A co-worker complained this week about the new NBC show, The Black Donnellys. In his opinion, this is an example of someone taking a bit of Canadiana and corrupting it to make something American out of it. I didn't realize until we had that conversation that local-boy-makes-good Paul Haggis was one of the creators of this show. That certainly explains why a big U.S. network show would burst onto the scene bearing the name of a family that's legendary in these parts but presumably unknown to the rest of the world. Haggis would've grown up hearing about the Donnelly massacre, as we all do hereabouts.
I'll admit I didn't remember much about the Donnellys when this all came up. I spent a few minutes tonight refreshing my memory via Wikipedia. From what little I know of the TV program, there's more than just the name in common. Thematically, the two sound somewhat similar, although the American version has been updated. Both involve Irish hatreds making their way to North America, where they play out on a new battlefield. More than that I can't say, since I didn't watch the series opener!
I suppose I could be optimistic and say that maybe this will create new interest in the local history among a wider audience. But then again, when did Americans ever want to learn anything about Canada (including where it is on the map)?
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