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Product Description
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Thirty Helens agree: The Kids in the Hall is a funny show. (Mr. Tyzik, the bitter Head Crusher, however, may not agree.) The no-holds-barred sketch comedy is also strange, silly, profane--occasionally even profound. The five Canadian writer-comedians behind it, Dave Foley (NewsRadio), Bruce McCulloch (Superstar), Kevin McDonald (That ''70s Show), Mark McKinney (Saturday Night Live), and Scott Thompson (The Larry Sanders Show), formed the troupe in the early 1980s. Naturally, they weren't really kids, but boyish-looking men in their twenties and thirties. SNL's Lorne Michaels produced the series, which lasted for five seasons, and aired on HBO, Comedy Central, and Canada's CBC. It garnered three Emmy nominations and was followed by the theatrical cult classic The Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996) and several tours.
The Toronto-based team took more inspiration from the absurdity of Monty Python--and the craziness inherent in everyday life--than the topical humor of SNL (on which celebrities, politicians, and pop culture are frequent targets). Each 30-minute installment features short, punchy skits (some filmed in advance, some before a live audience), men in drag, and no special guest hosts or stars (musical or otherwise). During their small-screen rein, the Kids took aim at everything from mainstream comedy and corporate culture to sexism, bigotry, and pretension. Many of their best-loved characters first appeared during the 20 episodes produced between 1989-1990. They include the 30 Helens (30 Helens standing in a field agreeing about something or other), Tyzik (McKinney), rockin' Bobby (McCulloch), bickering Fran and Gordon (Thompson and McCulloch), chatty Cathy and Kathie (McCulloch and Thompson), the "Nobody Likes Us" guys (Foley and MacDonald), and the acerbic Buddy Cole (Thompson).
Canadian underground heroes Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet provided the icing on their spicy little cake with their wistful surf-rock theme "Having an Average Weekend." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
Are extraterrestroals dull? Who's gay in Hollywood? And how about that salty ham?
From romantically challenged cabbage heads to serial head crushing, five men from Canada, who were occasionally five women, turned sketch comedy into a bizarre, irreverent and always hilarious weekly showcase of side-splitting unpredictability.
With a brilliant knack for turning the mundane into the surreal, and a dangerous willingness to explore the darker sides of comedy, all 20 episodes from the debut season of The Kids in the Hall are collected here - by popular demand - on DVD and for the first time ever.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Jeffrey D.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I ordered the complete first season of "Kids in the Hall" in 2011, and it took way too long to ship and when I received it, it only contained three discs of a four-disc box set. I got a refund, but it was a gift and I was completely disappointed and unsatisfied.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By skyhawk0
Format:DVD
True KiTH fans know that the show ran on CBC in Canada and HBO in the States, and the troupe would tape each episode twice. Sadly for us Canadian fans, the US version is all that's available on DVD and we have to put up with Mark saying he's from Maine rather than the Ottawa Valley and other little paeans to their US broadcaster. Many times these are innocuous, but as in the previous example, some impact the punchlines.
The truly sad omission is that occasionally skits that were too Canadian for American audiences were replaced entirely. While it's great to get "The Dr. Seuss Bible", it's appalling that "Bad Sketch", detailing how all Canadians own the sketch through the CBC, is missing. Even worse an omission is the first appearance of Dave and Kevin's trappeurs, singing "Alouette" as they trap businessmen to sell their Fendi and Armani pelts.
Still, this is still the Kids and the material is far beyond what you'd find in any other sketch show. They avoid the quick pop-culture references of most American sketch shows, and while they dip into the absurdism of Monty Python, there's much more of a sense of social commentary and even activism in their work. This season is less polished than future seasons,as it's before they get used to writing for television, but it is the freshest, as they could work off their long history of stage work.
The truly sad omission is that occasionally skits that were too Canadian for American audiences were replaced entirely. While it's great to get "The Dr. Seuss Bible", it's appalling that "Bad Sketch", detailing how all Canadians own the sketch through the CBC, is missing. Even worse an omission is the first appearance of Dave and Kevin's trappeurs, singing "Alouette" as they trap businessmen to sell their Fendi and Armani pelts.
Still, this is still the Kids and the material is far beyond what you'd find in any other sketch show. They avoid the quick pop-culture references of most American sketch shows, and while they dip into the absurdism of Monty Python, there's much more of a sense of social commentary and even activism in their work. This season is less polished than future seasons,as it's before they get used to writing for television, but it is the freshest, as they could work off their long history of stage work.
By SandmanVI
Format:DVD
The great thing about Kids in the Hall was that they shunned the topical, obvious humor so common within the ranks of SNL, MAD TV, In Living Color, Ben Stiller and so forth. KITH relished the subtle quirks of everyday existence: inanely busy businessmen, a mullet-headed slacker obsessed with his beat-up heap of a used car, or the morose "nobody likes us" outcasts who hang themselves just to make a point. Granted, all of these are not gems; truth be told, the Kids hadn't yet hit full stride as they would in later seasons. You may have to suffer through a few clunkers but it is all worth it. Personally I think the risk-reward is worth it for the edgy elements and oddball genius. If you want to be this creative and be truly landmark then you can't always grab the obvious punchline. Long live the Kids! can't wait for the stronger seasons to come out.
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yeah, F the bank!!
Man, this is easily the best set of DVD`s I have in my house. My wife and I stay up late almost every night and watch them and find ourselves laughing out loud! Read more
Published on Jun 18 2004 by Jeff B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not SNL But great
This has some great shows and all 5 play many different charecters.They play very brilliant carectors and they are all quite funny. Read more
Published on Jun 12 2004 by Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars
A (Pear) Dream Come True
I remember once flipping through the channels one Thursday night in 1989, and I hit CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Channel). Read more
Published on Jun 8 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Kids' best, but please buy it anyway
The Kids in the Hall was a brilliant show. It is so much funnier than Saturday Night Live, and more timeless, too. Read more
Published on Jun 4 2004 by Cameron Hauer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yahoooooooooo!
I have been waiting for this set since the TV on DVD trend started. This is a great package and has the beginnings of the greatness that is the Kids in the Hall. Read more
Published on May 25 2004 by K. Stuckey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Inventive Sketch Comedy
These guys were trying to do something different, and they did. They interjected much of the feel of "acting" and roleplaying and their own personalities into... Read more
Published on May 24 2004 by Scott McFarland
5.0 out of 5 stars
OUTSTANDING BOX SET--A MUST FOR KITH FANS
Please tell me that every "KITH" season release will be as good as this one! Every episode is presented at 10mbps through and through, even the extras. Read more
Published on May 24 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deja vu!
For anyone who appreciates the madness of Monty Python, the Kids in The Hall are a great second-helping of sketch comedy that doesn't fall into the trap SNL did (of putting... Read more
Published on May 21 2004 by Trevor Seigler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tuesday is no good for the Eradicator!!!
As others have noted, the first season is a bit hit-and-miss: the first few episodes are great, the next ten episodes or so are sporadically funny at best, and the final five... Read more
Published on May 16 2004 by matthewslaughter
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit shaky in places, but good overall.
Like great art, The Kids in the Hall are not meant to be liked by all, but loved by a few. The first season sees some highs and lows that remind me why I love them and why some see... Read more
Published on May 13 2004 by G. M. Elwell
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