Blogcritics Comments on DVD: SCTV, Volume 2

Comment by Shawn on DVD: SCTV, Volume 2

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 08:18:37 EDT

I am also very happy to see SCTV on DVD, but unfortunately, the series has been edited musically because of music clearance issues. I am attempting to create a group of people who will support my SCTV on DVD Campaign. For more information, please read my FAQ page on the campaign site. Thanks, Shawn

Comment by Eric Berlin on DVD: SCTV, Volume 2

Sun, 19 Dec 2004 15:27:28 EST

I've actually never seen The Ben Stiller Show or Mr. Show, but both are slowly making their way up my Netflix list. Another strange cult show that I've neither seen nor heard from in years is MTV's The State, which was way out there in terms of experimentation. As might be expected, there were some colossal bombs in the mix, but there were also some of funniest/most memorable skits and characters I've ever seen in sketch comedy (the two lounge players sitting in $240 worth of pudding especially springs to mind... why $240 worth of pudding? Shhh.... baby, don't you worry about nothing like that... it ain't none of your concern...). Okay, this thread is demanding that I do a lengthy investigation into the best sketch comedy shows of all time. I'll do a little research to see if anything like that has been done on Blog Critics as yet. Eric Berlin Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com

Comment by Justene on DVD: SCTV, Volume 2

Sun, 19 Dec 2004 13:25:30 EST

This post was selected for Advance.net. You can find it on many newspaper websites such as Cleveland.com.

Comment by Bob Rhubart on DVD: SCTV, Volume 2

Sun, 19 Dec 2004 09:37:16 EST

I loved Strange Brew! And I agree completely with your assessment of the other programs/troupes. But one has to give special credit to the original SNL cast and writers, since their show was live, and did not have the advantage of after-the-fact editing or other enhancements to fine-tune a sketch. Indeed, the second-best SNL cast IMHO included Martin Short, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Billy Crystal, and incorporated far more pre-taped skecthes than SNL seasons before or since. Any conversation about modern TV sketch comedy must also include the Ben Stiller Show -- which I only recently learned is also available on DVD. Another sketch stand-out from about the same time, and also on Fox, was a show called The Edge. The cast included Julie Brown (and, if memory serves, Jennifer Aniston), and was produced by David Mirkin, who continues to produce The Simpsons. The writing staff of The Edge included a bunch of guys from the original Letterman show on NBC. Their sketches were bold, dangerous, and hysterically funny, but the show never got the necessary ratings and never returned after its inaugural season. And now that I'm thinking about this stuff, I must also mention HBO's now defunct Mr. Show, with David Cross and former Stiller cast member Bob Odenkirk. Free of the restraints of network TV, Mr. Show ventured into some weird but consistently funny territory. Lately, I think the Dave Chappell Show is very good.

Comment by Eric Berlin on DVD: SCTV, Volume 2

Sun, 19 Dec 2004 04:08:02 EST

I feel so fortunate, after reading your story and history with SCTV, that I had it so easy. I discovered SCTV in the early 90s. The half-hour version was on every day on my college campus TV station, always, it seemed, in a break between my classes. Immediately I sensed the quality and talent afoot as I had been a fan of John Candy, Rick Moranis, and the film Strange Brew (a powerhouse of a low budget comedy). Isn't it always great and special to find such a talented, strange, and wonderful group of entertainers working and experimenting with their craft? The only equivalent examples I can think of at present are the original cast of Saturday Night Live, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and another band of Canadian comedic fury: The Kids In the Hall. Eric Berlin Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com