La Petite Vie

La petite vie
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	Quebec French
No. of episodes	59
Production
Running time	23 minutes
Release
Original network	Radio-Canada
Original release	1993 – 1999

La petite vie was first a stage sketch of the comedy duo Ding et Dong, formed by Claude Meunier and Serge Thériault, and later a hit Quebec television sitcom aired by Radio-Canada from 1993 to 1999. In total, 59 episodes were created plus 3 specials, two for Christmas and one for New Year's 2000.

It is to date the only Canadian TV show (of either English or French language) to ever gather more than 4 million viewers, a performance it achieved twice in 1995.

The stories of La petite vie, sketch and television show, revolve around the strange couple simply known as Pôpa and Môman (Quebec Joual for pa and ma). The sketch was memorable for the pillow talk scenes with the beds comically placed straight up so the actors, seemingly laid on the bed but still standing (a pun with the French saying «histoire à dormir debout» “story to sleep standing-up”, a story that doesn’t make sense), would be clearly visible to the theater public. This would be kept in the sitcom, where the context made it even more surreal.

While the sketch usually featured only the couple, the sitcom introduced a vast array of relatives, creating very bizarre but endearing caricature of a Québécois working class family.

An episode of La petite vie holds the Guinness World Record for the highest market share ever achieved by a single television program.

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