Sketch comedy television shows are beloved and revered staples that bring happiness, laughter, and endless entertainment to devoted viewers and fans. The hilarious skits, content, and memorable characters introduced in these programs are often cemented in TV history and remain outstanding examples of comedic gold from their gifted performers.
Many of these stars went on to have rewarding and esteemed careers beyond their time with the sketch shows (such as Jim Carrey, and Jimmy Fallon), taking advantage of their already established and loyal fan base. Though there have been copious amounts of variety and skit-based programs over the years, only the finest and most groundbreaking have a legacy that endures and is to this day are celebrated.
The Lorne Michaels lightning in a bottle smash hit Saturday Night Live premiered back in 1975 and to this day remains a decorated and idolized favorite thanks to its history as one of the best American TV shows, launching the careers of countless stars like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler. The award-winning comedy duo Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key were acclaimed performers on Mad TV before they went on to nab their own Comedy Central triumph Key & Peele, and before Peele would become an Oscar-winning writer-director for what was named the greatest script of the century so far. Here are some of the best sketch comedy TV shows of all time.
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11 Saturday Night Live
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
The iconic Lorne Michaels sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live made its epic debut in 1975, frequently serving as a parody of contemporary culture and politics while introducing audiences to an ever-changing cast of hilariously talented performers. Some of the comedy world’s most memorable and brilliant stars took the stage at Studio 8H, including renowned Hollywood staples like Bill Murray, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, and Adam Sandler (among far too many others to list). Thus, the show serves as a deeply coveted pièce de résistance for any comedian to aspire for, and only the best of the best get hired on as featured players.
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SNL has been home to a slew of successful sketches that have led to popular feature films, such as The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World, demonstrating its reach goes far beyond just the television world. Throughout the decades, the show has earned a whopping 86 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, while delivering endless buzzworthy pop culture moments.
10 The Carol Burnett Show
CBS Television Distribution
Actress and comedian great Carol Burnett helmed the groundbreaking program The Carol Burnett Show which, during its lucrative 11-season run starting in 1967, would nab an astounding 25 Primetime Emmy Awards while becoming one of the first shows of its kind to be hosted by a woman. The series frequently spoofed pop culture while including sketches regarding both domestic life and the realities of show business, and became famous for its slapstick comedy and amusing recurring characters (Charwoman, Tudball & Wiggins, and The Queen).
Burnett was joined by talented co-stars like Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Harvey Korman, with the lively bunch cracking up each other and viewers at home with their ad-libs and improvisations. The show’s success led to the popular 1983 spin-off series Mama’s Family, which was based on “The Family” sketch series from the program. The long-running variety show helped establish Burnett as a television superstar and helped make the supporting cast members household names.
9 All That
Viacom / CBS
One of the best ’90s Nickelodeon shows, the comedy series All That debuted on the children’s cable channel in 1994, featuring weekly musical guests and short sketches aimed at a younger demographic, parodying contemporary culture like a youthful SNL. The hit program introduced a large and diverse cast of child and teen actors, such as Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson, and Kel Mitchell, and went on to become a fixture for the network for over a decade.
All That led to spin-off shows for several cast members, most notably The Amanda Show, Kenan & Kel, and The Nick Cannon Show as well as spawning the feature-length film Good Burger, which starred Thompson and Mitchell. The series experienced both a relaunch in 2002 and short-lived return to Nickelodeon with new episodes in 2019, before ultimately completing its run in 2020. All That is highly regarded for its large diverse cast in terms of gender and ethnicity, with The Atlantic praising the program for breaking the classical norms set in children’s television through its performers and irreverent and unapologetic humor.
8 The Benny Hill Show
Fremantle
English actor and comedian extraordinaire Benny Hill created and wrote his knockout sketch comedy series The Benny Hill Show, which debuted to rave reviews in 1955 and ran for an extraordinary 34 years, concluding in 1989. The program consisted of sketches jam-packed full of mime, parody, slapstick and double entendres, and follows Hill as he portrays a colorful array of hilarious characters while employing sight gags, comedic illusions, and cinematographic undercranking to create what he called “live animation.”
During the show’s run, the comedian performed impersonations of Marlon Brando, Kenny Rogers, Michael Caine and even Elizabeth Taylor, and he also composed and sang patter songs to entertain the audience. At its peak, The Benny Hill Show was among the most-watched programmes in the UK, with the audience reaching more than 21 million viewers in 1971, also gaining a United States appreciation and following due to its syndication.
7 Mad TV
Warner Bros.
Originally inspired by the popular humor magazine Mad, Fox’s massive hit series Mad TV consisted of sketches, cartoon shorts, and musical performances that focused on parodying popular television shows, movies, music, and pop culture. Premiering in 1995, it introduced the world to many of today’s famous faces including Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Alex Borstein, and Ike Barinholtz, in addition to sidesplitting recurring sketches like the bratty kid Stuart, annoying old lady Lorraine Swanson, and the grating yet aloof Ms. Swan.
