The ‘SCTV’ Sketches That Made Comedy History (& Where to Watch Them)

Before Saturday Night Live became a launching pad for some of comedy’s biggest stars, Canada had SCTV Network 90, a brilliantly bizarre sketch series that turned a fictional low-budget television station into one of the most influential comedy shows of its era.

Featuring a legendary cast that included John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, and Martin Short, SCTV specialized in offbeat characters, spot-on celebrity impressions, fake commercials, and parodies of everything from local television to Hollywood movies.