God bless Robert Smigel. While Saturday Night Live continues its long and inevitable slide from irreverence to irrelevance, Smigel's "TV Funhouse" still routinely hits the bull's-eye with scathing satire. As a longtime writer for SNL and creator of "Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog," he knows a little something about pushing the envelope of good taste without losing sight of the bigger directive: Be funny.

Characterized by a lacerating wit that borders on the pathological, "TV Funhouse" is among the consistent bright spots of the sketch-comedy show. Still, as this DVD demonstrates, the vignettes by Smigel and his talented crew of animators are most effective in small doses. There are some terrifically raunchy and uproarious parodies here, but this anthology is best enjoyed in several sittings.

This "best of" SNL special (originally aired on Saturday Night Live on April 29, 2006) features hosts Ace and Gary, better-known to "TV Funhouse" fans as the Ambiguously Gay Duo. If the voices sound familiar, there's good reason -- it's Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell.

The skits included are as follows:

"Are You Hot?"
This spoof of the now-defunct reality-TV game show finds such cartoon characters as Olive Oyl and Yosemite Sam being rated on their sex appeal. Needless to say, Olive Oyl makes Nicole Richie look like an opera singer.

"The Ambiguously Gay Duo: Blow Hot, Blow Cold"
A solid introduction to our not-so-ambiguously gay superheroes, Ace and Gary.

"Fun with Real Audio: Bush Dress-Up"
One of "TV Funhouse's" more inventive franchises, "Fun with Read Audio" is just what the name indicates; it takes actual audio from any number of sources -- political speeches, TV news, interviews, etc. – and puts them through the Robert Smigel looking-glass. In this episode, for example, George W. Bush takes pandering to new levels in a satire that spins off from the flight suit he wore in the infamous May, 2003, "Mission Accomplished" photo-op aboard an aircraft carrier.

"Bambi 2002"
Those dream merchants over at Disney offer a less-than-magical sequel to the animated classic, complete with profanity-laced bloopers and a rap sequence.

"Saddam and Osama"
A shining moment in "TV Funhouse" history, this cartoon is an inspired imagining of a jihad-styled children's TV network in the Middle East. It's a nifty take on propaganda, with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein taking on the immoral forces of the West. Also included is an anti-Semitic version of "Batman" and a commercial that urges youngsters to throw colorful rocks at U.S. and Israeli tanks.

"Sexual Harassment and You"
Not quite on par with Smigel's typical output. This live-action skit, a parody of old black-and-white instructional films, answers the question of why attractive people rarely get accused of sexual harassment.

"Fun with Real Audio: Presidential Address Outtakes"
Remember the Bill Clinton years? This animated bit revisits Monica's notoriously stained blue dress for an over-the-top gag.

"The Michael Jackson Show"
A take-off of Hanna-Barbera's Saturday morning cartoons of the Seventies, this skit explores the King of Pop's weakness for the smell of little boys left sitting to cool on the windowsill.

"Journey to the Disney Vault"
This venomous, and hilarious, cartoon is a personal favorite of mine. Finally, we get a peek inside the chamber of horrors in the so-called Disney Vault. It seems as if Uncle Walt was a few notches shy of Josef Mengele.

"The Smurfette Show"
Combining E!'s (thankfully) canceled "The Anna Nicole Smith Show" with the Smurfs, the title character of this animated parody is one horny and stupid creature.

"The Narrator that Ruined Christmas"
This stop-motion animation is another testament to "TV Funhouse" at its best. In this brilliant spoof of those beloved Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, Smigel and company skewer the self-righteousness of celebrities in the immediate aftermath of 9-11.

"Fun with Real Audio: Televangelists"
Proving that "TV Funhouse" can also be poignant, this sweetly rendered skit manages to bash money-grubbing televangelists while offering a genuinely moving homage to Charles Schulz.

"Peanuts Christmas"
Speaking of Schulz ... have you ever wondered how the kids in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" could gather around a sickly tree and magically transform it into something healthy and full? Well, now you learn their secret.

"Divertor"
One of the weaker skits in the bunch, "Divertor" is a ham-fisted satire in which government officials dispatch a cartoon superhero to change the subject from unpleasant political realities. Still, its inclusion of a gibberish-speaking Jay Leno (is that redundant?) is worthwhile.

