The Red Green Show (1991–2006) User Reviews (33)

Fantastic Show, and the Best Show From Canada Ever

[I_Am_The_Taylrus · 9/10 · 9 November 2006]

SPOILERS

Red Green is one of my favorite shows, and it is also my friend's favorite show. Red Green is a sketch comedy show from Canada. I was very surprised when I first saw it. I thought it was going to be a pointless, dull, and very stupid sketch show. When I saw it, I was amazed at it. It is very fresh, and very funny.

Red Green takes place at a lodge called the Possum Lodge. Some of the people at the Possum Lodge are Red Green, the main character. There's Harold, Red's nephew. There is also Bill Smith, the usually silent man that is used in hilarious black-and-white homemade videos. There are a lot more characters in this show.

There are usually the same kind of sketches in each episode. There is Ranger Gord's cartoon, which he talks about forests. There's the Possum Lodge Word Game, in which Red or someone else gives contestants clues to a word, much like Password. Only the contestant gives very odd answers, until they get it at the last minute. There's of course Bill's wacky black-and-white adventures. It's basically him trying to do something simplistic but ends up very challenging. That sketch is narrated by Red. There is usually a sketch in which Red tries to turn a vehicle or something like that into something much more useful.There is of course many more, too much more, but I won't give them all away.

Also, I'd like to point out they use duct tape a lot. Red especially uses it a lot.

Overall, this is a fresh, funny, simple show from Canada.

9/10

Recommended Titles: Home Improvement.

Fifteen Years Of Duct Tape

[animal_8_5 · 7/10 · 22 May 2006]

Red Green is a clever spoof of the old "Red Fisher show" which was a regular weekend fixture when it was syndicated to select Canadian TV stations in the 1960s and 1970s. The simple Red Fisher formula was NOT to excuse himself for having such a cheap and uninspiring set, BUT instead telling gullible viewers this was all taking place from secluded "Scuttlebutt Lodge." Having a guest sitting with him near the false fireplace, Fisher then provided a glib commentary over a grainy, faded super 8 movie about a hunting/fishing trip.

The next step in the evolution was when SCTV satirized this concept with their character Gil Fisher, host of the "Fishin' Musician." This showed Smith and Green that the more that you added to the concept, the wider the comedic potential. First, they needed a charismatic host to pull it off and thus, Red Green was created.

Somehow, Steve Smith (Red Green) and Rick Green (Bill) took this simple mix and developed a 15 year phenomenon out of it! Run a search of RED GREEN on Google and find their awesome website. Memorable segments being "Adventures With Bill," "Handyman's Corner," and anything featuring Red's bucktoothed nephew, Harold. With a ripped off concept, Harold is truly an original character and the best in talented actor Pat McKenna's repertoire. Hardware stores all over the world have Red Green to thank for the sharp increase in duct tape sales over the past 15 years.

Greatest TV characters we'll never see: Old Man Sedgewick; Stinky Peterson; Moose Thompson; Junior Singleton; Buster Hadfield and Flinty McClintock;

Memorable catch-phrases: "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." "I am a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess." "I'm pulling' for you. Remember, we're all in this together." "Keep your stick on the ice."

I attended a couple of Red Green tapings in Toronto and one of the secrets of the show's longevity was the interactive quality of the program. It seems Steve Smith and gang actually lost their inspiration for the project about 5 years ago, when legions of die-hard fans stepped in to save it. Production for the show ended by 2006, but Green will remain eternally smug and forever curmudgeonly in syndication.

Best Canadian Comedy Ever

[futuramafan1 · 8/10 · 3 January 2008]

This show is hilarious.

I stay up until 1:00am to watch it every day.

It was one of the best comedy TV shows in the 90s.

I Wish that they would come out with a box set that you could buy.

CBC's best show ever.

If this show was still around today , i bet it would be twice as popular as it was in 90s.

I hope that CBC would make another huge comedy show like this.

The Characters are unbelievable... Steve Smith as Red Green and Patrick McKenna as Harold Green.

10/10 Superb TV Show.

The Red Green Show is pure comedy genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jrbuck96 · 31 October 2005]

I have been watching for a few years now, I accidentally tuned into the show while in a cabin with my wife. She was not thrilled... My wife only finds small bits of humor in this show. (No accounting for taste =) ). I have heard her crack up a few times watching it though...

