Netflix is spotlighting one of Saturday Night Live’s biggest rivals with a documentary backed by Jimmy Kimmel. SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of will look into Second City Television, the hit Canadian show that launched some of comedy’s biggest icons today.
The show, much like SNL, is credited with the launching of multiple careers. Its cast included classic actors such as Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, and Rick Moranis. SNL launched its own comedians to mainstream success in movies and television, such as Mike Myers, Bill Murray, and Chris Rock.
Both sketch comedy shows were alike in almost every aspect, but while SCTV focused on timeless jokes and humor, SNL’s more topical approach week after week eventually caused a bigger cultural impact on audiences. Executive producers on the documentary include Kimmel, Scott Lonker, and Jason Hehir.
What to Know About SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of
The documentary will explore everything that the show had to offer in its heyday, what caused it to fall out of the cultural zeitgeist, and the legacy that it left behind. The movie will include interviews with the cast, an emotional cast reunion in Toronto, never-before-shared stories, and rare archival material. It will examine “the artistic innovation that made SCTV a trailblazer” and explore how the show was nurtured over the time that it aired.
The cast of the movie includes the late Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, and the late Joe Flaherty. It is directed by Jason Hehir. Producers on the documentary include Chapman Downes, Whitney Johnson, Andrew Hafnor, Molly Montgomery, and Kelly Meinhardt.
Although SNL has managed to stick around for much longer than SCTV, the shows were still considered some of the best contemporary alternatives to each other when they were at their best. While it is undeniable that SNL has had a more lasting legacy, SCTV remains one of the most fondly remembered sketch comedy shows that gave SNL a run for its money.
