EDITOR’S NOTE: B-Town Blog Founder/Publisher Scott Schaefer worked on KING-TV’s “Almost Live” from 1985-88 before moving to work in Hollywood for six years. Oddly, the local comedy show became much funnier and better after he left it…
For Burien native and Class of 2003 Highline High School grad Cam Johnson, the TV comedy show Almost Live! isn’t just a fond memory – it’s a Seattle institution that continues to shape his love for comedy, local culture, and community.
The weekly local show, which aired from 1984 to 1999 on KING-TV, was known for its satirical takes on Seattle culture, its iconic High Five’n White Guys sketches, and launching the careers of comedians like Joel McHale and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
A lifelong fan of the show, Johnson recently made a special pilgrimage to the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) to see the Almost Live! exhibit, where he had an unexpected full-circle moment.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw Steve Wilson!” Johnson said, referring to the former Almost Live! cast member/director known for his role in the High Five’n White Guys sketches. The encounter was particularly special because, as a Highline High School student in 2000, Johnson had taken a High Five’n White Guys-inspired photo with Wilson while filming a public service announcement for the Pirates Homecoming at Northwest Afternoon.
“When I spotted him back then, he very kindly took a picture with me. And last weekend, he let me recreate the photo – 25 years later!” Johnson said.
THEN:
NOW:
Born and raised in Burien, Johnson describes himself as an avid B-Town Blog reader and devoted Almost Live! superfan.
“I was born in ’84, and Almost Live! is Seattle the way I always want to remember it,” he told The B-Town Blog. “When first-timers come to visit, I put the show on and consider it the first stop of our tour!”
Like many Seattleites who grew up in the show’s heyday, Johnson recalled watching the show as a kid and dreaming of being part of its cast.
“Growing up, my plan was always to get cast on the show someday,” he said. “I remember seeing Joel McHale and thinking, ‘YES! They’re still taking new people!’”
Even though Almost Live! ended decades ago, Johnson and his wife continue the tradition of watching it every Saturday evening between the news and Saturday Night Live, treating it as though it never went off the air.
His appreciation for local television runs deep—so much so that he has taken up archiving home movies and recently uncovered childhood tapes belonging to a close friend.
“The quality won’t hold a candle to the new transfers, but I’m excited to potentially find some news broadcasts and local commercials in there as well,” he said.
His love for Almost Live! even made its way into his school projects.
“In 7th grade, I discovered I could get an ‘A’ on assignments if I made completely unrelated Almost Live!-style videos and showed them to the class,” Johnson said. “I once played Janet Reno and Yoko Ono for a report on the Trojan War”; here’s his video:
Johnson’s passion for local history and culture extends beyond Almost Live! – he also has documentation from the 2017 Three Tree Point Polar Plunge that he shot for us, and continues to engage with community events and nostalgia-driven projects.
For Johnson and many others, Almost Live! remains more than just a comedy show – it’s a part of Seattle’s DNA, a timeless piece of local history, a great “first paid TV gig” memory for Schaefer, and a connection that still brings people together decades later.