I think it is a great show and I enjoy cracking up to it each time I watch it. I enjoy handyman corner and the vintage film look of the narrative portions where Red tells a story to what is going on in the silent video. How do they come up with the inventions they show off on the show? I was fortunate enough to visit Toronto to see a live taping of the show this year. I was sad to learn the show is ending after fifteen seasons! It was a great treat to see how a television show is made. I would be anxious to get in line to buy a box set or seasons of this show on DVD. I would buy them all!!! Silly humor like this is priceless! Thanks Steve and crew for 15 great seasons!!!!!

Duct Tape Delight!

[jwrowe3 · 10/10 · 12 September 2001]

Okay, I'll be honest. The FIRST time I saw this show, well, I thought very little of it. It had the look of a late 1960's American variety show AND it was on a PBS station, and I caught it during the seemingly never ending fund raising season. So, along with comedy I didn't find funny, I got folks wanting money for more of the same.

Fast forward to 2000, and a bored me sitting on the sofa with nothing to watch on a nasty Saturday afternoon. I landed on and episode where Red is cutting two Dodge mini-vans in half to make one big van, and putting the halves together with, yes, duct tape. My wife and I were hooked.

I miss Harold, Red's cousin, can never get enough of Ranger Gord, think Mike, Dalton Humphries, and Winston have their moments, and wait for my weekly dose of "The Possum Lodge Word Game", and of course "Handyman's Corner"

This is a show that must be seen more than once to really enjoy. If the main cast doesn't get you, wait for an episode with Ed Frid, or the explosives expert, Edgar K. B. Montrose

Great show.

[davenja · 10/10 · 23 November 2018]

The Red Green Show is a timeless classic. The people involved with making the show did a great job at being creative and funny. It might take a person with an odd sense of humor to truly appreciate the comedic value of the show, but its quirkiness is part of what makes it so entertaining. From unusual ways to deal with every day problems to finding the humor in otherwise mundane situations, this show is just as entertaining today as it was when it first aired in 1991.

Many think it was great, yet a few didn't get it.

[billythedrummerkid · 9/10 · 25 February 2019]

The Red Green Show was a spoof of the stereotypes women had of men. Understanding that went a long way toward seeing the humor in the show as a whole, even if there were occasional skits that didn't knock it out of the park. The segments, the characters, the topics all worked way more often than not, if you understood what the show was trying to accomplish. The title character was so lovable that you couldn't really not like him. Most of the characters were equally as endearing. Yes, there were episodes that were better than others, but even with shows like Monty Python's Flying circus, which is considered comedy genius, some episodes and segments just worked better than others. As a whole, the show left a deep impression on many fans, and after all these years I still watch episodes and laugh out loud. Of course it's sometimes absurd, of course it's sometimes over the top, of course it's often silly. It's parady. It's a spoof. Their spoofing of the stereotypes women hold of men were spot on, and brilliantly portrayed. And, when it was hitting on all cylinders, it was, and still is, comic gold.

Oh Canaduh our face covering native land!!

[ThunderKing6 · 8/10 · 1 August 2021]

TRGS is a canaduhian classic. It's so canaduhian with its canaduhian humour. You can't help but respect this canaduhian show. It has fun jokes, antics and memories. Did I say it's also canaduhian?

Last Words: Red, Green and now Vax'd.

The must know show for Canadian comedy

[miaalike · 8/10 · 23 February 2021]

Ok, I am writing this just after Corner Gas, thinking how they compete for the best Canadian comedy. But no problem, as they are in different categories. Both great, no competing, all's well... Red Green, you just have to at least sample it. It is a mockup documentary show, where a guy with a unique high pitched voice, full of self confidence (also obviously in the wrong), gives advice on how to repair stuff with duct tape, scrap, tinfoil and basically, spit or whatever. A riot of a show, as he is as a character filmed by his inept nephew, who insist to direct his exploits, also has featured interviews with a loony (but extremely serious) ranger, as well as an array of local news and quirky adventures and friends, whose common point is the lodge, sort of a Canadian hillbillies club. If your grandpa was a social guy, the show could feel soooo familiar. All the zany adventures, plus the inept fix it or improve it ideas. A benchmark show!

