SCTV, Vol. 1: Network 90 DVD: Review By Brian

The infamous SCTV is now on DVD! Where many hail to the likes Saturday Night Live, SCTV came at a time when the sort of sketch comedy it was serving up was second to none.

While SNL was primarily a NYC asset, and filmed in front of a live studio audience, SCTV was in contrast, filmed in Canada on a sound stage. This sort of sketch comedy production would be recognized later on in the television world with the coming of such contemporary shows as In Living Color and Mad TV.

Just as well, the unescapable comparisons to SNL might be a bit unfair. in defense of SCTV, the show never went the route of SNL by killing it's key characters with over exposure, which says a lot to a little show in which everyone involved thought no one was watching. The writers of the show found that amusing themselves was their first priority, and they just hoped others would fall in line. With the release of the set on DVD, apparently, their plan worked.

With such memorable characters portrayed by stellar cast members like John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Rick Moranis SCTV set itself apart early with sketches that we can all still enjoy to this day. And while everyone might not find every single sketch amusing, the history of television in this time, the musical performances by some sleeping giants, and the actors spawned from this series are all testaments to the importance of these episodes being readily available again.

A true testament to the fans, this DVD set is packed with almost 3 hours of extra material. A must-see for any fan of the show, and well worth the price of admission by itself!

SCTV Remembers

Doug Steckler, Paul Flaherty, John McAndrew, Bob Dilman and Dick Blasucci give some stellar insight into the show in this featurette shot in 2003. Very intriguing stuff contained here.

Origins of SCTV

A dive into the origins of 'Second City', the improv group which eventually formed the likes of SCTV. 25 minutes of archival footage ranging from as far back as 1961. Truly great stuff!

Remembering John

A lump-in-your-throat inducing featurette which highlights John Candy's career on the show. Some of the clips provided in this segment are absolutely hilarious.

The Craft of SCTV

Juul Haalmeyer, Bev Schechtman, and Judi Cooper Sealy talk about the design of the make-up, wardrobe, and wigs on the show. Great archival photograph contained within.

SCTV Reunion

Filmed in 1999 at the U.S. Comedy Art Festival, this 60 minute Q&A features the entire cast of SCTV, minus John Candy and Rick Moranis. Martin Short, Harold Ramis, and Conan O'Brien all join in in the discussions. By far the brightest feature in the set.

Commentaries

2 episodes get the audio treatment from Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy. Great insightful information on the show.

Shot in the early 80's you get what can be salvaged here. While the look of the show isn't horrible, it's definetly not up to par with today's TV shows, but this is expected. As for what IS presented, the show looks just as I remembered.

The audio in on the same level of the video. Again, shot in the 80's on video tape, what is presented here is the best of what could be expected from this low budgeted series. Nothing of the quality will take you out of the moment which obviously the most important factor.

Get SCTV! You won't regret it. If you like sketch comedy, you'll love this series. The actors are superb and the sketches contain some truly great timeless entertainment.