# Mr. Show vs. Kids In the Hall **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464 "2010-12-17T03:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/1 "2010-12-17T03:08:32Z")
Was going to do an extensive “sketch comedy show” poll but frankly I really don’t give a shit about 99% of them, i.e. SNL and its myriad shitty clones. For me it comes down to _Mr. Show_ and _Kids In the Hall_. If you have an opinion on this subject share it, but note there are only 2 options: _ **Mr. Show** _ and _ **Kids In the Hall** _ so please don’t come here to spew thread diarrhea about the greatness of SNL, Monty Python or whatever. Great as those shows may or may not be, this ain’t about them. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/2 "2010-12-17T03:18:48Z")
Mr. Show was very hit or miss. I can’t remember many of the good bits, whereas I can remember a lot of KOTH good stuff, so I’m going with the latter. Upright Citizens Brigade destroyed all of your silly sketch shows. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/3 "2010-12-17T03:22:41Z")
This is a tough, tough call to make. Both shows existed decidedly well outside of the traditional sketch comedy formula. There was little to no celebrity parody in either show, and each episode ventured far into the realm of absurdity no matter where they began. _KITH_ ran from 1988 - 1994, _Mr. Show_ ran from 1995 - 1998, but it feels like they existed many years apart. It could be said that _Mr. Show_ filled the void that _KITH_’s demise left, though despite their similarities was a very, very different show. Nostalgia has to win this for _Kids In the Hall_ for me. Much as I love _Mr. Show_, _KITH_ is something I watched growing up and very much helped to shape my sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/4 "2010-12-17T03:32:42Z")
Thirty Hellens agree. Kids In The Hall. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/5 "2010-12-17T03:35:07Z")
_Mr. Show_ was occasionally brilliant, more often very good, and rarely bad; \*Kids in the Hall \*was mostly brilliant, occasionally very good, and very rarely bad. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/6 "2010-12-17T04:23:07Z")
I have seen every episode of both shows, and love them both. I would have to go with KITH, though - Kids in the Hall references are still a significant part of my every day vernacular. (eg; I’m never “wool-gathering,” I’m _listening to the band_. The little oompah band.) I enjoyed _Mr. Show_ but it never made a mark on me, like Kids in the Hall did. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/7 "2010-12-17T04:34:49Z")
KITH was consistently greater for a much longer period of time. Mr. Show lasted three seasons i think, and while they were great they don’t compare to Kids in the Hall. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/8 "2010-12-17T06:13:08Z")
I was a huge KITH fan when I first discovered them (I think just after the show’s run). I paid some lady from Usenet to send me all of her KITH episodes on tape. It was an amazing winter break. Anyway, I tried really hard to get into Mr. Show. I think theirs was amongst the first DVDs I got from Netflix. I watched as much as I could stomach and had to stop. IIRC, my official assessment was “they take themselves too seriously.” That was the just-out-of-college me, but it may be a good assessment anyway. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/9 "2010-12-17T06:31:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Anyway, I tried really hard to get into Mr. Show. I think theirs was amongst the first DVDs I got from Netflix. I watched as much as I could stomach and had to stop. Ditto this. It just didn’t work for me, even though I like David Cross quite a bit. I’m not so sure about Bob Odenkirk. Nothing against the guy, just that I don’t find him terribly funny (I found his Arrested Development appearance one of the notably jarring and unpleasant cameos in its run, though of course Martin Short wins by a landslide in that category.) Anyhow, couldn’t get into it a few years back when I finally got the chance to see it. Kids in the Hall I liked, though it’s not aged all that well either and I have some nice nostalgia for it when it originally aired. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/10 "2010-12-17T06:41:54Z")
The first 3 or 4 of years of SNL produced the best sketch comedy the world has ever seen. It’s gone way downhill since then. ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/11 "2010-12-17T06:57:54Z")
Please, please, please, don’t shut off my cable! ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/12 "2010-12-17T14:39:08Z")
I’ve never yet seen an episode of Mr. Show. But I watch the entire run of KITH every couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/13 "2010-12-17T15:00:30Z")
