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Trailer Park Boys

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This article is about the television series. For the 2006 movie, see Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. For the 2009 movie, see Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day.
Trailer Park Boys
File:TrailerParkBoys Poster.jpg
Trailer Park Boys cast, circa season 4
GenreMockumentary
Comedy-drama
Created byMike Clattenburg
Written byMike Clattenburg
John Paul Tremblay
Robb Wells
Barrie Dunn
Jackie Torrens
Mike Smith
Jonathan Torrens
Iain MacLeod
Timm Hannebohm
Directed byMike Clattenburg
StarringJohn Paul Tremblay
Robb Wells
Mike Smith
John Dunsworth
Pat Roach
Lucy Decoutere
Sarah E. Dunsworth
Cory Bowles
Michael Jackson
Barrie Dunn
Jeanna Harrison
Ellen Page
Shelley Thompson
Tyrone Parsons
Garry James
Sam Tarasco
Jonathan Torrens
ComposersBlain Morris
Tonicsounds
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes55 + specials (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersMike Clattenburg
Barrie Dunn
Michael Volpe
Production locationHalifax Regional Municipality
EditorsJeremy Harty
Irving Thatcher
Sarah Byrne
Running time22 minutes (regular episodes)
43 minutes (specials)
Production companiesShowcase Television
Topsail Entertainment
Trailer Park Productions
Original release
NetworkShowcase (seasons 1–7)
SwearNet.com (season 8)
ReleaseOriginal series:
April 22, 2001 (2001-04-22) –
December 7, 2008 (2008-12-07)
Revival series:
2014 (2014)

Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The television series is a continuation of Clattenburg's 1999 film of the same name and premiered on the Showcase television network in 2001.[1] The planned final season ended in 2007, and the planned final episode, "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys," premiered as a special on Showcase on December 7, 2008, ending the initial run of the series. A second film—Countdown to Liquor Day—was released in Canada on September 25, 2009. A third film has completed production and will be released in Canada in April, 2014. With the films, stage shows and continued international interest in the original series, an eighth season started production July 2013.

History

In 1998, director Mike Clattenburg wrote and directed a film short 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 made a snap decision 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 story line 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 was soon to grow from a recurring character to one of the show's primary protagonists (even though 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.[2] Beginning with the eighth season, the series will be released through the actors' own internet-based network, SwearNet.

Early seasons were shot in various trailer parks in Nova Scotia, but the crew were not welcomed 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.

Plot

Episodes revolve around the protagonists Ricky, Julian, Bubbles and their misfit accomplices Trevor and Cory trying to make money through petty crime while staying out of jail. Their schemes are complicated by vindictive trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey and his shirtless assistant Randy as Ricky and Julian's incompetence competes with Lahey's own drunken ineptitude. Throughout the season Ricky and Julian end up in and out of jail with most, but not all, of their plans falling apart.

Later seasons changed this formula with the final episode of the season showing that their schemes had been successful, and the boys' future looking optimistic. The first episode of the following season would then show them sheepishly explaining how everything went wrong for them in the interim, thus bringing the story back to square one.

Characters

Main article: List of Trailer Park Boys characters

Each of the characters has their own particular trademark mannerism or trait. Julian often takes a leadership role and comes up with plans, and is never seen without a rum and Coke-on-the-rocks in his hand. Ricky thinks he is dumb and looks to Julian for advice. His speech is often laced with malapropisms and eggcorns and he is known to mess things up. Bubbles wears Coke-bottle glasses, drives a go kart, lives in a shed with a bunch of cats and gets upset and tears up when the boys fight. Trailer Park Supervisor Jim Lahey is normally seen intoxicated while carrying a bottle of whiskey, and his assistant, Randy, is almost always shirtless. There are also four pairs of minor characters: Cory and Trevor help out Ricky and Julian and look up to them; Mr. Lahey and Randy; Lucy and Sarah, Lucy is the mother of Ricky's daughter and Sarah is her roommate; and J-Roc and T, J-Roc thinks he's black despite his skin colour and the two are amateur rappers.

