Dave Thomas: SCTV, Creative Evolution, and Sustaining a Hollywood Career

Early Career & SCTV Genesis

• 💡 Dave Thomas joined Second City Toronto in the early 70s, which featured a killer cast including Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dan Akroyd, and Gilda Radner.
• 🎯 The Second City stage show was built on improvisations, which were then refined and written, emphasizing the importance of writing and editing in comedy.
• 🧠 Thomas highlighted Dan Akroyd's unique blue-collar comedy, characterized by high reference levels and intricate detail, which brought dignity to the genre.

SCTV Production & The McKenzie Brothers

• ⚠️ SCTV faced significant production challenges from its inception, including limited financing and a small budget from Global TV in Canada.
• 🚀 Thomas became head writer after Harold Ramis left, initially sharing the role with Joe Flaherty, who found the administrative tasks challenging.
• 🍁 The iconic McKenzie Brothers originated from a CBC requirement for two minutes of "distinctively Canadian" content, which Thomas and Rick Moranis improvised without a script.

Adapting a Creative Career

• ✨ Thomas emphasizes that Talent, Drive, and Luck are crucial for success in Hollywood, with at least two of these being necessary.
• 🔄 He demonstrated this adaptability by transitioning from an advertising copywriter to a comedian, and later into animation and drama.
• 🛠️ His venture into animation with Animax involved outsourcing to Ukraine, facing challenges when his partner went to Iraq, and ultimately leading to an unexpected story about building a golf course in a war zone.

Transition to Drama & Writing

• ✍️ Thomas moved into drama writing for shows like Bones and The Blacklist as the comedy landscape became more restrictive and "woke."
• 🔬 He found the intricacies of procedural dramas appealing, noting that the longer format allowed for better storytelling compared to short sitcoms.
• 💡 His entry into Bones was sparked by an offer to devise five interesting ways to kill someone, leading to a script and a consulting producer role.

Comedy Boundaries & Intent

• 💬 Thomas believes good roasts target those at the top who aren't perfect, aiming to "trim them" rather than piling on someone who is already down.
• ✅ He argues that comedy should challenge the strong and those doing wrong, rather than picking on the weak.
• 🔍 The intention behind humor and the target are key to determining what is appropriate, acknowledging that context and audience perception have changed.