| Chez Denise | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Denise Filiatrault |
| Written by | Denise Filiatrault |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Opening theme | "Chez Denise" by Gilles Rivard |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | French |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | Société Radio-Canada |
| Original release | |
| Network | Television Radio-Canada |
| Release | February 4, 1979 – May 30, 1982 |
Chez Denise is a Quebec comedy television series that originally ran on Television Radio-Canada from February 4, 1979 to May 30, 1982.
Denise owns a restaurant where the employees have crazy adventures. The series was written by and starred Denise Filiatrault and the restaurant setting was one that Radio-Canada described as familiar territory for her. According to Radio-Canada, the show brought Normand Brathwaite to public attention alongside veteran performers including Benoît Marleau, Roger Joubert and André Montmorency.
Chez Denise was the first television show in Quebec to have a black character, played by Normand Brathwaite. In a 2016 opinion piece for the blog section of Le Huffington Post Québec, writer Rachel Décoste criticized scenes she described as a copy of American blackface including one in which Brathwaite performs Al Jolson's "Swanee" in blackface. The series is also the first in Quebec television to have a gay character and to try and change minds on the subject of homosexuality. Christian Lalancette (played by André Montmorency), a caricatural hairdresser, has become one of the most memorable characters of the series, despite the fact that the character was only supposed to appear once. Despite fears at the time about homophobic reactions to the character, Montmorency's character was celebrated for his biting wit and his colorful presence.