And, of course, the creator of that world-wide sensation has an explanation for why it took so long:
TORONTO - Of all the barriers CBC's groundbreaking sitcom "Little Mosque on the Prairie" has managed to cross with its multifaith humour, one surprising wall remains: the U.S. border.
Despite having audiences in 92 countries around the world, executive producer Mary Darling notes the gentle comedy has never been able to secure a broadcaster in the United States, where a lighthearted look at culture clash would arguably have its deepest resonance.
Now that the gentle comedy is winding down its six-season run, Darling says talks are underway to finally land a U.S. broadcast deal.
"All these conversations are in play and I'm assuming that at some point we'll be able to make a U.S. announcement," says Darling, refusing to say more.
In some ways, little has changed since "Little Mosque" first hit Canadian television with a never-before-seen look at small-town Muslim life on the Prairies, says show creator Zarqa Nawaz.
Nawaz blames "a lot of fear, a lot of paranoia" in the United States for keeping the show off the air there.
"9-11 happened in the United States and there's still a lot of problems because of it in terms of perceptions of Muslims," says Nawaz.
"Look at (President) Barack Obama. I mean, his biggest liability was that people thought he was Muslim, right? I don't think we can underestimate those feelings. They're very, very strong in the United States."
Nawaz points to the recent uproar over the TLC series "All-American Muslim" as a prime example of lingering misconceptions...
Sigh. If only Major Hasan, the Fort Hood assassin, and Mohammed Merah, the Butcher of Toulouse, had been able to watch it on a regular basis. How different (and less bloody) things might have been.
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