SCTV #3: NETWORK 90 - DVD review

In 1981, the third permutation of "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, 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.

What's new in this third volume of SCTV: Network 90? The final nine episodes of the show's NBC run finally, at least for me, finds is track. The show pulls off a great balance of the TV parodies and the behind-the-scenes gags. The characters have been established so the producers feel confident in shaking things up for the sake of comedy, and mock their own successes and failures, too. The first three seasons just didn't work for me, conceptually. Now, however, as the concept has time to mature and have the kinks worked out, I love it. Each show has a theme and there are only brief interludes away from it, rather than a heavier-handed piece at the end. Better pacing, better gags… just better.

Though he's only in three episodes, it is obvious Martin Short's frenetic energy does impact the production as a whole. Personally, I think the man just knows funny. His "Jiminy Glick" show, at least the interview segments, is hilarious. He's not for everyone, to be sure, but he works well in the SCTV: Network 90 cast.

It's a shame that the show didn't last beyond these final episodes because it was finally taking off. If you haven't given the show a chance, I think this would be a good jumping-on point.

Video:
The video quality in the third set of SCTV isn't a marked improvement from the first two, 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. All of the video is presented in it original 4:3 aspect ratio.

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 two sets, the extras are a shining example of how to do TV-on-DVD bonus features. A booklet included with the set features an introduction from the show's executive producer, a retrospective essay from John Candy's daughter, replications of script pages and behind-the-scenes photographs.

Disc one houses a commentary on episode 98 by Dick Blusacci and Joe and Paul Flaherty where the three just chat about the production of the show. The commentary is a lot better than the forced interactions on previous sets because the three obviously like being in a room together, reminiscing.

A documentary with interviews with producers gives a different spin on the creation of the program, this time from a management standpoint, which gives a much less biased view of what it was like to create the show, and outsiders perspective. They bring up a lot of great information that sheds some good light on why I like these last few episodes more than I did the initial few. There isn't any phony show-biz "They were great" speak in here, these producers give an honest assessment of the genesis and climax of the program.

Disc two records a piece of a Canadian entertainment news program that did a piece on the life of John Candy as he was rocketing to stardom. While it's not completely SCTV, it's an excellent inclusion that his fans would probably otherwise never experience.

Disc Three has a photo gallery… something I generally don't like, but considering it's a photo gallery of an actor I absolutely adore, John Candy, I'm willing to budge on my stance. The pictures record a lot of Candy's life and work on the show, plus some behind-the-scenes of the infamous "Vikings and Beekeepers" segment, something I'd never even heard of until I picked up this set. It's an interesting story that's talking about briefly in several different interviews and commentaries on this set.

Disc four houses the third segment of the wonderful "SCTV Remembers" series of retrospective interviews… this time with newcomer Martin Short and the indomitable Catherine O'Hara. Both are interesting people and great story tellers, even though I have no idea what they're talking about. Funny without telling a joke, as they say.

There's also a commentary on episode 104 by Mike Short and Dick Blasucci. The writers don't have as frantic a style of commentary as members of the stars, but they have a lot of memories to impart and do so well. Like the producers documentary, the commentary gives a different spin on what you see on the screen.

Disc 5 contains a great interview piece from a reunion of the cast and crew at the Museum of Television and Radio where a dozen people get together to reminisce about SCTV, their individual careers, and their interactions with each other. A lot of the material is repeated from similar sets, but that doesn't mean fans won't appreciate the inclusion of this piece.

The final bonus feature is perhaps the coolest… a CD that compiles a host of Second City material from names like Chris Farley, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, and the SCTV regulars. These recordings are of Second City performances in Chicago and Toronto, and are given proper historical perspective and the performers are introduced. As a standalone feature this would be wonderful, as a bonus feature it's tremendous!

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 but the extras are very nice. On par it's an excellent set.