Trailer Park Boys is probably the most famous Canadian show around, just closing off in 2018 with its 12th (105 episodes) season. This sitcom has everything you need for a hilarious and cringy treat that will never cease to amaze you.
This mock-umentary style sitcom follows three petty felons as they live in a trailer park, but they're pretty bad at it, and they spend a lot of time being arrested or in jail. However, the slapstick humor often relies on some pretty serious undertones, and actually tackles deep, systemic issues. Don't believe us? Here are 10 episodes that actually confront some pretty serious issues.
"Who the Hell Invited These Idiots to My Wedding?" (Season 1, Episode 6)
When Ricky and Lucy decide to get married, which seems like a pretty fundamental step in one's life, it becomes pretty evident that they don't have the means to do so. Getting legally married is one thing that the boys can't really seem to get a hold on, as it'll become increasingly clear that they have no form of legal identification.
The boys also decide to rob a local grocery store in order to feed the guests, which we're definitely not condoning, but it might make you think about our consumerist society, and how many are unable to achieve the seemingly "basic" parts of life... like a wedding.
"What the F*ck Happened to Our Trailer Park?" (Season 2, Episode 1)
Despite the fact that this episode follows a prison term for Ricky and Julian, it actually centers around Mr. Lahey. Alcoholism is clearly a running theme in this show, and although it's normally used for comedic purposes, this episode opens the conversation about possible links between depression and alcohol.
While Lahey isn't exactly the best guy, this episode may also be tackling the vicious cycle of mental health and addiction.
"The Bare Pimp Project" (Season 2, Episode 7)
This episode is full of hilarious and cringy content, but it's all completely reliant on the fact that the boys are impoverished and uneducated. While Ricky tries to take his Grade 10 exam (something he never had the tools to get), Julian is trying to sell marijuana to prison guards for extra cash and is trying to become involved with the adult film business (again).
These sly ways of earning money seem shady, and well, illegal, but does Julian really know any other way? Also, how often do we take passing Grade 10 for granted? Hmm...
"If I Can't Smoke & Swear, I'm F*cked" (Season 3, Episode 3)
The boys, in a desperate attempt for money, decide that it would be better to take on smaller, less risky crimes. They start by opening an illegal gas station in Sunnyvale, which, unsurprisingly, goes horribly wrong. However, this episode really hammers home the point that the boys literally know no other way to save money than to resort to crime.
Yeah, you can make the argument that there are jobs to get, but think about the vicious cycle of jail and crime, and let us know if you think these boys would get hired anywhere.
"A Sh*t Leopard Can't Change Its Spots" (Season 3, Episode 8)
In this episode, Ricky makes a promise to spend more time with his daughter, Trinity. The family dynamics of this show are cringy, and they should be, but you might want to stop and think about how difficult it would be to raise their child in the conditions they're given.
Once Ricky is evicted from the trailer park, he resolves to go back to prison, and breaks out into a petty crime spree. Yeah, read that again. He RESOLVES to go back to prison. Each season hilariously ends up with someone going to jail, but it's important to think about how each of them actually LIKE prison, and how Ricky is constantly talking about having a roof over his head and three meals a day. That's some deep stuff.
"Conky" (Season 4, Episode 5)
When Bubbles develops an infection in his tooth, he feels the need to take "Conky," a puppet he made as a child, to the hospital with him. When Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles show up, the nurse is more than dismissive of them, and it's probably because they have no health-care card, identification, and don't even know what Bubbles's last name is.
Imagine not having simple identification or access to Canada's FREE healthcare. Again, we're wondering how these boys have been able to fly so far under the radar in their country.
"The F*ckin' Way She Goes (Season 5, Episode 3)
This episode also tackles substance abuse, and viewers are able to watch as Ray's addiction to both gambling and liquor quickly spirals out of control. Again, if you've noticed, Julian is NEVER seen without a drink in his hand, and it's quite clearly a prominent past-time for these boys.
It may beg the question, why don't they stop? Why doesn't anyone quit their addiction? Alcoholism has been a part of their lives since day one, and it's pretty hard to just quit cold turkey, and it's not like they have the resources to get help. It's the f*ckin' way she goes, we guess, but we're also guessing that addiction is pretty hard to overcome when you're broke.
"The Winds of Sh*t" (Season 5, Episode 7)
In this episode, we actually see Ricky get a legit job as a janitor at a Vocational School, but the money just isn't enough for him - he needs to bail Ray out of prison. This episode tackles the inescapable cycle of poverty, crime, and jail.
Ricky wants to help Ray out, and believes that selling hash is the best way to earn quick cash. However, then Ricky is committing a criminal offence, and so the wheel spins and spins and spins... Didn't realize you could learn some good ol' criminology lessons from Trailer Park Boys, did you?
"Anointed in Liquor" (Season 9, Episode 3)
This episode definitely focuses on going legit and breaking the cycle of poverty. Ricky and a pregnant Trinity are living in a barn, and Ricky is trying to find a place where they can live to raise Trinity's baby in a good home. However, Ricky turns to petty crime to earn money to get his car back.
On the other side of the trailer park, Julian is also trying to move on from the park and buy a legit business, a run-down motel. He does so successfully, and this is probably one of the only times one of the boys actually gets into a totally legal business in a totally legal way. It's proving incredibly difficult for Ricky to break their family's inevitable cycle, but with Julian's help, maybe they can.
"Angel Sh*t Sent Down From Jesus God" (Season 12, Episode 9)
Last but not least, this episode combines every theme we've mentioned so far: alcohol, poverty, and crime. A beer company wants to start doing business with the boys, but there are upfront costs involved to the tune of $50,000. In this episode, it becomes clear how difficult it is to actually go legit. It seems pretty easy to say, well, get a legit business, but do you know the resources you need to have to do that? Clearly, it's $50,000, and how do the boys get that money? You guessed it - crime.
Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles all actually make it clear that they WANT to have a legit business, but the hurdles they must overcome to get there seem impossible to overcome. The entire series is hilarious, ridiculous, and seems pretty mindless, but the underlying criminological themes are actually staggeringly tragic and devastating. The cycle of crime, poverty, and alcoholism can be one that's incredibly hard to break free of, and this show is brilliant at demonstrating that.