The show’s gifted comedians would also impersonate countless celebrities and figures such as Pamela Anderson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, and Mike Tyson. Mad TV ended its run in 2009 but to honor its twentieth anniversary, a special was released with much of the original cast returning.
6 Chappelle’s Show
MTV Networks
The Comedy Central juggernaut Chappelle’s Show was co-created and starred one of the funniest stand-up comedians, Dave Chappelle, and became notorious for tackling cultural topics such as gun violence, the entertainment industry, sexuality, and prostitution. Chappelle would appear in endlessly quotable sketches, impersonating celebrities and pop culture events, and introducing unique characters like cocaine dealer Tron Carter and the squeaky-voiced drug addict Tyrone Biggums. The show was a rating’s hit for the network, and throughout its short run was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning both Primetime Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award nominations.
The performer infamously quit the show and traveled to South AFrica following its second season, walking away from a $50 million contract with Comedy Central after feeling as though the popularity of the program was taking away from his stand-up career aspirations. An abbreviated third season of Chappelle’s Show aired in 2006, compiled of previously unaired sketches.
5 The Kids in the Hall
Broadway Video Enterprises
The Canadian sketch show The Kids in the Hall was produced by SNL’s Lorne Michaels features the titular comedy troupe, consisting of performers Dave Foley, Mark McKinney, Kevin McDonald, Scott Thompson, and Bruce McCulloch, and made its debut in 1988. The program’s sketches opted for quirky and surreal content à la Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and frequently utilized drag, while prominently including amusing monologues; it strayed away from celebrity impressions and pop culture parodies completely.
4 In Living Color
20th Television
Created, written, and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans, the 1990 sketch comedy show In Living Color famously featured other members of the Wayans family as leading performers, including Damon, Kim, Shawn, and Marlon. The series aimed to produce comedy with a strong emphasis on modern Black subject, and became esteemed for its parody of race relations in the United States. In Living Color also helped launch the careers of the Wayan brothers, in addition to Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and notable Fly Girls Jennifer Lopez and Carrie Ann Inaba.
The program won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series in 1990, and was extremely popular with viewers during its first two seasons, with its first episode being watched by 22.7 million people. In Living Color ran for five seasons, ultimately concluding in 1994 after the Wayans fell out with the Fox network’s leadership over creative control and rights.
3 Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
Proven Entertainment
Hosted by renowned comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, NBC’s 1968 comedy program Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was characterized for its rapid-fire series of sketches and gags, many of which tackled political concepts and contained sexual innuendos. The show had roots in the humor of vaudeville and burlesque, and depicts the stars as the exasperated straight man (Rowan) and “dumb guy” (Martin) act they established as nightclub comics.
The variety series included the additional talents of gifted performers who would go on to have successful Hollywood careers, such as Goldie Hawn, Henry Gibson, Lily Tomlin, and Richard Dawson, while also featuring regular guests like Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr. and John Wayne. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In ran for 140 episodes and six seasons, and during its reign became one of the most popular television shows in the United States.
2 Key & Peele
Comedy Central
Mad TV alums and comedy heavy-hitters Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele teamed up for their own sketch show with Comedy Central’s Key & Peele, consisting primarily of pre-taped skits by the two actors. The sketches cover a wide array of societal topics, specifically pop culture, social awkwardness, race relations, and ethnic stereotypes, with each episode usually including an amusing cold open and short skit.
The program was famous for its uproarious recurring characters like Barack Obama and Luther, the president’s “anger translator,” and Meegan and André, a selfish and vapid woman and her loud yet intelligent boyfriend. Key & Peele was the recipient of the Peabody Award in 2014, and won two Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2016. The show concluded in 2015 after 54 episodes and five seasons, with both stars going on to find further success in both their television and film endeavors. Jordan Peele’s new movieNope is even one of the most hotly anticipated movies of recent years.
1 Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Python (Monty) Pictures
Starring the adored and highly-renowned surreal comedy troupe, 1969’s British sketch comedy classic Monty Python’s Flying Circus notorious for its use of absurd situations, sight gags, risqué and innuendo-laced humor, and punchline-lacking observational skits. In each episode, the Pythons play the majority of the sidesplitting characters and target the idiosyncrasies of British life through pointedly intellectual and absurdist humor.
The words “Monty Python” were created because members felt like it was the name of a really bad theatrical agent, and later explained that the name Monty “…made us laugh because Monty to us means Lord Montgomery, our great general of the Second World War.” Compared to other shows of the genre, Flying Circus had fewer recurring characters but nonetheless featured unforgettable figures like the dim-witted Gumbys, the Knight with a Raw Chicken, and the “It’s” Man. Monty Python’s Flying Circus had a profound impact on comedy and its worldwide success led to the Pythons going on live tours and creating three additional films (along with the brilliant cinematic success of Terry Gilliam).
