The Guardian
‘It really was the idiots in charge’: inside the TV sketch show that launched a generation of stars 30 October 2026 at 18:33

‘It really was the idiots in charge’: inside the TV sketch show that launched a generation of stars

30 October 2026 at 18:33

It influenced The Simpsons and sparked the careers of Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy and many others. Now this extraordinary Canadian series is finally getting its due

SCTV – short for Second City Television – is one of most influential comedy shows ever created. In the 1970s and 80s, while North American comedy fans worshipped at the altar of Saturday Night Live, the comedy nerds loved SCTV. The Canadian sketch show was weird. It was dark. It was multilayered and years ahead of its time.

Dave Thomas, head writer and an original cast member, was there from the start. “Conan O’Brien said that he used to watch and he thought, ‘This show is being written specifically for me,’” Thomas tells me. “There were references in it that he was absolutely sure only he got. We wrote at the top of our reference level. And the idea was to see if the audience would meet us there.”

NYT > Top Stories
Horror Bookstores Are (Gasp!) Multiplying 28 October 2026 at 17:30

Horror Bookstores Are (Gasp!) Multiplying

NYT > Top Stories

By: Erik Piepenburg

28 October 2026 at 17:30

More shops are opening their doors, providing genre fans the chance to browse, buy and find creepy community.

World news | The Guardian
Olivia Chow elected as Toronto mayor for second term in victory for progressives 27 October 2026 at 23:23

Olivia Chow elected as Toronto mayor for second term in victory for progressives

World news | The Guardian

By: Leyland Cecco in Toronto

27 October 2026 at 23:23

Tightly fought election saw record turnout as incumbent mayor ran against her rival Brad Bradford

The mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, promised more rental housing, free school lunches and reduce fares for frequent transit riders after she was elected to a decisive second term as mayor in a wave of support for progressive councillors.

The tightly fought election saw record turnout but Chow ultimately turned in a dominant 13-percentage-point win over her rival, Brad Bradford, receiving 54% of the vote compared with his 41%. Many had been expecting a far closer race, given weeks of polling that suggested a dead heat between the pair who presented differing visions for Canada’s largest city.

The Guardian
Olivia Chow elected as Toronto mayor for second term in victory for progressives 27 October 2026 at 23:23

Olivia Chow elected as Toronto mayor for second term in victory for progressives

The Guardian

By: Leyland Cecco in Toronto

27 October 2026 at 23:23

Tightly fought election saw record turnout as incumbent mayor ran against her rival Brad Bradford

The mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, promised more rental housing, free school lunches and reduce fares for frequent transit riders after she was elected to a decisive second term as mayor in a wave of support for progressive councillors.

The tightly fought election saw record turnout but Chow ultimately turned in a dominant 13-percentage-point win over her rival, Brad Bradford, receiving 54% of the vote compared with his 41%. Many had been expecting a far closer race, given weeks of polling that suggested a dead heat between the pair who presented differing visions for Canada’s largest city.

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