The PG rated Canadian redneck show you've been looking for

[Amthermandes · 10/10 · 17 November 2022]

This is one of those shows I know I wouldn't have been so much into if it weren't for my Father, who was raised Canadian and turned American in his 20's. It's the best thing since duct tape, and good thing, because it features a lot of duct tape. It's good natured, innocent (for the most part) fun for the whole family. It just makes you smile. I love this show with all my soul. Sure it's cheesy, but in a warm, welcoming, be-part-of-the-family sort of way. If you don't like the first few episodes, it's not for you. If you find yourself laughing, while suddenly being able to create a lawnmower out of a burnt-out car with nothing but a burnt-out car, a ceiling fan, and some duct tape, then this show is certainly for you.

Where to stream?

[morrisonscott · 6/10 · 11 December 2021]

This idiot show cant be streamed? Why not? Not gay enough? Not canadian enough? What the hell man? This show was awesome and holds up over time!! Cant watch anywhere unless i buy a dvd? Damn it red let your cousin take care of this and lets get it on some channel even if its bbc or air canada.

Get to know Canada through this show.

[radmanart · 10/10 · 18 April 2024]

If you are like me; you do not know what Canada is all about and why they have flourished just above us in all that terrible weather for so long. One thing I learned as a young patriotic American is that Canada helped us out with vietnam. That is all I needed to know; at about the age 11. I have always considered Canada the friend to us here. I still do not know exactly what is going on up there. This show has helped me to fill those gaps as best I can.

Red reminds me of people I knew back east. We are overflowing with people like this in the north east. Good people with no real goals in life; than to just get through each day without being injured our bankrupt. The simple people of our country are what makes us great.

I have no idea what is going on in the Red Green Show. There is not too much of any good advice in this show. This show should be known as bad advice for anyone trying to fix anything, living with the possums in the woods.

The one thing about this series is that I am pretty sure of; Red is a Christian, as per a scene I saw about him commenting about the Bible taught in schools. He said something like; kids can learn alot with the Bible and use that to help them in life and that is why it should not be taught in schools. Another classic Red Green joke.

Long live the incredibly long series of the Red Green Show!

Canada will truly miss Red Green, one of the greatest Canadian programs ever!

[simplysoda_19f · 22 November 2005]

As you know I'm Canadian, and very proud of it, we have quite a few popular musicians and a couple big name comedians, and we have a couple of TV shows that make it big. One of those TV shows is "The Red Green Show". I remember watching the very first episode of Red Green, and I loved the show. It is very funny, and the cast is hilarious. The show is about a guy, Red Green (Steve Smith) who holds a meeting every day at the Possum Lodge, that's where the show takes place. Every show Red Green teaches the audience something, whether it's lessons on life, campfire songs, or how to make something out of nothing in Handyman Corner. As well as Mr. Green there's his nephew Harold (Patrick McKenna), Dalton Humprey, Mike Hammer, Old Man Sedgwick, a bunch of others and of course Bill. I love watching Adventures with Bill, and I kind of feel sorry for him, because in every episode of Adventures with Bill, something always happens to him, or to Red Green. One of my favorite segments is Handyman Corner, because he comes up with the neatest ideas. I remember this one-time it was a Christmas episode, and Red was making an advent calendar. You'll have to see the episode, because it's hilarious.

A superb sitcom from Canada.

[BlackJack_B · 28 July 2003]

I used to think that "The Red Green Show" was stupid, but as I watched more episodes I caught on to how great this show is. It really does a superb job of poking fun at the "male bonding" craze that was going on in the 1990's and the entirely male cast represent all sorts of hilarious stereotypes of manhood. They do it so well and it always makes me laugh. And hard at that, too.

Steve Smith portrays Red Green, the leader of the Possum Lodge that's 135 beer stores away from Toronto. His mis-adventures mostly involve the goings-on in his lodge with real and fictionally members of his fraternity. Smith delivers a great performance as the grizzled "King of Men" but it's Patrick McKenna's Harold, Green's nephew that steals most of the episodes. McKenna's character is a nerdy but loveable bumbler who always flashes those pearly whites, has hilarious mannerisms, and just shines with his lack of aloofness. Plenty of recurring characters shine in this series. Co-creator Rick Green's ode to Harp Marx/Teller in the Green narrated "Adventures With Bill" are always a hoot, as Bill always seems to be abused by Red AND Murphy's Law. Gordon Pinsent's compulsive liar/tall tale teller Hap Shaughnessy, Oscar-nominated actor Graham Greene's explosive specialist Edgar Montross, and Peter Keleghan's lonely teary-eyed Ranger Gord are just three of the hilarious people Red interacts with.

