O Canada! As Pride Month winds down, and Canada Day approaches, Canadians have another reason to celebrate this weekend as Crave and OUTtv announced today an unprecedented partnership that extends the reach of international television phenomenon, RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE in Canada. This partnership includes the new Crave Original Series, DRAG RACE CANADA, the first-ever Canadian adaptation of the show.
Crave and OUTtv are set to become the leading Canadian broadcast and streaming homes of:
Future seasons of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE, airing day and date with the U.S. broadcast
The all-new series RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK, available day and date with BBC Three
The all-new Crave Original Series, DRAG RACE CANADA
All past seasons of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE and RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS will be available on Crave and OUTtv.
Produced by World of Wonder, RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE has become a world-wide movement since its premiere in 2009. After 11 Seasons and more than 100 competitors, the series has garnered nine Emmy Awards; critical praise; a legion of fans including mega-celebrities from Katy Perry to Anne Hathaway to Henry Rollins; and a world-renowned drag and pop culture convention, RuPaul’s DragCon, in Los Angeles and New York City .
Now, DRAG RACE is sashaying to the North and producers are on the look-out for the country’s most sick’ning artists to slay the competition, and be crowned Canada’s first Drag Superstar. Produced by Blue Ant Studios, DRAG RACE CANADA combines elements of the classic fan-favourite, with a healthy serving of Canadian maple shade, and likely, some Canadian bacon. Casting begins this summer on the 10-episode, one-hour original series, with production to begin this fall in Ontario. The DRAG RACE CANADA host and judges will be announced at a later date.
In association with Crave, DRAG RACE CANADA is produced by Blue Ant Studios. World of Wonder’s Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, and Tom Campbell serve as Executive Producers. RuPaul serves as Executive Producer. Executive producers for Blue Ant Studios include Betty Orr, Michael Kot and Laura Michalchyshyn with Mike Bickerton acting as Showrunner.
There are 500 kids at Letterkenny Central School, and audiences will soon learn about all of their pint-sized problems. The new Crave Original Series LITTLEKENNY, an irreverent, short-form animated extension of Crave’s smash-hit comedy LETTERKENNY, premieres on Friday, June 28 with all six episodes, just in time for the Canada Day long weekend.
Created, written, and directed by Jared Keeso, LITTLEKENNY tells the origin story of The Hicks, and how standing up for each other in the schoolyard resulted in their friendship. Featuring the voices of LETTERKENNY stars Nathan Dales as young Daryl; K. Trevor Wilson as young Dan; Keeso as young Wayne; and Canadian actress Kandyse McClure as the voice of Ms. Tricia, these wee-hicks may seem adorable, but as with their original incarnations, their quick wit packs a Texas-sized punch.
LITTLEKENNY will also be available on other Bell Media platforms including:
SnackableTV (all six episodes drop on June 28)
On CTV.ca as part of the SnackableTV collection (all six episodes drop on June 28)
The Crave YouTube channel (sampling)
TheComedyNetwork.ca (sampling)
MUCH.com (sampling)
MTV.ca (sampling)
Additionally, Episodes 1 and 2 will be available as a sneak peek on the Letterkenny Problems YouTube channel on June 27.
As LITTLEKENNY gets introduced to the world, its big brother LETTERKENNY is also in the spotlight over the Canada long weekend with:
A LETTERKENNY Season 5 marathon on Crave on Sunday, June 30 beginning at 9 p.m. ET, followed by a Season 6 marathon on Monday, July 1, beginning at 9 p.m. ET
New LETTERKENNY-inspired collections on Crave including “LETTERKENNY Cast’s Favourite Comedies†chosen by cast including Mark Forward and Nathan Dales, “The Best of Squirrely Dan,†and “The Best of Darylâ€
A “Best of LETTERKENNY†five-episode marathon airs on Much on Saturday, June 29 at midnight following THE SIMPSONS. Select LITTLEKENNY episodes will also air on Much on Friday, June 28 during the Much Friday Night movie.
Another six-pack of LETTERKENNY is set to debut on Crave on October 11, as production gets set to begin on Season 8 this summer.
LITTLEKENNY is produced by New Metric Media in association with Playfun Games and Bell Media, with the participation of Canadian Media Fund, OMDC Tax Credits and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and distributed by DHX Media with New Metric Media as sales agent. Animation services for LITTLEKENNY were provided by Little Blackstone Inc.
