Trailer Park Boys became an internationally hit mockumentary, sitcom, dark, and crime comedy series over the years, which brought the three leading cast members into the limelight. The series premiered in 2001. However, it was not the first time the three guys met.
Wells, Tremblay, and Smith appeared together in The Cart Boy, directed by Mike Clattenburg, in 1995. Several elements in the film matched those in the series. For instance, Ricky’s personality is the same in the film and the series, but his occupation differs.
Wells and Tremblay appeared in a short film, One Last Shot, directed and written by Clattenburg in 1998. The Trailer Park highlights the adventures the three former convicts go through while trying to fit into their new lives in the fictional ‘Sunnyvale Trailer Park.’
Though a Canadian original, the series was released in several countries and became successful everywhere. The trailer parks in the series were filmed on real trailers, neighborhood yards, and roads. However, the series was successful enough to build the trailers till it shifted to Netflix.
Is Trailer Park Boys Scripted?
Trailer Boys is loosely scripted. The characters only get basic points while they make further decisions and frame sentences on their own. The scenes are shot using hand-held cameras, and the characters often directly interact with the crew members, especially when the episodes start.
The mockumentary applies these tactics to make it look more real. Moreover, the three leading boys confessed that several popular moments were unscripted. Similarly, the viewers find it too natural to be scripted.
The mockumentary series was scripted in the beginning for two reasons when it used to air on Showcase. First, the trio, Robb Wells (plays Ricky), John Paul Tremblay (plays Julian), and Mike Smith (plays Bubbles), were non-actors in the beginning. Wells and Tremblay, the high-school buddies, co-owned a pizza joint before launching Trailer Park Boys.
Second, Showcase ordered a script before the first season, though the trio did not plan for it. The remaining actors were mostly behind the camera. When the show shifted to Netflix, the trio embraced the script. However, they had to do longer shots due to a reduced budget.
A Reddit user claimed to have seen Ricky changing his lines after every take in the eighth season in 2013. So, the actors know their characters well and can frame their own sentences. It became Showcase’s highest-rated Canadian original series, though it took some time.
Many actors from the series often make public appearances in their characters, which might be considered unprofessional in theatre, to show that the series is non-fictional.
Trailer Park Boy Reviews
Most viewers on various review aggregators considered Trailer Park Boys the best and the most humorous series. It had a bold opening in the first season that stood with the expectations of the viewers. The dry humor and the Canadian tone make it more addicting.
The quirky characters and outlandish plot draw more viewers. It is an adult comedy where the guys make poor choices and sell pot. Thus, it is a great show, though not for kids. It includes fist violence, substance abuse, liquor, sex, and guns, and the adults watching it should possess basic maturity to get the humor.
Some viewers appreciate the growth of the characters throughout the thirteen seasons because the characters do not remain young forever. They adapt to the change in time, be realistic, and always stay connected to each other.
Bubbles is only screwed with his appearance more than other characters who are screwed in their lives. It makes Bubbles look realistic, like an ordinary person, while the remaining characters make the viewers laugh through their poor choices.
The series has been so popular that the creator released twelve seasons, the first seven on Showcase and remaining on Netflix. Apart from that, it also inspired some films, comics, and television series.
For instance, the film Trailer Park Boys was released in black-&-white 1999. Trailer Park Boys: The Movie was released in October 2006. Trailer Park Boys: Countdown To Liquor Day is another film based on the series released in 2009. The third film, Don’t Legalize, was released in 2014.
Further, two specials were released in 2014 and 2016. Devil’s Due Publishing collaborated with the Trailer Park Boys to make a comic book based on the series in 2021.
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