Bob and Doug McKenzie.

In some ways the animated versions of Bob and Doug McKenzie are more real than the live-action versions ever were.

“On the SCTV set, Rick (Moranis) and I were just doing direct address to camera,” said Dave Thomas, a.k.a. Doug. “We were improvising, and we didn’t have to worry about where we lived or who our friends were.

“But when we did this animated show, we had to build that world out. It became fun.”

The animated series Bob & Doug debuts tonight on Global. It takes those two lovable hosers from the Great White North and places them in the wider world.

“People attack Bob and Doug in the show, I think in a good-natured way,” said Thomas, who is voicing Doug. “Their mother attacks them because they live together, saying things like, ‘When are you two queers going to get married?’ There are a lot of things that need to be addressed with Bob and Doug, you know what I mean? You have to get these issues resolved.”

Bob in this case is being voiced not by Rick Moranis, but in acceptably Bob-ish fashion by Dave Coulier, who played Joey on Full House. So was Moranis simply not interested?

“Well, logistically it was a difficulty,” Thomas said. “Rick’s in New York, I’m in L.A., we have limited budgets, and do we have a budget for studio time and links in both cities?

“Honestly, Rick wasn’t really motivated to do it. He’s pretty much retired. He said, ‘Dave, let me make this easy for you. It’s our franchise, I’ll be an executive producer with you, but, uh, get somebody else.’ ”

Thomas was laughing as he said that last bit. Honesty is the best policy, we suppose.

“It is,” Thomas agreed. “Rick said, ‘If there’s a live-action thing that comes up again, maybe I’ll consider it.’ Although we did this 2-4 Anniversary special (in 2007) and we made the mistake of shooting it in HD. When we saw our faces, it was just, ‘AHHHHH.’

“Film and TV are for young people. Their young, tight faces look good on TV.”

Now that Bob and Doug are animated, aging is not a problem.

“The show is unabashedly Canadian,” Thomas said. “In one episode, their dog eats the remote and they can’t change the channel and it’s stuck on CBC. And CBC is doing an all-loon week, all loon documentaries. So they send a letter to the president of CBC saying, ‘Why don’t you try something different?’ And the president says, ‘That just might work — get me Bob and Doug!’ So they become programming executives.”

Bob & Doug has not been sold yet in the U.S., but Thomas is confident something will happen not only in the States, but internationally, too.

This is not merely for old SCTV fans. Bob & Doug is an irreverent, animated sitcom that is designed to fit snugly into Global’s Sunday block with The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and the new Sit Down, Shut Up, which debuts the same night.

“I think it works,” Thomas said of Bob & Doug. “It always becomes a function of audience acceptance, ratings and funding. But I think it works.”

bill.harris@sunmedia.ca