The average Canadian viewer has cause for concern, if not outright woe, this particular Wednesday.
In case you haven't heard, it's now official that W. Brett Wilson will no longer be part of Dragons' Den (CBC, 8 p.m.) following the conclusion of the current season. And nobody waved goodbye.
The news of Wilson's departure from Dragons' Den was somewhat muted the past week, what with all the excitement over the Oscars and continuing coverage of Charlie Sheen's personal life.
The first volley came in the terse CBC release sent out last Thursday announcing that Wilson would not be returning for the show's sixth season next fall.
The release quoted the person in charge of such things at CBC, which for some reason prefers to refer to reality-TV programming as "Factual Entertainment." The executive stated: "We were unable to reach an agreement on the terms of his contract." The irony of the dealmaker incapable of brokering a simple contract was presumably not lost on fans of the show.
The second chapter in the Dragons' saga happened just two days ago, when CBC issued another carefully worded statement, this one announcing Bruce Croxon as Wilson's replacement on Den. For the record, Croxon is the co-founder of Lavalife, an Internet dating service. "I'm thrilled to be invited into one of the highly coveted Dragon chairs," said Croxon in the chipper release.
That same CBC release included comments from the four remaining Dragons - Robert Herjavec, Arlene Dickinson, Jim Treliving and Kevin O'Leary - in support of the new arrival. Two of the Dragons used the occasion to bid adieu to Wilson. "There's no denying we had great chemistry with Brett," read the quote accredited to Dickinson.
For the other two Dragons, though, it was right back to business: "I'm sure Bruce will bring a new dynamic to the Den and help us turn up the heat on potential new deals this season," read the quote from Herjavec.
But then, dare we say it, some juicy, behind-the-scenes drama in the Canadian TV industry? On the same day of the second CBC missive, Wilson sent out his own media release, which seemed to throw down a gauntlet of sorts to his soon-to-be-former employer.
To wit: "I challenge CBC and the Dragons to ensure that the show's momentum in celebrating, encouraging and fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship across Canada doesn't get lost in faux-business conversations with theatrical rudeness and irrelevant commentary and advice when the real opportunity is to encourage, participate and share in the entrepreneurs' journeys," Wilson said in the release.
Translation: Wilson apparently felt the show had strayed from the original entrepreneurial spirit of Dragons' Den, which is based on a Japanese TV concept and has been franchised successfully all over the world, even in Afghanistan, where it's called Fikr wa Talash. In the same statement, Wilson also expressed interest in creating his own TV show in the future.
Best of luck to Wilson, whose last appearance on the show will take place on the current season finale later this month, but why does any of this matter to the typical TV viewer? Because Dragons' Den is a hot Canadian property at present, and the show's market value drops drastically with Wilson's departure.
In fact, if Dragons' Den were a publicly listed commodity, it's most likely savvy financial advisers would have been steering investors toward it, or at least until the recent turn of events.
Although the homegrown version got off to a slow ratings start in 2006, Dragons' Den has steadily gathered steam to become one of the most-watched shows on Canadian television.
Ratings for the current season average around the 1.6-million-viewer mark - numbers normally reserved for populist American shows such as CSI and the like being simulcast on other Canadian networks. We don't get very many hit shows on Canadian television, you may have noticed.
Wilson was late to the party, of course. He joined the show in its third season to replace Laurence Lewin, and the show shifted slightly in tone with his arrival. The Saskatchewan native made his fortune in oil and gas, but he still appeared to be a gentle, New Age-y sort of chap. He was also a cancer survivor, and arguably the most thoughtful of the Dragons. Where O'Leary would bluster, Wilson would ponder.
Watch tonight's show for the proof. The Dragons field the usual range of pitches. A woman seeks investors for her one-size-fits-all pants company. A group of golfers try to stir up interest in an instructional video on course etiquette. A strange old man tries to revolutionize the game of hockey by turning the rink into an egg-shaped oval. It's only a matter of time before someone drags in a reinvented mousetrap.
And in most instances, the Dragons summarily dispatch each entrepreneur, as is their wont. No doubt viewers here will remain faithful to Dragons' Den next season, and for many, the draw will remain watching O'Leary eviscerate those deluded entrepreneurs.
But we are Canadian, don't forget, and supposedly a tolerant people, forever of a giving nature and good heart. On Dragons' Den, Wilson was that heart. We're not likely to see the likes of him again.
Check local listings.
John Doyle returns tomorrow.