Main cast members

Actor Character Duration
Robb Wells Ricky Season 1–present
John Paul Tremblay Julian Season 1–present
Mike Smith Bubbles Season 1–present
John Dunsworth James "Jim" Lahey Season 1–present
Patrick Roach Randy Season 1–present
Lucy Decoutere Lucy Season 1–present
Sarah E. Dunsworth Sarah Season 1–present
Barrie Dunn Ray Season 1–present
Tyrone Parsons Tyrone, a.k.a. "T" Season 1–present
Jonathan Torrens Jamie, a.k.a. "J-Roc" Season 1–present
Cory Bowles Cory Season 1–6, 8
Michael Jackson Trevor Season 1–6
Jeanna Harrison-Steinhart Trinity Season 1, 3–present
Shelley Thompson Barbara Lahey Season 2–present
Garry James Detroit Velvet Smooth Season 3–5
Ellen Page Treena Lahey Season 2

Recurring cast members

Actor Character Duration
George Green Officer George Green Season 1–present
Jacob Rolfe Jacob Collins Season 1–present
Jim Swansburg Detective Ted Johnston Season 1, 5–7
Bernard Robichaud Cyrus Season 1–2, 4–5, 8
Sam Tarasco Sam "Caveman" Losco Season 1–2, 4–present
Richard Collins Philadelphia "Phil" Collins Season 4–7
Mio Adilman Terry Season 5
Nobu Adilman Dennis Season 5
Sebastian Bach Himself Season 7–present
Brian Huggins "Shitty" Bill Season 5–7
Mike Smith Danny Season 1–7
Linda Busby Linda (J-Roc's mom) Season 1–3

Cory and Trevor's departure

Michael Jackson was also a production assistant behind the scenes for seasons 2–6. During this time Jackson, like many of the other actors on the show, was 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 about the show's storylines becoming repetitive. Jackson notified the writers 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.[3] 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 did return for Season 8.[4]

Style

The series is consistently shot in a mockumentary style (including the use of long takes), but often the camera crew became engrossed in the plot. On several occasions, the camera and boom mic operators are spoken to by the characters, and often end up becoming directly involved in the action. In one episode, a crew member is shot, and they are also enlisted several times to help the characters when a pair of extra hands is needed. All of this is intended to produce the feeling that these are real events that are happening to real people, when in reality, the show is loosely scripted, with much of the dialog ad-libbed from very basic plot points laid out beforehand.

Furthering the myth that Trailer Park Boys is nonfiction, many of the actors (particularly Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, Mike Smith and John Dunsworth) often make public appearances without breaking character.

The cinematographic style of the show is split between rough handheld camera work and clearly planned camera work; the latter sometimes involves crane shots and quite clearly pre-arranged fixed-camera shots.

Popularity

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."[5] 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.[6] 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 MGM 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.

Ratings

Season 3 had an average of 300,000 viewers per episode.[7]

Episodes

Main article: List of Trailer Park Boys episodes

Feature films

The Movie

Main article: Trailer Park Boys: 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

Main article: Trailer Park Boys: 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.[8] The movie serves as sequel to the last televised episode, "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys".

Don't Legalize It

Main article: Trailer Park Boys 3: Don't Legalize It

In May 2012, Mike Clattenberg announced on his Twitter page that a third film in the Trailer Park Boys franchise was in development.[9] Principal photography for the third installment was scheduled to begin in October 2012, but was pushed back to March 2013;[10] filming began on March 17, 2013.[11] On April 20, 2013, the production moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where filming took place at Parliament Hill during the 4/20 weekend.[12] [13] Entertainment One announced that the third film, titled Trailer Park Boys 3: Don't Legalize It, will be released in Canada on April 18, 2014.[14]

DVD releases

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

DVD Name Episodes Release date
The Complete First and Second Seasons 13 May 27, 2003[15]
The Complete Third Season 8 April 6, 2004[16]
The Complete Fourth Season 8 April 12, 2005[17]
Christmas Special 1 November 15, 2005[18]
The Complete Fifth Season 10 May 9, 2006[19]
The Complete Sixth Season 6 May 8, 2007[20]
The Complete Seventh Season 10 May 6, 2008[21]
The Complete Series 55 June 16, 2009[22]
The Complete Collection 55 October 11, 2011[23]

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.[24] 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.[25]

In January 2009, the boys were in character at select 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.[26]

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".[27] 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".[28]

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 is set to be released in Canadian theaters on April 20, 2014.

