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
GenreSitcom
Created byJared Keeso
Developed by
Written by
Directed byJacob Tierney
Starring
Opening theme"Who Needs a Girl Like You" by Indian Wars
Country of originCanada
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes54 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Mark Montefiore
  • Patrick O'Sullivan
  • Jared Keeso
  • Jacob Tierney
Producer(s)Kara Haflidson
Production location(s)Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
CinematographyJim Westenbrink
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time19–30 minutes
Production company(s)
DistributorWildBrain
Release
Original networkCrave
Picture format1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Audio formatDolby Digital 5.1
Original releaseFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07) 
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

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
16February 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
26December 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
SpecialMarch 17, 2017 (2017-03-17)
36July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
SpecialOctober 20, 2017 (2017-10-20)
46December 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)
SpecialMarch 23, 2018 (2018-03-23)
56June 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
SpecialNovember 23, 2018 (2018-11-23)
66December 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)
SpecialFebruary 1, 2019 (2019-02-01)
76October 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
87December 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)

Season 1 (2016)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Ain't No Reason to Get Excited"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
22"Super Soft Birthday"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
33"Fartbook"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
44"Wingman Wayne"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
55"Rave"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
66"A Fuss in the Back Bush"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)

Season 2 (2016)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
71"A Fuss at the Ag Hall"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
82"The Election"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
93"Relationships"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
104"The Native Flu"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
115"Uncle Eddie's Trust"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
126"Finding Stormy a Stud"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)

St. Patrick's Day special (2017)

No.
overall
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
13"St. Perfect's Day"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyMarch 17, 2017 (2017-03-17)

Season 3 (2017)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
141"Sled Shack"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJuly 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
152"Puck Bunny"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJuly 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
163"MoDeans 2"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJuly 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
174"Les Hiques"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensJuly 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
185"The Battle for Bonnie McMurray"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJuly 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)
196"Bradley is a Killer"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJuly 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)

Halloween special (2017)

No.
overall
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
20"The Haunting of MoDean's II"Jacob TierneyLynne KammOctober 20, 2017 (2017-10-20)

Season 4 (2017)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
211"Never Work a Day in Your Life"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)
222"A Fuss at the Golf Course"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)
233"Way to a Man's Heart"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)
244"Letterkenny Talent Show"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)
255"The Letterkenny Leave"Jacob TierneyJesse McKeownDecember 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)
266"Great Day for Thunder Bay"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensDecember 25, 2017 (2017-12-25)

Easter special (2018)

No.
overall
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
27"Super Hard Easter"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyMarch 23, 2018 (2018-03-23)

Season 5 (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
281"We Don't Fight at Weddings"Jacob TierneyTrevor Risk & Jared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
292"The Ol' College Try"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
303"Hard Right Jay"Jacob TierneyJesse McKeownJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
314"Letterkenny Spelling Bee"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
325"Back to Back to Back"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
336"Bock et Biche"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)

Christmas special (2018)

No.
overall
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
34"The Three Wise Men"Jacob TierneySonja BennettNovember 23, 2018 (2018-11-23)

Season 6 (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
351"What Could Be So Urgent?"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)
362"Bush Party Season"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)
373"The City"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)
384"Dyck's Slip Out"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensDecember 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)
395"Different Strokes For Different Folks"Jacob TierneyTrevor RiskDecember 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)
406"Yew!"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2018 (2018-12-25)

Valentine's Day special (2019)

No.
overall
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
41"Valentimes Day"Jacob TierneyTrevor RiskFebruary 1, 2019 (2019-02-01)

Season 7 (2019)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
421"Crack N Ag"Jacob TierneyTrevor RiskOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
432"Red Card Yellow Card"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
443"Nut"Jacob TierneyTrevor RiskOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
454"Letterkenny vs Penny"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
465"W's Talk, Baby"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
476"In It To Win It"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)

Season 8 (2019)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
481"Miss Fire"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
492"National Senior Hockey Championship"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
503"The Rippers"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
514"Ferda"Jacob TierneyTrevor RiskDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
525"Yard Sale Saturday"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
536"Holy Sheet"Jacob TierneyJonathan TorrensDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
547"Day Beers Day"Jacob TierneyJared Keeso & Jacob TierneyDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)

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.TitleOriginal release date
1"Littlekenny Problem #1"June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
2"Daryl"June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
3"Littlekenny Problem #2"June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
4"Daryl's First Super Soft Birthday"June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
5"Littlekenny Problems #3"June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)
6"Daniel"June 28, 2019 (2019-06-28)

