About

Shoresy is a Canadian television comedy series created by and starring Jared Keeso that premiered on Crave on May 13, 2022.[1][2] A spin-off of Letterkenny, the series focuses on the titular character of Shoresy (played by Jared Keeso) as he moves to Sudbury, Ontario, to take a job with a struggling Senior AAA-level ice hockey team, the Sudbury Bulldogs.[3]

In the United States, the series premiered on Hulu on May 27, 2022.[4] A second season was announced in January 2023,[5] which premiered on September 29, 2023.[6] In October 2023, the series was renewed for a third season,[7] which premiered on May 24, 2024.[8] The fourth season premiered on January 24, 2025, and the series has been renewed for a fifth season.[9]

Premise

After losing 20 straight games and running dead last in the four-team Triple A-level Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (NOSHO), the Sudbury Bulldogs are faced with being completely shut down. In an attempt to save the team, veteran player Shore ("Shoresy") makes a bet with team general manager Nat that the team will never lose again if he's given a chance to take control. With the help of new coach Sanguinet, a roster of new players, and the dissolution of the team on the line, Shoresy sets out to prove that the Bulldogs can play as a team, sell tickets to game, and make a name for themselves. He rebuilds the team with veteran players who share his philosophy that it's not enough to "love to win", they have to "hate to lose".

Cast

The cast of Shoresy features a dynamic blend of seasoned performers and emerging talent, led by Jared Keeso, who reprises his role as the sharp-tongued, hockey-obsessed Shoresy. The ensemble includes a mix of Canadian actors and real-life athletes, bringing authenticity and grit to the series. With standout performances from Tasya Teles, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat, and Ryan McDonell, the cast delivers a compelling mix of comedy, drama, and on-ice intensity that captures the heart of the game and the soul of the North.

Main

Recurring

Guests

Production and development

Shoresy is played by Jared Keeso, but within Letterkenny he was only seen in contexts that obscured his face as Keeso simultaneously played the leading role of Wayne.[10] Justin Stockman of Bell Media explained the decision to proceed with a Shoresy spin-off by noting that he is one of the most popular characters in Letterkenny merchandising, and acknowledging the creative potential involved in building on the story of a character about whom very little is known in the original show.[2]

Production on the series launched in November 2021 in Sudbury.[11] Production locations have included the Sudbury Community Arena.[12]

During the tenth-season Letterkenny episode "VidVok", Tanis explains to Wayne that she managed to get Shore a position on the Sudbury Bulldogs and will be moving soon, setting up the Shoresy series. The show's first teaser trailer was released in February 2022.[13]

Like Letterkenny, the show has received praise for its efforts to include fully rounded and nuanced portrayals of its First Nations characters, which was accomplished in part by including actress Kaniehtiio Horn, who plays Tanis in the original Letterkenny, as a producer tasked in part with ensuring that the indigenous characters were written and portrayed realistically.[14] The series has also received positive notice for inverting the stereotypical gender dynamics in hockey by placing women in power positions as the team's manager, her two assistants and the sports journalist who covers the team for The Sudbury Star, noting that in Letterkenny "Part of the secret ... is that although the men seem to be the focal point of the story and the women seem to be objectified in endless slo-mo walk-ups, the men are all trapped in different stages of arrested development and the women are truly in charge."[15]

While more suburban and rural parts of Sudbury serve as a backdrop for the fictional town of Letterkenny in the series, the central urban core of the city is fully represented as itself in Shoresy. The city is featured prominently in the new series and "the dialogue is rife with quippy mentions of Sudbury landmarks". The various hockey scenes take place at the Sudbury Community Arena, complete with advertising for local businesses on the boards and the Sudbury Wolves logo can be seen in several background shots.[16] The series also features numerous real-life downtown Sudbury food and entertainment venues, including the Coulson nightclub, Peppi Panini and the Laughing Buddha.[17]

The show has also partnered with the real-life Sudbury Wolves on charitable fundraising initiatives, including special limited-edition Sudbury Bulldogs jerseys that would be worn by the Wolves players in an OHL game before being auctioned off to raise funds.[18] The cast also regularly plays a series of hockey games against NHL alumni, in character as the Bulldogs, under the Shoresy Classic banner.[19][20][21]

In June 2024, The Globe and Mail reported that season 4 was set to begin filming.[22]

In December 2024, New Metric and Treewood Games announced that a Shoresy video game was in development.[23]

