| Based On: | Mind Your Language |
| Developer: | Martin Rips Joseph Staretski |
| Genre: | Sitcom |
| Director: | Peter Baldwin Robert Claver Linda Day Dolores Ferraro Russ Petranto |
| Starring: | Garrett M. Brown Yakov Smirnoff George Murdock Vijay Amritraj Harry Waters, Jr. Ada Maris Julian Reyes Leila Hee Olsen Gail Strickland |
| Theme Music Composer: | Richard DeBenedictis |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 26 |
| Executive Producer: | Martin Rips Joseph Staretski |
| Producer: | Wendy Blair Eric Cohen Leonard Ripps |
| Runtime: | 21 minutes |
| Company: | Ripstar Productions Primetime Entertainment Tribune Entertainment Viacom Enterprises |
| Channel: | First-run syndication |
What a Country! is an American sitcom starring Garrett M. Brown and Yakov Smirnoff that aired in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 23, 1987. The series is based on the British sitcom Mind Your Language and was intended as a showcase for Ukrainian-American comedian Yakov Smirnoff, whose catchphrase provided the show's title. Five years previously in 1981, an episode of sit-com Diff'rent Strokes titled "Almost American" had served as a backdoor pilot for a US version of Mind Your Language but it was not picked up for a series.
What a Country! is set in a class of recent immigrants to the United States who are trying to pass the citizenship test. Their teacher, Taylor Brown (played by Garrett M. Brown), is a part-time substitute teacher looking for a high school soccer coaching job, while the students are:
Gail Strickland initially played the character of Principal Joan Courtney, though she was replaced by Don Knotts during the series' run.[1]