Today the show would be called “Fey & Dratch” instead of the other way around, but the hilarious hi-jinx is pretty much still the same. A video rocking YouTube shows a blurry sketch show called “Dratch & Fey” from 1999. The show, starring Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch, had a turn-of-the-century run at Chicago’s legendary Second City and at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade–both classic feeding grounds for SNL talent.
Way before 30 Rock, Tina Fey had just become head writer of SNL and Rachel Dratch was a cast member. The two would be part of SNL’s early 2000s team of incredibly funny women–with Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, and Ana Gasteyer–that changed the dynamic of Saturday Night Live forever, paving the way for women like Kristen Wiig. The surfaced video gives a taste of what the two comedians were about to unleash on SNL audiences. The production values aren’t what you’re used to, but the performance cut through the fuzz.
