A large media buzz hovered around a little show's premier last night, namely CBC's Little Mosque on the Prairie. Mega-news outlets CNN and The New York Times even tapped into the comedy's hyped premise that hones in on Muslims living in a fictitious small Canadian prairie town called Mercy.

The cast includes Sheila McCarthy (Die Hard II and unofficial Jane Sibery look-alike champion), Zaib Shaikh (Metropia) and Carlo Rota (former host of Foodtv's five-season series, Great Canadian Food Show, 24). For those wondering about the ACTRA strike, the CBC has a separate agreement with this national organization.

It seems like everything is there: blitzy press coverage, a guest appearance by Shaikh on Strombo and a bags-to-burqa story from the show's 39-year-old creator and Regina resident, Zarqa Nawaz. She accepted this mondo-prime time task after initial success in the short film genre with BBQ Muslims (a comedy whereby two brothers become terrorist suspects when their barbecue blows up). Go figure.

It's hard to put my contorted foot on it, but you'll need more than a half-pint to get through the show's painfully obvious punch lines; you could almost create happier endings to the gags on your own. Take the not-so-subtle Toronto dig that transpires when a ruralist likens the way the big city starts Ramadan with the sounding bells of its stock exchange. That's it - that's the joke! The show's construction sits on a stable platform but it's missing its funny bone, or that spark the brother's BBQ apparently had.

The premier episode was 22 minutes from start to finish, enough time for many to decide if they'll be joining the mosque or taking the high road. (Beware, the shameless Michael Landon link lives!) The show shifts to its permanent time slot next Monday at 9 pm on CBC.