‘Letterkenny’, a Canadian sitcom created by Jared Keeso began as a YouTube web series titled ‘Letterkenny Problems’. The main theme of the show is to highlight the small problems faced by the residents of Letterkenny. Having received many awards, the show is now very popular across the USA as well. But here are some reasons why this show is a huge success:
● It started as a lowkey web series.
As mentioned before, the show was first aired as ‘Letterkenny problems’ on YouTube in 2013. It was a five-part, self-produced series by Keeso. As soon as it was aired, the show gained huge publicity among the Canadians and won a nomination in the digital media category at the Canadian Screen Awards.
● It is inspired by real-life
The boldness and wit of the characters, the realist plots, and the strong relationships between the characters are too real. It is believed that Keeso derived inspiration for this show from his hometown of Listowel, Ontario. Especially the ‘fight culture’ depicted throughout the series is derived from the real-life happenings at Listowel.
● It is unabashedly Candian!
Very few region-specific shows gain popularity in foreign lands. The best part about Letterkenny is that it is unabashedly Canadian, from the slangs to the music. Despite it being region-specific, it has found its place in foreign lands, among people who are not so familiar with Canadian culture.
● It highlights real problems
Since it is inspired by real-life characters and scenarios, Letterkenny reflects real-life problems of people living in a small town. Highlighting the problems that occur in small
lands between people who are not very fond of each other, is the major motive of the show.
● Show in a realistic place
The show is filmed in Ontario which has a small hometown feeling. This highlights the vibe of the show which is to highlight the problems faced by the people in the small town of Letterkenny. The natural backdrop keeps the show realistic without having to change the set multiple times.
● Adapted by Hulu
In 2018, the show was adapted by Hulu, the American subscription video, and featured all over America. The fact that Americans weren’t even aware of the show before it was adapted by Hulu was a huge risk. But as it started playing, the entire USA became a fan and the show made its success in another country as well!
● Won many awards
The show has won quite an impressive number of awards in the ‘5th Canadian Screen Awards’, the ‘2017 WGC Screenwriting awards’ and the ‘7th Canadian Screen Awards’.
● Does not leave the audience hanging
As opposed to many series which enthrall the audience and captivate them, but then leave them hanging without featuring subsequent seasons, Letterkenny was adapted by CraveTV. Crave TV partnered with New Metric Media to produce 40 new episodes over the course of a few years and featured it as its first original series. This is all because the audience loved the show too much to let it end.
● Canadian slang and comedy
Watching it for the first time, the slangs used in the show may not be very comprehensible to the common audience. But as you move further into the show, you figure out the patterns of the slangs and begin to recognise them for their true meaning. These slangs turn more hilarious over time as you delve deeper into them.
● The cast puts their heart into the characters
Playing small-town characters must have been very difficult for these stars, but they have put in maximum efforts to appear as country-like and as Canadian as possible. So much so, that it appears like they are living their real life, not impersonating any other character.
After its immense success and growth into different countries, Letterkenny is now one of the most popular Canadian shows. You can find the full list of funny and iconic conversations at Treasure Quotes. The last season, Season 8 was aired in December 2019, and who knows, there might be more to come! So let’s keep our fingers crossed