Letterkenny (TV series)
Letterkenny is a Canadian television sitcom created by Jared Keeso, developed and written primarily by Keeso and Jacob Tierney, directed by Tierney, and starring Keeso alongside Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett, and K. Trevor Wilson. The series began as a YouTube web series titled Letterkenny Problems, and it was commissioned as a television series by Crave in March 2015. It debuted in February 2016, and later also aired on The Comedy Network.[1] The show follows the residents of Letterkenny, a small rural community in Ontario loosely based on Keeso's hometown of Listowel, Ontario.[1]
Letterkenny | |
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Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Jared Keeso |
Developed by |
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Written by |
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Directed by | Jacob Tierney |
Starring |
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Opening theme | "Who Needs a Girl Like You" by Indian Wars |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 8 |
No. of episodes | 54 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) | Kara Haflidson |
Production location(s) | Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
Cinematography | Jim Westenbrink |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 19–30 minutes |
Production company(s) |
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Distributor | WildBrain |
Release | |
Original network | Crave |
Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original release | February 7, 2016 – present |
External links | |
Website |
At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, the series won the award for Best Comedy Series.[2] In October 2017, the series received a production commitment of more than 40 new episodes.[3] The eighth season premiered on Crave on December 25, 2019, and on Hulu on December 27.[4] In June 2020, the series was renewed for a ninth season.[5]
In the United States, Letterkenny is distributed by Hulu and the first two seasons debuted on July 13, 2018.[6] Subsequent seasons were added on December 27, 2018.[7] In May 2019, it was announced that Hulu had acquired exclusive rights to the series and future seasons in the United States, and that season 7 would premiere on the platform as a Hulu Original on October 14, 2019.[8]
Overview
Letterkenny revolves around a small rural Canadian community of the same name, and most episodes open with the text: "There are 5000 people in Letterkenny. These are their problems." The series focuses on siblings Wayne and Katy,[lower-alpha 1] who run a small farm and produce stand with help from Wayne's friends Daryl and Squirrely Dan.[lower-alpha 2] It also focuses on ice hockey players Reilly and Jonesy, two best friends who are involved in an on-and-off polyamorous relationship with Katy. Episodes deal with small-town life amongst different types of people: the farmers (the "hicks"), the out-of-towners who make up the local ice hockey team, the town's closeted minister, the drug addicts (the "skids"), members of the nearby First Nation reserve (the "natives"), the local Mennonites and Québécois. Plots often revolve around Wayne defending his reputation as "the toughest guy in Letterkenny", the exploits of the town's hockey team who rarely win, Wayne's attempts to break up Katy's relationships with various men he dislikes, the skids' schemes to rip off the residents of both Letterkenny and the natives, and Wayne's dating life after dumping his high school sweetheart who cheated on him. In an effort to subvert the usual trope of small-town residents having lower intelligence levels, one of the show's running jokes is that almost every character possesses the ability to think quickly and come up with a near-constant barrage of wordplay and puns, as well as have sophisticated views on worldly topics.
Production
Letterkenny is the first original series commissioned by Crave,[9] and premiered on that platform on February 7, 2016.[10] The show has its roots in Letterkenny Problems, a short-format web series created by Keeso and released on YouTube in 2013.[11] Letterkenny Problems garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Original Fiction Program or Series Created for Digital Media at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards in 2014.[9] The town of Letterkenny portrayed in the series is fictional, and not based on the actual ghost town in Renfrew County.[12]
Tierney and Michael Dowse are also involved in the production of the series.[1] Tierney also has a supporting role as Pastor Glen in the series, whose cast also includes Michelle Mylett, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr, Tyler Johnston, Lisa Codrington, Alexander De Jordy, Kaniehtiio Horn and K. Trevor Wilson.[13]
The series is filmed in Sudbury, Ontario.[14] On March 10, 2016, Letterkenny was renewed for a second season of six episodes.[15] On August 8, 2016, just weeks after production wrapped on Season 2, CraveTV announced that they had ordered a third season.[16] On March 17, 2017, a St. Patrick's Day special episode, "St. Perfect's Day" was released.[17] The third season, shot during the winter season, was released on Canada Day, July 1, 2017.[18][19] A Halloween episode was announced on October 2, 2017, which was released on October 20, 2017.[20] The fourth season of six episodes was released on December 25, 2017.[21] On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the series had a new media partner which agreed to a production commitment for 40 new episodes, a 26 city Letterkenny Live! tour beginning in February 2018 and the expansion of Letterkenny merchandise.[3] The six-episode fifth season was released on June 29, 2018.[22]
