Fans of the Sudbury-shot television show “Letterkenny” are getting a Christmas present this year, although perhaps a bittersweet one.
“Letterkenny” drops its twelfth and final season on Crave on Monday, Dec. 25.
If you quickly blow through the new episodes, don’t despair — there’s still the “Letterkenny” spinoff “Shoresy” to enjoy, which is also shot in Sudbury by New Metric Media.
And Crave and New Metric Media recently inked a new deal to expand the Letterkenny universe.
The multi-year deal was announced Dec. 6 and will see 49 new episodes created for Crave, including Letterkenny spin-offs, and the development of all-new series with “Letterkenny” creator, Jared Keeso.
“We are excited to break new comedic ground on this landmark pact with creative powerhouse Jared Keeso and our content partners at Crave,” said Mark Montefiore, founder and CEO of New Metric Media, in a news release. “This deal exponentially builds our 360-degree comedy ecosystem strategy for many years to come.”
“Letterkenny” follows the adventures of people residing in the fictional town of Letterkenny, a rural Irish-Canadian community in Ontario.
Its spinoff, “Shoresy”, focuses on the character of Shoresy (Keeso) — who began life as a minor character on “Letterkenny” — as he moves to Sudbury to take a role with a struggling Triple A-level ice hockey team, the Sudbury Bulldogs.
“Shoresy” is currently filming its third season in Sudbury, including at the Sudbury Arena.
Sudbury.com spoke with the Nickel City’s own Kamilla Kowal, who plays the recurring “Letterkenny” character Bonnie McMurray, about the end of the popular comedy series.
The 25-year-old actor said she has had the privilege of filming a TV show in her hometown for the past eight years. Just 16 when the show started shooting, she initially had to have her mother accompany her onto set.
Having gotten her start in the show biz on “Letterkenny,” Kowal most recently appeared in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.”
“I think the true words to describe it would be a ‘unicorn’, as someone from the North that wants to tap into an industry that feels a bit foreign around here,” Kowal said.
“It's been wonderful to see the growth, even from when we began ‘Letterkenny,’ of the film industry in Sudbury, and also just the love letter that Jared and the crew have created to Sudbury, which, of course, is continued on with ‘Shoresy’. It really takes that true essence of community from the show and transcends it into something that's real, which I think is really special.”
Asked for some hints for what her character might get up to in the final season, Kowal would only say “there is, of course, the old Letterkenny goodness.”
Kowal said the show’s finale is “definitely bittersweet” for her.
“We've all grown as people, as professionals, and we've created something so wonderful that even though it's ending, it will always be there,” she said.
“And of course it's sad, but it's also really exciting and something to be proud of to see what we've created and the legacy that continues, especially with Shoresy, which is in its third season production now.”
Lara Fielding, the City of Greater Sudbury’s manager of tourism and culture, said she wants to thank New Metric Media for making Sudbury their home and helping put the city on the map in terms of film and TV production.
She said the production company has “made significant investments in the film industry in Northern Ontario since 2016 worth more than $40 million.”
“They’ve hired and trained a solid crew base, which now work to support the film industry overall, in Sudbury,” she said.
“They've also been a big proponent of supporting local. They've donated the Pitter-Patter exercise equipment at Bell Park, and utilizing our local suppliers when they are in production.”
Fielding said the filming of “Letterkenny” and “Shoresy” in Sudbury have actually attracted tourists to Sudbury who are fans of the shows, and want to see the filming locations.
An example is the downtown restaurant Peppi’s Ristorante, which is featured on “Shoresy,” along with many local landmarks, including the city’s water tower and downtown arena.
Fielding said she’s just catching up on “Letterkenny” herself, currently watching the second season, and said “it’s fun to see our city as the backdrop.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
