Big City Comedy

This half hour sketch comedy show was a 'family hour' syndicated entry in 1980, and lasted less than a season. Conceived as a breakout starring vehicle for SCTV's John Candy, the cast featured well-known comedians such as Tino Insana and SNL's Tim Kazurinsky. It was written, in part, by Martin Short's brother, Michael (supposedly also looking for a hit of his own). With all the talent and hype, it should have been a smash, except that being specifically created for 'family viewing', it had no edge whatsoever, and became a wasted effort. Candy returned to SCTV right after its demise. Insana continued doing stand-up, eventually becoming an extremely successful sitcom writer and producer. Tim Kazurinsky went back to Second City in Chicago for a time, running it, then directed some very successful features for Adam Sandler. He also turns up in ads and on television regularly. None of their careers were enhanced by their involvement with "Big City Comedy".