One of the pioneers in the video podcasting arena, Tiki Bar TV was a hit because it followed a simple formula: The Doctor Tiki (Jeff McPherson), mixologist Johnny Johnny (Kevin Gamble), and the beautiful Lala, (Lara Doucette) encounter a situation at the Tiki Bar that is only remedied by a specific Tiki drink prescribed by Doctor Tiki. Each episode usually ended with the cast DWI (Dancing while Intoxicated) and episode outtakes.
Taped in Vancouver, the hysterical and mostly ad-libbed comedy is served up brilliantly by McPeherson's dry sense of humor, Gamble's animated mugging and enthusiasm, and Lala's unabashed enjoyment of it all. Aside from demonstrating how to make the drink each week, the cast actually drank them, getting more and more looped as the show progresses, resulting in most of the show's funniest outtakes. (In addition to showing the bloopers and alternate lines at the end of an episode, many of them, along with multiple retakes, were left right in the episode.)
The show was also responsible for the creation of Drinkbot (a robot bartender invented by Lala and who had to combat the evil Robot Box in a spoof of Japanese monster movies), The Ambassador (a Russian communist who tried to steal and copy the success of Tiki bar TV), and an assortment of other characters and threats.
Perhaps TBT's greatest legacy will be "Bunnies", a semi-coherent drinking game in which the nominal rules become harder and harder to follow the more you drink. (Wait, isn't that true of ANY drinking game?)The game still has its devoted fans.
Even though the show took place in an apartment, the cast often staged elaborate low-budget sets to allow them to visit other places, such as the city, the amazon jungle, Russia, and eventually, a pirate ship, as the Tiki Bar left the apartment and took to the waves in what turned into its final season, literally demonstrating the phrase "jumping the shark".
The show also spawned a fan club with membership cards, numerous articles of merchandise (such as Drinkbot decanters and Bunnies glasses) and a DVD. There are many loyal fans who had hoped for one more return visit to the Tiki Bar, but the cast has apparently moved on to more "respectable" careers, and have even sold off pieces of the set.
The Season 2 and 3 episodes, each about 5 minutes long, are classics and should be mandatory watching for anyone who wants to know the right way to do a video podcast.