Cast and characters
- Jared Keeso as Wayne
- Nathan Dales as Daryl
- Michelle Mylett as Katy
- K. Trevor Wilson as Squirrelly Dan
- Dylan Playfair as Reilly
- Andrew Herr as Jonesy
- Tyler Johnston as Stewart
- Alexander De Jordy as Devon (seasons 1–2)
- Dan Petronijevic as McMurray (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
- Melanie Scrofano as Mrs. McMurray (season 2–6, 8–present)
- Jacob Tierney as Glen (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
- Lisa Codrington as Gail (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
- Kaniehtiio Horn as Tanis (season 2–present; recurring season 1)
- Evan Stern as Roald (season 3–present; recurring seasons 1–2)
- Mark Forward as Coach (season 3–present; recurring seasons 1–2)
- Sarah Gadon as Gae (seasons 3, 6; guest star season 5)
- Kamilla Kowal as Bonnie McMurray (season 1-present)
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | February 7, 2016 | |||
2 | 6 | December 25, 2016 | |||
Special | March 17, 2017 | ||||
3 | 6 | July 1, 2017 | |||
Special | October 20, 2017 | ||||
4 | 6 | December 25, 2017 | |||
Special | March 23, 2018 | ||||
5 | 6 | June 29, 2018 | |||
Special | November 23, 2018 | ||||
6 | 6 | December 25, 2018 | |||
Special | February 1, 2019 | ||||
7 | 6 | October 11, 2019 | |||
8 | 7 | December 25, 2019 |
Season 1 (2016)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Ain't No Reason to Get Excited" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | February 7, 2016 |
2 | 2 | "Super Soft Birthday" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | February 7, 2016 |
3 | 3 | "Fartbook" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | February 7, 2016 |
4 | 4 | "Wingman Wayne" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | February 7, 2016 |
5 | 5 | "Rave" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | February 7, 2016 |
6 | 6 | "A Fuss in the Back Bush" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | February 7, 2016 |
Season 2 (2016)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 1 | "A Fuss at the Ag Hall" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2016 |
8 | 2 | "The Election" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2016 |
9 | 3 | "Relationships" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2016 |
10 | 4 | "The Native Flu" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2016 |
11 | 5 | "Uncle Eddie's Trust" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2016 |
12 | 6 | "Finding Stormy a Stud" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2016 |
St. Patrick's Day special (2017)
No. overall | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
13 | "St. Perfect's Day" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | March 17, 2017 |
Season 3 (2017)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 1 | "Sled Shack" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | July 1, 2017 |
15 | 2 | "Puck Bunny" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | July 1, 2017 |
16 | 3 | "MoDeans 2" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | July 1, 2017 |
17 | 4 | "Les Hiques" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | July 1, 2017 |
18 | 5 | "The Battle for Bonnie McMurray" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | July 1, 2017 |
19 | 6 | "Bradley is a Killer" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | July 1, 2017 |
Halloween special (2017)
No. overall | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 | "The Haunting of MoDean's II" | Jacob Tierney | Lynne Kamm | October 20, 2017 |
Season 4 (2017)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | 1 | "Never Work a Day in Your Life" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2017 |
22 | 2 | "A Fuss at the Golf Course" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2017 |
23 | 3 | "Way to a Man's Heart" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2017 |
24 | 4 | "Letterkenny Talent Show" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2017 |
25 | 5 | "The Letterkenny Leave" | Jacob Tierney | Jesse McKeown | December 25, 2017 |
26 | 6 | "Great Day for Thunder Bay" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | December 25, 2017 |
Easter special (2018)
No. overall | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
27 | "Super Hard Easter" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | March 23, 2018 |
Season 5 (2018)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | 1 | "We Don't Fight at Weddings" | Jacob Tierney | Trevor Risk & Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | June 29, 2018 |
29 | 2 | "The Ol' College Try" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | June 29, 2018 |
30 | 3 | "Hard Right Jay" | Jacob Tierney | Jesse McKeown | June 29, 2018 |
31 | 4 | "Letterkenny Spelling Bee" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | June 29, 2018 |
32 | 5 | "Back to Back to Back" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | June 29, 2018 |
33 | 6 | "Bock et Biche" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | June 29, 2018 |
Christmas special (2018)
No. overall | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
34 | "The Three Wise Men" | Jacob Tierney | Sonja Bennett | November 23, 2018 |
Season 6 (2018)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
35 | 1 | "What Could Be So Urgent?" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2018 |
36 | 2 | "Bush Party Season" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2018 |
37 | 3 | "The City" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2018 |
38 | 4 | "Dyck's Slip Out" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | December 25, 2018 |
39 | 5 | "Different Strokes For Different Folks" | Jacob Tierney | Trevor Risk | December 25, 2018 |
