Upcoming season will be last for Corner Gas

After six years of pumping gas, pouring coffee and pontificating about life and love, the Corner Gas gang is packing it in. The hit CTV comedy, one of the most successful Canadian sitcoms ever made, is coming to an end after the upcoming sixth season, the show's star and creator, Brent Butt, announced today.

The final 19-episode season, about the happenings at a small-town gas station in the fictional town of Dog River, Sask., begins shooting next month in Saskatchewan, with the series' finale airing some time in the spring of 2009. “It's a very difficult decision, but the right decision, and one I felt I had to make,” Butt said in a news release.

“When I told CTV about my decision, they made it clear that they were keen to do more seasons. They didn't want it to end yet. But for the good of the show, I wanted to exit gracefully, on top of our game, when we're at our prime — because that's how I want viewers to remember Corner Gas: at its very best.”

Corner Gas has been a ratings winner for CTV for years and has won numerous Gemini awards. It also airs in syndication in countries around the world, including Australia and the United States, where it outperforms shows like Heroes and Prison Break on the cable channel Superstation WGN.

CTV's Susanne Boyce lauded the show.

“This is not goodbye, it's see you later,” she said. “Brent and his team have accomplished something that has never been achieved before. They said it couldn't be done, but Corner Gas did it anyway. The series has paved the way for other Canadian productions by proving that if you make great TV, Canadians will watch.”

Corner Gas, which also stars Eric Peterson, is shot entirely in Saskatchewan and will end its run on its 107th episode.