Trailer Park Boys

History

In 1998, director Mike Clattenburg wrote and directed a short film titled One Last Shot, which was shot in black-and-white. The film followed the exploits, in documentary style, of Ricky (Robb Wells) and Julian (John Paul Tremblay), two criminals doing what they did just about every day. In the following 1999 feature film Trailer Park Boys, also in black-and-white, the character Julian states to the camera in the film that he wanted his life to be documented after receiving a telephone psychic's prediction that he would die soon. He hoped that the film would deter others from the life of crime he had chosen.

The feature film was shown at the Atlantic Film Festival in 1999, and it caught the attention of producer Barrie Dunn who saw potential for a TV series. Clattenburg and Dunn, along with Wells and Tremblay worked on a proposal for a 13-episode season of the show, and travelled to Toronto to pitch the show to The Comedy Network. After being turned down, they suddenly decided to pitch the show to Showcase before returning home to Nova Scotia.

They found that the network was receptive, and sent them back with a commitment to a first season, with the provision that a second experienced producer (which ended up being Michael Volpe) be brought on board to assist the team. The first six 30-minute episodes were then written and filmed. Some modifications were made to the characters and storyline for the series, and more humour was added to the series in comparison to the film.

The biggest change from film to series was the addition of Mike Smith's "Bubbles" character, who was originally developed for the earlier short film The Cart Boy; a film that Smith, Wells, Tremblay, and Clattenburg worked on together in 1995. Smith's character soon grew from a recurring character to one of the show's primary protagonists (although in the earlier film, "Bubbles" was the name of Smith's character's cat). Trailer Park Boys resided with Showcase for its first seven seasons. Beginning with the eighth season, the series was released through Netflix.

Early seasons were shot in various trailer parks in Nova Scotia, but the crew were not welcome to film again due to complaints from residents. A space was purchased and a functional trailer park set was built in Dartmouth for later seasons, giving the staff more freedom than at previous locations. When the series returned from hiatus beginning with Season 8, it was shot at Bible Hill Estates Trailer Park in Truro, NS.

Plot

Episodes revolve around Sunnyvale Trailer Park residents Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles trying to make money through petty crimes while avoiding the police. Their schemes are complicated by the interference of the park's vindictive alcoholic supervisor Jim Lahey and his assistant and lover, Randy. Ricky and Julian's incompetence is rivaled by Lahey's drunken ineptitude.

Throughout the series, Ricky and Julian end up in and out of jail, with most of their schemes collapsing into failure. Later seasons adopted a cyclical formula: each season finale featured the boys' schemes succeeding, and their future looking optimistic, while the next season's premiere would show them explaining how everything had gone wrong in the interim. Fans learned to expect that seasons would somehow end with some or all of the main characters going to jail.

Characters

Each of the characters has his or her own particular trademark mannerism or trait. Julian often takes a leadership role and devises schemes, all while holding a rum and Coke on the rocks in his hand. Ricky believes himself to be dumb, and looks to Julian for advice; his speech is often laced with malapropisms, referred to by fans as "Rickyisms", he is usually quite incompetent and is also known for his trademark sideburns. Bubbles wears spectacles which magnify his eyes to an unusual extent, drives a go-kart, lives in a shed with many cats, and gets upset when Ricky and Julian fight. Trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey is normally drunk, and nearly always shoehorns the word "shit" into his cautionary metaphors, referred to by fans as "Shitisms". His assistant and lover Randy is always shirtless unless forced to wear a shirt, and is frequently taunted for his large gut and addiction to cheeseburgers.

There are also three pairs of primary minor characters. Cory and Trevor are hapless best friends who assist and idolize Ricky and Julian, often unaware that they will serve as scapegoats when Ricky and Julian's plans inevitably go awry. Lucy is the mother of Ricky's daughter Trinity, while Sarah moved in with Lucy after Ricky was imprisoned. J-Roc is a white aspiring rapper who genuinely thinks he is black; he is rarely seen without his friend T, who actually is black.

