Dean and Terry hit the small screen
Brave new world for FUBAR gang as they learn to embrace the computer — or not
FUBAR: Age of Computer Debuts Friday on Viceland and Sunday on City.
The guys behind FUBAR did not have to look far to find the inspiration for the title of their latest venture.
He’s in the news every single day. When Canadian Dave Lawrence heard President Donald Trump pontificate about how the “age of computer” had “complicated lives very greatly,” he knew the statement possessed appropriate levels of cluelessness to be adopted by the gormless, beer-guzzling headbangers Terry Cahill and Dean Murdoch for their upcoming adventures.
“When we heard that, it was like ‘there’s our title,’ ” says Lawrence, who plays Terry. “In fact, Rogers (Media) at first told us ‘The Age of the Computer’ and we got pretty white hot and said ‘That’s not funny. Age of Computer is funny.’ ”
So throughout the eight episodes of FUBAR: Age of Computer, neither Dean nor Terry refers to these mystifying new devices as “the computer.”
“We always say: ‘We can record on computer!’ ” says Lawrence.
Dean and Terry’s migration to the small-screen begins Friday on Viceland (it also runs Sunday on City). It’s a brave new world for the FUBAR gang. They were first introduced to pop-culture consciousness in 2002 with the nowclassic, low-budget debut feature, a largely improvised, Alberta-shot mockumentary that became an instant cult favourite after debuting in the Sundance Film Festival’s midnight program.
After a 2010 sequel, a few cameos and a number of live appearances as fun-loving headbangers, Lawrence and actor Paul Spence have returned with director Michael Dowse for the series.
And, as the title suggests, the premise at least partially revolves around Terry and “the Deaner” discovering computer wizardry for the first time after fleeing the Fort McMurray, Alta., wildfires and holing up in an illegal basement suite in Calgary.
Thanks to a computer owned by Terry’s unhinged cousin, Shank, the two probe the mysteries of online dating and shopping, social media, YouTube and other less- savoury corners of the Interwebs.
“The catalyst is they need to get online to get some relief funds,” says Lawrence. “In this version, the idea is that they didn’t really need to get online until this crisis.”
“You have to suspend your disbelief that Terry and Dean had never had an email address until 2017, which just in itself is hilarious,” says Spence.
When we last saw Dean and Terry — in the 2010 feature FUBAR: Balls to the Wall — they had found work in the oilpatch and were givin’r in Fort McMurray. Terry hooked up with local girl Trish (played by fellow Loose Moose Theatre alumnus Terra Hazelton) and Dean attempted to get some easy cash by faking an injury to get workers’ compensation. When Age of Computer starts, Terry’s romance is on the rocks and the boys retreat to the woods to engage in heavy drinking and fits of irresponsible pyromania. They wake up to find Fort McMurray in flames and decide to flee.
The FUBAR universe, in general, seems to strike a chord nationwide. In fact, in this Golden Age of Television, the medium seems particularly susceptible to the unique charms of the Great White North as of late.
“Who could have guessed that in 2017 there would be three shows in Canada about hoser Canadians all at the same time,” says Spence, referring to FUBAR, Letterkenny and the Trailer Park Boys. “It really speaks to the Canadian appetite, but also internationally. There’s something about the hoser Canadian, no matter how specific the accent or region is, that somehow translates on an international level. I find it fascinating. I haven’t seen a TV show about small-town Germans that has gone international.”
It’s been nearly 20 years since
There’s something about the hoser Canadian, no matter how specific the accent or region is, that somehow translates on an international level. I find it fascinating.
Lawrence and Spence created Dean and Terry. The original FUBAR, shot with borrowed money. Dowse has since gone on to make a number of features, including 2013’s critically acclaimed rom-com The F Word with Daniel Radcliffe. But he has also been involved in prestige cable TV shows, directing episodes of FX’s Man Seeking Woman and AMC’s Preacher.
“The marketplace is much more hungry and there’s much more opportunities on TV,” Dowse says. “That’s why we’re doing this show. There’s a lot more buyers out there, there’s a lot more channels. I think that’s just going to continue to grow. I think you have more freedom in TV to do interesting things,”
As for the en during appeal of Dean and Terry, Spence and Lawrence say it’s probably a combination of factors. Most people would have known characters like Dean and Terry, or perhaps been like them themselves, in the past. There’s a certain comfort in watching people who you may have outgrown in real life but still enjoy visiting from time to time. Plus, the boys just speak their minds, for better or for worse.
“The world has gotten so conservative and with everything you say, you’re always second-guessing yourself with ‘Is it offensive?’ ” says Spence. “People really enjoy hearing someone saying something without a filter.”