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Gerry Dee’s new special was shot in Montreal during the Just for Laughs festival.DUANE COLE/The Globe and Mail
On a recent episode of Family Feud Canada, Gerry Dee – the Canadian comedian who’s been hosting the game show on CBC since 2019 – was trolled by his producers with a survey question: “Name a famous Canadian you think is really funny?”
The first contestant to hit the buzzer guessed “Justin Bieber,” and Dee razzed her – as was merited – for selecting the Baby singer.
But when the next contestant guessed “Gerry Dee,” a self-satisfied smile that briefly appeared on his face was quickly wiped off by Family Feud’s giant red X and its accompanying shameful BZZZZZTT.
Just more than a week after that memorable moment aired, however, the comedian is getting the last laugh – hosting journalists up in the Netflix Canada offices, 23 floors above downtown Toronto.
Funny You Should Say That, a special that was shot in Montreal during the Just for Laughs festival this summer and will stream globally, is coming out on Nov. 18 and is a career milestone for the Scarborough native at age 56.
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“I love sports and I always say that this is the NHL, this is the NFL,” the former phys. ed teacher says of landing the Netflix deal, from a meeting room where visitors can peer out the windows way down at the roof of the relatively puny Canadian Broadcasting Centre where Family Feud Canada shoots.
“This is the pinnacle for a comedian in the world,” he said, seemingly still slightly stunned that his first Netflix special will be available in more than 190 countries. “People have really only seen me in one country.”
Funny You Should Say That will please Dee’s fans in Canada, but it’s also a bit of a best-of to introduce those who might be encountering the medium Dee energy – dry, disillusioned, deadpan – of his surly stand-up for the first time.
It begins with reflections on being in a monogamous marriage for 18 years and ends with him going back to the well that watered eight seasons of his CBC sitcom Mr. D: The decade he spent as a teacher.
Dee hasn’t shot a special since a Canadian one in 2012 – and has been cautious about what stand-up material has appeared on TV since, hoping a major international opportunity like this would come up.
To prepare, the Torontonian went on long walks – one day he clocked 30,000 steps – listening to recordings of his best shows on his phone.
“It’s torture to listen to yourself over and over again,” Dee says. “But I was trying to find if I did the Canadian celebrity bit, did it always work? Did it work better in Winnipeg?”
That Canadian celebrity bit is a section that focuses on his rarefied state – being well known in his home country but not elsewhere. It’s kind of an oxymoron. “I felt more like a celebrity as a teacher running into my Grade 4s at the mall on Saturday morning,” he jokes in the special.
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Gerry Dee cheers during a game of Family Feud Canada in 2019.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
For the record, the Family Feud Canada survey results of funny Canadians were all those who made it big in the United States – i.e. proper celebrities: Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Ryan Reynolds, John Candy, Howie Mandel, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short.
Dee’s level of fame, he explains in the special, means he answers his own e-mails – including from fans who will sometimes contact him directly for ticket refunds.
Playing a recurring role on the Vancouver-shot Fox sitcom Animal Control, the Canadian has marvelled at all the things that assistants do for genuine Hollywood stars such as that show’s lead, Joel McHale.
“I’m taking bed frames apart and I’m walking a package to Shoppers today – my morning is just regular guy stuff,” says the father of three.
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On the cusp of global reach, Dee could certainly use an assistant. His Wikipedia entry says he’s “currently” making guest appearances on The Hour (renamed George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight in 2010; off the air in 2014) and his personal webpage still proudly proclaims that Mr. D is “finally” available in the United States on Prime Video (that was in 2020).
Dee’s undoubtedly one of the fortunate ones in Canada. He’s a stand-up who had a successful sitcom – rare for anyone not named Brent Butt in this country – and has had a steady TV gig since that ended after a healthy run. He’s got a tour lined up for Ontario in April.
But while he’s grateful for all this, he also knows he’s not likely to get another big opportunity like Mr. D in Canada. “For some reason, we think you had your turn,” he says.
Dee’s hopes for Funny You Should Say That sound modest: To book more international shows and put him on the radar for more film and television gigs. It’s now all in the hands of the algorithm.
“I genuinely am just a Canadian celebrity, and I think that’s why this is all so overwhelming to me because I don’t know if that’s gonna change,” he says.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrected stated that Funny You Should Say That would be available in over 30 languages on Netflix; it is only available in English and with French subtitles.
