The Kids Are More Than Alright

I have been a fan of The Kids in the Hall since original episodes were airing in the U.S. on Comedy Central. I bought the series on DVD when it was released in season box sets. So I was filled with delight to hear that an 8-episode revival season was coming in 2022 on Amazon Prime. That I would enjoy them was a given. The only question was: could I make this small handful of new episodes last, properly savoring each one?

I did, which is why you're getting this post almost three full months after the episodes were released. Whether you're a binge-watcher or a TV grazer, a fan of classic KITH, or someone who has never watched them before... I highly recommend this new revival season.

These new episodes have a nice balance of bringing back old characters with completely new material and characters. I recognized every callback to classic KITH, of course, but they always seemed to me to be very natural, not winking to an inside audience at all, in a way that could allow anyone to laugh. Indeed, some of the best bits of the season were all-new creations -- with new references already sneaking into conversations with my husband and friends, like the music of the "post-apocalypse DJ," an unfortunate misunderstanding of the word "ambulance," or a peculiar way of describing water temperature.

Basically every episode has at least one extremely memorable and hilarious sketch. And episode one in particular really comes out... uh... swinging. Taking full advantage of the fact that they're no longer working on broadcast television, this new season of KITH has stronger language and shocking, hilarious nudity. Sure, there are some dud sketches sprinkled in too... but that's the promise of sketch comedy: let us try a bunch of different things, and if you don't like this one, maybe you'll love the next one.

Watching new episodes made me really appreciate the alchemy of these five performers in particular. How they work together isn't always captured in whatever separate performances you may have seen them give in other things. They each have a way of delivering even an innocuous line in a twisted way that creates "catch phrases" (whether that's the goal or not) -- especially Kevin McDonald and Bruce McCulloch. Dave Foley remains marvelously dry in his roles. Scott Thompson gets to play a bit more against his classic KITH type this season, to fun effect. And as ever, Mark McKinney intensely commits, maybe even over-commits, to every sketch and every character (a quality they even joke about at one point).

The season is full of fun cameos. Many come in the form of "Fans of Kids in the Hall" interstitials filmed with plenty of recognizable faces, but a few great comedians in their own right actually appear in a handful of the sketches, including stand-up Eddie Izzard and Whose Line Is It Anyway? mainstay Colin Mochrie.

I give this revival season of Kids in the Hall an A-. I absolutely loved it. I wish I could have made 8 episodes last even longer. I could easily see myself watching them again some time. It has certainly made me want to revisit the classic episodes while I hope and wait for another new season to come at some point.