The lifespan of a comedy troupe is limited, generally peaking then disappearing within a few years as the members go their separate ways. Sure, there are comedic institutions like Saturday Night Live that go on (and on), but revolving cast doors make them different from SCTV or Kids in the Hall, the casts of both of which have recently reunited.

Where the SCTVers came together for a two-day fundraiser earlier this week, the Kids are in the midst of a full-fledged reunion — the 40-date Live as We’ll Ever Be tour hits Toronto next month. While welcome, it’s also evidence the individual comics have never been able to replicate their combined success since the Hall closed following the 1996 box-office bomb Brain Candy.
Dave Foley almost immediately landed the lead in the underrated workplace sitcom NewsRadio, but after lending his voice to an insect in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, he was reduced to the odd sitcom cameo or doing play-by-play on Celebrity Poker Showdown.

This season Foley checked in to Robson Arms, a CTV quirk-com set in a Vancouver low-rise. The quasi-anthology series features a tonne of Canadian TV “stars” — you might not know their names (aside from SCTV’s Joe Flaherty), but you’ll recognize a good chunk of the cast.
Foley’s oily Texan, the building’s new landlord, is amusing enough, but the show is unlikely to go down in the annals of comedy. Foley actually took the gig sight unseen on the recommendation of former Kid-mate Mark McKinney, who won a Gemini during for appearing on Robson’s first season in 2005.

McKinney also enjoyed busy initial post-KITH years with a stint on SNL and a role in Spice World, which was really good. Seriously. I even saw it in the theatre. Anyway, he later landed in Guy Maddin’s The Saddest Music in the World and, last season, was the only good thing about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. He also won acclaim for Slings & Arrows, a 2003-2006 series about a Shakespearean theatre company in a Stratford-type town — which he starred in, co-wrote and co-created — that became a cult hit on both sides of the border.

Then there are the other three Kids. Aside from a recurring role on That ’70s Show, Kevin McDonald has focused on animation voice-work and cameos in forgettable flicks like Epic Movie. Oh, and he was an uptight teacher in that awesome OutKast video “Roses.” 

Bruce McCulloch, once my favourite, squandered his talent directing underwhelming and/or crappy comedies like Dog Park and Superstar and creating Carpoolers, a now-cancelled American sitcom that was underwhelming and crappy. However, he did release a couple of well-received comedy albums over the years.

Scott Thompson started off with a gig on the Larry Sanders Show but has since hosted reality show My Fabulous Gay Wedding, appears in Another Gay Movie and its upcoming sequel Gays Gone Wild and occasionally blogs as his famously swishy character Buddy Cole.

Still, the collective Kids in the Hall have not lost their allure. Whether via DVD or repeats, their cult has only grown and a while back they started doing unannounced one-off shows in LA, which eventually led to this tour. Presenting mostly new material (albeit with many classic characters), they’ve received rave reviews and appear as transgressive as ever — the show opens with a pre-taped “Let’s Rape Kevin” gag and includes a live version of their hilarious “Car Fuckers” sketch from FunnyorDie.com.

Thankfully, for the five comics and their still-­fervent fan base, plans seem to be afoot for a second film. We can only hope the Kids haven’t grown up too much.

ROBSON ARMS AIRS MONDAYS, 9:30 PM ON CTV; KIDS IN THE HALL PLAY MASSEY HALL, JUNE 4 and 5