The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I first saw this in the late '80s when one of the San Francisco stations began running it. I then moved to Portland OR in 1990 and watched it there for 2 years. This show, along with SCTV, were the high-water marks of late night comedy shows, after SNL became oh so predictable. (To be fair, SNL has made a couple of comebacks over the many decades it has aired, and is once again quite fully. Still, what I wouldn't give to have this or SCTV back....)So anyway, this show was very relate-able to dazzling urbanites from San Francisco, and residents of a much smaller city like Portland. Anyone with a slightly warped sense of humor will enjoy this show, if you can just find it anywhere! Whoever holds the rights to this, see if Rhino or Shout Factory or Netflix or Amazon would like to add it to their lineups, please!!

I remember being a small kid and seeing all of Billy Quan's antics, and I was in San Mateo, California. So this show obviously was going strong there. It was part of the great series of shows we would watch on FOX. Including Get A Life with Chris Elliott, and the Simpsons. For years I thought Billy Quan was on the cult show Night Flight, airing on TV in the same year, but I guess I was confused. ALMOST LIVE ROCKED!! I remember it now!! I remember my sister and me used to imitate the Billy Quan routines in our own tape recording with sound effects and imitating the dubbed voices. OH THE MEMORIES!! I have got to get this series on DVD!

Almost Live! actually had 2 different formats, but had one theme; Comedy. The first, was hosted by Ross Shafer (1984-88), which had a "Tonight Show" type of format; Sketch comedy, local and some national celebrity appearances and stand-up comedians were showcased, whether it be local comedians like Chris Alpine or up and comers at the time like Jerry Seinfeld or Drake Sather.After Ross left the show in 1988, to become Joan River's replacement on Fox's late night talk show, "The Late Show", John Keister took over as host.He tried to use the same talk show format, but in the summer of 1989, they changed it to all sketch comedy and the show really took off from there.What made this show great was, it was humor we in the Northwest United States could relate, enjoy and call our own. It's very rare when you see humor based on this region; Usually, shows like this are based on New York, the east coast and California (mostly Los Angeles) humor.In my humble opinion, here's my top 10 list of the best skits "Almost Live" had:10. "Grape Nuts" commercial parody. The old Grape Nuts commercial theme from the late 80's was used, but it celebrated the party animal in us.9. Ross Shafer's video "Too Many Ties" with the "Almost Live Band". Dedicated to all those who get nothing but ties for gifts.8. "Mind Your Manners With Billy Quan". Wonderful parody of all those bad Kung Fu movies of the 70's and 80's.7. "The High Five'in White Guys". Pointless, dumb, but hilarious.6. "Cops in (name of city here)". Parody of Fox's "Cops". Made fun of virtually every community in the greater Seattle area.5. "The Lame List". Dumb, but hilarious. Featured "Soundgarden".4. "Ballard Driving School". If you've been in Ballard, you'd get this.3. John Keister's April Fool's Joke Of 1989. Did a fake news bulletin, that the Space Needle fell like a chopped tree. Funny, but Keister got into a lot of trouble when people took it seriously. 2. "Ballard Vice". One of their most popular sketches. Parody of "Miami Vice". Filmed in the Ballard neighborhood. The Beginning was hilarious, when the camera chased after Canadian Geese, than the pink flamingos you see in the actual show.1. "Ballard Vice: The Movie". This 15 minute short movie featured, 2 ex-Seattle Seahawks, Hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer among the cast. Hanauer plays an "H" smuggler (halibut), ex-Seahawks Jim Zorn and Michael Jackson play the well dressed Ballard Vice officers, while John Keister and Ross Shafer play the 2 slob Ballard Vice officers.Honorable Mention: "This Here Place". Pat Cashman parodied PBS' "This Old House" and my sides would be aching from laughter every time.

I used to watch this show on a regular basis when it was airing as re-runs on Comedy Central. I loved it! I wish it would make a come-back!Some of my favorite skits include "Mind Your Manners with Billy Quan" or "The High-Fiving White Guys" or the adventures of the "Speed Walker" who was a superhero who, well, he speed walked around Seattle fighting crime. Just looney. Of course, who could forget the skit about a hunting season for street mimes? "Wait! You can't shoot him, he's behind an invisible wall. It would be unsportsman-like" or something to that effect.I agree with other posters here who say this show was better than the crap they were doing on SNL at the time. I miss it.