There are fewer and fewer major TV series shot in English in Montreal and it’s even more rare to have a show that shoots Montreal as Montreal. That’s why it’s so cool to learn Jared Keeso — creator and star of the inspired Canadian comedy hits Letterkenny and Shoresy — is currently in town directing Cats in the Plateau, a six-part series he wrote and also stars in.
Cooler yet, it’s the story of two guys from Ontario who come to Montreal to try to reinvent themselves, and when that doesn’t work out, they are forced to make ends meet by working as garbage collectors in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. And when that also falls by the wayside, the two decide to form a criminal gang.
The production was shooting in Parc De Lorimier in the Plateau on Thursday and executive producer Kara Haflidson was explaining the show was inspired by Keeso’s years living in the Plateau while he was filming the cop series 19-2, which he starred in.
“Jared spent quite a lot of time in Montreal,” Haflidson said. “He lived here for quite a few years with 19-2 and his wife is from here. Jared lived in the Plateau and he’s been obsessed with it since he did. He’s wanted to make a show based in the Plateau for years. The thing is Letterkenny is (the fictional version of) his hometown of Listowel, Shoresy is Sudbury, and this is Montreal. He’s been able to make a show about every city that he loves. And he’s so specific. Every bar we shoot at is the actual bar in Montreal. St-Sacrement. Les Torchés. Le Rouge Gorge. He really wanted to create something where the audience can step into the world of the Plateau because he thinks it’s so special and unique. He thinks it’s the best neighbourhood so he wants to show it off.”
Alexander Calvert and Robert Bazzocchi, two leads of of the new Montreal-shot Crave TV series Cats in the Plateau, pose for a portrait in Montreal. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
The two lead actors are Robert Bazzocchi and Alexander Calvert. They play the two Ontarians who end up collecting garbage in the Plateau and they prepared for the roles by spending some quality time running alongside real-life garbagemen. For insurance reasons, they weren’t allowed to do the actual work. That on-the-job training was set up by Simon Paré-Poupart, a Montrealer who wrote a bestselling memoir about his life on the back of a garbage truck, titled Ordures! Journal d’un vidangeur. He is acting as a consultant on the project.
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“People have a perception of what garbagemen do and how they do it, but they take so much pride in their work,” said Bazzocchi, who is a Toronto actor. “They’re incredibly athletic and they’re doing a job that no one else wants to do. And it was cool seeing that first-hand. Simon, our consultant, he said this quote to me that I hold dearly: ‘G-men, we’re one with trash.’ Every day when you’re out there throwing trash, if it breaks on you, if something happens, you don’t let it bug you. G-men are able to take that in stride and get the job done. “
One day, Paré-Poupart told them they could throw the bags into the truck, saying they were the lightest bags in Montreal “and they were definitely the heaviest bags in Montreal, about 50 pounds each,” Bazzocchi said.
Calvert, who’s from Vancouver, said it’s fun to be in a Canadian series that isn’t trying to shoot Canada for some nameless U.S. city. Producer Haflidson agreed it’s great to showcase a cool Canadian city like Montreal.
Jared Keeso, writer, director and star of the new Crave TV series, Cats in the Plateau, on set in Montreal. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
“I think with Jared’s shows we’ve proved that the more specific it is, the broader it is,” Haflidson said. “I think Letterkenny is so specific to small town experience. Shoresy is set in Sudbury and it’s so specific to Sudbury. And so this is specific to Montreal. I think that when something is based in a real place, the audience is able to understand it better. I think maybe a decade ago, shows would be generic pretend cities and we wouldn’t show off Canada. But I think we’ve done a better job of showcasing Canada over the last few years.”
But still there aren’t many shows that showcase Montreal in English, I note.
“Well, I think after they see our show, they’ll definitely want to do it,” Haflidson said. “Montreal is cool and sexy and the summer here is so fun. And we do a nice job of showing that off. I think we’ll start something.”
It also won’t hurt the city’s profile as a place to shoot that another rather famous TV show, Heated Rivalry, will be in town this summer filming Montreal as Montreal for the second season of the steamy LGBTQ hockey drama. That show was created by former Montrealer Jacob Tierney, who worked closely with Keeso on Letterkenny, as a writer and director.