Crossing the border
Letterkenny creators find series has few limits
When it comes to turning their humble little TV show into the next big thing, the folks behind Letterkenny are not about to pump the brakes.
Six fresh episodes of the CraveTV original series debuted over the Canada Day weekend as part of a massive order of 42 episodes by its producer Bell Media. The deal will bring the total to 75 by 2020.
“It’s a lot of Letterkenny,” admits creator and actor Jared Keeso as he prepares for the show’s debut on the U.S. streaming service Hulu on July 13, where it’s sure to amuse Americans thrown by other uniquely Canadian TV comedy exports such as Red Green, Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys.
Keeso stars in the series as Wayne, a small-town guy who has raised the practice of “chirping” – or putting down – his hockeyplaying rivals to an art form. Same goes for the local “Skids” who hang out by the local convenience store and frequently have run-ins with Wayne. It’s a slightly ramped up version of characters Keeso encountered over the years in his southwestern Ontario hometown of Listowel.
Will Americans get what all the chirping is about? Absolutely, says executive producer and New Metric Media president Mark Montefiore. American rapper T-Pain is a fan, as is filmmaker Kevin Smith.
Montefiore says he’s been tracking comments and merchandise requests from all 50 states – including Hawaii and Alaska – before the series even officially premieres in the U.S. A lot of those requests are for beer – a trademark beverage of the show.
Montefiore says he scouted craft breweries near the series’ production base in Sudbury, Ont., eventually teaming with Stack Brewery to make Puppers Premium Lager. It was “tested” by the cast and crew before it went to market.
At the moment, Puppers is available in Ontario at LCBO stores with Montefiore pushing to get it sold in other provinces.
“The beer regulations in this country,” he says, “are even tougher than the TV regulations.”
One way folks outside Ontario have cracked open a Puppers can is by getting tickets for one of the live cast shows that took place earlier this year in 26 cities across the country. Besides Keeso, cast regulars Nathan Dales (Darry) as well as stand-up veterans K. Trevor Wilson (Squirrely Dan) and Mark Forward (Coach) also made appearances.
Since its debut, Letterkenny has been once of the biggest draws on CraveTV, Bell’s streaming service. According to the network, CraveTV subscriptions spike with every new six pack of episodes.
The latest season is almost certain to generate plenty of interest and perhaps even attract new fans, helped by a guest appearance from Jay Baruchel.
Three years ago Montefiore and his production team made the savvy decision to shoot the series in Sudbury, a northern town previously famous for nickel production. Now, thanks to tax incentives, more producers are also flocking there.
Montefiore calculates he will have poured $100 million into Sudbury by the time the new episode order concludes. Besides Letterkenny, the 37-year-old is currently shooting the second season of the Citytv mob drama Bad Blood in the area.
Other Letterkenny plans are also afoot.
An animated spin-off series, Littlekenny, is heading to Snackable, Bell Media’s free mobile video app. Toronto-based animation studio Little Blackstone Inc. is tasked with taking Letterkenny back to its roots, with Wayne and the others re-imagined as their schoolyard selves.
Montefiore says a feature film version of the series is also on the drawing board, but the challenge is fitting it into an already packed production schedule.