an item that was on the corpse or was used in the murder, that triggers an increasingly explicit series of visions. Of course, getting the crown attorney to believe him is the first major hurdle. If you like Due South, you will like this one. In fact, Louis did a guest spot on Due South. Perhaps Turner will pick this one up as well. I sure would enjoy Seeing Things again.

It was funny, mysterious and had great T.O. In jokes. It provided some story lines which challenged the status quo.

The main characters were not the "pretty people", they were the talented and flawed people.

It was refreshing, and a topic of conversation at dinner tables which bridged the rigid space between young values and old values.

When will it be available on DVD?

But also when will "Seeing Things 2000+" make it's way onto the world stage, or at least the CBC?

We're waiting;-)