What to Watch: Letterkenny

Where you can watch: Season 1 & 2 Hulu, All seasons on CraveTV
UPDATE All seasons are available on Hulu and moving forward, new seasons will also be on Hulu! Congrats Letterkenny!!!
Genre: Comedy

I had a theme going there for a while: dystopian shows, murder mysteries and other oddities of the television variety. I figured it was time for something a little different. After my wife and I watched Friends all the way through for the 10th time or so, we wanted something a bit different. While flipping through the various shows and movies of Hulu, we came across a show called Letterkenny. The show didn't sound familiar, the actors were unknown to us but the description seemed interesting enough to give it a shot. Give it a look. 

Who doesn't like a good ass-kicking in a show? We were in. If you see the description "international," don't be potentially off-put. There's no subtitles for those of you who don't like "readin' with yer TV." These guys are Canadian, so the situations and conversations are close enough to American societal norms that you aren't lost. In fact, this show has been a pleasant surprise. 

Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney (main character Wayne and Pastor Glen respectively on the show) are the lead writers and co-creators of the show. Keeso created the concept as a YouTube short several years ago under the name Letterkenny Problems. The shorts received rave reviews and garnered a production deal with CraveTV (a Canadian Netflix-esque streaming service). It became the first original show for the new service.  

The premise of the show is simple. Wayne and his sister Katy (Michelle Mylett, El Camino Christmas) live on a small farm and run a produce stand with the help of their friends Daryl or "Dary" and Squirrely Dan. Wayne is often defending his title of "toughest guy in town," Katy is in various relationships while Dary and Dan pontificate about things such as "Fartbook" and the correct way to imitate a porn star's enthusiasm. They spend time at their favorite bar, Modean's and interact with the other locals in Letterkenny. There's the hockey players Riley and Jonesy, Gail the oversexed bartender, Stuart and his band of tweakers/ravers to name the most notable. 

Letterkenny is quite possibly the funniest new show I've watched in years. If you like your humor high-brow and thought-provoking, then this might not be your show. There's plenty of crude humor but at the same time, there's a level of intelligence and witty banter that proves the creators are no slouches. The jokes come quick and in such a fast-paced manor that you might be laughing too hard and miss one of them. What makes the show great is that it is not a slave to convention like so many other comedies.  The writing has diversity and shows that they are able to take on deadpan, irreverent and topical humor, all being well balanced and not heavy handed. 

I give Letterkenny 5 Puppers out of 6.

The show is funny, smart, and a much needed breath of fresh air when faced with more reruns or murder documentaries. And it's not just stupid, slapstick humor (it has it's moments of that, too). Upon first inspection, you might think this show is a one-trick pony, but it has a great deal of comedic depth. Haven't started watching it yet? Well, as Wayne likes to say...

Letterkenny is definitely my new favorite comedy, however there are so many other great Canadian shows out there that many Americans just haven't heard of yet. For example, there's Mr.D, a show about a horrible teacher that works at a private academy with hilarious results. Or Little Mosque on the Prairie, a comedy about a mosque in a small town in Canada that is renting space out in a Catholic church and the lives of the close-knit Muslim community. Look these up on Hulu or Netflix and give our neighbors to the north a chance if you haven't already.