If the notion of a “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist” sounds a little far-fetched to you, ‘The Sticky‘ is a show that will open your eyes to the possibility of ordinary people being pushed to their limits. Based on an actual crime that happened in Quebec in 2011 and 2012, this new Prime Video series comes from writer/showrunners Brian Donovan and Ed Herro, and delves into the very unique offense that resulted in thousands of tons of syrup being stolen in Canada.
To chat more about the show, the crime, and the curious characters that decorate this new series, Donovan and Herro sat down with Metro to chat more about ‘The Sticky’ and all of its sweet details.
When did you first hear about this story? And what about it inspired you?
Donovan: We both got very lucky that one of my sisters happened to marry a Canadian guy. I was home for Christmas and having the standard Christmas cocktail party thing with the family, and my sister’s husband said to me in passing, ‘Hey, have you heard of the Great Maple Syrup Heist?’ And I was like, no—but please tell me everything about it right now. So he downloaded all the information, I had a million questions, and then I texted Ed. We really jumped into it right away. How can you resist?
Herro: We were just inspired by the real crime, and we fictionalized all of it after that big idea. Some people stole maple syrup, but in our interpretation of it, it was very much underdogs fighting for respect and for money… but really because their backs [were] against the wall and they had nowhere to turn to. I think that’s a lot of what we look for in our projects—underdogs trying to stick it to the man or just standing up for what they believe in.
Are there any factors in the show that resemble the actual crime?
Donovan: There’s very little practical information from the actual heist that we put in ours that they did. But there are little Easter eggs if people want to watch our show and then research what actually happened. There are moments where we drop in ideas from the real heist that our characters could do—they ultimately choose not to do it, but there are little elements here and there. But really, we were driven by these characters and this world, Montreal, in Quebec. It has such a specific tone and such a specific sort of spirit to it, and that’s really what drove us.
So what went into creating these fictional characters then?
Herro: We really tried to find our core. Ruth (Margo Martindale) was the first character we thought of, we wanted someone as underdoggy as possible but also strong enough to push back. Then we just started thinking, okay, who can compliment her best? We all want them to have the same end goal of stealing, but for different reasons that will conflict with each other along the way. Why not make it a mom who is overlooked and a security guard who wants respect more than anything? They’re all pushed so far and they have to do the same thing, but for different reasons. That was our goal.
Donovan: A great writer’s trick that we used is when you’re trying to come up with a character, think of somebody that you know and change their name. So there’s a lot of my mom in Ruth, for better or worse. My mom loves to yell and loves to get into trouble with people. And then there’s a lot of Ed growing up in Remy (Guillaume Cyr), the security guard. A lot of writers are writing what they know and disguising it.
With these characters pushed to the edge, this could have easily been a drama. But the energy of each person on screen and a lot of the circumstances provide such a hilarious concept as well. In your eyes, what makes a dark comedy work?
Herro: One of our guiding principles was making sure to the best of our abilities that each scene in our series couldn’t really fit in any other series. If you’re going to have a talk, have it at a real authentic French Canadian diner, casse-croûte, or just making sure it’s as authentic and unique as possible. Once you find that authenticity, I think everything else is easier and better.
Donovan: I think what makes the comedy work in this show is that nobody is ever trying to be funny and no scene is ever written for the purpose of comedy. It’s always who are these people and what would they honestly say and do in this moment? And then the humor comes from there.
The music is also really unique in the show, all of the French-Canadian covers of different popular songs set the tone. Where did the idea for that come from?
Herro: Brian came up with the idea to do covers in French Canadian. That was a brilliant move, music is so powerful. We took songs that spoke mood-wise, and then we were fortunate enough to be able to go and track down and hire some of the best singers in Quebec to do them in their own version. So it’s familiar, but different.
Donovan: We took a lot of inspiration from the way Quentin Tarantino uses music. The music in his movies… it’s like a character. It makes the scenes more fun, it makes them more interesting, it makes ’em surprising. That was always our intent with this show was to make scenes that no one’s seen before. That extends all the way down to the music.
Taking all of these unique elements about the show, what do you hope people get to walk away thinking or feeling after getting to watch ‘The Sticky’?
Donovan: I would like people to feel empowered. I know it’s a lot to ask from a comedy about a robbery, but these characters are underdogs that have gotten no respect in their lives. I think that’s something that a lot of people feel right now. A lot of workers are being treated badly and they’re not getting the respect and the financial support that they deserve. These are three people in that situation who say we’re not going to take it anymore and I don’t care what anyone says, we’re going to fight for what we deserve. I think that’s an important message right now.
Herro: I would like audiences to look a little deeper into people and see their potential. I mean, you look at Remy and everyone sees a nothing, and then you push him too far and he’s capable of a lot of stuff. And I think if everyone just looked at people a little more closely, the world would be a better place.
Catch season 1 of ‘The Sticky‘ on Prime Video
