Winnipeg in Popular Culture: 8 Times Winnipeg Was Name-Dropped on TV and Film
Living in Winnipeg, sometimes it can feel like the entire world’s forgotten about us. But every now and again our town pops up on TV or in a movie, and we remember that we matter.
Of course, we're more often than not a punchline, but Winnipeggers have a great sense of humor — that's why the Winnipeg comedy scene is so good.
Rumor’s is proud to be the best comedy club in Winnipeg, and this week we're looking at some of the times our hilarious city has been mentioned in pop culture.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is the longest running sitcom in TV history, so it was only a matter of time before they got to picking on Winnipeg.
Our city's been mentioned twice in the legendary cartoon. There's the famous “That's it! Back to Winnipeg!” line from episode 148:
Then a few seasons later, The Simpsons actually visit Winnipeg, with our city's fictional welcome sign reading “Welcome to Winnipeg. We were born here, what's your excuse?” And as one Redditor noticed, the animation team actually drew Portage and Main pretty accurately.
Looks like the Winnipeg Pharmacy is located somewhere in St. Boniface.
Champions
Not only was the 2023 film starring Woody Harrelson shot in Winnipeg, our city was also the setting for the the Special Olympics, where Herrelson’s rag-tag team of athletes prove their metal to themselves and the world.
We love when comedies film here in Winnipeg, because so often the stars will drop in at Rumor's to watch a show or sometimes even perform. When Champions was in town, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Kaitlin Olson came by on a night off to hang out, and A.B. Farrelly got on stage to entertain the crowd.
Dee from It's Always Sunny hanging out with club-favorite DJ Demers at Rumor's.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between Winnipeg and Hollywood.
The Office
In season five of The Office, Michael Scott and crew attend a business conference in Winnipeg.
Futurama
In Season 5, Episode 3 of Futurama, Professor Farnsworth’s and Hermes’ tween children take over the gang’s courier business, causing Hermes to use some choice words when he discovers the news:
Haven’t we all used Winnipeg in place of a curse word?
30 Rock
In season 1, episode 10 of Tina Fey’s 30 Rock, Jack Donaghy reveals a chart outlining all of NBC's subsidiaries, which includes among others, Winnipeg Iron Works.
We wonder if this is a wink to Winnipeg's 1919 General Strike, where one of the main actors involved was Winnipeg-based Vulcan Iron Works.
30 Rock was a really smart show, but was it that smart?
Jeopardy!
Winnipeg may get used a lot in popular culture, but that doesn’t mean Americans know much about it, as this embarrassing Jeopardy! clip proves.
But, there is one contestant that we know would never embarrass herself when it comes to questions about Winnipeg — two-time Jeopardy! champion and Winnipegger, Emma Hill Kepron! Here she is nailing Final Jeopardy, which is the nerd version of scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal:
Better Call Saul
Fans of Better Call Saul will remember that Nacho and his father were given fake Manitoba drivers licenses with which to start a new life.
This may have been inspired by Bob Odenkirk’s time in Winnipeg when he filmed his action movie debut, Nobody.
TBT that time Saul Goodman and Doc Brown stopped by Rumor's to watch Tom Green perform. Tom will be back in August.
Fun fact: When Bob and Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd were in town filming Nobody, the pair actually stopped by Rumor's to see Tom Green perform. Another fun fact? Tom Green will be back at Rumor’s in August!
King of the Hill
There have been several local references on another classic cartoon sitcom — King of the Hill. Hank Hill's conspiracy theory-loving neighbor, Dale Gribble, was a brand-loyal smoker of Manitoba cigarettes.
More: Movies Filmed in Winnipeg
Winnipeg: One Hilarious City
Winnipeg gets mentioned a lot in comedies, mostly because it’s a funny-sounding name that hits all the comedy notes. But, when movie stars and headlining comedians come through town, they always leave with nothing but praise for our city.
Rumor’s always has the best up-and-coming headliners, and when they ask us about things to do in Winnipeg, we give them a long list of amazing places to see and things to do. And, fortunately for them, one of the best things to do in Winnipeg is to catch a stand-up comedy show right here at Rumor’s.
We’ve got tons of great comedians coming through this summer, so check out our upcoming events list and book your tickets now, online or by calling 204-488-4520.