TORONTO – There were tears, smiles and laughs as the cast of the groundbreaking series “Little Mosque on the Prairie” wrapped shooting of its final season, marking the end of one of CBC-TV’s biggest success stories.
Wistful cast members including star Zaib Shaikh, Manoj Sood, Deb McGrath and Arlene Duncan say their last day on the set of the Muslim comedy was both touching and satisfying.
“It was emotional,” says McGrath, who plays self-serving Mayor Ann Popowicz. “When we were shooting that last episode, there were lots of tears – and lots of wine.”
The sixth and final season of “Little Mosque” kicks off Monday with the town’s steadfast imam Amaar (Shaikh) and new bride Rayyan (played by Sitara Hewitt) cutting their honeymoon short after learning Rayyan’s parents Sarah and Yasir are divorced.
Over the course of the season, Amaar and Rayyan settle into domestic bliss, McGrath’s spunky mayor finally finds true love, and Sood’s Baber strikes an unlikely friendship with Rev. Thorne (played by Brandon Firla).
“It full-circles the show from an audience perspective and it ties it up,” McGrath says of the various storylines, set in the fictional town of Mercy, Sask.
“It was done, we think, so beautifully. The end of the show was written so nicely for us as a sendoff, and as a thank you to the fans.”
The CBC series was an immediate sensation when it debuted on Jan. 9, 2007. More than two million viewers tuned in to the premiere – a smash by Canadian standards, with numbers that rivalled the viewership of star-packed U.S. imports.
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The show had originally been slated to debut in the fall but anticipation was so high the public broadcaster bumped up the premiere.
At the time, it was hard not to be roused by the novel premise – a young big-city lawyer ditches his lucrative job to move to a small Prairie town and become an imam.
The storyline managed to hit all the right social, political and religious buttons at a time when emotions were still raw from the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
When “Little Mosque” finally debuted, its lighthearted look at small town Muslim life proved to be more quirky than provocative, drawing mixed reviews from critics and viewers who nevertheless lauded the unique point of view.
High profile media coverage from The New York Times, CNN and the BBC put the series in a global spotlight and helped raise much-needed discussion about hurtful stereotypes and societal stigmas, says Sood.
“It really is something that became much bigger than the actual show because of what it represented, because of its timing,” says Sood.
“I remember a very well-known politician came to me after season 2 and said, ‘You know Manoj, this is so great for Canada, that Canada has done this.’ There is actually a sense of ownership across the country – people really did love our Canadian culture and its multiculturalism, felt proud of the fact that ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ was this multidenominational, multicultural artistic entity that is now all over the world.”
Ratings fell sharply after that first episode but averaged an impressive 1.2 million viewers through the rest of the season. CBC says viewers dwindled in following years to an average of 520,000 last year.
But the show’s impact lingers, says Shaikh, who credits the series with helping to broaden the CBC’s audience and ease the way for more homegrown crowd-pleasers including “Being Erica,” “Republic of Doyle,” “Dragons’ Den” and “Battle of the Blades.”
“The network that produced us became more relevant to Canadians,” says Shaikh, whose post-“Little Mosque” projects include a role in Deepa Mehta’s film “Midnight’s Children.”
“It was the dawning of a new age.”
“Little Mosque” has proved itself outside of Canada as well – the series has scored broadcast deals in more than 80 countries around the world, while racking up accolades including a U.S. humanitarian award for promoting harmony.
“I was very amused to find out we’re on Telelatino dubbed in Italian, we’re in French,” says Duncan, who plays no-nonsense cafe owner Fatima Dinssa.
“The world has embraced the show.”
McGrath, who also appears in the February CBC-TV movie “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town,” says working on the series has been a career highlight.
“No matter what I’ve done in my career I will always be proudest of this show,” says McGrath.
“It didn’t hit you over the head, it was a gentle message depicting the lives, in a comedy, of real people.”
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