This Is Wonderland (2004–2006) User Reviews

A great show that deserves a chance to grow and flourish.

[propsguy · 9/10 · 26 April 2005]

After watching the final episode of series 2, I was somehow left with a feeling of sadness that this show might not be renewed. Sure it's quirky and oddball. Sometimes it feels like the actors are trying too hard. Sometimes it feels like it's going off the rails. But it always draws you back. It draws you back with poignant scenes filled with human tragedy. It draws you back with well written scripts. But mostly it draws you back with the passion that everyone involved in this production seems to feel for this programme.

It's rare these days that a television show gets the free reign to break away from the formulaic ideas that are making North American TV so boring and one dimensional. I'm just very afraid that it won't get the ratings that it deserves and it'll get cancelled. Or worse, it will be re-tooled and changed to be more acceptable to the masses. That would be wrong, the masses have enough to watch, this one is for the rest of us.

Please CBC, bring it back.

A Good Series!

[eatcrowepls · 8/10 · 30 January 2015]

This is a very big rarity as far as I can tell on CBC. As far back as I can remember CBC for some reason insists on just making the worst possible comedy series. It's not just CBC to be honest, most Canadian television networks all seem to suffer from the same problem where they only create terrible shows for whatever reason, either just because they don't care about what they are making or they possibly just don't know how.

But this a rare treat to find from the CBC. A show that actually was good. Not just good but really good. The kind of show you even look forward to watching week after week and schedule it into your schedule so you don't forget.

Cara Pifko was great as the star, and the other acting ranged from average to good. Average may not sound good but again most Canadian comedy series are plagued by terrible acting. Consider Little Mosque, Insecurity and countless other shows if you don't believe me on that.

The writing was also decent with good stories and even some good jokes, bad writing is the same problem that a lot of other shows have.

It's a shame it didn't last longer but it was a fun show to watch when we did have it.

this is... actually great!

[adam-1009 · 9/10 · 11 June 2008]

When I had first glance at this series I presumed that this is some old American series about brave lawyer who fight for their clients, fight the system or do some other out-of-reality tasks. But after just few scenes I realized that this can't be old - there are too many modern things. Then I realized this can't American series - it's interesting. And at the end I realized that this can't be about lawyers - it's entertaining.

I don't know how to describe this series in other words than "great idea, good actors, interesting cases", etc. It's hard to point out any downsides of this series - it reminds me of US series "Queens Supreme" (which died too early) where you can feel that this is the real thing and real people in court with their real life problems.

And on the other hand creators have left aside lawyers private lives which would make the series sink instantly (like in Grey's Anatomy). Instead of the my-sad-personal-life stories there are loads of humor in scenes which makes the whole idea work just great, f.e. when Nancy Dao lost her first case:

NANCY (to her client): You see what you did? You made me lose my first case! And... to him! I hate you!

JUDGE: May we proceed to the sentence?

NANCY: Whatever...

Best show on my TV.

[gam3 · 10/10 · 5 March 2005]

This show is weird, hilarious, and poignant. The production quality is very good, the acting is great, and the characters are brilliant. Even the sound is good, which is more than I can say for most US TV shows of late. I understand that the producers ended up in the Old Toronto City Hall one day and found it so odd they had to make it into a TV show.

As an American I am not used to the Canadian Justice system, but this just makes it all the more interesting. There is a court that would be like the US night court and then three more: bail court, plea court and crazy people court. Oh yes and once in a while we get to see trail court as well. While the judges wear red robes, like in Rumple of the Bailey, there are no powdered wigs.

If you can get CBC -- watch this show. If you can't get CBC -- move.

