I think it’s funny how much Canadian comedy shows are finding so much success in America over the last few years. Of course Schitt’s Creek really gets a lot of credit as far as Canadian shows go, but I was surprised that stuff like Corner Gas made its way stateside, and actually did fairly decently, in spite of its very local, very Canadian subject matter.
Canada seems to have this formula of small town, encapsulated universe comedies down, and over the last week or so, I’ve been making my way through pretty much, all of Letterkenny. Prior to going all-in and just plowing through the series, I’d only seen clips or heard references of it, and of course there was that month where Hulu got the rights to the show, and they blasted the ever living shit out of advertising the show on just about every site that could support banners and video ads.
But either way, I’ve been going through the series, and I’m wrapping up season 8 right now, and before long, I’ll be done with season 9 and be awaiting alongside all other fans of the show for future seasons in real-time.
The show is witty, clever, and easily digestible, and the fact that they’re all like 22 minute episodes make them the perfect things to watch in tiny chunks, where I can sneak in an episode while feeding #2, while #1 is still napping and we never have any televisions on when she’s awake. I can watch 1-2 episodes in the evening when I don’t want to commit to a plot-heavy thriller or a film or some episodic series drama, so as I’ve often said, as I get older and my plate tends to get heavier, the lower the run time gets, the more I favor it.
I love that the show itself are fans of Howard Stern and professional wrestling, and it feels like if there were ever a show that was like a Canadian version of my persona, this was kind of it. Although I think he’s kind of a Marty Stu in how he’s the penultimate alpha who’s the toughest, most woke, most enlightened and the center of everyone’s universe, Wayne is still a likable character and kind of embodies the persona that lots of guys want to have: tough, intelligent, honorable, and of course, the object of pretty much every woman’s attraction, but really I get the most enjoyment from the show whenever characters just erupt into one of the numerous fights, because that’s the kind of shit I’d fantasize about participating in, but don’t have the guts to really get into.
Overall, it’s another quality Canadian comedy, that has a surprising amount of heart in it, in spite of how crude and low-hanging fruit the comedy can get, and I just wanted to share a few words of appreciation I had for the series, because during a period where I have so little time to indulge in small pleasures, Letterkenny has brought me a little bit of much needed enjoyment throughout the last few days, and I can say that I’m a fan of the show.
