Hulu obtains the US rights to popular Canadian sitcom 'Letterkenny'
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that popular Canadian sitcom 'Letterkenny' would soon be heading to American audiences, with Hulu having won the US rights to broadcast the Jared Keeso-created show that debuted on CraveTV in February 2016. The rights include those for the first two seasons of the show and will premiere on the network next month on July 13.
'Letterkenny' stars Keeso and Nathan Dales as Wayne and Daryl, two friends living in the small town of Letterkenny, Ontario. While a fictional community, it is not based on the actual ghost town in Renfrew County but is supposedly loosely based on Keeso's own hometown of Listowel, Ontario.
It is the first-ever original series commissioned by CraveTV and is inspired from 'Letterkenny Problems,' a short-format web series created by Keeso that aired on YouTube beginning 2013. The cast was expanded once it became a fully-fledged television show, with episodes dealing with life in a small town and the antics of the residents ranging from Wayne to the farmers to the local hockey team.
The series was received very well by the critics, who called it, amongst other things, 'refreshing and intoxicating,' 'funny, mad, droll, childish, and spiky,' and gave CraveTV their biggest debut of any series on their platform since its launch in 2014.
It earned seven nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards, winning in three of the categories — Best Comedy Series, Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series, and Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series. There were also two wins at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards as well as one at the 2017 WGC Screenwriting Awards.
The series, which is produced by New Metric Media in partnership with DHX Media, and Playfun Games in association with Bell Media, co-stars the likes of Nathan Dales, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr and Tyler Johnson, has also birthed a live tour— the 26 city 'Letterkenny Live! tour which began in Feb 2018 — as well as merchandising.
Tracey Pearce, president of distribution and pay at Bell Media, lauded the move by Hulu, "Thanks to Jared and our partners at New Metric Media, 'Letterkenny' is more than just a brand builder for CraveTV, it’s officially made an indelible mark on pop culture."
He continued, "With this sale to Hulu in the U.S., Bell Media is truly taking Canada’s premium content to the world. We’re excited to introduce 'Letterkenny' to American audiences and deliver more of this fan-favorite series to audiences across Canada."
Four seasons of the show are already out, with the debut having aired back in February 2016. The most recent season aired this past December, and the Hollywood Reporter stated that production on 40 further episodes was already in the works.
