Sketch comedy shows have two purposes: to be weird and to poke fun at the normal. When a sketch show achieves both, it is impossible not to get the audience cackling and leaving a mark. From absurd characters, ridiculous songs, and deliberate goof ups, to unleashing new perspectives regarding politics, society, and Hollywood itself. These shows give comedians and performers the creative freedom to try on different personalities and reveal bitter truths about everyday life using lighthearted humor.
As for the '70s and '80s, sketch comedies came into their own as new channels shifted their focus to the format. The era created a tradition of clever and biting satire, commercial and musical parodies, and character round-tables, updating the laughs with bold outfits, catchy beats, and spectacular visuals. The shows mocked culture and relationships and brought out the silly in sincerity.
While sketch show formats kept evolving with changing times, the spirit of humor endured. These shows kept on rebelling and infiltrating the mainstream media to challenge norms. They left behind a league of memorable characters and quotable dialogues to continue to make us laugh. And perhaps that's the only thing that matters. So without further ado, let's take a look at some classic sketch shows from the '70s and '80s that shaped comedy and continue to influence the genre to date.
10 Fridays
Fridays was an eclectic sketch comedy show with bizarre humor and weird characters. Starring four major cast members that later went to shine in Seinfeld, Melanie Chartoff, Bruce Mahler, Larry David, and Michael Richards, the show charted off into a foggy universe and used musical performances, nonsensical plots, and abstract sketches to get the audience interested.
It relied heavily on Richards’ physicality and the way he garnered laughs out of the silliest situation. Another standout performance was by Andy Kaufman. He was riotous and fearless as an entertainer, commenting on American culture, drug use, and relationships. Albeit short-lived, the show’s main idea was to live off the success of NBC’s groundbreaking Saturday Night Live. Where logic or reason never prevailed, there were punchlines that stayed memorable.
9 French and Saunders
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders make a great comedy duo with their razor-sharp wit and daring oddball humor. Naturally, they brought the same to French and Saunders, a skit comedy that went on for seven whole seasons. Their characters were frequently satirical, skewering societal norms projected on women, relationships, and humanity.
They dressed up as Madonna, and Kate and Leo from Titanic, portrayed bumbling bimbos and pretentious intellectuals, all in the name of spinning uncomfortable truths. Each sketch was a platform for dynamic jokes and breaking character for the sake of cynicism and glee. Together, Dawn and Jennifer were like little girls, giggling and rebellious, unafraid to be awkward and funny. Their comedic chemistry was the real star, leaving behind laughs you could quote for years.
8 The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was pure delight. Being Fox’s second original prime-time series and a pioneer of The Simpsons, the show was overflowing with Tracey Ullman’s diverse personae, from a narcissistic old woman to a punk rocker with square dance aspirations. Nearly every episode in the British comedy featured a song cover, creating a surreal dreamscape and cradling laughs like routine.
Above all, the show remained consistent and patient with delivering a meaningful plot, one that understood American life and working-class struggles. Ullman amplified the everyday things and twisted common concepts with her offbeat and quirky sense of humor. The Tracey Ullman Show painted a weird and wondrous universe that unfolded new laughs each time it came on television.
7 Not the Nine O’Clock News
Not the Nine O’Clock News was a pioneering contemporary British sketch show that subtly parodied BBC’s evening news session. The show youthful and entertaining cast included a 24-year-old Rowan Atkinson along with Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Pamela Stephenson. Each episode was a collection of witty sketches mocking current events, politics, and society.
Apart from rebelling against the norm and serving as an alternative to mainstream media, the show made music video parodies of artists like ABBA, Kate Bush, and the New Romantics, paving the way for more such masterpieces. The biting satire of police racism, religious perspectives, and patronizing in Hollywood also made it noteworthy among the more popular sketch comedy shows. Decades after airing, fans still remember Rowan Atkinson’s classic monologue and Pamela Stephenson’s magnetic screen presence.
