The popular Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg. It started airing in 2001 as a continuation of its 1999 film bearing the same name. The show is about a group of people who live in the fictitious “Sunnyvale Trailer Park” in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Including the two main characters who are in and out of jail. The show ran for 7 seasons before ending with a one-hour special telecast on December 7, 2008.
The actors who played Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles, respectively, were Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, and Mike Smith. The actors bought the show’s rights from the original producers in 2013. After they launched their online streaming network, SwearNet. The 8th season of the show came on September 5, 2014. It came after SwearNet and Netflix began co-producing new episodes in March 2014.
In the years that followed, several specials and miniseries were produced. On March 31, 2019, an animated spinoff series made its debut. Filming for the spinoff series Trailer Park Boys: Jail started in October 2019 and the show debuted on Swearnet on January 1, 2021.
Here is a list of 15 interesting Facts about the show, Trailer Park Boys that gave us Julian, Randy and Bubbles:
1. The Three Leads Had Never Acted Before
Clattenburg was acquainted with both Robb Wells (Ricky) and John Paul Tremblay (Julian) through their joint ownership of a pizza restaurant in Prince Edward Island. Because Clattenburg believed they were “natural actors,” he cast them in a few of his short films. They got Jim Lahey’s character John Dunsworth to star in a film called One Last Shot, and after Smith’s band, Sandbox, broke up, they got him to record some audio in his studio.
2. Sarah is the daughter of John Dunsworth
The real-life daughter of John Dunsworth plays Sarah. Is it surprising that Sarah Dunsworth would join the team? The cast is known for being close-knit and only inviting people they have known for a while. This is exactly like the time my dad recruited me to work alongside him in the all-male brothel. That’s kind of how it is.
3. It’s based on a short film
Clattenburg’s 1998 short film served as a major source of inspiration for the series. In the short film “One Last Shot,” Robb Wells and John Paul Tremblay played younger versions of Julian and Ricky. The couple is shown in the short falling in love and choosing to move to Vancouver after a day of committing small crimes together. John Dunsworth, in his debut as Mr. Lahey, was so good that he won an award for best performance at the Atlantic Film Festival. The entire movie was improvised on set.
After its initial festival screenings, “One Last Shot” never again commercially released. But it is now streaming on Netflix. An early incarnation of the Bubbles character appeared in a Clattenburg short film titled “The Cart Boy”. It was eventually there as an extra on some “Trailer Park Boys” DVD sets.
4. Jonathan Torrens Hosted His Talk Show
Before his involvement in TPB, many Canadians were familiar with Torrens, who plays one of the funniest and most beloved characters, J-Roc. In the latter part of the 1990s, he hosted his show, Jonovision, and co-hosted Street Cents, an educational teen show about media and consumerism. It was a talk show with interviews with celebrities and regular people that catered to a teenage audience. In addition, there were comedies and musical acts, such as the pop-punk group Sum 41’s performance at “Jonopalooza.”
5. Bubbles suffer from Alektorophobia
You would think Bubbles had steely nerves after he adopted Steve French, a mountain lion, for a short while. Even though he wouldn’t mind getting close to a mountain lion, there’s one creature that scares the living daylights out of him. It is revealed in “Where the F*** is Oscar Goldman?” that he has an alektorophobia.
6. The Show had strict Rules of Conduct for the Characters
The actor Jonathan Torrens offered a sensible justification for why J-Roc, his character, and others avoided using derogatory language at all times. In an oral history of the show, Torrens stated, “The J-Rocs of the world use the N-word all the time, and although that’s accurate, it’s not funny.” “Trailer Park Boys has made an effort to act appropriately. In scenes with kids, no one calls Bubbles the R-word or Randy and Lahey the F-word, and no one smokes dope. A feeling of community is present.
7. The Show Is Episodic
The show’s creators have said that they plan to maintain the episodic format of the program. This implies that they want everyone to be able to pick up where they left off in any given episode and still be able to follow along and have fun. Undoubtedly, the show enhanced when one is aware of the pasts of the characters; however, this also allows one to make their friends watch their favorite episode straight away rather than starting with the pilot.
8. Bubbles’ glasses belonged to Mike Smith (and a dead Texan)
With his endearing demeanor and adorable thick glasses that predate the character, Mike Smith’s Bubbles swiftly emerged as the show’s standout character. Mike Smith’s girlfriend saw the glasses among the belongings of an elderly woman who had recently passed away at a local flea market when she was visiting family in Texas while he was still a professional musician. Smith still regrets having to leave the woman’s framed photo behind because she only had fifty cents.
9. John Paul Tremblay and Robb Wells Co-Owned a Pizza Joint
Wells and Tremblay, who attended high school together, co-owned a pizzeria called J.R. Capones before TPB renewed for a full season. Although it was just a regular pizza place in real life, series viewers will undoubtedly see this as one of Julian’s legendary get-rich-quick schemes where they could deal drugs and make a ton of money using pizza as a front. Considering how well-known they have become for acting, it is understandable why they left the food industry behind.
Put differently, he fears chickens. He was viciously pecked after falling into a chicken coop as a young boy while he and some friends were escaping a farmer. He kept his phobia a secret from even his closest friends, Ricky and Julian because he was so ashamed of it.
10. Donnie Is Voiced By Mike Smith
The unseen screaming neighbor, Donnie’s voice is by Mike Smith, who also portrays Bubbles. Usually, Donnie’s voice only comes when there are loud disturbances in the caravan park, like gunshots or auto crashes. Donnie appeared in season 12 on-screen but conveniently has his face blurred out so that Smith can still fill in the voice.
11. The real reason J-Roc left the show
Many rumours have been floating around regarding J-Roc’s exit from the program. Shortly after DeCoutere’s announcement, Torrens made his own Twitter announcement. “In the end, I thought I had done everything I could with J-Roc, but it’s strange how much of him has been a part of my life and my thoughts for such a long time,” Torrens said in his podcast, “Taggart and Torrens,” as CBC notes.
J-Roc spent ten enchanting seasons gracing the park with his presence. Although Torrens departed soon after DeCoutere did, it seems he fulfilled the role to the fullest extent possible. Regarding his persona, he added in his podcast, “You’re 43 years old. You have on a do-rag. You no longer pass for a wangster in my opinion.” Although fans would love to see their favorite rapper drop more bars at park concerts, he has been open regarding the causes of his departure from the show. Still, he gave the role everything he had, nomesayin?
12. Mike Smith Played More Than One Character
Hardcore fans may be unaware that Smith occasionally voiced Donny, the constant screamer who is never fully visible.
13. In Need Of Last Names
None of the following have a last name: Ricky, Bubbles, Julia, Trevor, Cyrus, Sarah, Lucy, J-Rock, Tyrone, Ray, and Trinity. This surprises me because I assumed that all of their last names were “park boy.”
14. They’ve Collaborated With Our Lady Peace
Their song “Life” features in both Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and the episode “Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys.” They have also toured with the Canadian band Our Lady Peace.
15. Elliot Page Started At TPB
Rewinding to season two, you might recognize Treenaa Lahey, the daughter of Jim and Barbara Lahey. Elliot Page, playing her in his major film debut, is the actor. The role was a success because it opened doors for him to work on films like X-Men, Inception, and Juno.