I have to go with Mr. Show. KITH was almost always pretty funny, but rarely fall on the floor funny. Mr. Show was more hit and miss, but the hits were absolutely killer. I’m talking about things like the Hail Satan Network and the heavy metal suicide kid. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/14 "2010-12-17T15:14:13Z")
I have to say KITH. I re-watched some Mr. Show recently, and some of it was brilliant, but much of it was not as funny as I remembered. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/15 "2010-12-17T15:33:36Z")
Both great, but if you look back at them Mr Show holds up better. No! The beard stays, you go! -Joe ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/16 "2010-12-17T16:06:59Z")
[Season Three, Episode Two of Mr. Show](http://www.unoriginal.com/mrshow/3_2.html) blew away all KITH episodes. > [@](#): > > David: Right. Bob, did you know that in the early 1800’s it was legal for white people to enslave African-Americans? > > Bob: Hmm. > > David: But then, Abraham Lincoln, a _white_ man, set them free. > > Bob: Yeah. And David and I believe that it’s never to late for us to say to our African-American brothers and sisters–[strums a chord] > > Bob and David: You’re welcome. > [singing] Hey you’re welcome. > Hey don’t mention it. > Use that freedom in anyway you like > 'Cuz you’re not slaves no more > Don’t have to behave no more > But we’re sure if you do… > You’re welcome to > yoobie doobie doobie doobie dooo. [song ends] or > [@](#): > > [Jill is crying. A commercial’s voice-over addresses her.] > > Tom V.O.: Ladies, has this happen too often to you? > > [Jill nods.] > > Tom V.O.: Then come to the Tri-State Globo-Dome for “Marriage-Con and Boat Show '97!” [The screen now cuts back and forth to different accompanying scenes.] Ladies you can’t lose. Over two miles of boats and you _will_ be married or your money back–featuring Dr. Ayatollah Khoella, author of “The Rules.” > > David: 'Dis woman will find a mate. 'Dis woman will be dead by sundown…if you follow The Rrrrules! > > Tom V.O.: --syndicated radio host Dr. Lana. > > Jill: [addressing a group of women, one who is standing] Men 'r stupid. Women 'r stupider. Okay? But we _have_ to get married. I did it, now it’s your turn. Get in line. Get in line you dumb bitch! That said, KITH with the Chicken Lady, “I’m Crushing Your Head”, Buddy, and Thirty Helens (not to mention the great music by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet) were consistently great. They weren’t as biting, but they were fun. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/17 "2010-12-17T16:14:33Z")
Yes Mr. Show was definitely much more dark and abrasive, even mean-spirited sometimes, as opposed to KITH’s much more comparatively innocent and mild approach which I think is a major part of its appeal. You’d never hear a line like, “Hey, I don’t come down to where you work and slap the dick out of your mouth!” on KITH. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/18 "2010-12-17T16:23:55Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Yes Mr. Show was definitely much more dark and abrasive, even mean-spirited sometimes, as opposed to KITH’s much more comparatively innocent and mild approach which I think is a major part of its appeal. You’d never hear a line like, “Hey, I don’t come down to where you work and slap the dick out of your mouth!” on KITH. Operation HELL ON EARTH being downgraded from a truck bomb to a slightly-too-loud boom box was pretty hilarious too. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/19 "2010-12-17T16:43:33Z")
For me, it was no contest (and I’m surprised how few people agree with me—maybe it’s just that different people have different senses of humor). KITH is consistently at least mildly amusing, but it rarely makes me actually laugh. Mr. Show is often enough laugh-out-loud funny and stands up to repeated viewings. (FWIW I didn’t see either of these when they originally aired, only on DVD, so there’s no nostalgia factor in my vote.) (And yeah, **SenorBeef** , UCB compares favorably to both of these.) ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464/20 "2010-12-17T17:08:37Z")
Aren’t there more episodes in the first season of KITH than in Mr. Show’s whole run? For me the funniest Mr Show sketches are funnier than anything KITH did, and KITH has a lot more “meh” content. I can live without another Quebecois hooker sketch or “I’m the gay one” monologue. Really the shows are about as different as two sketch comedy shows can be. I do like both but IMHO Mr Show is funnier. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-show-vs-kids-in-the-hall/564464.md?page=2)