Before there was "Saturday Night Live" and "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" there was Second City, the Chicago comedy group that spawned "SCTV" and the careers of John Belushi, Mike Myers, Martin Short, Gilda Radner, and a host of others. For a couple of years now Las Vegas has been blessed by its very own Second City company at the Flamingo Las Vegas and I’m happy to report the show, while totally different, is just as good as it was the first time I saw it.

For the uninitiated, Second City is not stand-up comedy, with a guy in front of a brick wall with a microphone. Their specialty is sketch comedy and improvisation, a rapid-fire succession of comedic vignettes lasting only a few minutes – sometimes only a few seconds – barely leaving the audience time to catch their breath, but in a good way.

Five performers and a pianist/sound effects person prove their quicksilver comic chops quickly, launching into a dizzying run of sketches, which, on this particular night included a couple being introduced to their friends’ newly adopted “kid,” a thirty-something cigarette smoking, beer-drinking lech; a workout gone awry; and a running gag about woman who simply wants to change her cell phone but has to deal with a customer service department that has been outsourced to another country. I thought the latter was a little xenophobic until I got home and found my computer had crashed and spent the next three weeks with Hewlett Packard customer support, but perhaps that’s a story for another time.

Sprinkled throughout are Vegas specific bits including a bargain basement version of the Bellagio Fountain Show that should become a staple in every show if it isn’t already. Along the way they throw in more improvisation, audience participation, songs, and some wicked social commentary just for kicks. Some of it is R-rated and most of it leans to the left-wing side of things so parents with younger kids, the easily offended, and people who use terms like “the liberal media” may want to look elsewhere.

The genius portions of the program surround the improv sections, where suggestions from the audience are thrown around in order for the cast to create sketches, songs, and even an entire musical tribute to one guy named Mario who delivered mail and like spaghetti. You try finding something to rhyme with spaghetti. I actually would’ve preferred more improve in the show but if that’s your bag you can get entire evening of “Scriptless” improvisation from Second City on Tuesday nights at 10:30.

Unlike your average episode of "Saturday Night Live" there wasn't one clunker in the bunch. To be certain, some things worked better than others, but that's like complaining that some of the diamonds you found are smaller than the rest.

And unlike most Vegas shows, this one can always be fresh. With the rotating cast of performers and new material being phased in all the time, the show will be slightly to totally different every time you see it.

You get all of this for the ridiculously low price of $40 with half-price or 2-for-1 coupons often available (check the local papers or free in-room magazines). There isn't a better entertainment value in all of Las Vegas.