It really *is* Wonderland

[ReganRebecca · 11 March 2004]

This is really an excellent show. Despite being only an hour long the show manages to cram in wonderful stories and sub-plots without feeling rushed at all. It really is like Wonderland. Every character is insane, with their own personal, quirks, twitches and attitudes. The only exception is Alice herself (played by Cara Pifko). Unfortunately she has the task of playing the straight man, the one earnest character who isn't there for laughs but to balance out all the other weird characters. This makes her character remarkably dull. However since this show does have 3 to 4 plots going on at the same time it leaves little time for Alice and more time for the rest of the characters.

Don't flip the channel when you come across this show. It's one of the few shows worth watching.

Best Canadian TV Show?

[bhunter-2 · 10/10 · 11 February 2018]

Great show. Great cast and writing. Maybe the best Canadian TV series I have ever seen. My wife and I were devoted viewers, and many of our friends who were professional couples loved the show too, and none of us live in Toronto where the show was set. What was extremely odd and annoying about the way CBC presented it was that it didn't seem to stick to a set time for the show but seemed to vary it, sometimes from week to week. So if the show were dropped from its regular time for a special---invariably some awards we had no interest in seeing---the episode wouldn't just be postponed to the next week at the same time, but might be on a couple of days later and the only way you could find out when is if you just happened to see an ad for the rescheduled time and were glued to CBC TV all the time. Who thinks of these things at CBC?

Hard to believe they would cancel it

[morrisoj · 9/10 · 27 February 2012]

This is Wonderland was easily the best CBC dramatic series of the decade. It was fast, it was fun, it was poignant. It was real. There are claims it was cancelled on account of low ratings. Maybe. I suspect that someone in a high place was offended. For the three seasons it ran, the show was consistently tight and engaging. The characters were fiercely realistic. Oddly enough, Season One was released on DVD. Seasons two and three failed to follow. Is that owing to a lack of market? Not likely, if you saw them when they were first broadcast. To my mind, the series was just getting started when the powers that be pulled the plug. Sadly, many less deserving CBC series--Heartland comes especially to mind--continue to plod along as we wait for the current government to put the axe to the CBC and thus end television drama as an art form in Canada. This is Wonderland was a high point in Canadian television. Enjoy it, but don't hold your breath.

I agree with gam3...

[Bobonthecouch · 10/10 · 29 January 2019]

"Best show on my TV. 5" March 2005 by gam3... "This show is weird, hilarious, and poignant. The production quality is very good, the acting is great, and the characters are brilliant."

It might not be the "only" best show I watch but, it is certainly one of them. I rated it 9* after the 2nd episode but, after watching S01E04, I had to change it to 10. The supporting and guest casts are absolutely fantastic. The dichotomy between catastrophic and hilarious has never been presented in a more entertaining yet sympathetic manner. The writing, directing, acting, animal wrangling... everything on this show is perfect. Michael Healey is masterful in his portrayal of the confusion and desperation of someone suffering a breakdown and then Aaron Poole adds his brand of frustration and desperation to the mix. Wow! How do they cast these actors. Kudos.

"Barney Miller" has always been my all-time favorite and now "This is Wonderland" has climbed the podium with it. Maybe silver, certainly bronze. It's early days for me but I'm guessing it will get even better as it matures.

btw, I had to come back mid S01E07 and give a shout out to the incredibly neurotic Elliot Sacks played impeccably by Michael Riley invoking fear and bewilderment in most of his defendants.

Addendum: The way I rate shows... I don't usually review anything less than a 7 because 6 would be a failing grade and I won't waste my time watching it. I'm old; I don't know how much time I've got left. Since I probably turned it off before getting even halfway through, it wouldn't be fair to rate or review it. 7 is watchable but I may go a while between episodes since, though somewhat entertaining, there are other shows more interesting or compelling. 8 would be a regular in my lineup. 9 is a must see and probably bingeable. 10 is just the epitome of superbity and headed for my all-time favorites list. I'm adding this to my reviews because it seems there are a lot of binary reactions to pretty much everything these days. I am not a like/unlike kind of guy. I see a lot of grays so if I give something a 10 it doesn't mean the only alternative is a 1.