Don't forget those classic "Handyman's Corner" segments where his "Handyman's secret weapon" (Duct tape) is always regularly abused; they rule. The Red Green Show, along with Absolutely Fabulous, are two sitcoms that Americans need to watch to understand why some people think that American sit-coms have lost their touch.

Red Green Show

[ilovcat3 · 6 January 2006]

I can't help but watch this show, and I am a girl, but find it so funny. The humor is original to me.. And they are all a riot!! I can't help but wonder if in real life they all act like that, silly? And, I was wondering, would Steve Smith ever consider being in a serious movie on TV, or film? I think he could play a serious role, not sure what type, but I just feel he has all the qualities needed. I also wonder, is there a lodge like that, that is on this show? And, where is this show filmed in Canada? The humor is unique!! I really like the show a lot..The best part is when they read letters and ask questions to the experts! Funny stuff!

You don't have to be Canadian to like Red Green...

[bobbyknightmare · 13 June 2002]

...but it helps to know what the "Canadian Content Law" and other Canadian references mean. Lucky me, I am and I do.

Even so, The Red Green Show is a human cartoon with all of the pitfalls, screw-ups, lapses of judgement and fun that one could expect from The Simpsons, Warner Brothers and Family Guy.

Besides that, Red Green is a parody of everything that men are expected to be by either gender. Red's Handyman's Corner shows a man more obsessed with getting the job done quickly and cheaply, and have his project stay together just long enough to be effective.

And while his projects somehow survive, nothing else seems to fall the way of the gang at Possum Lake. Their get-rich-now schemes verify the wisdom of the adage "Those who strive to create a fool-proof plan too often underestimate the ingenuity and persistence of fools".

Red may keep his stick on the ice, but his head and those of his friends, God only knows where they've gone.

Fantastic

[shrek2004 · 18 September 2003]

A fantastically funny show about Red Green and some other men living up at Possum Lodge in the Yukon Territory. It's Canadian, but you don't need to be Canadian to love this show. Some of the older episodes are a little bit boring, but they still manage to top American shows like "Will and Grace". I will be very sad if this show goes off the air.

Hit and miss, but when it hits...

[knsevy · 26 December 2003]

Look out! This show has supplied me life-saving laughs since the early 90s. I feel so lucky to have on tape nearly every episode, from the very beginning of the series - when old Red was so clean-cut and young that you can hardly recognize him as Steve Smith.

It definitely has lost its edge in the last couple of years, but the rustic humor is still pure. They just seem to be out new ideas for the Bill segments, The Experts and the Word Game.

I can't think of any other show or movie that could match this, in its style of humor and its near-accidental staging. This kind of show only comes along once. The way it's staged, it could have been a great live hit in the earliest days of TV.

It's more than likely that I love this show because it talks about people like me, who'll use duct-tape to fix a machine I depend on my life for, because it's easier than drilling holes and setting bolts.

No show that I'm aware of has done so much to celebrate men, even though the show mostly ridicules them. I'm sorry to see how much it's degenerated, in the last season, but you can only come up with so many believably outrageous (or is it outrageously believable) stunts.

I don't know from whence the concept originated, but I'll always love Steve Smith and Pat McKenna for giving me a show about myself, and the people I know.

Think "Bob Newhart" in plaid, on acid, with a chainsaw....

[lemon_magic · 17 February 2006]

...and you might come close to getting the essence of what made "Red Green" so enjoyable. Never mind "The Man Show", THIS was the real deal!

What originally attracted me to the show was that it was indeed funny (in a bemused, Newhart way), but it also had a bit of an edge to it. There were some genuine barbs and mean-spirited feelings, some real cynicism and misanthropy concealed in the campfire songs and moose-poop jokes. In the last few years, that edge sort of went away (similar to the way "The Simpsons" lost a lot of their original venom after more than 10 years), but it was always funny and packed with clever word plays and tongue-in-cheek observations of the male psyche and character.

