The Higgins Boys and Gruber was an American cable television show that aired on weekday afternoons on The Comedy Channel, the precursor to the cable network Comedy Central, from 1989 to 1991. It was one of the first television shows to air on the channel. The eponymous sketch comedy trio that comprised the show's cast consisted of Dave "Gruber" Allen and brothers David Anthony Higgins and Steve Higgins. Higgins Boys was created and co-written by Joel Hodgson, the creator and original lead actor on Mystery Science Theater 3000, another Comedy Channel program which was picked up at the same time. Similar to MST3K, much of The Higgins Boys and Gruber's comedy consisted of obscure pop culture references. The trio were presented as archetypal slackers who sat in a kitchen stage set, drank coffee, chain-smoked cigarettes, and talked between clips of various comedy shows, movies, and stand-up comedy acts. Aside from the standard format presented, the dialogue was largely improvised. The show was also distinctive for rerunning episodes of Bob and Ray, Clutch Cargo, and Supercar in their entirety, with interstitial commentary by the trio before and after commercial breaks. The cast of The Kids in the Hall guest-starred in one episode. Joel Hodgson also appeared on the program with MST3K co-producer/co-star Jim Mallon.