Trailer Park Boys

May 26, 2003 9:19 PM

Big Plans. Little Brains. Mike Clattenburg's Trailer Park Boys could soon be more than just a Canadian phenomenon. The mockumentary began as a film, was adapted into a TV series and has been airing for three seasons on Showcase in Canada (not to be confused with this). Ricky, Julian and Bubbles even joined Our Lady Peace during its Fear of the Trailer Park Tour last summer (soon to be documented on CD and DVD) and could be seen alongside Don Cherry in The Tragically Hip's video for "The Darkest One" (a look behind the scenes - qt version). Bubbles even appeared in that informer guy's video for "Legal" and has been writing music reviews in character. (TPB was mentioned briefly here and here.)
posted by boost ventilator (14 comments total)

One of the best shows to come out of Canada in a long time. My personal favourite is the episode where they set up the illegal gas station, and Ricky accidentally ends up robbing the convenience store while trying to buy milk.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 11:44 PM on May 26, 2003

What about the episode where Ricky robs the milk mart of chips and pop for Julian's wedding?

This show is too funny. Sad but true, I'm addicted to it.

Very well written and acted and easily could be botched without the deadpan sincerety of the deliveries and sticking to character. No lack of characters in this show.

As an aside,

A hockey team I play for seemed to be gripping their sticks too tightly and not relaxed enough to play the skilled way the should be playing. They had moved up a division and weren't confident suddenly in their skills. In the spirit of Trailer Park Boys, which many of us are fans of, I dispensed shots of rum before a game to relax their play a little.

While walking around the dressinroom prior to the game, the coordinator of the league walked in, "oh cool, shots before a game!" he exclaimed [even though the rink rules state no liquor etc in the dressing rooms.]

Needless to say, we lost that game, but only by a point.

I'm ready to start a Trailer Park Boys watching in a bar. You're either a fan or you absolutely loathe it and find nothing funny about it.

Now Canadians have a show to be proud of. Too funny.
posted by alicesshoe at 4:08 AM on May 27, 2003

Love this show... the qt link is crashing my browsers (moz and ie) for some unknown reason, though.
posted by drgonzo at 4:26 AM on May 27, 2003

You missed Topsail’s website, the production company behind the show. {disclaimer: I know and sometimes work with all the producers - one's even my lawyer - and the company bought the concept for a TV show from me, which got a-lot-of-but not-quite-enough interest from a number of networks like Discovery and PBS, and I grew up with one of the actors on the show, too} Sadly, I don't get the channel so I've never seen the show. But they have promised me a DVD set when it comes out. (oh, and check out Halifax's other big TV production company, Salter Street, home of This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Lexx.)
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:03 AM on May 27, 2003

I also forgot to mention that Rush's Alex Lifeson appeared on the show, Jonathan Torrens and Hip Club Groove's Cheklove regularly show up, Mike "Bubbles" Smith was in a rock band called Sandbox and I share a name with the story editor, although he is from Pictou and I am from Sydney (I wouldn't dare self-link).
posted by boost ventilator at 6:16 AM on May 27, 2003

Sydney? Good god, there's a reasonable chance we're related. Ever been to Louisburg?
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 7:02 AM on May 27, 2003

Awesome show, I happened upon the movie showing on TV one night and for about two minutes I was trying to figure out if it was a joke or not, then I realized that I've met the girl who plays Lucy.

Bubbles is my new hero..
posted by Space Coyote at 7:10 AM on May 27, 2003

Potential episode?
posted by boost ventilator at 8:39 AM on May 27, 2003

The thing about this show that I like, despite how horribly the characters can behave, is that it has something that's truly Canadian about it, without having to be all self-conscious about it. They make it look so easy too, and it must gall the people behind CBC's stale and stiff attempts at comedy shows.

When I saw the cast in the music video with the Tragically Hip, it seemed a very natural pairing for some reason.
posted by picea at 8:57 AM on May 27, 2003

predetermine: I have only been to the fortress and playhouse in Lousibourg. Not sure if I have any kin there...If I was a little older I would ask what your father's name was! I descend from Pier MacLeod's and Christmas Island MacNeil's (as if there was something else there). I am also the great, great, great grand nephew of Giant MacAskill, but that and $1.65 will get me on the bus.
posted by boost ventilator at 11:03 AM on May 27, 2003

Trailer Park Boys is as far as I'm concerned, the only decent bit of Canadian television since "The Newsroom", and nobody ever saw that.

Dispite (or maybe because of) 40% Canadian Content regulations and endless goverment grants, we rarely do it right up here.
posted by Leonard at 12:01 PM on May 27, 2003

It’s all on my mother’s side. If you know anybody named Stacey, Lacey, Casey or Whyte from Cape Breton, chances are they’re a (not that distant) relative of mine. There are times I’m convinced the entire island is my second cousin.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 1:52 PM on May 27, 2003

Stacey, Lacey, Casey and Whyte? Weren't those the ghosts from Pac-Man?

re: Trailer Park Boys: I haven't, regrettably, seen the actual show yet. Lack of cable will do that to you. Off to the Super Secret Pirate's Lair of Filesharing I go!

Leonard: What about "Made In Canada"? I always found that, if anything, funnier than "The Newsroom", although admittedly with a similar premise. Maybe it's because I always wound up comparing "The Newsroom" unfavourably to Drop The Dead Donkey.
posted by arto at 3:25 PM on May 27, 2003

Editorial Cartoon: Bubbles on the new Canadian marijuana laws.
posted by boost ventilator at 5:42 AM on May 28, 2003