Critical response

In advance of the series premiere, John Doyle of The Globe and Mail praised the show, writing that "In the spirit of Letterkenny, the humour is funny, mad, droll, childish and spiky. Full of salty Canadian vernacular, it soars. There are more visual jokes than you might find in the average episode of Letterkenny, but the flavour is the familiar tone of boldly irreverent, and it is sometimes slashing satire with more puns than you can count. In an expected but delightful way, Shoresy is Letterkenny refreshed. Who knew that a series that opened some years ago with the line, 'A coupla hockey players came up the lane way the other day,' could eventually unleash this great spinoff?"[24]

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter described the series as essentially an updated version of the 1977 film Slap Shot, praising it both for humanizing the character of Shoresy, and for placing women and First Nations characters in positions of strength.[15] Michael Hollett of NEXT Magazine wrote that Shoresy is "a fast-paced show with a more linear narrative and explicit plot than Letterkenny", and praised it for lacking the stiffness and awkwardness that often plagues television series about hockey.[25]

References

  1. ^ David, Greg (April 19, 2022). "The puck drops on Crave original series Shoresy, May 13". TV, eh?. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Ahearn, Victoria (June 10, 2021). "'The Amazing Race Canada,' 'Letterkenny' spinoff join upcoming Bell Media lineup". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 11, 2021
  3. ^ David, Greg (November 19, 2021). "Game faces on. Production underway on Letterkenny spin-off series Shoresy". TV, eh?. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Ahearn, Victoria (February 14, 2022). "Hulu picks up Crave's upcoming Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy". Playback. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  5. ^ MacGary, Julia (January 17, 2023). "Hulu's 'Letterkenny' Spinoff 'Shoresy' Renewed for Season 2". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ready for a Sudbury Saturday Night? SHORESY Returns for Season 2 on Crave, September 29" (Press release). Bell Media. August 17, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "It's a Hat Trick for SHORESY! Crave Confirms its Hit Original Comedy Series is Returning for a Third Season" (Press release). Bell Media. October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "Crave Confirms Season 3 of SHORESY is Going, May 24" (Press release). Bell Media. April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "Crave Original Series SHORESY Scores Fifth Season Renewal Ahead of Season 4 Premiere" (Press release). Bell Media. January 3, 2025. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  10. ^ McCauley, Tara (June 15, 2021). "'Letterkenny' Announces Spin-Off Series 'Shoresy' as Production Begins on Seasons Ten and Eleven". mxdwn Television. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy to begin shooting in Sudbury shortly". The Sudbury Star. October 31, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Katherine Keown, Mary (November 17, 2021). "City council throws support behind shot-in-Sudbury TV shows". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Rawden, Jessica (February 14, 2022). "The Letterkenny Spinoff Shoresy Dropped Its First Footage And We Finally Got To See His Face". Cinema Blend. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  14. ^ Boutsalis, Kelly (May 13, 2022). "'Shoresy' puts Indigenous characters at centre ice". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (May 26, 2022). "Hulu's 'Shoresy': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Jensen, Mia (May 12, 2022). "'Letterkenny spinoff 'Shoresy' makes Sudbury one of its characters". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  17. ^ Aelick, Lyndsay (May 12, 2022). "Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy embraces everything about Sudbury". CTV Northern Ontario. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  18. ^ "Wolves unveil new Shoresy jersey ahead of home game vs. Knights". The Sudbury Star. November 23, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "ShoresyClassic". Letterkenny | Shoresy Official Store. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  20. ^ White, Max (October 23, 2024). "'Shoresy' star Ryan McDonell on game against Red Wings alumni: 'It's an absolute honor.'". WXYZ Detroit. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  21. ^ "'Shoresy Fall Classic' adds new cities by popular demand: Hockey games announced in Detroit, Buffalo, Chicago". Niagara Frontier Publications. September 27, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  22. ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (June 21, 2024). "Shoresy's next stop after season-three shocker should be 24 Sussex Drive". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 19, 2024
  23. ^ Sokic, Nicholas (December 12, 2024). "New Metric developing Shoresy video game with Treewood Games". Playback. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  24. ^ Doyle, John (May 10, 2022). "Shoresy: At last, a real hockey show about real hockey". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  25. ^ Hollet, Michael (June 2022). "It's Game On for Excellent Letterkenny Spinoff, Shoresy". NEXT Magazine. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
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