Cara Pifko really shines in lead

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 22 September 2013]

Alice De Raey (Cara Pifko) is a young lawyer in Toronto thrown into the deep end defending the overlooked in a chaotic legal process. Elliot Sacks (Michael Riley) is a smarmy lawyer that has a heart of gold. James Ryder (Michael Healey) is suppose to be Alice's boss/mentor, but has fallen completely off his rockers.

With the lead named Alice and the title This is Wonderland, it's obviously referring to the wacky crazy world of dysfunctional legal system that Alice has fallen into. The show works best when her clients are crazy and the cases are impossible. The third season do lose its way. It gets convoluted as it gets away from the procedural nature of its story. Also an unflustered Alice is not quite as compelling.

Courtroom chaos, comedy style

[phbalanced · 30 March 2004]

A one hour show depicting all that can go wrong in a courtroom combining the elements of drama, comedy, and lots of people in the courtoom "audience" can make it a bit chaotic for the viewing audience trying to follow what's happening. Michael Riley shines as the extroverted Elliott Saks, bringing back memories of his quick pace and quirky character in Power Play. Recognizable faces as recurring characters including Michael Murphy, Janet Laine-Greene, and Eric Peterson, best known from the CBC series Street Legal, and now on the new CTV series Corner Gas. Lots of laughs though we can sometimes empathize with the plight of those on the witness stand - accused and victims. How best to describe this to those who haven't seen the show? Imagine a little bit of the 80s sitcom "Night Court" + any prime time legal drama = This Is Wonderland.

Best Canadian show... well, possibly ever

[terriblevirtue · 19 January 2004]

Congratulations to CBC for picking a real winner for once! Not that I dislike their other shows necessarily, but until now there hasn't been a Canadian series that could compete at an international level (with a couple of possible exceptions). This show is funny, smart, and grabs your attention. It's almost impossible to *not* watch until the end once it's started.

I'm praying real hard that it finds its audience because once it picks up steam, it could actually draw... my god... ratings. And I don't mean acceptable-for-Canadian-made-TV ratings. Actual numbers! Did I just say that? A highly rated CBC show?

Well I can dream, can't I?

a very good show!

[juliagates2002 · 14 March 2005]

this show is great. it is an example of when cbc does things right how good a show it can make. i think that the star and her supporting cast are all perfect in their roles and i hope this show comes back for not just one but for many more seasons. it is very funny but at the same time quite dramatic and it has a heart. it's the kind of good Canadian show i would have my children watch and will as soon as they are old enough as long as this show is still on. unfortunately a lot of good Canadian shows on cbc get cut down so i hope this one survives. the production values are terrific (again especially for a cbc show) and the writing is superb. good work all around.

I love the way this series captures urban chaos

[alicepaul · 4 March 2004]

Even with the frantic pace, this courtroom comic drama takes just the right amount of time to tell its painful, and painfully funny stories. As art it creates its own universe and peoples it with highly original characters. As a piece of urban it seems to tell the truth. It is a highly inventive and revealing portrait that shows how peoples lives are affected by their dance with the court system. What is also revealing and truth-telling is the necessary manipulation of the judicial process in order that people actually get a bit of justice. A funny dramedy. CBC, you're on the ball.

Law and Order... without the Order. Yep that sums it up.

[cayer23 · 3 April 2005]

A brilliantly written, staged and acted bit of TV.

Yes I am a big fan ever since the first season which I am glad to hear is going to be available soon on DVD.

The variety of story lines, some recurring with return visits from some of our favorite "clients" for the main core cast of lawyers and judges to deal with, keep the show from being too predictable or dull.

The show definitely deserves the classification of Dramedy as alternatively you just aren't sure if you should laugh or cry.

A cast with a lot of Canadian actors, some recognizable instantly, some familiar and many new faces with the occasional visit by a well known guest make it a Canadian Treasure.

Rumour on it's web site forum are that it has been picked up for a third year.