The Kids in the Hall

All of all the sketch comedy shows I have seen, The Kids In The Hall is the best damn comedy show ever. The Kids are outstanding and they are very funny and it was a shame that their show ended. I love them!! I was almost into tears when the show ended. I hope that someday they can do another reunion show. The coolest sketch comedy show i have seen in years.

Too bad people have to constantly compare KITH to Monty Python's Flying Circus. Aside from the fact that they were both unlike anything else before or since, the all-male core cast filling most of both gender roles, the ability to come up with totally fresh & insanely novel sketch ideas, and the ability to show self-absorbed American audiences that humor transcends culture... these 2 comic troupes have absolutely nothing in common! It's not for everyone, but if you're tired of the same old McComedy that clogs your cable like kudzu, find KITH & fire up the VCR! If only the entire KITH series was available on video (better yet DVD), that's one subscription I'd call Time/Life for!

Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson formed the funny group in the 80s Toronto. Everybody wanted to get into Second City and then graduate to SNL. These guys decided to start a sketch show on their own.

Their combined skills generated some of the most original characters in comedy. My favorite characters include host Simon and his sidekick Hecubus, chicken lady, red hair girl, crushing your head, and when all 5 cross dress as office temps. Also Scott Thompson's "Fag!". The guys are a great group, but they didn't break down any major walls. They re-engineered, they reworked, they pushed the envelope, they just didn't invent the envelope.

Oh yes I did. Yeah, yeah I know some people will complain that Kids in the Hall are "too weird" or that their sketches are "confusing" or just plain "strange." Well, those people are entitled to their opinions, but don't let that stop you from at least giving the Kids a try. If you are like me, the Kids will become your daily dose of needed humor.

I was too young to understand the humor of KITH during their original run on CBC/HBO/CBS/whereverthef***. Like many other people I first got into the Kids by watching Comedy Central. I was hooked from the very first episode. The bizarre sketches, monologues, and songs perfectly suited my often dark sense of humor. Those five guys made me laugh harder than any other show or movie ever has. And I'd like to point out that unlike most shows(coughSNLcough), all the Kids pulled their own weight. There was no stand-out member, and just as importantly their was no member who didn't carry his own weight. Dave, Bruce, Kevin, Mark, and Scott are each enormously talented. Each brought something to the mix. Mark can play any character, do any voice. Dave had all the brilliant one-liners and a wonderful sense of comedic timing. Kevin had this great energy and enthusiasm during each sketch. As he himself said [paraphrased] "I don't say funny lines, I say lines funny." Scott showed an uncanny ability to touch on topics of sexuality, making you both think and laugh. And then there's Bruce. I must confess that Bruce is my favorite Kid. His oddball and often dark sense of humor struck a cord with me. Bruce brought the music to the Kids. And I'll never forget his monologues.

They've all gone their separate ways now to work on various projects. But they left a lasting impression on sketch comedy. The Season DVDs(and hopefully, seasons 2-5 in the future) and reruns on CC ensure that they will never be forgotten.

So go forth and watch.

I have watched "Saturday Night Live" for as long as I can remember and I remember seeing ads for a new Lorne Michaels show called "The Kids in the Hall". Sadly, we didn't have HBO at the time, not to mention, I was only about 4 or 5 years old when it first aired. Since then, I have seen numerous re-runs on Comedy Central, and I have to say this show is so much better than "Saturday Night Live". I'm sorry that I never got the chance to see the full episodes on HBO. Even so, I am very glad that I have gotten to see what I have, but unfortunately Comedy Central has cut it down to only one episode of "KITH" per day. Hopefully this is just for the summer, as "Kids in the Hall" is a wonderful, smart, and of course just about the funniest show that I've ever seen. It gets a 10 out of 10 from me! I'll keep watching for as long as it's on television.