- Netflix has added all six seasons of SCTV, the Canadian sketch comedy show that launched the careers of comedy icons like John Candy and Catherine O’Hara, known for its commercial parodies and off-the-wall TV show and movie trailers.
- SCTV, which ran from 1976 to 1984, aired in the U.S. in local syndication, on NBC, and on Cinemax, and is considered one of the best TV shows of all time by Rolling Stone and TIME.
- A new documentary coming to Netflix on October 30 called SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of will explore the behind-the-scenes story of the influential sketch comedy series and the friendships and connections made during its run.
Move over Saturday Night Live—Netflix just added all six seasons (that’s 135 episodes) of SCTV,the Canadian sketch comedy show known for launching the careers of comedy icons John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis and Andrea Martin.
The show, which ran from 1976 to 1984, was set at a fictional TV station in “Melonville,” and it featured members of the Second City improv troupe’s Toronto branch doing commercial parodies, off-the-wall TV show and movie trailers, fake behind-the-scenes drama and on-screen programming. Many sketches were one-offs but others were running jokes and regular storylines across seasons. For the uninitiated, it can feel like a fever dream, but it was not too far off from the antics of its stateside peer SNL,just a bit lower-budget and more experimental.
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Here in the U.S., SCTV aired in local syndication during the late 1970s and early 1980s, then NBC picked it up for its famous 90-minute version (SCTV Network 90) from 1981 to 1983. Finally, Cinemax aired its shortened format (SCTV Channel) from 1983 to 1984.
The show is so beloved that it has been included in rankings of the best TV shows of all time from Rolling Stone and TIME, among others.
The cast, which was made up of now-comedy legends, would go on to work together for decades to come, including Eugene Levy and the late, great Catherine O’Hara in Schitt’s Creek and numerous Christopher Guest mockumentaries. Some stars would also cross over to SNL including Robin Duke, Tony Rosato and Martin Short.
The friendships and connections made during SCTV‘s run will also be a major throughline of a new documentary coming to Netflix on October 30 called SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of.Directed by Jason Hehir (The Last Dance), it’ll tell the behind-the-scenes story of what’s considered one of the most influential sketch comedy series in TV history.
“Through intimate interviews with surviving members of its legendary cast and an emotional reunion in Toronto, the film explores the creative partnership that transformed a small Canadian television production into a cultural phenomenon that launched some of comedy’s most celebrated icons,” according to the description.
