Review: 'Storage Wars: Canada'

When the A&E reality series "Storage Wars" first premiered, I was initially a big fan. The show centered on a ragtag group of regulars who tried to outbid their opponents and win abandoned storage lockers that had been put up for auction. Narrated by Thom Beers, the show was a slick and entertaining half hour of entertainment.

But as the show progressed, a couple of things became apparent. The first was that the show is edited and produced at a level that is both impressive and disheartening. The second issue is that every episode of the show is essentially identical to every other issue. There's the same mix of bravado, over-bidding, mind games and completely unrealistic valuations on the items found in the lockers. These are flaws that ultimately killed my interest in "Storage Wars" and they are also very apparent in the spin-off shows "Storage Wars: Texas" and "Storage Wars: New York."

Now the "Storage War" concept has made its way north and despite a few subtle changes, "Storage Wars: Canada" will seem just as sadly predictable as the show that gave it birth.

"Storage Wars: Canada" is the first show in the franchise not produced in the U.S. and its the first one not to feature the narration of producer Thom Beers. But other than those small details, the series is produced in a way that retains all the predictable features of the parent show.

However, the biggest problem with "Storage Wars: Canada" isn't that it uses the U.S. version as a blueprint. It's that the "characters" in the show aren't as compelling as the ones in the parent show. The banter between veteran buyer Paul and his son Bogart is often boring and pedantic and the show's femme fatale Ursula never really comes off as a legitimate bidder. Roy is supposed to be the show's equivalent to Dave Hester, but he doesn't have the personality to pull it off. And his endless reciting of his "rules" is the TV equivalent of being poked with a dull stick. Then there's the "feud" between newcomer Ursula and veteran Cindy, which would be more compelling if Cindy didn't have a tendency to drone on and on until you feel the urge to scream uncontrollably.

The disconcerting thing about "Storage Wars: Canada" is that despite the name, the show doesn't seem all that different than "Storage Wars." In fact, except for the occasional use of "eh" during the comments, you could just relabel one of the old "Storage Wars" episodes with the Canada moniker and no one would ever know the difference.

It's not that "Storage Wars: Canada" is a terrible show. It's just one that doesn't matter and isn't all that entertaining. But if there's nothing else on television, it might be worth watching. Unless you have a good book nearby. Or even a book that's not all that good.