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

AwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2nd Canadian Screen AwardsBest Original Fiction Program or Series Created for Digital MediaLetterkenny ProblemsNominated[9]
2016 Canadian Comedy AwardsBest TV ShowLetterkennyNominated[26]
5th Canadian Screen AwardsBest Comedy SeriesMark Montefiore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jared Keeso, Jacob TierneyWon[27]
Best Direction in a Comedy Program or SeriesJacob Tierney ("Super Soft Birthday")Won
Best Writing in a Comedy Program or SeriesJacob Tierney and Jared Keeso ("Super Soft Birthday")Won
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic RoleJared KeesoNominated
Best Achievement in CastingJenny Lewis and Sara Kay ("Rave")Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedic SeriesNathan DalesNominated
Best Picture Editing in a Comedy Program or SeriesErin Deck ("Super Soft Birthday")Nominated
Duncan Christie ("Ain't No Reason To Get Excited")Nominated
2017 WGC Screenwriting AwardsBest Script From a Rookie SeriesJared Keeso & Jacob Tierney ("Ain't No Reason to Get Excited")Nominated[28]
Best TV ComedyJared Keeso & Jacob Tierney ("Super Soft Birthday")Won
6th Canadian Screen AwardsBest Comedy SeriesMark Montefiore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jared Keeso, Jacob TierneyNominated[29]
Best Direction in a Comedy Program or SeriesJacob Tierney ("The Election")Won
Best Writing in a Comedy Program or SeriesJacob Tierney and Jared Keeso ("Relationships")Won
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic RoleJared KeesoNominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedic SeriesK. Trevor WilsonNominated
Best Photography in a Comedic SeriesJim Westenbrink ("Relationships")Nominated
Best Picture Editing in a Comedic SeriesChristopher Minns ("The Election")Nominated
Best Sound in a Fiction SeriesRick Penn, Jamie Sulek, Devin Doucette, Kieran Sherry, Rob Ainsley, Clive Turner ("Relationships")Nominated
Best CastingJenny Lewis, Sara KayNominated
7th Canadian Screen AwardsBest Comedy SeriesLetterkennyNominated[30]
Best Lead Actor, ComedyJared KeesoWon
Best Writing, ComedyJared Keeso, Jacob TierneyWon

Notes

  1. Katy was created for the TV series, though she was obliquely referenced in an unnamed capacity in the web series.
  2. Daryl and Squirrely Dan were both created for the TV series.

References

  1. Szklarski, Cassandra (March 5, 2015). "'19-2' star Jared Keeso to helm original scripted comedy for CraveTV". CTV News. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  2. Furdyk, Brent (March 12, 2017). "2017 Canadian Screen Awards: And The Winners Are…". ET Canada. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  3. "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.
  4. Brendza, Zach (December 5, 2019). "'Letterkenny' season 8 release date announced". TribLive. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. "Original Entertainment Productions for Bell Media's English-Language Services Announced". Bell Media. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. Goldberg, Lesley (June 6, 2018). "Hulu Nabs U.S. Rights to Canadian Comedy Hit 'Letterkenny' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  7. Vlessing, Etan (December 17, 2018). "Hulu to Stream Four More Seasons of Canadian Comedy 'Letterkenny'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  8. White, Peter (June 6, 2019). "Canadian Comedy 'Letterkenny' To Become Hulu Original As Season Seven Launches On October 14". Deadline. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  9. "Crave TV orders up first original series: Letterkenny". Winnipeg Free Press. March 5, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  10. Adams, Blair (November 9, 2015). "TV Show "Letterkenny", starring Listowel's Jared Keeso, has a launch date". 570 News. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  11. Doyle, John (February 8, 2016). "John Doyle: Letterkenny's a refreshing and intoxicating Canadian comedy". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  12. "Letterkenny is coming to CraveTV and we couldn't be more excited". TSN. December 26, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  13. Pinto, Jordan (May 28, 2015). "Why CraveTV didn't have a problem with Letterkenny". Playback Online. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  14. Yeo, Debra (May 26, 2015). "Jared Keeso series Letterkenny shooting in Sudbury". The Star. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  15. "Letterkenny's Huge Launch on CraveTV Fuels Second Season Order". Bell Media. March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  16. "Told Ya this Was a Huge Deal Bud. CraveTV Orders a Third Season of LETTERKENNY". Bell Media. August 8, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  17. Yeo, Debra (January 19, 2017). "Letterkenny to drop special St. Patrick's Day episode". The Star. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  18. Yeo, Debra (June 6, 2017). "Letterkenny Season 3 brings a taste of winter to summer". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  19. "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.
  20. "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.
  21. "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.
  22. Daley, Dean (June 25, 2018). "Letterkenny season 5 comes to CraveTV on June 29". MobileSyrup. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  23. Yeo, Debra (June 20, 2019). "Letterkenny gets an animated spinoff: Littlekenny". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  24. "Littlekenny". Crave. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  25. Sepinwall, Alan (July 19, 2018). "'Letterkenny' Review: Wonderfully Weird Canadian Comedy Comes to Hulu". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  26. "2016 Canadian Comedy Awards". Canadian Comedy Awards 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  27. "2017 TV Nominees". Academy.ca. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  28. "Announcing the WGC Screenwriting Awards Finalists" (PDF). Writers Guild of Canada. February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  29. "2018 TV Nominees". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  30. "2019 Canadian Screen Awards: Complete list of winners from TV gala". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
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