This show is an all time classic for comedy. Canada's SCTV put so many big name comedians on the map, from John Candy to Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas and so many more. This show is still funny today and what a concept it was. A small local TV station somewhere in Canada that makes all these awful shows. It's not like SNL or sketch shows today, they had running characters from week to week and shows that would come and go, nice long sketches with funny characters that are actually well written. One of the all time great comedies. Up there with Monty Python in my opinion.

It's a shame so few people have seen this show, which ranks among the most brilliantly hilarious and astonishinly inventive of all television comedy series. It's important to note that the Cast List here is very misleading, noting only one character per actor. In reality, SCTV operated much like MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, THE KIDS IN THE HALL, and Saturday NIGHT LIVE, programs which it is most definitely AT LEAST on a par with. All these versatile and talented performers played literally DOZENS of character roles -- often pulling off multiple roles WITHIN THE SAME SCENES! The writing and acting talent level on this show was of the highest caliber at all times and they did it all on one of the lowest budgets in modern TV history.

The genius of not just delivering above average sketch comedy, but creating a false network and city, with repeating characters is what sets this show apart, especially from the over hyped and often comedic-ally challenged SNL. I can't believe how much enjoyment I still get out of watching these old shows and marvel at its enduring ability to make me laugh uncontrollably, a feat equaled only by Monty Python. For instance, there's a woman's prison sketch that's done as a parody of the anti-marijuana films of the 1950s. About halfway thru it, John Candy rushes in dressed as a matron, I swear I laughed for half an hour. The old original raw shows featuring and driven by Ramis were all writing and acting, almost like Harvard Lampoon. After Ramis's departure, the show evolved into a bigger more mainstream version of itself, culminating in a 90-minute late night Friday extravaganza that for a while even had major musical guests. They had done so much material, that the 90-minute shows could throw in one of the old movie parodies of the Ramis era, such as Lust for Paint. These newer shows were more about Dave Thomas's comedy, and eventually Rick Moranis, before it finally fizzled out with Martin Short, who would later go on to polish his act for a terrific stint on SNL. Just a tremendous achievement by some really funny talented people. I love how Eugene Levy and Cath OHara have carved out a place in film. Id like to see more of Thomas and Flaherty. Interesting, Ramis, Candy, Flaherty, and Thomas all appear in Ramis's 'Stripes'. Here's some free advice, do NOT watch these after having thrown out your back. You will substantially delay the recovery process. Thats a tip from LaRue, to you.

I was born after SCTV ended, but I always remember seeing re-runs that I thought were extremely hilarious. One of the best things about SCTV is if you look at the cast, they are all classic actors who's names we all know. Even better was that all these great talents and names got together in a mid sized city (my city, Edmonton) to create this amazing show. They didn't need the glitz of New York or a new guest host every week (who on SNL now probly hosted like 3 weeks ago, and 3 weeks before that) to make something that was truely great. I will always remember how all these famous people once lived and worked in my city.