Calgary is still being cast as a cartoonish cowboy outpost by national television producers. On the design podcast 99% Invisible, guest Max Collins dissected how national content quotas force domestic productions to repeatedly showcase the city in highly stereotyped ways.
Collins noted that The Amazing Race Canada frequently sends contestants to the Alberta hub for predictable challenges: "The Amazing Race Canada is just like that, except every season, they spend almost all of their time in Canada. You know, like, 'Here's your challenge. Fly to Calgary, Alberta, and learn how to do a line dance at Ranchman's.'"
The depiction highlights an ongoing tension for Calgary. While the city's tourism sector often leans into its cowboy heritage, modern residents and media critics argue that national broadcasters rely on lazy, outdated caricatures. Instead of highlighting the city's modern culinary scene or its growing tech sector, national television continues to treat the city as an oversized Stampede ground.
As Canadian media faces pressure to modernize, the fight over how Calgary is portrayed to the rest of the country will likely intensify. Local advocates hope future productions will look beyond the doors of Ranchman's to showcase a more complete picture of the city.