Cory and Trevor

In addition to his role as Trevor, Michael Jackson was also a production assistant behind the scenes for seasons 2–6. During this time, Jackson and many of the other actors on the show were paid minimum scale (wage) despite the show's growing success. Tension grew between the producers (Barrie Dunn and Mike Volpe) and Jackson due to working conditions and creative disagreements. Jackson gave notice that he would fulfill his contract up to and including season 6, as he was close friends with the series' creator Mike Clattenburg.

The producers and writers did not directly address the issue of Cory and Trevor leaving the show at the end of season 6 even though they knew of their impending departure for some time beforehand. However, the characters' departure from Sunnyvale was addressed in season 7 and their names have been part of the continuing Trailer Park Boys storyline. Cory Bowles returned for Season 8 and has since appeared in each following season, with Jacob Rolfe's Jacob Collins character filling Jackson's role as Cory's sidekick. In season 10 Cory Bowles is credited as a director for a handful of episodes.

Lucy and J-Roc

On April 2, 2016, Lucy DeCoutere announced via Twitter that she was resigning from the show after co-star Mike Smith was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman. Later that day, publicist Sheila Roberts said that DeCoutere had informed the show's producers a few weeks before Smith's arrest that she would not be returning for the show's next season.

On April 20, 2016, Jonathan Torrens announced that he had also left the show, tweeting, "Playing J-Roc has truly been one of the greatest pleasures & privileges of my life. But it's time to hang up the ol' do-rag." In response to fans' reactions, he tweeted, "Truly moved & humbled by all your best wishes and kind words. The real legacy of Trailer Park Boys will always be the loyalty of its fans." Torrens last appearance as J-Roc with the rest of the cast was on "Trailer Park Boys Podcast" episode 33, released March 18, 2016.

Style

The series is shot in a mockumentary style (including the use of long takes), featuring handheld camera work. Characters often speak directly to crew members, who frequently become involved in the plot. In one episode, a crewman is shot; in another, one is tased by Jim Lahey. The show is loosely scripted, with much of the dialogue ad-libbed from basic plot points. These aspects are intended to evoke a sense of realism. The trio have stated that many of the show's most popular moments were not in the script.

Furthering the myth that Trailer Park Boys is nonfiction, many of the actors (particularly Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, Mike Smith, John Dunsworth and Patrick Roach) often make public appearances in character.

Reception

The show became very successful in many countries. The show's lead trio formerly toured with Our Lady Peace, and with Guns N' Roses, with whom Bubbles sings his trademark song "Liquor and Whores.". On January 13, 2017, Trailer Park Boys and Bubbles finally released "Liquor & Whores" as an EDM track produced by Canadian Muli-Platinum Producer, Marc Mysterio on Sony Music. The Trailer Park Boys have also appeared in music videos with The Tragically Hip, while Bubbles has appeared with George Canyon and Snow, and they have been presenters at numerous award shows – always in character. Several famous artists appear on the show, such as Alex Lifeson from Rush in "Closer to the Heart," singer Rita MacNeil in the season four finale "Working Man," Brian Vollmer from Helix, Sebastian Bach from Skid Row, and the late singer-songwriter Denny Doherty of The Mamas and the Papas in the season seven finale "A Shitriver Runs Through It."

The show is a great success for the cable network Showcase, where it is the network's highest-rated Canadian series. It airs in Australia on The Comedy Channel, in the United Kingdom and Spain on Paramount Comedy, in the Republic of Ireland on 3e, in Iceland on SkjárEinn, in New Zealand on TV 2, in Israel on Xtra Hot, in the Netherlands on Comedy Central Netherlands, in Denmark on DR2, in Portugal on SIC Radical, in Germany on Comedy Central Germany, in Finland on Nelonen, in Bulgaria on Nova Television, and in Poland on Comedy Central Polska. In the United States, BBC America formerly aired a censored version of the show, but it is no longer part of their lineup. On February 5, 2009, satellite provider DirecTV began airing the series in the United States on its channel The 101 Network, uncensored, at the rate of two episodes per week. DirecTV aired the entire seven-season run of Trailer Park Boys, plus both specials. All episodes aired on DirecTV are in 16:9 widescreen format (although not in High Definition resolution), as opposed to the standard definition 4:3 aspect DVD releases of the first five seasons. It is also available on Netflix.