40 | 6 | "Yew!" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2018 |
Valentine's Day special (2019)
No. overall | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
41 | "Valentimes Day" | Jacob Tierney | Trevor Risk | February 1, 2019 |
Season 7 (2019)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
42 | 1 | "Crack N Ag" | Jacob Tierney | Trevor Risk | October 11, 2019 |
43 | 2 | "Red Card Yellow Card" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | October 11, 2019 |
44 | 3 | "Nut" | Jacob Tierney | Trevor Risk | October 11, 2019 |
45 | 4 | "Letterkenny vs Penny" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | October 11, 2019 |
46 | 5 | "W's Talk, Baby" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | October 11, 2019 |
47 | 6 | "In It To Win It" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | October 11, 2019 |
Season 8 (2019)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
48 | 1 | "Miss Fire" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2019 |
49 | 2 | "National Senior Hockey Championship" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2019 |
50 | 3 | "The Rippers" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2019 |
51 | 4 | "Ferda" | Jacob Tierney | Trevor Risk | December 25, 2019 |
52 | 5 | "Yard Sale Saturday" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2019 |
53 | 6 | "Holy Sheet" | Jacob Tierney | Jonathan Torrens | December 25, 2019 |
54 | 7 | "Day Beers Day" | Jacob Tierney | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney | December 25, 2019 |
Littlekenny
In 2019, Bell Media announced the launch of Littlekenny, a six-episode animated spinoff. The series, an origin story focusing on the main characters as children, premiered on June 28.[23] Episodes are between two and four minutes in length.[24]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Littlekenny Problems #1" | Jared Keeso | Jared Keeso | June 28, 2019 |
2 | "Daryl" | Jared Keeso | Jared Keeso | June 28, 2019 |
3 | "Littlekenny Problems #2" | Jared Keeso | Jared Keeso | June 28, 2019 |
4 | "Daryl's First Super Soft Birthday" | Jared Keeso | Jared Keeso | June 28, 2019 |
5 | "Littlekenny Problems #3" | Jared Keeso | Jared Keeso | June 28, 2019 |
6 | "Daniel" | Jared Keeso | Jared Keeso | June 28, 2019 |
Reception
Critical reception
John Doyle of The Globe and Mail called the series "refreshing and intoxicating", and "funny, mad, droll, childish, and spiky." Focusing on the show's characteristic use of often thick Ontario dialect, he wrote that "Not since Trailer Park Boys launched have we heard the flavourful, salty Canadian vernacular used with such aplomb and abandon"; but also that "Almost all the conversations are raw comedy and utterly plausible as small-town guy talk, not just in Canada but in villages and parishes wherever the grass grows."[11] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone called the show "marvelously goofy" and "strange, simple, [and] delightful".[25]
Ratings
CraveTV has stated that Letterkenny's debut was the biggest debut of any series on their platform since it launched in 2014, and that as of March 10, 2016, nearly one in three subscribers have watched the series.[15]
Accolades
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2nd Canadian Screen Awards[9] | Best Original Fiction Program or Series Created for Digital Media | Letterkenny Problems | Nominated |
2016 Canadian Comedy Awards[26] | Best TV Show | Letterkenny | Nominated |
5th Canadian Screen Awards[27] | Best Comedy Series | Mark Montefiore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney | Won |
Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series | Jacob Tierney ("Super Soft Birthday") | Won | |
Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series | Jacob Tierney and Jared Keeso ("Super Soft Birthday") | Won | |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role | Jared Keeso | Nominated | |
Best Achievement in Casting | Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay ("Rave") | Nominated | |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedic Series | Nathan Dales | Nominated | |
Best Picture Editing in a Comedy Program or Series | Erin Deck ("Super Soft Birthday") | Nominated | |
Duncan Christie ("Ain't No Reason To Get Excited") | Nominated | ||
2017 WGC Screenwriting Awards[28] | Best Script From a Rookie Series | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney ("Ain't No Reason to Get Excited") | Nominated |
Best TV Comedy | Jared Keeso & Jacob Tierney ("Super Soft Birthday") | Won | |
6th Canadian Screen Awards[29] | Best Comedy Series | Mark Montefiore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney | Nominated |
Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series | Jacob Tierney ("The Election") | Won | |
Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series | Jacob Tierney and Jared Keeso ("Relationships") | Won | |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role | Jared Keeso | Nominated | |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedic Series | K. Trevor Wilson | Nominated | |
Best Photography in a Comedic Series | Jim Westenbrink ("Relationships") | Nominated | |
Best Picture Editing in a Comedic Series | Christopher Minns ("The Election") | Nominated | |
Best Sound in a Fiction Series | Rick Penn, Jamie Sulek, Devin Doucette, Kieran Sherry, Rob Ainsley, Clive Turner ("Relationships") | Nominated | |
Best Casting | Jenny Lewis, Sara Kay | Nominated | |
7th Canadian Screen Awards[30] | Best Comedy Series | Letterkenny | Nominated |
Best Lead Actor, Comedy | Jared Keeso | Won | |
Best Writing, Comedy | Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney | Won | |
Notes
- Katy was created for the TV series, though she was obliquely referenced in an unnamed capacity in the web series.
