Canada is the homeland of maple syrup, so it seems fitting that Prime Video’s new heist series The Sticky would use this national staple as its golden treasure. Loosely based on a real-life multi-million dollar robbery in Quebec, the series follows Ruth Landry (played by character actor Margo Martindale), a maple syrup farmer facing financial problems ever since her husband got into a coma. After crossing paths with a mobster called Mike (Chris Diamantopoulos) and a security guard named Remy (Guillaume Cyr), the trio devises a masterful plan to steal millions of dollars worth of syrup from Quebec’s Maple Syrup Reserve. 

The six-episode dramedy with a Fargo-esque tone is already available on streaming and it allows for Martindale, a three-time Emmy winner primarily known for her supporting roles, to thrive as the protagonist. The character actress taps into both Ruth’s strong-willed personality and her vulnerabilities in The Sticky. 

Photo by Jan Thijs

At the beginning of the show, she quite literally cuts down a tree from her farm, chains it to the trunk of her car, and slams it into chief bureaucrat Léonard Gauthier’s (Guy Nadon) office as payback for trying to take away her property. Her character isn’t afraid to be fierce, and that badass move makes that clear very early on. Yet, underneath her fiery exterior, Ruth also has a tenderness to her. That is evident when she sits at the side of the bed and holds her husband’s hand, hoping that he will get better soon. 

When Ruth teams up with Mike and Remy, who are just as desperate for money as her, she is initially reluctant to trust them. Yet, by tapping into her own background knowledge of the maple syrup business, she comes up with a plan that could be the solution to all of their worries. Like any other heist series, there are many pitfalls along the way, including some unwanted attention from police officer Teddy Green (Gita Miller). 

Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis is an executive producer for The Sticky, and although she was initially cast as the protagonist, she had to let go of the role due to scheduling conflicts. Nonetheless, she found the perfect person to fill in for her. According to Martindale, Curtis called her saying she was looking for someone that was “most like her”, a compliment the actress finds “ludicrous”. 

Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video

Despite not being the lead, Curtis still contributed to the series as a guest star. Her supporting part doesn’t get much screen time, but in the few scenes that she is in, her character causes havoc and manages to get in the way of the main trio’s plan to break into the maple syrup reserve. 

The Sticky is one of the many credits that the actress accumulated in recent years, following her acclaimed performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Since winning an Academy Award, Curtis has starred in The Bear, Borderlands, and The Last Showgirl, the latter of which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. She is also reprising her role from Freaky Friday in the highly-anticipated sequel, Freakier Friday, coming out next summer.

With Martindale front and center and Curtis occasionally coming in by storm, The Sticky is a comical, action-packed Canadian series perfect for those into crime capers. Not only does it feature the dry humour that we know oh so well, but it is also filled with local talent. Diamantopoulos and Cyr, who play Ruth’s counterparts in the hectic operation, are both Canadian. In addition, the Prime Video original is a bilingual dramedy, with characters shifting from French to English just as people usually do in Quebec (the show’s setting). With a wild turn of events and a cliffhanger ending, the series is definitely one to add to your December watchlist. 

The Sticky is available to stream on Prime Video.