The lack of direction in Letterkenny Season 11 proves it’s time for Shoresy to shine

Letterkenny season 11 has come and gone, and while there were some good skits here and there, much of the latest iteration felt a bit directionless and lacking in terms of its content. Combine that with the fact that Shoresy absolutely surpassed expectations with its first season, especially with its never-lose-again storyline, and the idea that the hiccups need to take a backseat to the hockey players seems a serious possibility to be .

Now it should be mentioned that the first few seasons of Letterkenny are fantastic as almost every single one is funny, energetic, brilliantly written and emphasizes the importance of family, friends and community. There used to be an arc in each season as well, which, while not always predominant, was still present between the normal runtime of around ten episodes.

Whether it’s feuding with one of the many categorizations of Letterkenny’s citizens, proving Wayne is the toughest guy in town, the bevy of heartbreaking relationships that form, or even hockey players Riley and Jonesy finding their purpose. These were all at least somewhat intriguing.

By comparison, most of the audience this season was a short arc with Jivin’ Pete that literally got nowhere, or a pointless debate about potato chips that wasn’t actually funny. The last time fans saw anything resembling an Arc was a few seasons ago after we found out that Dierks was cheating on Katie.

From there, the season ends with basically the entire province of Canada chasing Dierks and Co., and it’s quite fulfilling, much more than the failed redemption of a sword that had no standing prior to this season. The problem with Letterkenny is that everything has already been done – over and over again.

The writing style borders on the formulaic as the parts are pretty dry at this point considering it’s repetitive and the gags feel over the top. Not to mention that the last few seasons were just retreads of the same storylines.

Dan has some more daring sexual experiences, the McMurray clan tells his troubled history, the Mennonite Dyck family misuses common words to serve as sexual innuendos, etc. While fans obviously still care about the ebb and flow of this Canadian province and they enjoy, how long can this last effectively?

The hardest part about all of this is that it came as a sequel to Shoresy, a spinoff show about the well-loved, notoriously rude hockey player. Throughout the series, this character appeared in Letterkenny rattling with Riley and Jonesy over their respective mothers’ beds, although it was actually an ongoing storyline.

The only consistent thread with him is that we’d never actually see his face – mostly because it was just creator Jared Keeso, who also played Wayne, trying to avoid making two characters look alike. Still, a spin-off for Shoresy not only did well, it thrived.

The premise is fairly simple, as a senior AAA hockey team hires Shoresy to lead them to victory, a struggling team that was once the pride and joy of the town of Sudbury. At first the show is rather superficial as it appears to be all about ice hockey, although it soon becomes apparent that there is a lot more to the story than meets the eye.

First, like Letterkenny before it, there is a stigma that comes with these shows. Given the theme of living/working on a farm, you’d expect it to be some sort of male show, and for lack of better words, it is. But Letterkenny is also so much deeper than that, and Shoresy is even more.

At first glance, the character of Shoresy is obnoxious, rude, a loner, and a womanizer, which he pretty much is, especially in Letterkenny. However, in the short six episodes of the series, it has been revealed that he actually has many more layers.

One of the biggest themes throughout Season 1 is Shoresy’s mantra, which boils down to refusing to lose, something his team has embraced by the end of the season. What makes this even more fulfilling is that audiences learn that Shoresy’s refusal to lose stems from being part of a very close-knit foster family, with each member looking out for their siblings in one way or another.

For example, he always played soccer with his athletic brother but could never beat him, which instilled in him a drive and a need to persevere and win. Looking more closely at this topic, the need to persevere amidst the difficulties of growing up in a nursing home confirms this mindset as he finds happiness out of his unique situation and still “wins”.

Building on that, it’s very satisfying to watch Shoresy go from loner to team player and get his team (who are all loners themselves) to do the same. Not only do we see the team grow into a family, but viewers appreciate Shoresy’s character development from immature “I banged your mom” guy in Letterkenny to leader who “will never lose again.”

Ultimately, Letterkenny will always be an important, amazing show. Not only has it provided so many hilarious skits and catchphrases, but it has also served as a precursor to many comedy shows and proved that it is possible to move from Youtube to mainstream television.

Unfortunately, Letterkenny has had its time in the sun and it’s time to make way for Shoresy as the show just feels fresher and has a more concise direction. Here’s hoping creator Jared Keeso can recognize this and find a fitting ending for the former while also building on the ideas he has for the latter.