6 You Can't Do That on Television
Nickelodeon
No other sketch comedy has taken such creative freedom as to make a cast entirely of children and have them perform the most appalling yet hilarious skits. You Can't Do That on Television was a seminal Canadian comedy that made its way to American television in 1982. Directed toward young viewers, the show basically wanted to tell kids that despite how hard things seem right now, they’re gonna be okay.
However, the show did it by creating a surreal playground, dropping child actors in the most bizarre situations – one where they serve detention in a dungeon or have slime poured over them every time they seem clueless. Meaning rarely mattered more than funny details and conceptual twists. The sketches may change your perspective on life’s little annoyances and ultimately allow you to find joy. After all, kids in the ‘80s had a way harder time than us.
5 The Richard Pryor Show
Lasting only four episodes, The Richard Pryor Show created its own short-lived but phenomenal legacy when it came to the sketch comedy genre. Richard Pryor brought his incendiary style to sketches and characters. You wouldn't even understand where the brilliant comedian even spews such hilarity from, but you will be highly entertained by his musings about society.
A particular segment featured a press conference with the first African-American president, which gave some 'dangerously funny' moments. While Pryor’s subtle provocation challenged conventions, the network seemed to be on another page, and all the censorship made the show stop mid-battle.
4 SCTV
Second City Television, or SCTV, began as a Canadian sketch show but was slowly adapted into the American television industry. The show revolved around a fictional station called ‘Melonville’, and spanned weird talk show hosts, quirky newscasters reporting ridiculous stories, and pretentious art or food critics analyzing what they like to call ‘masterpieces’.
The Canadian version had some memorable shows hosted by comic geniuses like Bob and Doug MacKenzie and Sammy Maudlin, while the American television was complete with now-seasoned performers like John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short and Rick Moranis. Their impressions of Bob Hope, Divine, and Liz Taylor attracted the most laughs. SCTV’s sketches shaped comedy in generations of shows to come, and even decades after airing, the show remains funny for its details and perspectives.
3 The Muppet Show
Jim Henson peaked at creativity when he created the Muppets. Voiced by incredible stars like Henson himself, Frank Oz, Louise Gold, and Richard Hunt, The Muppet Show became a groundbreaking entry in the sketch comedy business. The show was thriving on its now-iconic characters like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Scooter. Their impressions of talk show guests and parodies of commercials brought more laughter than mainstream comedy.
Many believe that it was an honest reflection of Henson’s brilliant mind and his tendency to embrace the absurdity in everything. Head writer Jerry Juhl once quipped how they didn’t want to drag the show to the point where it lost its authenticity, hence the five-season run. Regardless, The Muppet Show was a pivotal moment that introduced the Muppets' weird and whimsical world to audiences of all ages.
2 Kids in the Hall (1989-1995)
Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Scott Thompson and Mark McKinney put their comedy talent and innovative ideas on the table and created Kids in the Hall, a trademark troupe that subverted intellectuals and never once used parody content of pop culture spoofs to get the audience cackling. Instead, their satire was exploding with bizarre concerts, mysterious characters, and dark consciences.
From the Chicken Lady and her knack for unexpected outbreaks to silly and disturbing characters like Cabbage Head, Idiot Boy and the Axe Murderer, the show introduced the kind of comedy that was so unsettling it was funny. Produced by SNL’s Lorne Michaels, Kids in the Hall became so popular and praised, it ended getting more than a hundred episodes and also one movie called Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy.
1 Saturday Night Live
It’s not really possible to justify the success of the most iconic, rewarding, and longest-running sketch comedy show in more words. Currently airing its 48th season, the late-night revolution launched the careers of multiple stars like Adam Sandler, Kristen Wiig, Eddie Murphy, and more. But it was the founding years where the show provided a platform for newcomers in the industry to shine and eventually rise on their own.
Featuring John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase, Saturday Night Live found gold in acknowledging and crushing life’s dark realities and discomforts. Memorable characters like Mike Myers' Wayne's World Duo and Dana Carvey's Church Lady were a formative force, and with every decade, the show evolved and continued to stay relevant, bringing new elements, performers, and sketches along the way.