Question: I've got a question ...

Question: I've got a question about an old TV program. Five or so years ago, there was a TV program that included two guys, one who was a policeman and the other who was a Mountie. The Mountie had a wolf as a pet that was supposed to be really smart. The Mountie was assigned to the embassy staff and always got in trouble trying to help people out and solve crimes. Can you remember the name of this show? — Ruth P.

Televisionary: Man, is ageism becoming more and more of a problem in our society, or what? So now five years old is old? Guess I oughtta head over to the kindergarten next door and see if I can drum up support for my Medicare reform drive. While I'm at it, I best stop by the pre-school and make sure their students' finances are enough to maintain their current lifestyle after retirement.

The show you're thinking of is Due South, which was shot in Toronto and ran on CBS from September 1994 to July 1995 before enjoying second life in first-run syndication from December 1995 to the following August. As you say, the show related the investigative adventures of Constable Benton Fraser (Paul Gross), a Dudley Doright-esque Royal Canadian Mountie working at the Canadian Consulate in Chicago.

Fraser wasn't really supposed to do any police work in the States. However, that didn't stop him from getting involved in cases — first with cop pal Ray Vecchio (David Marciano) and then, after the series went into syndication, with Det. Stanley Kowalski (Callum Keith Rennie). Also along for the ride was the spirit of Fraser's deceased dad Robert (Gordon Pinsent), a murdered Mountie who stuck around our plane of existence to advise his son from time to time.