OUT OF GAS? Brent Butt and Crew Will Sign Off in 2009

See you later, Jackass.

Sorry, Corner Gas fans. But soon you’ll hear Oscar Leroy (Eric Peterson) bark that for the last time. The upcoming sixth season of Corner Gas will be its last, series creator Brent Butt announced today.

“It’s a very difficult decision, but the right decision, and one I felt I had to make,” said Butt, in a statement issued by Prairie Pants Productions.

Developed originally by Butt, a stand-up comedian, for The Comedy Network and CTV, Corner Gas became a hit with Canadians who loved its wry and sardonic sense of humour. The cast includes Butt, Peterson, Janet Wright, Gabrielle Miller, Fred Ewanuick, Lorne Cardinal and Tara Spencer-Nairn.

The series began airing in the United States last July on Superstation WGN. Nineteen new episodes will go into production next month (May) in Regina and Rouleau, Saskatchewan, for broadcast during the 2008-09 TV season.

“For the good of the show, I wanted to exit gracefully, on top of our game, when we’re at our prime – because that’s how I want viewers to remember Corner Gas: at its very best.”