Schitt’s Creek and Saturday Night Live’s shared history
By Matt Moore
SCTV helped launch the careers of Saturday Night Live and Schitt’s Creek stars
We’ve mentioned how Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara got their starts on SCTV and helped connect them to Saturday Night Live. But they aren’t the only ones with a shared history between SCTV and SNL.
SCTV, or Second City Television, began in 1976 and came from the Toronto troupe of the sketch troupe Second City based in Chicago. It ran on CBC and then NBC until 1984. While it was a sketch show like SNL, it was very much its own thing and had a unique voice developed by its talented cast.
In addition to Levy and O’Hara, the cast included John Candy, Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, Tony Rosato, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas. Let’s look at their SNL connections.
John Candy hosted in 1983. Robin Duke replaced O’Hara at SNL and was a cast member from 1981 to 1983. She also played Wendy, the dress shop owner on Schitt’s Creek. Rick Moranis hosted in 1983 and 1989. Harold Ramis was offered a writing gig at SNL but turned it down to stay with SCTV.
Tony Rosato was an SNL cast member for the 1981-1982 season. Martin Short joined SNL in 1984 and was a cast member for one season. He’s hosted or had cameo appearances a handful of times since. Dave Thomas wrote for The New Show, a sketch show created by Lorne Michaels during his hiatus from Saturday Night Live. The premiere episode featured future Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara as a special guest.