There have been many sketch comedy shows since “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and “Saturday Night Live” busted onto the scene decades ago. Arguably, none has had as great an impact, but a few have been embraced by comedy aficionados for their unique style and genuine laughs.

Some of the best and most influential have been “The State,” “The Kids in the Hall,” “Mr. Show,” “Chappelle’s Show,” “Upright Citizens Brigade” and the first few seasons of “In Living Color.” But none of those shows, despite their critical and cult acclaim, pumps out new episodes these days.

Enter “Human Giant,” whose first season full of Lunartics, Illusionators and Shutterbugs reminded me last year just how hilarious sketch comedy on TV can be. The show offers just as many laugh-out-loud moments in a half-hour with their envelope-pushing comedy as “Saturday Night Live” does in 90 minutes with material that’s far tamer by comparison. And I really like “SNL,” which I still consider the standard.

The director of “Human Giant” is Pelham High School alum Jason Woliner (above), who also writes for the show. He’s considered by the show’s cast as the fourth member of the group, also named Human Giant. Like my exclusive interview with the show’s cast (Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer), Woliner was gracious and hilarious when I chatted with him. I could only fit so many details about his fascinating life in a story that appeared in the Life & Style section of today’s Journal News.

So I hope to make up for it here. After the break, check out some of my favorite parts of last month’s interview with Woliner that couldn’t fit into the print edition. Also, check out the “Human Giant” first-season DVD, released last Tuesday, and the show’s second season, which debuts Tuesday at 11 p.m. EST on MTV.

Chris Serico/Remote Access: Why didn’t you bother to tell the cast about your previous careers as a child actor and magician’s assistant when you were shooting Shutterbugs and Illusionators?

Jason Woliner: [Laughs.] I don’t know. I didn’t really tell anyone about that stuff, just because I don’t really talk about myself too much when I hang out with people, but I suppose it just came out. … I think (it came up when) we wound up using my old headshot for the Shutterbugs stuff. It had this big dumb smile on my face and I’m wearing a bowtie.

CS: So, now that Lunartics is well-documented and prepped for the Season 1 DVD, can you now admit that you were also an astronaut?

JW: [Laughs.] Yes.

CS: Speaking of Season 1, what ideas did you come up with that turned into sketches for that season?

JW: The one where they’re all in the woods and they all kill each other? In the first episode? That was mine. Let’s see, what else? The Bruce Willis look-alike thing was my idea. … A lot of the stuff is really collaborative. The Illusionators thing at the funeral, a lot of that was mine.

CS: With regard to that, are you pleased with the Season 1 DVD tribute to your previous career as a child actor? (It’s 64 takes of a child-actor saying the same line—“Grandpa?”—in succession.)

JW: [Laughs.] Yes, I am. … That poor kid. I still feel bad about that. But we hired him a lot (for Season 2) and he’s really cool.

CS: What recurring characters return for Season 2? I see Shutterbugs is back.

JW: Shutterbugs is back. And Illusionators are back. But we try not to bring characters unless we have something new to do with them. So with Shutterbugs stuff, it just takes a whole different turn. … It’s crazy. It’s one of the most ambitious things we’ve ever done. We took over a prison in Brooklyn and we filled it with fake prisoners and little kids and guards and just had to stage this whole huge prison riot. And it’s just insane but I’m really excited about how it turns out. And the Illusionators is the same thing; we were kind of bored of the street magic stuff, so we wanted to take it in a new direction. So there’s kind of a new storyline with those guys.

CS: And Bobb’e J. (above lower left) returns with Shutterbugs as well!

JW: He does. He’s pretty insane. We have him, you know, killing people. [Laughs.] If you’re a fan of Bobb’e J., I think you’ll be satisfied with his stuff.

CS: What else should viewers expect for Season 2?

JW: We basically just ratcheted everything up. We’re on at a later time slot (11 p.m. EST), so we can get away with a bit more. I just think the stuff’s generally more aggressive and crazier—and, I think, just funnier. … We also amped production value up. I think the stuff looks better. … I think they’re going to be better than any single episode of last year. Also, I did a lot more writing this year than I did last year, which I’m really excited about.

CS: The cast told me the requirement of attracting 1 million hits to MTV’s Human Giant Web site during the 24-hour marathon to ensure a second season was not a gimmick. Is that true?

JW: It was a gimmick, but at the same time, no one ever told us, like, “Don’t worry, guys, it’s just a gimmick.” That marathon started the day we finished Season 1, and no one told us we were picked up until 5 a.m. (17 hours into the marathon). They said, “Yeah, you did it. And it’s real. You get a second season.” So, it was as legit as something like that could be. I can’t imagine that if we didn’t get a million hits that they wouldn’t have faked it, but at the same time, they didn’t.

CS: Anything other than “Human Giant” you’d like to promote?

JW: I shot a pilot for my friend, Jon Glaser, between the (“Human Giant”) seasons. He’s a writer on Conan O’Brien and he’s one of the funniest guys around. I haven’t heard about it yet, but it’d be really cool to work on that, too.