Board Thread:Discuss: Adaptations/@comment-4934571-20170809131338/@comment-3493059-20170810055222

First, thank you for all your work on those articles. I've never seen this show (I don't think it ever aired here). Every once in a while, I get inspired to try and track down the original TVOntario/TVOKids airdates, but because TVO is pay TV, it's like a ghost town out there! The websites I find (which include Sullivan Entertainment's official site) SAY that the show originally aired on TVO in Ontario, but I cannot find a single list of airdates that are for Canada or 2000-2001!

However, I do have conclusive proof that it did indeed air on TVO before it arrived to PBS in the US. TVOntario's annual report for April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001 (links to a pdf file) mentions Anne of Green Gables (specifically animated) as running in an afternoon slot on their children's channel, TVO Kids:

"The afternoon block, which runs from 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm included classics such as Anne of Green Gables (the animated version), Fun Food Frenzy, George Shrinks, Timothy Goes to School, and Corduroy Bear. Among the popular returning series were Arthur, Magic School Bus, and Popular Mechanics for Kids."

Unfortunately, this is the only reference to Anne of Green Gables in the whole report, so I cannot narrow down the airdates to more precise than an entire year. Benjamin Lefebvre of LMMOnline mentions that the animated series premiered on TVOntario on 4 September 2000 (link), which was a Monday and a public holiday - Labour Day. Assuming that the show aired weekly (which is probable, judging from the PBS dates, but not certain), and didn't air on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year, there would have been 15 episodes aired in 2000 and 9 in 2001, meaning it might have finished airing on the 15th of March, which explains why the show is not mentioned in TVOntario's 2001-2002 annual report.

But, as much as I would like to know the original airdates, it would be even better to know the original airing order as well. While looking around, I found several different episode lists - some began with "Carrots!", some began with "The Witch of Avonlea". I don't think I saw the list on Avonlea Vignettes anywhere else. I feel convinced that "The Witch of Avonlea" should be the first episode, because of the continuity, but I haven't found any concrete evidence.

I am curious to know how Benjamin Lefebvre knows that the animated series debut on TVOntario on 4/9/00 - maybe we should try and contact him to see if he can help. We can also send an email to Kerissa of Avonlea Vignettes (her site has not been touched in a while, but I hope her email is still active) and see if she knows anything more. I've contacted her before and she was very nice.

...In other news, I was browsing YouTube this morning and was amused to discover a playlist of the Anne of Green Gables anime episodes (with English fansubs) that had, in the video descriptions, the same episode summaries that I wrote a few years ago!