SCTV #2: NETWORK 90 - DVD review

In 1981, the third permutation of the famed (or infamous, if you prefer) "SCTV" was getting set to make its debut on the airwaves, this time on network TV following cult favorite "Saturday Night Live." Short for "Second City Television," SCTV was the adaptation to screen several successful bits from the theater that launched a comedy revolution, and plenty of new bits. Rather than be a pure sketch show, SCTV revolved around the theme of a low budget, "UHF"-style presentation of television parodies ranging from game and talk shows to high-concept running gags like a movie starring Woody Allen and Bob Hope from the first season that would run for a full 30 minutes with commercial breaks.

Being the third incarnation of the television program, however, "SCTV: Network 90" had a lot of the groundwork on how to create the show already laid down, and several popular characters ready to be brought to an entirely new audience. Initially, NBC had optioned the series with the intention to tone down the material and put it in the family hour opposite CBS's powerhouse "Sixty Minutes," but faced with a loss of creative control, the SCTV crew politely declined. A bit later the executives at the Peacock came to their senses and gave the series what it had honestly earned, a shot at pulling in a mediocre rating on an early Sunday morning.

Filled with characters that have become standards and names that are common (or at least faces that are recognizable in passing), "SCTV: Network 90" should be looked back upon as a comedic launch pad in the same way the early seasons of "Saturday Night Live" were, back when having an SNL'er star in your movie meant something (other than "it'll suck). Stars like Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Martin Short and the unforgettable John Candy populate the skits, giving inspired, sell-out performances that make you forget about the actors and focus on the character as a living and breathing entity.

The SCTV players also serve as the show's writers and, as such, take incredible pride in the work they present, and show that they understand comedy. And rather than play it before a live audience as was done with their lead-in, "SCTV: Network 90" was cut at a quick pace that didn't leave time for laughs, though they were forced in with a laugh track, and kept the show moving along. No time for mugging, the actors press the skits forward, not knowing what will hit and what will not.

Some of the skits that are found in "SCTV: Network 90" are absolutely timeless. Bits like Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis's "Bob and Doug McKenzie" are great for their simplicity and eerie similarity to our expectations of local access television. Exquisite, timeless comedy is hard to find and it's hardly in short supply in "SCTV: Network 90." Bits that allow the inherent comic talents of the actors (who wrote most of the material as well) to shine are hardly in short supply. Performers like John Candy, who could make you laugh with a look. Eugene Levy, who could simultaneously play cocky and cuckold. Rick Moranis, who was nerdy and suave, or Dave Thomas whose burgers are just so… wait, wrong guy.

Unfortunately, not all is well on "SCTV." Some of the comedy has aged like a cheap wine; great at the time, but useless over two decades later. Die hard fans of the shows many incarnations might want to turn away, or skip ahead to the A/V reviews, lest you learn to hate me (in which case you'll have to take a number and get in line).

I mentioned before that some of the comedy is wonderfully timeless, and that still rings true, but it's not universal. A good amount of the material hasn't held up well, with comedy bits that rely on repetition for humor, but what they are repeating isn't all that funny to begin with. Other sketches, like Rick Moranis's "Merv Griffin Show" parody won't hit with a younger audience who is just being introduced to SCTV, because we've never seen Merv Griffin and can't understand the parody. Quite a few of these parodies suffer from their timely nature, and simply don't translate well over two decades later.

So what's new in Season 2? Nine more episodes of the show, with original run-dates from October of 1981 through February of 1982 rehashing some already-known characters like the Sammy Maudlin and Rick Moranis as Merv Griffin. New characters and parodies, like G. Gordon Liddy and the new SCTV "Afterschool Special" help keep the show from feeling completely redundant. My biggest complaint from the first season, the full-form bits that encompassed more than 30 minutes, is back and a couple of episodes that are completely dedicated to the high concept humor.

The second season of SCTV isn't as novel as the first, but it does take better advantage of the pigeonholed concept of a fictional TV network. The skits are still uneven in their pacing, often running on beyond the point where they are funny. To their credit, the SCTV crew does give a gag a full chance to develop and rarely shortchange a concept. As I said in my review of the first season, SCTV is an acquired taste. If you like slow-paced parody comedy, you'll find a lot to love in the second season of SCTV.

Video:
The video quality in the second season of SCTV isn't a marked improvement from the first, though there are a few minor issues that seem to have been improved. The transfer looks compressed because of the video masters it was drawn from. Video flares aren't really a problem, though they pop up on occasion. Focus can be an issue as the recordings look slightly out of phase. Colors are solid and artifacts like scratches aren't an issue.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is perfectly serviceable and clear. The music track shows the limitations of the original recordings which isn't a problem of the transfer rather the source. The dialogue represents the original recordings masterfully with little extraneous noise.

Extras:
Like the first season set, the extras are a shining example of how to do TV-on-DVD bonus features. On the first disc there are a pair of commentaries by a diverse group of participants, including writers Dick Blasucci and John McAndrews along with Dave Thomas on the first episode. The three talk about the setup and presentation of the show and how they had to compromise artistic integrity, or at least massage it, for budgetary reasons. The second episode includes a talk from Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara who have a great chemistry as they reminisce. Both A retrospective on the less-than-good "Juul Haalmeyer Dancers" explains where the abhorrent backup dancers came from, who they consist of, and why they kept showing up.

The second disc loses the commentaries but gathers a talk from the forgotten few, the writers. The first DVD set made it almost seem like the cast of performers were the only writers who threw out ideas, but this discussion dispels that idea by giving the writers a chance to talk about their craft and writing for SCTV.

The third disc contains a documentary feature called "SCTV Remembers" which is a continuation of the discussion from the first set where the Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy sits down and recollects the inspiration of the narcolepsy-inducing Perry Como skit, their "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" cabbage parody, and a few others. The feature lasts about 15 minutes.

Disc four contains another commentary with Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara during the second season's Christmas special. They talk about the growth of homosexuality on stage and screen and the challenges of playing it at a time when no one else was. The women also give a historical context for the shows and their skits. The disc also contains another short feature that shows Uncle Milty presenting SCTV with an Emmy for writing and a great set of behind-the-scenes Polaroid makeup tests.

Disc five is a documentary on a photo shoot for Life magazine and what it was like for the crew to sit still and play to the camera along with the photographer's technique. It's a neat chance to just watch the gang riff for the camera and understand the nature of the creation of a character. Actors should take note because this is a great look at the exercise of character.

The set includes a small booklet an introduction from SCTV's executive producer Andrew Alexander and LA Times TV critic Howard Rosenberg. Shout! Factory also put in some scans of original script pages and a bit-by-bit breakdown of each episode.

Film Value:
Once again, fans of "SCTV" who enjoyed its Network 90 incarnation will be pleased what's offered in this set. The video quality is rough and the extras aren't quite as plentiful or sweeping as the first season, but on par this is still an excellent set.