Despite having been neighbors for a significant period of time, the friendship between the United States and Canada has always been a bit shaky. The U.S. likes to make fun of the way Canada says “about,” and Canada likes to ignore cliché jokes about the way it says “about.” Also, the U.S. hates and/or is secretly jealous of Canada’s healthcare system, and Canada is content with its own healthcare system. Actually, this shakiness seems a little one-sided now that we think about it. Anyway, earlier this year, NBC extended an olive branch to its friends in the North and aired Working The Engels, a show dubbed “the first sitcom collaboration between a U.S. and Canadian broadcaster.” It was a time of peace, but it was not meant to last.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC has cancelled Working The Engels after only one season, officially severing any sitcom-based ties between the United States and Canada. The show starred Andrea Martin and focused on a family struggling to manage a “storefront law firm.” It opened to solid ratings when it premiered, but viewers quickly dropped off—presumably as they realized that the pun in the title isn’t all that clever.
THR says NBC will replace Engels with new episodes of Welcome To Sweden, which was already renewed for a second season. In the end, this is just proof that the U.S. may tire of Avril Lavigne and Celine Dion, but it will always love ABBA. That’s why it can never truly be Canada’s friend. They’re just too different.