For LETTERKENNY, Jared Keeso is executive producer, co-writer, star, and creator, Jacob Tierney is executive producer, director, and co-writer and Mark Montefiore is executive producer for New Metric Media.
The last time I spoke to Mark Forward, it was in 2014. Back then he’d implored Canadian comics to support “rather than slag” each other to spread the word about our homegrown talent.
Since then, Forward has taken on the memorable role of Coach on Crave’s smash-hit Letterkenny, produced his own comedy special Mark Forward Presents, available for rent or download, and revived his podcast with Eric Andrews. And, most recently, he’s also one of three Canadian comics (D.J. Demers and Robby Hoffman are the others) who has landed their own Crave original stand-up specials.
Mark Forward Wins All of the Awards is available for streaming on Crave and features new material. It is, to put it simply, hilarious. Forward ranges around the stage, riffing on death, dogs, talking bees and finding the time to make sandwiches as a single dad, discussing the absurdities of each topic and pushing his personal boundaries to get a laugh. We spoke to Forward about Mark Forward Wins All of the Awards and his experience on Letterkenny.
Where was the venue, and when was this recorded?
Mark Forward: This was recorded at JFL 42, this past September, at Longboat Hall.
In your act, you made a joke about themes and how every comedian tries to have one in their act. You were just out there being silly, and having fun. Why was that important?
MF: Because I think that’s what I’ve always done. I have the odd stuff that’s a bit rantier, but I’ve always lived in the silliness. I went to the Edinburgh Festival, and I just saw a lot of serious standup shows. So, after my first experience there, I went home and wrote this one. Silly is where I live, and what I like. I like people that let go once they come in the door, and they giggle the whole way through. That’s what I like. I have nothing against the other things, but I sure like taking the piss out of it.
This was all-new material?
MF: It’s a complete new hour. A couple of the bits have a longer life than the actual special, but they were all about death. I think the bee bit for one, was something I’ve been working on. So yeah, it was put in, it was something I wrote over a year, and I really like it. Can I say that?
Does it take a year to write? Does it sometimes take longer? How does that work?
MF: I never know when it’s coming, and I’m terrified it’s gonna stop. So, luckily for that show, I had an idea and a theme. But I’m always terrified that’s the last one.
Your stand-up act has evolved quite a bit, from the traditional to what you do now. Has it evolved organically?
MF: Totally organically. I wouldn’t have come up against doing that stuff when I was younger, because I didn’t have the confidence or the backing behind me. You have to grow organically as a comic, and start doing the stuff that makes you laugh, and that takes years to get there. But, the real initial point for me is, I was seeing Jon Dore for the first time, and he was just breaking all the rules, and it was just an eye-opening moment for me. I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to be what everybody else is. I can do the things I want to do.’
I wanted to ask you about the podcast, and the reason for you and Eric getting back together again. You joke that no one’s listening to it, and yet, you came back.
MF: We felt we needed to take some time away. I’m a big proponent of, if we’re not having total fun, then let’s not do it. So, we took a step away, and I missed it. I called him, and said, ‘Would you be willing to do it some more?’ And he was in. I think we’re having more fun than we had before, so yeah, I’m enjoying it a lot now.
Letterkenny has been a huge hit in Canada. People love it around the world, and you’ve been out on the Letterkenny tour. What’s it been like, being part of this whole world?
MF: It’s been a wild ride, and to get to know [creator] Jared [Keeso], and what a solid human being he is, it’s just been amazing, and I always text him every season, and say, ‘Is coach dead, or am I coming back?’ He has given me so much and been so kind to me, and that tour was unreal. I can’t thank that guy enough, for letting me be a part of his work ethic. I can’t say enough about that guy. He’s just a solid, solid dude. I see real joy in that he’s getting to do this, which is rare as well. He’s just happy. He should be exhausted, he should be bitchy, he should be … screaming, calling the shots, and he just doesn’t. The pressure is just … He’s unreal under it because he just loves what he’s doing.
Mark Forward Wins All of the Awards is available now on Crave.
Check out Mark’s website for upcoming stand-up dates in Ontario and Australia.
