VIDEOS 'SCTV' returns on DVD

The first collection features nine episodes from the 1981 season.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
There was a time, when he was younger and just a little bitter, that Joe Flaherty coveted the kind of success and recognition accorded the Not Ready For Prime Time Players of "Saturday Night Live."
In the late 1970s, when John Belushi, Gilda Radner and the rest of the "SNL" crew were the toast of hip New York and the darlings of American TV, Flaherty was anchored down in Canada, creating brilliant bits about a fictional network on the cult favorite "SCTV."
The antics of Flaherty and the rest of the "SCTV" cast, which included Harold Ramis -- who would later direct "Caddyshack," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze That," among other movies -- and the late John Candy ran in syndication in those days and didn't get anywhere near the exposure or respect of NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
"I was a little envious," admits Flaherty.
Time, however, was on "SCTV's" side. By the early 1980s, there was nothing hip -- or even funny -- about "SNL," while "SCTV" continued to serve up a slew of hilarious characters and wacky skits.
First collection
If you need proof, check out the first-ever "SCTV" DVD collection, which is in stores. "SCTV Network 90," a five-disc release from Shout! Factory that sells for $89.98, features nine 90-minute episodes from the 1981 season and revisits such memorable characters as beer-swilling hosers Bob and Doug McKenzie, the English-challenged immigrant Pirini Scleroso, the sexy bombshell Lola Heatherton and the egomaniacal con artist Johnny LaRue.
Compare that to the 1980-81 season of "SNL," which had the unformed talents of Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo surrounded by such eminently forgettable cast members as Denny Dillon, Gail Matthius, Ann Risley and Charles Rocket.
Back in the '70s, Flaherty says, he used to think "we're doing stuff that's just as good as 'SNL.' How come they're not mentioning us in these news items? I wanted to be famous."
But these days, the 62-year-old performer realizes there was no way "SCTV" could have ever enjoyed mainstream success.
"It wasn't a show meant for everyone, just a small special audience," says Flaherty, who, despite making his name on a Canadian-made show, was born and raised in Pittsburgh and served in the U.S. Air Force.
"SCTV," says Flaherty, had cast members who never stopped to wonder if viewers would get the joke, no matter how arcane or intelligent the reference.
"SCTV," which ran from 1977 to 1984, also reveled in impressions of small-time and former celebrities.