Actors John Dunsworth, John Paul Tremblay, and Robb Wells can be seen in the 2002 movie Virginia's Run starring Gabriel Byrne and Joanne Whalley. John Dunsworth plays a local cop while John Paul Tremblay and Robb Wells play active and verbal townsmen similar to their Trailer Park Boys characters. Actors are credited as cop for John Dunsworth, J.P. for John Paul Tremblay (credits as J.P. Tremblay), and Robb Wells as Rob. The movie was filmed in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

The Movie

The second Trailer Park Boys movie to be produced (the first being the original black and white production that sparked the series), Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (also known as The Big Dirty) was released on October 6, 2006, and distributed by Alliance Atlantis. Ivan Reitman produced the movie, Mike Clattenburg directed it, and Clattenburg and Robb Wells co-wrote it. It was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Motion Picture, but did not win. This movie and later on the second one, also paved the way for its popularity in the U.S.

Countdown to Liquor Day

The franchise's second feature film, Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day, was released in Canada on September 25, 2009. The movie serves as sequel to the last televised episode, "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys".

Don't Legalize It

In May 2012, Mike Clattenburg announced on his Twitter page that a third film in the Trailer Park Boys franchise was in development. Principal photography for the third installment was scheduled to begin in October 2012, but was pushed back to March 2013; filming began on March 17, 2013. On April 20, 2013, the production moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where filming took place at Parliament Hill during the 4/20 weekend. Entertainment One announced that the third film, titled Trailer Park Boys 3: Don't Legalize It, would be released in Canada on April 18, 2014. The film picks up shortly after where Season 7 of the TV show left off, and centres around Ricky's concerns that if the Canadian government legalized and controlled marijuana sale, it would put his grow-op out of business.

Live in Fuckin' Dublin

While touring the Ricky, Julian and Bubbles Community Service Variety Show, footage from the trio's May 9, 2013 performance at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland was collected for a concert film. The live show contains an introduction and epilogue shot in the format of a Trailer Park Boys episode, with the premise that the boys are arrested in Dublin and forced to serve community service by staging a puppet show discouraging drug and alcohol use. Some elements from the television series return in Live in Fuckin' Dublin, such as Alex Lifeson's (from the band Rush) feud with Ricky, Ricky's inadvertently gluing objects to his nose, and Conky's many resurrections. The film was released on June 1, 2014. The season 8 episode "Community Service and a Boner Made with Love" contains a similar premise.

Live at the North Pole

On November 15, 2014, Netflix released a new 90-minute special, titled Trailer Park Boys: Live at the North Pole. This is a concert film of their choice. It was filmed on location at the State Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

DVD releases

Alliance Home Entertainment has released all seven seasons of Trailer Park Boys on DVD in Region 1.

Continuation of Trailer Park Boys

The Trailer Park Boys franchise has continued past the original run of the television series, almost without interruption. The cast and crew took the summer of 2008 off, but a new special one-hour episode titled "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys" aired in Canada on December 7, 2008. Series creator Mike Clattenburg announced on November 12, 2008 that the special would be followed by a sequel movie scheduled for Canadian release on September 25, 2009 (Countdown to Liquor Day), which would be "the end of Trailer Park Boys," and that no additional seasons will be made.

