The N: Short for 'The North'?

We've noticed a pattern in The N's programming choices. First the network struck ratings gold with Canadian teen series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Its second-highest rated program Instant Star, the American Idol-like drama series was shot in Canada. This month it began producing the drama Whistler at the eponymous glitzy ski resort in Vancouver.

Is Tom Ascheim, EVP and GM of The N, a gushing Canadaphile or is he just getting more bang for the production buck in the Great White North? Neither, he claims. It's just chance that keeps leading Ascheim back to Canada.

While he admits that The N seems fixated on all things Canuck, Ascheim points out that …