No one was surprised when it was announced that Letterkenny would get a spinoff series. What was a bit more surprising was that Shoresy would focus on the infamous #69 -- and inevitably unmask him. The first episode was given the task of finally revealing Shoresy's face and perfectly achieved this goal in the best way possible. That would be him using the restroom during a team meeting while chirping at his coach and belittling his teammates.
Hockey has played a huge role in Letterkenny since the earliest days of the series. In a rural Canadian town in any part of the country, the local hockey teams are at the core of the social dynamic of the entire community. As such, this cultural phenomenon had to play a major part in the series. The hockey stories have primarily been told through the eye of Reilly and Jonesy, though there have been other characters included in the ranks of Letterkenny's hockey elite, such as Shoresy.
Making his debut in Season 1, Episode 4, Shorsey was brought in as a new member of the hockey team alongside Reilly and Jonesy in an attempt to win a championship. They didn't, of course, because their team was terrible. But Shoresy proved to be one heck of a hockey player. He also proved to be the biggest jerk on the team as well as possibly the dirtiest player in the game. Shoresy spent most of his time on the toilet and talking epic level trash to Reilly and Jonesy, mostly about their moms.
He quickly became a fan-favorite character thanks to his perpetual verbal assault of basically anyone who crossed his path. Part of the allure of the character was the fact that his face was always obscured and hidden. Fans knew that he was played by Jared Keeso, co-creator of the series and the actor who plays Wayne, but Shorsey's face was never revealed. His spinoff was going to have to do just that.
Season 1, Episode 1 made the reveal after explaining that Shoresy had left Letterkenny behind to play hockey in Sudbury. And their team was absolute crap. The coach was trying to have a team meeting to get them back on track after a devastating loss. Unfortunately for him, Shoresy was busy using the washroom after the game and was chirping at him the entire time. Eventually, the coach left the dressing room and Shoresy walked out of the stall, revealing his face on TV for the first time.
This was about as perfect a reveal as fans could have asked for. Shoresy talking trash at his coach and teammates from the relative safety of a bathroom stall was absolutely vintage for the character. It was easily the most familiar status quo for Shoresy, so it made perfect sense to make the reveal from that location. Also, he absolutely verbally decimated that same coach, which was on par for #69.
Letterkenny has an incredibly devoted fan base and Shoresy was definitely a breakout character for the series. At the same time, there are no guarantees that a spinoff based on him will work out. But giving the character a proper introduction after years of operating in visual obscurity was a key first step on that path. Plus, it's always nice to see Shoresy chirp someone right out of the room.
