“This group of people who would form SCTV all met in 1972, all became friends, some dated,” remembers Martin Short in a 2005 AV Club interview. Although he came to the series late, he “was a familiar person in their world”: “Joe (Flaherty) had been my first director on stage four years earlier.” Speaking with Variety following Flaherty’s death, Short said, “Over our more than 50-year friendship, there were few people as wise or hilariously adept at comedy, teaching improvisation, and the craft of character work as Joe. In SCTV, we called him the anchor. In life, he was just the funniest man in the room. I just loved him.”
After SCTV, Flaherty continued to work regularly in film and television with his Second City co-stars and beyond. He appeared in roles in Back to the Future II, Happy Gilmore, Married with Children, Even Stevens, That ’70s Show, High School High, Family Guy, and more.
Perhaps most notably, he played patriarch Harold Weir on the classic cult comedy about coming of age, Freaks and Geeks, which ran for one season. “Joe Flaherty made me laugh so damn hard,” John Francis Daley, who portrayed the comedian’s son, Sam Weir, posted on Twitter/X. “My favorite days on set were the ones we were doing scenes together. What a lovable guy.
“So sad to hear about my dear Joe. He was my TV dad and a true comedy hero.” Freaks and Geeks creator Paul Feig wrote in his own tribute on Twitter/X. “Always happy to tell any story about your favorite SCTV sketch, he was just the coolest guy. I will truly miss him and will always be grateful to have known him. Rest in comedy, Joe.
Feig, who describes himself as “a huge SCTV fan,” included a crossover in the series by having the actor dress up as one of his sketch show characters, Count Floyd. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, is he going to do it? I bet he’s going to be really mad, he won’t do it. But he’s such a great guy. He loved it,” Feig recalls in an interview with AV Club in 2012.
“You know, he’s one of my favorite kinds of guys. He’s not like some people you work with, where you say, ‘I loved this character, could you do this voice?’ and they say, ‘No, no, no.’ But if you bring up a character, he’ll just dive into it and start doing it. He embraced it. And then he’d turn it a little bit toward the ear.”
With heavy hearts, we bid farewell to a comedic legend, Joe Flaherty. His wit, talent, and infectious laughter touched the lives of many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of comedy. As we mourn his passing, let us remember the joy he brought to audiences worldwide and the laughter he shared with us all. Rest in peace, Joe Flaherty, your humor will forever echo in our hearts.