Link: “Letterkenny†is the surprisingly queer Canadian comedy you’ve been sleeping on
On paper, Letterkenny isn’t the kind of show I am normally into. So imagine my surprise when suddenly I found myself finished with all six seasons within a week, squealing about the unexpected amount of queer content that somehow never crossed my radar in the three years it’s been airing, and delighted to have found a new “happy place†show. Continue reading.
No holiday humbugs here. With the festive season on the approach, Crave delivers tidings of all-new LETTERKENNY quicker than you can say golds, frankincenses, and myrrhs. This Crave seasonal delivery includes the brand new special, A LETTERKENNY CHRISTMAS: THE THREE WISE MEN, streaming Friday, Nov. 23, followed by a fresh six-pack of episodes launching Christmas Day. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, the hit small town comedy is produced by New Metric Media in partnership with DHX Media and Play Fun Games.
“Pitter patter, let’s get Advent’er!†In the brand new special, A LETTERKENNY CHRISTMAS: THE THREE WISE MEN, the Hicks get in the festive spirit and throw a holiday get-together with enough gifts and jingle juice to go around. There is talk around town that it might just be the best Christmas party ever.
In keeping with what has become an annual holiday tradition, viewers wake up to more LETTERKENNY under the tree again this year with another all-new six-pack available to stream on Christmas Day. While the LETTERKENNY locals continue to seek out love in all sorts of places – from bush parties all the way to the big city – new and familiar faces make appearances around town, including guest stars Sarah Wayne Callies (THE WALKING DEAD) and Jonathan Torrens (TRAILER PARK BOYS) as Mennonite parents, Noah and Anita Dyck; and the return of Sarah Gadon as mysterious lady-skid, Gae.
Based on overwhelming demand, additional shows and markets have been added to the 2018 LETTERKENNY LIVE tour – a 90-minute comedy experience, starring Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales, K Trevor Wilson, and Mark Forward. Kicking off in Orillia on Dec.1, LETTERKENNY LIVE, THE ENCORE! tour, presented by Puppers Premium Lager and Crave, and produced by New Metric Media, features additional sketches and video not seen on the original tour, as well as original stand-up sets from Wilson and Forward. Tickets for LETTERKENNY LIVE, THE ENCORE! are available here.
LETTERKENNY LIVE, THE ENCORE! Tour Dates:
December 1 – Orillia, ON – Casino Rama
December 3 – Brantford, ON – Sanderson Centre
December 5 – St. Catharines, ON – Meridian Centre
December 6 – Mississauga, ON – Living Arts Centre
December 11 – Regina, SK – Conexus Arts Centre
December 13 – Saskatoon, SK – TCU Place
December 14 – Lethbridge, AB – ENMAX Centre
December 15 – Red Deer, AB – ENMAX Centrium
December 17 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place
December 18 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre
The first five seasons of LETTERKENNY, along with special episodes “Ferda Editionâ€, “The Haunting of MoDean’s IIâ€, “St. Perfect’s Day,†“Super Hard Easter,†and the original web series Letterkenny Problems, are currently streaming on Crave. The first two seasons of LETTERKENNY are now streaming exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. LETTERKENNY is also available on iTunes and Google Play. Seasons 1-4 of LETTERKENNY are currently available on DVD wherever DVDs are sold.
Created by and starring Jared Keeso, the award-winning half-hour comedy revolves around the dustups Wayne (Keeso) and his buds – Daryl (Nathan Dales), Wayne’s free-spirited younger sister, Katy (Michelle Mylett), and Wayne’s buddy, Dan (K Trevor Wilson) – get into with their small-town rivals. Dylan Playfair and Andrew Herr reprise their roles as hotshot Hockey Players “Jonesy†and “Reillyâ€. Tyler Johnston and Evan Stern return as Skids Stewart and Roald. Mark Forward returns as the temperamental Coach.
LETTERKENNY is produced by New Metric Media, in partnership with DHX Media and Playfun Games in association with Bell Media, with the participation of Canadian Media Fund, OMDC Tax Credits and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and distributed by DHX Media. Jared Keeso is executive producer, co-writer, star, and creator, Jacob Tierney is executive producer, director, and co-writer and Mark Montefiore is executive producer for New Metric Media.
