Mark McKinney & Scott Thompson on ‘Kids in the Hall’ Returning After 27 Years (VIDEO)
Age certainly hasn’t mellowed the Kids in the Hall. The freewheeling Canadian comedy geniuses are as fearless and shameless as ever in the eight new episodes of their self-titled sketch comedy series. Why did it take more than a quarter-century to get a sixth season of The Kids in the Hall?
“We never really thought that we could do sketch comedy again because we thought, ‘How could we improve? We can’t really touch what we’ve done,’” says Scott Thompson, whose groundbreaking gay raconteur Buddy Cole is among several memorable characters making a return appearance.
But as Thompson, Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald and Mark McKinney took their classic material on the road, they began writing new sketches. Says McKinney, who recently starred on the sitcom Superstore, “We were going, ‘God, it would be fun to put this up,’ and then suddenly there was a door to walk through with Amazon Canada.”
Known for creating sketches and characters that are funny, bizarre and a little sad — sometimes all at once — the Kids moved on to separate projects when their series ended in 1995, but they keep finding their way back to each other because, according to Thompson, the affection and creative energy they share is unmatched.
“No one makes me laugh more than the other four,” he says. “We love each other as comedians and artists, but also as friends. We’re sort of like brothers in a way. We know that we can’t ever really separate.”
The Kids are also getting the documentary treatment with The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, a two-parter chronicling their legacy that includes rare footage from their early live shows.
Watch the full interview with McKinney and Thompson, above.
The Kids in the Hall, Season 6, Friday, May 13, Prime Video; The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, Documentary Premiere, Friday, May 20, Prime Video