- Daryl and Squirrely Dan were both created for the TV series.
References
- Szklarski, Cassandra (March 5, 2015). "'19-2' star Jared Keeso to helm original scripted comedy for CraveTV". CTV News. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Furdyk, Brent (March 12, 2017). "2017 Canadian Screen Awards: And The Winners Are…". ET Canada. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "CraveTV Enters into Comprehensive Multi-Year Partnership with New Metric Media to Build LETTERKENNY Brand Worldwide". Bell Media. October 23, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Brendza, Zach (December 5, 2019). "'Letterkenny' season 8 release date announced". TribLive. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- "Original Entertainment Productions for Bell Media's English-Language Services Announced". Bell Media. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- Goldberg, Lesley (June 6, 2018). "Hulu Nabs U.S. Rights to Canadian Comedy Hit 'Letterkenny' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Vlessing, Etan (December 17, 2018). "Hulu to Stream Four More Seasons of Canadian Comedy 'Letterkenny'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- White, Peter (June 6, 2019). "Canadian Comedy 'Letterkenny' To Become Hulu Original As Season Seven Launches On October 14". Deadline. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- "Crave TV orders up first original series: Letterkenny". Winnipeg Free Press. March 5, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Adams, Blair (November 9, 2015). "TV Show "Letterkenny", starring Listowel's Jared Keeso, has a launch date". 570 News. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Doyle, John (February 8, 2016). "John Doyle: Letterkenny's a refreshing and intoxicating Canadian comedy". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Letterkenny is coming to CraveTV and we couldn't be more excited". TSN. December 26, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Pinto, Jordan (May 28, 2015). "Why CraveTV didn't have a problem with Letterkenny". Playback Online. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Yeo, Debra (May 26, 2015). "Jared Keeso series Letterkenny shooting in Sudbury". The Star. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Letterkenny's Huge Launch on CraveTV Fuels Second Season Order". Bell Media. March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Told Ya this Was a Huge Deal Bud. CraveTV Orders a Third Season of LETTERKENNY". Bell Media. August 8, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Yeo, Debra (January 19, 2017). "Letterkenny to drop special St. Patrick's Day episode". The Star. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Yeo, Debra (June 6, 2017). "Letterkenny Season 3 brings a taste of winter to summer". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Letterkenny Season 3 arrives on CraveTV on Canada Day". Canadian Press. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "CraveTV Alert: S-s-s-p-p-c-ecial Halloween Episode of LETTERKENNY Drops October 20 on CraveTV". Bell Media. October 2, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Don't Even Needs to Sugar Coats It, Another Six-Pack of LETTERKENNY to Launch Christmas Day". Bell Media. December 11, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Daley, Dean (June 25, 2018). "Letterkenny season 5 comes to CraveTV on June 29". MobileSyrup. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- Yeo, Debra (June 20, 2019). "Letterkenny gets an animated spinoff: Littlekenny". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- "Littlekenny". Crave. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- Sepinwall, Alan (July 19, 2018). "'Letterkenny' Review: Wonderfully Weird Canadian Comedy Comes to Hulu". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- "2016 Canadian Comedy Awards". Canadian Comedy Awards 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "2017 TV Nominees". Academy.ca. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Announcing the WGC Screenwriting Awards Finalists" (PDF). Writers Guild of Canada. February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "2018 TV Nominees". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "2019 Canadian Screen Awards: Complete list of winners from TV gala". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Retrieved April 26, 2019.