In January 2009, the boys were in character at selected venues nationally including Massey Hall in Toronto. They performed the Ricky, Julian and Bubbles Community Service Variety Show. The premise was that they were fulfilling court order community service and must put on a puppet show aimed at demonstrating the dangers of using alcohol and drugs.

In November 2009, Wells, Tremblay and Smith announced that they would be starring in a new television series called The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour, which aired on Action in 2010. The series was given an order of six episodes. The actors also served as writers and executive producers for the series.

In March 2010, the boys did a show in character at Massey Hall in Toronto called "The Ricky, Julian and Bubbles, Drunk, High and Unemployed Tour". The tour expanded throughout 2010 and 2011 with live theatre performances worldwide including the U.S., Canada, UK and Ireland, with further performances in Australia and New Zealand in 2012.

In November 2010, the boys did a sketch for Funny or Die, called "MashUpPiece Theater: The Wire / Trailer Park Boys".

In February 2012, Wells, Tremblay, and Smith played guest roles on the FX animated series, Archer, as a radical Nova Scotian separatist terrorist, a compatriot disguised as a Mountie, and a real Mountie, respectively.

In October 2012, Barrie Dunn officially announced a third Trailer Park Boys film. Filming began in March 2013 and ended in late April. The film was released in Canadian theaters on April 18, 2014.

Two Trailer Park Boys actors and one guest star died in early 2013; Brian Huggins, who portrayed Shitty Bill, in March, and both Richard Collins and guest star Rita MacNeil in April.

On July 4, 2013, it was announced that Tremblay, Wells and Smith acquired the rights to Trailer Park Boys and confirmed it would return with an eighth season. Principal production took place from July–September 2013, back on location in an existing mobile home community in Truro, Nova Scotia. In late September 2013, Mike Smith announced on the SwearNet Facebook page that the cast and crew had also returned to the location in September to shoot content for two new specials, that Season 8 had been "rough cut" into ten episodes, and that SwearNet was seeking network deals in addition to its plans to webcast the new material.

On December 27, 2013, Smith confirmed on Twitter that a ninth season will go into production in spring of 2014. Although creator Mike Clattenburg, along with producers Barrie Dunn and Michael Volpe, are not involved, they gave their blessings to the trio and are credited as the original creators on the revived series. On March 5, 2014, Netflix announced that the two new seasons of Trailer Park Boys will air exclusively on their streaming service later this year. In addition to season 8 and 9, the network will also air three specials (Community Service Special, Swearnet Special, Trailer Park Boys Xmas) and two new films (Trailer Park Boys 3: Don't Legalize It and Swearnet) after their theatrical release.

A new 80-minute special titled Trailer Park Boys: Live In Fuckin' Dublin debuted on June 1, 2014 exclusively on Netflix.

On September 1, 2014, Netflix announced that season 8 of Trailer Park Boys will be available on September 5.

On November 15, 2014, Netflix released a new 90-minute special, titled Trailer Park Boys: Live at the North Pole.

Season 9 of Trailer Park Boys was made available on March 27, 2015.

On June 1, 2015, Swearnet officially announced that the production of Season 10 is underway.

On December 9, 2015, a new 75-minute special debuted on Netflix, titled Trailer Park Boys: Drunk, High, and Unemployed Live In Austin.

On March 28, 2016 Netflix released season 10 of the Trailer Park Boys. It consisted of 10 episodes and includes appearances from several well-known stars such as Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Kimmel, Doug Benson and Tom Arnold. Two episodes were directed by Bobby Farrelly.

On April 2, 2016 and on April 20, 2016, Lucy DeCoutere and Jonathan Torrens announced they were leaving the show, but the boys have assured that the show is not ending.

On May 30, 2016, filming and production began for Season 11 of Trailer Park Boys.

On July 5, 2016 filming for Season 11 was completed and editing began.

On October 28, 2016 Trailer Park Boys Out of the Park: Europe was made available to stream on Netflix with 8 episodes.

On February 22, it was announced that Season 11 would air March 31, 2017.