La petite vie was first a stage sketch of the comedy duo Ding et Dong, formed by Claude Meunier and Serge Thériault, and later a hit Quebec television sitcom aired by Radio-Canada from 1993 to 1999.
[1] A new 6-episode series will be aired in early 2024 featuring nearly all the main actors except Serge Thériault, who made a cameo appearance at the end of the final episode.
The stories of La petite vie, sketch and television show, revolve around the strange couple simply known as Pôpa and Môman (Quebec Joual for pa and ma).
The sketch was memorable for the pillow talk scenes with the beds comically placed straight up so the actors, seemingly laid on the bed but still standing (a pun with the French saying «histoire à dormir debout» "story to sleep standing-up", a story that doesn't make sense), would be clearly visible to the theater public.
While the sketch usually featured only the couple, the sitcom introduced a vast array of relatives, creating very bizarre but endearing caricature of a Québécois working class family.