Many characters came and went over the years mostly wonderfully played by talented actors; the one I missed most was 'Garth Harple', the first "Animal Control Officer", whose sad sack demeanor and heavy handed irony ( his motto, "Another Super Day!!" could be teaser for every awful work assignment you ever had) was perfect for the show.

I admire Smith and company for quitting when they were still ahead...it must have been hard to abandon the money machine and a relatively sure thing, but to admit that you need to move on to other projects is the hallmark of true craftsmen at their best. Many many thanks to "The Red Green Show" for innumerable moments( over more than a decade) where I would almost snort beer (or milk) out my nose at some well done jape, sight gag or pratfall.

Still the best thing to come from Canada since Tim Hortons...

[wachovia_138 · 31 December 2002]

I think that the Red Green Show is always nonstop laughs, no matter the date of the episode. As long as it keeps going as it is (maybe if Bill comes back?), then it will be the top Canadian humour show!

I always love the Handyman Corner, the possum lodge Word Game, and ESPECIALLY the Ranger Gord cartoons... Harold is funny, even as a beaver... even that sound he makes. I can imitate that sound. Wahahhhh!

A sort of local specialty

[ChibiAnna · 10 January 2005]

I've seen many mixed responses to this show. Frankly, I think it's awesome, but that's just me. The thing is that you need to realize that this is a scripted show: it follows a set pattern, which may change with the season (e.g. some seasons don't have Ranger Gord's little cartoons), but it's still a stage production and therefore is limited somewhat by the locations it shows (we never really go outside the lodge or into Possum Lake town).

Also, for some parts of this show, you need to turn your brain off. Just do it; it's healthy in moderation. So what if most of the Handyman Corner stuff is physically impossible? Most of it works IN THEORY, and considering Possum Lodge, that's good enough.

There are parts of this show that rock and parts that are mediocre. Ranger Gord is always funny, and the Experts Portion of the Show (where men examine those three little words men find so hard to say: "I Don't Know!") is also worth a peek. My sister loves Adventures with Bill/Walter/Etc.; I think they're okay but not worthy of such high worship. That's one problem with conglomerations: you get a lot of variety, not always a good thing.

In summary, should you ever be vacationing Up North, check this out. If it's not your kettle of fish, it'll only be 22 minutes of your time wasted. You probably waste more waking up.

7/10. I would rate higher, but it IS a TV show and it may change - possibly for the worse.

Simply Hilarious

[echo_37 · 30 December 2000]

"The Red Green Show" is, in my opinion, one of the best Canadian comedies ever (definitely one of the best that CBC ever made). The antics of all of its characters are refreshing and hilarious each week, and the acting is just terrific. Even after the departure of the inimitable Patrick McKenna as Harold Green after last season, the show is still great. Both Canadians AND Americans (who can see it on their PBS) can enjoy this show. Canadians: It's on Fridays at 8:30pm on CBC (times may be different in different time zones)

This show is wonderful, but soon grows old

[Gerbil-8 · 13 March 1999]

It's a funny show, but it follows such a predictable formula and uses the same humor over and over. It's good to watch with friends while eating spicy wings. His inventions and transformations are inspired and simply hilarious. So watch and enjoy.

Too funny!

[stella-4 · 2 February 1999]

I wish this show were shown more consistently, as I became addicted to it on PBS only to have it taken away! It still airs periodically, but not enough for this Canadian. They should make more use of Gordon Pinsent's character. Too funny!

Canada's Answer To "Home Improvement"

[goleafs84 · 16 May 2004]

This is how I've described this show to people who haven't seen it. It has almost everything "Home Improvement" has: It celebrates the man, outlandish projects (more outlandish than Tim's), Red's sidekick Harold, an almost equivalent to Al Borland, goofy friends and of course, projects that backfire in explode in Red's face or his friends.

Even though, some people could see this as a "Home Improvement" ripoff, it isn't. It has many similarities, but it's different in it's own way. It's hard to describe, but overall I find it hilarious and at times funnier. I think part of it is on "Home Improvement", it gets predictable and they tend to repeat things over and over again. Not that I don't like watching it (Home Improvement), but Red Green's projects are more cruder than Tim's; Maybe more believable and would look like something Joe Average would think up and build.

Also you gotta love the Man's Prayer: "I am a man, but I can change if I have to: I guess!!!"