Shark Bytes

I don't think "Almost Live!" jumped the shark; it proves a local station can prodcuc a comedy series that matches the network's quality (and not just at the end of the week.) To this day when I hear KOCO's promos here in Oklahoma City, memories of "Almost Live!" prompt me to holler "Live! Local! Latebreakig! L*A*M*E!!!!!!!" (Ooooops; better "Mind My Manners.")

Almost Live certainly never jumped during the time that I was watching it. I remember watching it on Saturday nights at 11:30 on KING 5. That show was the best - better than SNL for me because it was about my home town - seattle. The lame list, the John Report, Nature Walks with Chuck, the Ballard Olympics, Billy Kwan, the Speedwalker, that show was gold.

I saw skits like "Mind your manners with Billy Quan," on a show called "Haywire" back around '90 or '91. The skits were hilarious!

Hear! Hear! Almost Live was much better than that Mystery Science crap but since AL's fans weren't complete wackos they didn't badger comedy central constantly like the other show's fans did. Comedy central must have interpreted that as lack of interest. Almost Live never jumped the shark and I'd love to buy DVD's..."Mumbling" Mike, eh? I love it!

Never jumped! If Comedy Central had had an ounce of sense they would have gotten their pub fully behind this show and let Mumbling Mike Nelson and his singing puppets fend for themselves. Even the worst member of the Almost Live cast was more talented than Mike Nelson will ever be! Add my name to the list of people who want a DVD release of this show!

Almost Live was a wonderful show! I would love to buy DVD's of it. I'm one of those people who only got to see the show briefly on Comedy Central during the few day-parts on the schedule when they weren't showing Really Pretentious Puppet Show 3000. I wish Comedy Central had given AL more support, too! Mumbling Mike Nelson was so weak and amateurish he wouldn't have qualified to sweep up the sets on Almost Live. High 5'n White Guys Forever!

AL rocked! And for the record, the "pool hall" opening sequence was shot at the Weathered Wall, also now gone. C'mon, when are the DVD's coming out? Let's see a collection with all the Sluggys, High Five'n White Guys, Speedwalkers, Billy Quans, etc. etc. etc. And bring back the cast to film new spots. JP Patches has some of his shows on DVD, there are T-shirts, action figures, etc. So how about a line of AL shirts and "action figures", like a toy Sluggy that oozes "slime" when you squeeze it, or a Billy Quan doll that says things like "Be like Billy. Behave yourself!" when you pull the string? Don't let AL be just a product of our fading memories.

Never jumped! I loved this show but since I don't live in Seattle I only ever saw it on Comedy Central for a few years. I was always bummed out that Comedy Central didn't get behind this show like they did with a certain overrated and overhyped puppet show from Minnesota that the network was always ramming down our throats. Almost Live was much, much funnier and far better written. From all I've heard the cast of Almost Live were easier to work with and weren't always whining to the folks at Comedy Central like the cast and (especially)the fans of that other show. Bring on a DVD collection!

LOOKING FOR AN EPISODE! My dad was on an episode back in probably 1987 or 1988 or so. He played a small part in one of the skits with John Keister. My dad passed away 3 years ago. I would love to get a copy of the skit, I would even pay for it. The skit wasn't that funny so probably not on a "Best Of" show. I think the skit was called "Life is an Adventure" or something like that.

Not from Seattle so I only saw the Comedy Central eps (aired until 1994). Have some decent memories of the show. Bill Nye's Skeptic Corner was a riot (if I remember correctly) as was the game show spoof Who Killed JFK Today? "Tiger got him." I was also crazy about Nancy Guppy and Tracey Conway.

A top local show all the way. I don't know about the shark but it lost a bit of flavor when Ross Schafer showed up.. I think he would have rather it been renamed "The Ross Schafer Show". Bill Nye leaving was predictable because he was an anchor with sooo much talent/ But, still, a big loss and the show was somewhat gutted after that.

I have finished cataloging my Almost Live Episodes that I have on DVD and here is a brief listing of the shows year by year. After about 50 hours of work (If you can call watching a funny as hell TV show work) I have a fist fill of hand written notes that I hope to incorporate into a MS Excel format.

Also here is a rough count of some of their best known skits, I may have missed a few.

16 Billy Quans Mind your Manors

13 High Five'n White Guys

6 Cops (in different Seattle area's)

26 Lame List

16 Bill Nye the Science guy

9 Speedwalker (Bill Nye)

9 Almost Live! Training Films

8 DJ Randy Scott (Pat Cashman)

5 The Worst Girlfriend in the World

Year...Number of Episodes


1989... 11


1990... 24


1991... 24


1992... 19


1993... 26


1994... 24


1995... 21


1996... 26


1997... 26


1998... 25


1999... 14

I left Seattle in '92 and it had certainly not 'jumped the shark' at that point. My funniest memory was Micheal Jordan (who was visiting Seattle playing the Sonics) guest starring on a "High-fivin' white guys". I alawys imagine he caught it in his hotel and thought it was so funny he volunteered to make his brief cameo. His eyes looked pretty red like he had been laughing too much when he asked "can I be a high fivin' white guy too?"

I only caught a little of this show about 10 years ago. They used to play it on Comedy Central Saturday mornings. Being from SE Michigan, I thought it was some new show that CC had come up with. I didn't pick up on the fact that it was Seattle based until the speed walker guy was walking around the Kingdome.

It was on for 20 years??!! Wonder why CC no longer carries it. It would be good to release it out to DVD or something.

I have never been to the Northwest. From what I see on this show, it must be a fun place.

My wife is a science teacher. I found it interesting that Bill Nye got his start on this show. I have seen his science shows and they are a lot better than the stuff they showed us in school back in the 70s. You can see the influence that Almost Live had on him.

This show was amazing and I am very frustrated with KING about not releasing DVDs! So to Ramrod-8 or anyone else who has their own collections, I'd love to get a copy somehow!

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