"Find the Black People at the Knick Game"
Self-explanatory, clever and mercifully short.

"Belated Black History Moment"
Host Dennis Haysbert relates the history of token African-American cartoon characters in the 1970s and '80s.It's funny stuff, but in true SNL fashion, the skit suffers from overkill.

"Christmas Time for the Jews"
A terrific send-up of Sixties-era stop-motion animation, the inimitable Darlene Love revisits the Christmastime rock she did for Phil Spector in this black-and-white skit.

"The All-New Adventures of Mr. T"
Spoofing Mr. T is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel, isn't it? Even so, this cartoon of a nonsensical, catchphrase-barking Mr. T is mildly amusing.

"The X-Presidents"
X-Presidents, a recurring cartoon of "TV Funhouse," imagines four former commanders-in-chief -- Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford -- as trash-talking superheroes with special powers. A lot of folks love it, but this is a one-joke gag that -- for me, anyway -- just isn't very funny.

"The Ambiguously Gay Duo: Safety Tips"
More disturbing fun with Ace and Gary, this time as they teach children how to stay safe.

"Fun with Real Audio: Bryant Gumbel"
Manipulating audio of Gumbel interviewing "Survivor" contestants for CBS' "The Early Show," this vignette turns on the dubious proposition that he would have qualms whoring out journalistic integrity. Somehow, I don't see Gumbel as quite so admirable, but the shtick is funny, regardless.

"Fun with Real Audio: John McCain"
One of the best examples of "Fun with Real Audio." In this bit, the maverick Arizona senator finds it hard to live with himself while stumping for onetime opponent President Bush. Smigel gets extra points for interweaving a nifty Apocalypse Now parody.

"Shazzang!"
"TV Funhouse" takes aim at a long-forgotten Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the late-Sixties in this morbidly gleeful tale of a sadistic genie.

"The Anatromicals Show"
In a truly inspired bit, Smigel and company present an array of anatomically correct Hanna-Barbera-styled characters and then reveal a secret: Such infantile and tasteless humor is the result of SNL producer Lorne Michaels having made a pact with Satan. This marks one of the crown jewels, if you will, of the franchise.

Come to think of it, perhaps the greatest attribute of "TV Funhouse" is its sheer relentlessness -- even downright creepy, at times.

Shown in full-frame 1.33:1, the skits included here are in generally excellent condition, with robust colors and sharp detail.

No complaints with the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track.

The DVD producers are generous with a commentary track that features big helpings of Robert Smigel and additional insights from "TV Funhouse" cohorts David Wachtenheim, Robert Marianetti J.J. Seidelmaier, David Reynolds and composer Steven Gold. Also dropping by are Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell (the voices of Ace and Gary), Paul Begala, James Carville, Tracy Morgan, Fred Armisen, Bryant Gumbel, Al Franken, Tyrone Finch and some members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

While the commentary is generally good fun, the DVD's most worthwhile extra is a slew of additional cartoons, the vast majority of which have optional commentary. There are three more Ambiguously Gay Duo skits with a total length of 10 minutes, 51 seconds; and three X-Presidents skits with a total length of 12 minutes, 30 seconds. Six additional "Fun with Real Audio" skits have an aggregate running time of 16 minutes, 10 seconds. There are a few gems, too, particularly one featuring Dolly Parton and Tom Snyder as her tireless stalker.

Moreover, there are 11 extra "TV Funhouse" cartoons with a combined length of nearly 30 minutes. Some are must-see and sure to offend, including "Heteroy," "Passion of the Dumpty," "Religetables" and an irresistibly vicious jab at political polarization, "Santa and the States." The DVD also boasts unedited versions of "Fun with Real Audio: Bush Dress-Up" (2:48) and "Peanuts Christmas" (3:54).

Rounding out the supplemental material is original art and storyboards, as well as trailers for NBC's "30 Rock," "Saturday Night Live: The Best of Cheri Oteri," "Saturday Night Live: The Best of Commercial Parodies" and "The Office Season 1 & 2."

What's not to love? As the most consistently subversive feature in Saturday Night Live, "TV Funhouse" offers a lot of laughs when its not digging fangs into some sacred cows. The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse is an excellent showcase for the skits. For another take on the DVD from a fellow DVD Talker, check out Francis Rizzo III's review.