The Jon Dore Television Show

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The Jon Dore Television Show
Format Sitcom, mockumentary
Created by Jon Dore and John Brunton
Starring Jon Dore
Country of origin Canada
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive
producer(s)
John Brunton
Running time 30 Minutes (with commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel The Comedy Network
Original airing October 17, 2007

The Jon Dore Television Show is a mockumentary-style sitcom, based on an idea by Jon Dore and John Brunton. The show stars Canadian actor and comedian Jon Dore, of recent Canadian Idol co-host fame. The Comedy Network ordered 13 half hour episodes of the series, which premiered on October 17, 2007 at 11pm ET.[1]

Contents

[edit] Episode Format

Each half-hour episode revolves around the central character, Jon Dore, playing a pseudo-realistic version of himself.

At the beginning of each episode, Jon Dore can usually be seen contemplating a life choice, revelation, or combating/dealing with a singular global issue which will be the central plot element of each episode, and then usually introduces himself by saying "Hi. I'm TV's Jon Dore". The format involves fictional scripted scenes of story intertwined with plot-related [specifically chosen] interviews. The interviews involve Jon Dore sitting down in real-life interviews or interacting realistically [as in the case of a doctor visit] with somebody in real life, whose occupation or vocation is a position relateable to the story, as well as the progression of the story thus far (such as receiving an official sperm count at a donation clinic, near the end of an episode dealing with sexual insecurity.) The camera, usually operated solely by Jon Dore or by a small two-man crew [according to the show itself] catches the real-life reactions of the interviewees as well as Jon Dore's antics as he proposes often ludicrous, comical, uncomfortable, and seemingly realistic [with comic connotations] questions and circumstances.

As the real-life interviews which help to forward the story end, they are usually closed-off with Jon Dore and the crew exiting or on set of the location, with Jon often breaking the fourth wall and becoming heavily camera conscious, adverse to the conventional methodology of standard contemporary reality TV shows (such as Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List, which follows a similar albeit fully non-fictional format accompanying little camera-interaction). Also, further adding to the oft increasingly confusing presentation of each episode, Jon Dore is seen discussing a joke or plot element with the writers in an apparent "writer's room," referencing a concurrent or preceding episode element, and the path and discussion that involved its inception into the final episode.

At the end of each show, Jon is shown contemplating the events of the episode and explaining his feelings about them to the audience. The host closes every episode with the phrase "I'm Jon Dore, thank you for watching television".

[edit] Recurring Characters

'Susan Lynne - Therapist'

Susan Lynne has appeared as Jon Dore's therapist in several episodes. Ms. Lynne is an actual Toronto based therapist who was approached by the show's producers to appear in an episode. She was later asked to reprise her role when her interaction with Jon was found to work well on-screen. The dialogue between Jon and Susan is unscripted, with Susan attempting to engage Jon as if he were an actual client, despite his exaggerated 'personal issues'.

[edit] Episodes

Season 1: 2007-2008

# Title Original airdate Production Code
1 "Fertility"  October 17, 2007 101
2 "Problem Drinker"  October 24, 2007 103
3 "Fit"  October 31, 2007 104
4 "Happiness"  November 7, 2007 102
5 "STD"  November 14, 2007 106
6 "Smoking"  November 21, 2007 105
7 "Manly Man"  November 28, 2007 107
8 "Ready for Love"  December 5, 2007 108
9 "Jon Gets Scared"  December 12, 2007 109
10 "Jon Gets Political"  January 2, 2008 110
11 "Jonathan-A-Thon"  January 31, 2008 111
12 "Rage"  February 7, 2008 113
13 "Loss and Roger"  February 14, 2008 112

[edit] References

[edit] External links