My Life as a Dog (TV series)

My Life as a Dog
Starring	Michael Yarmush Callum Keith Rennie Jennifer Clement Joy Coghill
Country of origin	Canada
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	22
Production
Running time	30 min.
Broadcast
Original channel	Showtime
Original run	April 6, 1997 – September 13, 1997

My Life as a Dog is a contemporary, half-hour Canadian TV series that aired in 1996 and ran for 22 episodes. It was based on the 1985 Swedish movie of the same name and developed for Canadian television by, among others, Reidar Jönsson, author of the original autobiographical book.^[1]

It is the coming of age story of a young boy, brutally dragged away from his familiar universe into an unknown world. Though aimed at teens, it has been rated above the usual "infantile sitcoms".^[2]

The series was shot on location in Winnipeg and Gimli, Manitoba. It was directed by Neill Fearnley and produced by Atlantis Films Limited and Credo Entertainment Group.

Plot

After his mother's death and with his sailor father away at sea, imaginative 11-year-old Eric Johansson is sent to live in a small fishing village with his mother's twin brother, Johnny Johansson. Eric's adventures in Gimli will help him to feel at home with his new family and come to terms with some pre-adolescent uncertainties while Johnny, burdened with unexpected fatherly duties, has to make some choices he avoided to face before.

Cast

• Michael Yarmush - Eric Johansson
• Callum Keith Rennie - Johnny Johansson
• Marley Otto - Anastasia 'AJ' Burke
• Jennifer Clement - Zoë Johansson
• Joy Coghill - Astrid 'Auntie Auntie' Árnesson
• Bucky Hill - Sam LaFresne
• Yank Azman - Tom Shaughnessy

Awards

In 1997 Callum Keith Rennie won a Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series for his role as Johnny Johansson. Michael Yarmush won the 1998 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actor and was nominated for a YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama TV Series the same year.

Episodes

Episode Number	Title	Original airdate	Production code
1	"The Arrival"	April 6, 1997 (1997-04-06)	1-01
2	"Stranded"	April 6, 1997 (1997-04-06)	1-02
3	"Root of All Evil"	April 6, 1997 (1997-04-06)	1-03
4	"Smelly's Dark Secret"	April 7, 1997 (1997-04-07)	1-04
5	"Tribe"	April 8, 1997 (1997-04-08)	1-05
6	"A Day in The Life"	May 17, 1997 (1997-05-17)	1-06
7	"Great Expectations"	May 24, 1997 (1997-05-24)	1-07
8	"Profile of the Artist"	May 31, 1997 (1997-05-31)	1-08
9	"The Fugitive"	June 7, 1997 (1997-06-07)	1-09
10	"Widgeon"	June 14, 1997 (1997-06-14)	1-10
11	"Once They Get a Taste"	June 21, 1997 (1997-06-21)	1-11
12	"The Puck Stops Here"	June 28, 1997 (1997-06-28)	1-12
13	"Soap Gets in Your Eyes"	July 5, 1997 (1997-07-05)	1-13
14	"Gimli Marathon"	July 12, 1997 (1997-07-12)	1-14
15	"The Why? Files"	July 19, 1997 (1997-07-19)	1-15
16	"Beauty and the Zit"	July 26, 1997 (1997-07-26)	1-16
17	"Return of the Undead"	August 2, 1997 (1997-08-02)	1-17
18	"All in Your Head"	August 9, 1997 (1997-08-09)	1-18
19	"A Winter's Tale"	August 16, 1997 (1997-08-16)	1-19
20	"Obsession"	August 23, 1997 (1997-08-23)	1-20
21	"Blizzard"	August 30, 1997 (1997-08-30)	1-21
22	"Where the Wind Blows"	September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)	1-22

References

1. ^ New York Times, Canada, By Way of Sweden, a Boy and His Inner Dog, April 4, 1997.
2. ^ New York Times, Canada, 'LIFE AS A DOG': FETCHING DEBUT, April 4, 1997.

External links

• My Life as a Dog (TV series) at the Internet Movie Database