Letterkenny

Background and Origins

Letterkenny was developed on two different social media platforms before becoming the first series commissioned by a Canadian streaming service. As such, it holds a key place in both Canadian television history and the evolution of mass media more generally.

The concept for Letterkenny can be traced back to a Twitter account called “Listowel Problems,” started by Jared Keeso and his best friend Jordan Beirnes. Those Twitter posts then evolved into a YouTube series Keeso created with future Letterkenny costar Nathan Dales. Keeso financed the shorts with money he had earned while starring in the police drama 19-2, for which he won a Canadian Screen Award in 2015. The YouTube series, which was called Letterkenny Problems, received more than 8 million views and a 2014 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Web Series. The web series then evolved into the first sitcom commissioned by Crave TV.

Plot Synopsis

Letterkenny focuses on the 20-something inhabitants of the small rural Ontario town of the title. Jared Keeso based Letterkenny on his hometown of Listowel in southwestern Ontario. The fictional Letterkenny is located near Sudbury, where the series was filmed.

The show focuses primarily on siblings Wayne (Jared Keeso) and Katy (Michelle Mylett), who run a small farm and produce stand. Their friends Daryl (Nathan Dales) and “Squirrely” Dan (K. Trevor Wilson) round out the four main characters. The program revolves around their interactions with other locals. The townsfolk are divided into high school-like cliques: there are the farmers (known as the Hicks), the members of the local First Nation (the Natives), the out-of-town players of the local hockey team (the Hockey Players), the local drug addicts (the Skids), as well as local Mennonite and French Canadian communities.

Episodes begin with cold opens. Wayne looks directly into the camera in a mockumentary style and rants eloquently but in a distinctively foul-mouthed, monotone, rapid-fire and deadpan style about a particular problem. These rants became emblematic of the show.

Keeso has described the series as a portrait of small-town life in rural Canada — albeit exaggerated and highly embellished. Noting that he met six of his costars playing beer league hockey, Keeso has described Letterkenny as “impossibly Canadian.”

Other Cast Members

Other regular cast members of the series include Evan Stern (Roald), Lisa Codrington (Gail), Kamilla Kowal (Bonnie McMurray), Jacob Tierney (Pastor Glen), Patrick McNeil (Connor), Dan Petronijevic (McMurray), Mark Forward (Coach), Clark Backo (Rosie), Jay Bertin (Tyson), Kaniehtiio Horn (Tanis) and Joel Gagne (Joint Boy). Jonathan Torrens appears as Mennonite patriarch Noah Dyck in five episodes and also wrote seven. He also voiced the role of radio personality Commander Donnie in the episode “Les Hiques,” which he wrote.

Style and Approach

Letterkenny quickly became known for its deadpan delivery, a witty yet somewhat juvenile sense of humour littered with sexual innuendo, and a distinctly quirky rural vernacular. One example of the show’s distinct focus on dialogue is that “Squirrely” Dan pluralizes nearly everything he says (e.g., “Well I'm sorry, I didn't realize we was talkin's to the queens of f—ing Englands!”). The New Yorker’s Helen Rosner wrote that the characters talk “in leaping, twisting, groaning, soaring volleys of puns and insults and wordplay that run so rapid-fire, and deliver such relentlessly satisfying comic payoff, that it’s hardly worth watching without the subtitles on.” Some of the show’s catchphrases — such as “Pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er!” —worked their way into the popular lexicon.

The emphasis on witty, fast-paced dialogue replete with wordplay, puns and one-liners required extensive rehearsals. Actors Dylan Playfair and Andrew Herr have noted that there was a spirit on set of not wanting to let other cast members down. They said the dialogue was so focused on rhythm and timing that everyone understood the considerable work required for each scene.

Reception

Letterkenny quickly became Crave’s biggest streaming series, outperforming comedy standards like Seinfeld and The Big Bang Theory. In its first season, Letterkenny was nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards and won for Best Comedy Series. It also received a 2016 Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Best TV Show.

Letterkenny drew considerable critical praise. The Globe and Mail’s television critic John Doyle called Letterkenny “refreshing and intoxicating.” He also praised the profane dialogue and focus on wordplay, drawing apt comparisons to Trailer Park Boys. Many also gave the series high marks for its well-rounded representation of Indigenous characters. This has been attributed to the fact that the Indigenous actors were closely involved in the writing process and had their feedback incorporated into the script.

Series cocreator Jacob Tierney noted that despite certain elements relating to setting and vernacular, which may be considered hyper-specific to certain parts of rural Ontario, they felt that this specificity was universal — that places like Letterkenny exist practically everywhere.

Awards

Canadian Screen Awards

• Best Comedy Series (2017)
• Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series (Jacob Tierney, Jared Keeso) (2018)
• Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series (Jacob Tierney) (2018)
• Best Photography in a Comedy Program or Series (Jim Westenbrink) (2019)
• Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series (Jacob Tierney) (2019)
• Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series (Jacob Tierney, Jared Keeso) (2019)
• Best Achievement in Casting (Jenny Lewis, Sarah Kay) (2019)
• Best Lead Actor, Comedy (Jared Keeso) (2019)
• Best Direction, Comedy (Jacob Tierney, “Yew!”) (2020)
• Best Writing, Comedy (Jacob Tierney, Jared Keeso, “Yew!”) (2020)
• Best Photography, Comedy (Jim Westenbrink) (2022)
• Best Picture Editing, Comedy (Kyle Martin) (2022)
• Best Supporting Actress, Comedy (Kaniehtiio Horn) (2022)
• Best Ensemble Performance, Comedy (2024)
• Best Direction, Comedy (Jacob Tierney, “Over and Out”) (2025)

Others

• WGC Award for TV Comedy (Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney, “Super Soft Birthday”), Writers Guild of Canada (2017)
• Leo Awards, Best Music, Comedy or Variety Program or Series (Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney, Mark Montefiore, Patrick O'Sullivan) (2017)
• WGC Award for TV Comedy (Jared Keeso, Jacob Tierney, “Relationships”), Writers Guild of Canada (2018)
• Leo Awards, Best Performance or Host in a Music, Comedy or Variety Program or Series (Tyler Johnston) (2017, 2024)
• Leo Awards, Best Screenwriting in a Music, Comedy or Variety Program or Series (Sonja Bennett) (2021, 2024)