Fernwood Feast

Well, My Fernwood 2Night DVDs arrived a week or so ago. I've watched about six or seven episodes, and for the most part I haven't been disappointed.

The show really holds up well, and the interaction between Martin Mull (host Barth Gimble) and Fred Willard (second banana Jerry Hubbard) is priceless. The show was definitely ahead of its time, and much of the humor is still sharp today.

Some highlights:
Lou Moffit, morphing from Fernwood's "consumer activist" into a shameless pitchman for the "WonderBlender" (from "Gibleco Enterprises").

Frank DeVol (bandleader Happy Kyne) talking about his nostril replacement surgery. Apparently he was born with only one nostril and had cosmetic surgery to add the missing nasal passageway. ("Some people think it's the one on the left. But it's really the one on the right.")

A hippyish, vegetarian restaurant owner who doesn't eat any meat, "except, like, burgers."

Much like SCTV, Fernwood 2Night created its own bizarre little fictional world and populated it with funny, offbeat characters. The show also had a killer cast, including Jim Varney, Bill Kirchenbauer, and Kenneth Mars in recurring roles.

I'm still looking for a complete set of Fernwood episodes, but I'm more than satisfied with what I have.