Two Trailer Park Boys actors and one guest star died in early 2013; Brian Huggins, who portrayed Shitty Bill, in March,[29] and both Richard Collins[30] and guest star Rita MacNeil[31] 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. It may not air on television, but on their website, SwearNet.com. Principal production took place from July-September 2013,[32] 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.

See also


References

  1. ^ Stacey Abbott (March 10, 2010). The Cult TV Book. I.B.Tauris. pp. 84–. ISBN 978-1-84885-026-2. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  2. ^ "The Beginning". TrailerParkBoys.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  3. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: What really happened to Corey and Trevor..." SaintJohnShawn.com. June 13, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  4. ^ "Trailer Park Boys S8 Shoot". Facebook. July 22, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  5. ^ ""Liquor And Whores" Bubbles and Guns n Roses live Halifax NS". YouTube. November 21, 2006.
  6. ^ "TPB premieres on DIRECTV tomorrow!". TrailerParkBoys.com. February 4, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  7. ^ Jonathan Durbin (November 24, 2003). "Trailer Park Boys (Profile)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  8. ^ "Trailer Park Boys 2". TrailerParkBoysMovie.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  9. ^ Gallman, Brett. "Third 'Trailer Park Boys' movie may be in the works - Yahoo News". Yahoo! News. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  10. ^ Jancelewicz, Chris (October 22, 2012). "'Trailer Park Boys' Returning For Third Movie - The Moviefone Blog". Moviefone. AOL, Inc. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  11. ^ Gallman, Brett (March 20, 2013). "'Trailer Park Boys 3' in Production - Yahoo Movies". Yahoo! News. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  12. ^ McKibbon, Sean. "Trailer Park Boys invade Ottawa and 4/20 | Metro". Metro News. Free News Group, Inc. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  13. ^ Brown, Darren (April 21, 2013). "Trailer Park Boys take over Ottawa | Movies | Entertainment | Ottawa Sun". Ottawa Sun. Canoe, Sun Media. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "ENTERTAINMENT ONE | Trailer Park Boys 3: Don't Legalize It in theatres everywhere for 4/20 weekend". CNW Group. CNW Group. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  15. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: The Complete First and Second Seasons (Collector's Edition)". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  16. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: The Complete Third Season". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  17. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: The Complete Fourth Season (Deluxe Two-Disc Set)". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  18. ^ "Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  19. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: Fifth Season (Deluxe 2-disc Set)". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  20. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: Season 6 (Deluxe 2-disc Set)". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  21. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: Season 7 (Deluxe 2-disc Set)". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  22. ^ "Trailer Park Boys: Seasons 1-7". Amazon.ca. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  23. ^ "Trailer Park Boys Complete Collection". Amazon.ca. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  24. ^ "Trailer Park Boys : The End?". Showcase.ca. June 18, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  25. ^ "A Message From Mike Clattenburg". Showcase.ca. November 12, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  26. ^ "Trailer Park Boys write, star in new series". CBC News. November 12, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  27. ^ "Event Detail". MasseyHall.com. March 10, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  28. ^ "MashUpPiece Theater". funnyordie.com. November 29, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  29. ^ "RIP Brian Huggins". SwearNet. April 4, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  30. ^ Forster, Stefani (April 16, 2013). "Richard Collins, 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor, Dies". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  31. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/04/17/rita-macneil-trailer-park-boys_n_3100517.html
  32. ^ Jancelewicz, Chris (July 4, 2013). "'Trailer Park Boys' TV Show Returning For Another Season". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
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