What is it about Canadians? Constable Benton Fraser, the Canadian Mountie assigned to consulate duties in Chicago, is as idiosyncratic as the bon vivant Nik Manojlovich.
Both are to be seen on television tonight. Fraser (played by Paul Gross) appears in a new series of the police action comedy Due South (Star World, 10pm), with his deaf, lip-reading wolf, Diefenbaker.
Fraser's job is to liaise with US police authorities, as odd a premise for a cop series as his character. He draws on his strange Canadian skills to solve local crimes, such as his well-developed senses of taste, smell and hearing.
Fraser lives in a rundown area of Chicago but he is as house-proud as Manojlovich, who is to be seen in Savoir Faire (World, 8.30pm) enjoying all things Italian. Both pay equal attention to detail in their appearance as well as professional and personal lives, which seems to set them apart from many a more macho male in this world.
Due South is supposed to be laden with humour on the interplay between Canadian and American cultures. What these subtle differences are, though, is likely to go over the heads of those from other parts of the world, though we can all appreciate that the morally upright Fraser cuts a pretty weird figure on the mean streets of Chicago.
But one wonders why Britain's BBC is closely associated with the series. Being different and quirky seems to have been enough to attract a growing audience beyond North America. We will just have to excuse the lavatorial jokes - of course not heard from Fraser's lips.