The Vacant Lot

Country: Canada
Length: 1 season, 6 episodes
Rating: 7.0 of 10 from 2 voters
Elsewhere: IMDb

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The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A sketch comedy group performs filmed skits in front of a studio audience. Each episode includes a musical segment.

short-livedsketch-comedyquirkyoffbeatrawenergeticunpolished

What happens

The Vacant Lot is a short-lived sketch comedy show starring the comedy group of the same name, which CBC Television ran for only six episodes starting in December 1993. The Vacant Lot was originally extended for another 13 episodes, which were scripted but never filmed when new president of the CBC Perrin Beatty wanted to phase out of edgy comedy programs in favor of lighter fare such as This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The show was produced by Cynthia Grech, primarily directed by Rob Quartly and executive producers were Lorne Michaels, Pam Thomas and Jim Biederman, all of whom were producers of CBC's The Kids in the Hall (in which the members appeared as extras from time to time). Unlike The Kids in the Hall, The Vacant Lot consists of filmed sketches that were screened to a studio audience. The show would also have a musical piece each episode and did not have recurring characters. Broadway Video and the troupe's manager Karen Evans sold the show to the CBC, MTV (which did not end up airing the episodes in lieu of The State) and Comedy Central, which did not air the episodes until July 1994. The Vacant Lot was shown as a Fourth of July marathon on that network. Nick McKinney, a member of The Vacant Lot, is the brother of The Kids in the Hall member and Saturday Night Live veteran Mark McKinney. The show's other cast members Rob Gfroerer, Vito Viscomi, and Paul Greenberg, regularly performed at The Rivoli and then Mark introduced them at a party. The Vacant Lot's opening theme music was "Pretty Vacant" by The Sex Pistols. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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