Nineties comedy nostalgics are celebrating this Friday, with Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall set to return on Amazon. The comedy troupe’s original members, Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson, have signed on for an eight episode first season. The team has performed comedy as The Kids in the Hall since their formation in 1984, and were best known for their eponymous TV show, which aired from 1989-1995.
The new episodes are currently in production from Amazon and executive producer Lorne Michaels, Saturday Night Live creator and the industry executive that brought The Kids in the Hall to the forefront of late eighties comedy. After Michaels first saw the troupe perform as a group over 30 years ago, he acted as one of the main forces in getting the original show on the air. The executive producer told Vulture he is “happy to be bringing back all of the original ‘Kids’ for the new series,” and that “[e]ven after 30 years, The Kids in the Hall has retained its brilliance and originality.”
The Kids in the Hall have been known for their unique brand of quirky and surrealist comedy for over three decades. Often evoking Monty Python-esque humor, the troupe frequently utilizes drag and well-known original characters, such as Buddy Cole or The Chicken Lady. Their series was lauded for its touches of realism, including monologues from singular members and meta sketches in which the troupe would portray themselves as comedians in the TV business.
Amazon’s version of The Kids in the Hall will mark its first Canadian original series. James Farrell of Amazon Studios noted they have “been investing in Canada for several years and are excited to add to that momentum by making The Kids in the Hall the first Canadian Amazon Original series.”
Founding member Kevin McDonald has been an active force in the series’ revival, working with Michaels for years attempting to bring it back. The troupe member remarked to Vulture in 2017 that the group was “not able to even get conference calls together,” noting, “There’s always one or two of us that are kind of busy.” Despite the big names attached to the upcoming show, it does not mark the first reunion of The Kids in the Hall. The troupe have found themselves working together again on 1996 film Brain Candy, 2010 miniseries The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town, and numerous reunion tours since the 1990s.
Amazon’s revival of The Kids in the Hall is currently in production, with no release date announced as of yet.