Dave Thomas

Those lovable Canadian hosers are making a comeback, eh.

After nearly thirty years, the actors behind the famous comedy sketch Great White North have signed a deal with Global TV to revive their characters for an animated series.
Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, reached iconic status in the mid-70s as beer-swilling brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie, have agreed to voice their animated characters and serve as executive producers.

"We've got a very interesting offer from one of the big networks here," Thomas, 58, told Canwest News Service, according to the Calgary Herald. Set to air in 2009, the show takes place in the fictional Canadian town of Maple Lake and will be replete with Canadian slang, eh. A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Thomas will head a team of 12 writers from his Los Angeles-based production company Animax Entertainment.

Thomas said initial scripts are “as good as anything on TV.”

“Animation today is all about the writing,” said Thomas shortly after announcement of the deal, according to Montreal’s The Gazette. “The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy are famous and successful because of the clever writing.”

Bob and Doug McKenzie started a cult following in Canada and the United States in the 1970s with their ad-lib skit that parodied Canadian stereotypes, replete with beer drinking jokes and hockey references.
Their SCTV comedy sketch quickly became a cross-boarder sensation, and Thomas and Moranis grew into pop culture legends. In the United States, the sketch was picked up by NBC and had a successful run for several years, culminating in the feature film Strange Brew.