Bizarre (TV series): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:50, 6 August 2006

Revision as of 23:52, 6 August 2006

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'''Bizarre''' was a weekly [[1980s]] [[Canada|Canadian]] [[Television|TV]] sketch comedy series. The first episode aired in [[1980]], and the final episode was broadcast in [[1985]]. The show was hosted by [[John Byner]], and produced by the [[CTV television network]] at the [[CFTO]] Glen-Warren Studios in suburban Toronto.

The series contained slapstick sketches, monologues, TV parodies, and performaces by guest stand-up comics. Interactions between John and members of the studio audience, or show producer Bob Einstein, who often came in to halt a sketch midway through, provided an early example of removing the [[fourth wall]]. Much of the humour on the show was considered risque during the original run of the series.

==Versions==

Two versions of the show were produced: episodes that aired on the [[Showtime]] cable network in the United States contained nudity and coarse language. The versions that aired on [[CTV]] (and later in [[Television syndication|syndication]]) had the nudity removed and the language bleeped by a horn-honking sound. Although the "adult" version is most closely associated with Showtime, it did go out on a few independent TV stations during the 1980s, playing as late-night fare, although the "clean" version is the one that was more commonly found in syndication.

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The adult version hasn't been seen on TV since the Showtime airings and original syndication ceased in the late 1980s. The only version seen since that time was the clean one, despite the fact that Canadian TV has less stringent rules on indecency than US networks. It has been said that the likely reason the show continues to be broadcast to this day in Canada has to do with the country's "Canadian Content" rule, where Canadian TV stations are required to air so many hours of Canadian-produced product per week.{{fact}}

==DVD Release==

DVDs of the unedited version started appearing in late 2005 from a small, independent Canadian video label and are, thus, usually only available to buy from Canadian stores/resellers.

Much of the humour on the show was considered risque during the original run of the series.

==Super Dave Osborne==