Martin Scorsese To Direct 'SCTV' Comedy Special For Netflix

If you’re a comedy fan and don’t know about “SCTV,” then you’re missing out. Quite simply, “Second City Television,” aka “SCTV,” was a Canadian sketch comedy show, in the same vein as “Saturday Night Live.” However, it’s so much more than just the Canadian “SNL.” Only running for six seasons, between 1976 and 1984, the series has gone on to become a huge influence on the worldwide comedy landscape. Now, it looks like legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese is going to help bring the show into an even bigger spotlight.

According to a tweet by Netflix, Scorsese is directing a new special that will reunite some of the “SCTV” icons, including Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Dave Thomas. The comedy special, still untitled, will include a background of the series and its stars, but also include the reunion that will take place May 13 in Toronto and will be moderated by Jimmy Kimmel.

This comedy special further cements the relationship between Scorsese and Netflix. The filmmaker is currently working on his next film “The Irishman,” which is a Netflix original. Now, with working on this comedy special, it looks like Scorsese has developed a nice partnership with the streaming giant.

“SCTV” is a landmark in comedy television. Launching the careers of Martin Short, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, and many others, the series is often compared to the early seasons of “SNL,” but hasn’t been as readily available to US audiences. The original episodes of “SCTV” have been bogged down in legal rights issues due to not getting the appropriate clearances on the music. So, for years now, “SCTV” has existed only in re-packaged, and heavily edited, DVDs or specials.

Hopefully, with the announcement of this comedy special, Netflix has flexed their muscles (and opened their bottomless wallet) and will finally bring the series to the streaming service. Fingers crossed.

There’s no release date on Scorsese’s “SCTV” special, at this time.