SHORESY S3 Review: Propelled By Manic Energy

Warning: raucous behavior and salty language ahead. And ice hockey.

Shoresy S3
Season 3 premieres Friday, June 21, with all six new episodes, exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and on Crave in Canada. Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming in their entirety. I've seen all six episodes of Season 3

Propelled by manic energy and embroidered with the foulest of foul language, Shoresy initially feels like a series of in-jokes that require insider knowledge of Senior ice hockey, which I do not possess. As a native Californian and current Texan, I have little to no acquaintance with professional ice hockey -- though I know that the Edmonton Oilers won the other night and Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals is tomorrow night! Go, Canada!

Forgetting all that, though, all it takes is about five minutes of listening to the English language -- and occasionally French -- dialogue, mangled and stretched, profane and filthy, to know if this series is for you. If you don't turn it off in disgust, and instead find it riotously funny, then a frankly hilarious binge-watch is in store for you.

New episodes have been debuting every Friday in Canada via Crave, with the sixth and final episode set to premiere tomorrow. For those of us in the U.S., all six episodes will drop on Friday via Hulu. The language is so salty that it may constitute a health risk for some viewers, so please watch responsibly.

Created by Jared Keeso (Letterkenny), the series is set in Sudbury, Ontario, and revolves around the titular character, who was voiced by Keeso in Letterkenny and here takes center stage as the leader of the Sudbury Bulldogs, a struggling team in the Triple-A-level Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (NOSHO) that experiences the heartbreak of constant defeat and then rebounds to reach the heights of success in Season 2, only to face defeat once again.

Season 3 begins on that crushed note, as Shoresy (Jared Keeso) bewails the loss and prepares for what's ahead. In between the breathless stream of clever insult obscenities, what makes the series very watchable, even for people who know nothing about ice hockey -- this writer raises his hand -- and prefer not to hear foul, foul language poured out like cheap beer -- this writer raises his other hand -- are the insights into a culture that prizes mucho macho bravado over common sense.

Director Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny) intersperses dramatic montage sequences that capture the pains and glories of ice hockey and everyday life for Shoresy and the team in Northern Ontario's biggest city. These small touches allow for moments of reflection; in effect, they are opportunities to catch your breath and possibly avoid cardiac arrest from laughing too hard and too much.

Jared Keeso's dialogue is on par with HBO's Succession, if the Roy family was into hockey instead of making money. Both are centered on families who don't always get along, yet share the burning desire to succeed in their respective fields. In Shoresy, Keeso shares the screen with talented pros who sling out the slurs and cuss words and innuendos with aplomb, at a rapid pace that nearly defies comprehension.

I've already said too much. Give it a watch and see if it's for you -- or something that makes you want to wash out your brain with soap.