# Sketch comedy
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{{short description|Series of short comedy scenes or vignettes}}
{{redirect|Sketch show}}
thumb|upright=1.35|Sketch comedy actors of Nightmare on Overwhelmed Street in 2018|alt=A white man holds the neck of another grimacing white man while two white women talk.
'''Sketch comedy''' comprises a series of short, amusing [scenes](/source/Scene_(drama)) or [vignettes](/source/Vignette_(literature)), called "sketches" or "skits",[{{cite news |title=Skit |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/skit |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=[Collins English Dictionary](/source/Collins_English_Dictionary)}}] commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in [music hall](/source/music_hall) in Britain and [vaudeville](/source/vaudeville) in North America, today it is used widely in [variety show](/source/variety_show)s, as well as in late night [talk show](/source/talk_show)s and some [sitcom](/source/sitcom)s. While sketch comedy is now associated mostly with adult entertainment, certain [children's television series](/source/children's_television_series) have also used it. The sketches may be [improvised](/source/Improvisational_theatre) live by the performers, developed through improvisation before public performance, or scripted and rehearsed in advance like a play.
==History==
Sketch comedy has its origins in [music hall](/source/music_hall) and [vaudeville](/source/vaudeville), where many brief humorous acts were strung together to form a larger programme. In the 1890s, music hall impresario [Fred Karno](/source/Fred_Karno) developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue, and in 1904 he produced a sketch called ''Mumming Birds'' for the [Hackney Empire](/source/Hackney_Empire) in London, which included the [pie in the face](/source/Pieing) gag among other innovations.[{{cite news |last1=Ellis |first1=Samantha |authorlink=Samantha Ellis |title=Champagne and winkles |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2004/jan/28/theatre2 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=28 January 2004}}][{{cite news |last1=Louvish |first1=Simon |authorlink=Simon Louvish|title=Tramps like us |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/06/charlie-chaplin-film |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=6 March 2009}}] His troupe, advertised as "Fred Karno's London Comedians", included [Charlie Chaplin](/source/Charlie_Chaplin) and [Stan Laurel](/source/Stan_Laurel).[{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3622509/Way-of-the-world.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3622509/Way-of-the-world.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Way of the world|author=Craig Brown|date=21 January 2006|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=5 July 2015}}{{cbignore}}] [Charles Isherwood](/source/Charles_Isherwood) writes that Monty Python, like Benny Hill, "derived their sketch formats in part from the rowdy tradition of the music hall."[{{cite news |last1=Isherwood |first1=Charles |title=Why the British Killed King Leer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/weekinreview/22isherwood.html |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=The New York Times|date=22 April 2007 }}]
An early, perhaps the first, televised example of a sketch comedy show is ''[Texaco Star Theater](/source/Texaco_Star_Theater)'' aka ''The Milton Berle Show'' 1948–1967, hosted by [Milton Berle](/source/Milton_Berle).[{{cite book|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows |editor-first1=Tim |editor-last1=Brooks |editor-first2=Earle |editor-last2=Marsh |edition=sixth |isbn=0345397363}}] In Mexico, the series ''[Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada](/source/Chespirito_(TV_series))'', created by Mexican comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños under the stage name [Chespirito](/source/Chespirito), was broadcast between 1968 and 1973, creating such famous characters as [El Chavo del Ocho](/source/El_Chavo_del_Ocho) and [El Chapulín Colorado](/source/El_Chapul%C3%ADn_Colorado).
thumb|Title screen of ''Telecataplúm''
In Uruguay, the television program ''Telecataplúm'' premiered in 1962 on [Teledoce](/source/Teledoce) and aired successfully until 1969, returning later from 1977 to 2001.[{{Cite web |date=2024-07-14 |title=Telecataplum, el humor rioplatense fino comparable a los Monty Python, Benny Hill y Les Luthiers |url=https://tn.com.ar/show/television/2024/07/14/telecataplum-el-humor-rioplatense-fino-comparable-a-los-monty-python-benny-hill-y-les-luthiers/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=Todo Noticias |language=es}}] The cast included, among others, [Ricardo Espalter](/source/Ricardo_Espalter), [Eduardo D'Angelo](/source/Eduardo_D'Angelo), [Raimundo Soto](/source/Raimundo_Soto), [Henny Trayles](/source/Henny_Trayles), and [Gabriela Acher](/source/Gabriela_Acher), who gained widespread popularity not only in Uruguay but also in Argentina and Chile, where the same actors produced similar programs for the local audience.[{{Cite web |last=Bolaños |first=Por Eduardo |date=2023-10-28 |title=Hiperhumor: la historia de los uruguayos que revolucionaron la tevé argentina con su humor sano y ocurrente |url=https://www.infobae.com/teleshow/2023/10/28/hiperhumor-la-historia-de-los-uruguayos-que-revolucionaron-la-teve-argentina-con-su-humor-sano-y-ocurrente/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=infobae |language=es-ES}}][{{Cite web |date=2020-04-05 |title=El Origen, humor rioplatense: Uruguayos de exportación, el humor uruguayo llega a Argentina y Chile |url=https://www.teledoce.com/programas/especiales/el-origen/uruguayos-de-exportacion-el-humor-uruguayo-llega-a-argentina-y-chile/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=Teledoce.com |language=es-UY}}] Among its most emblematic sketches was {{Language with name/for|es|Noticias Cantadas|Sung News}}, which became a hallmark of televised humor in the [Río de la Plata](/source/R%C3%ADo_de_la_Plata) region.[{{Cite web |title=El recuerdo a Las noticias cantadas de Telecataplúm |url=https://archivo.espectador.com/espectadores/ayertevi/el-recuerdo-a-las-noticias-cantadas-de-telecataplum |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=El Espectador 810 |language=es-UY}}]
From 1978 to 2001, Uruguay’s [Canal 10](/source/Canal_10_(Uruguay)) also broadcast the show ''[Decalegrón](/source/Decalegr%C3%B3n)'', which achieved high audience ratings and featured several of the original cast members from ''Telecataplúm''.[{{Cite web |date=2023-08-05 |title=El detrás de escena del final de "Decalegrón" contado por Julio Frade dos décadas después |url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/sabado-show/dos-decadas-despues-julio-frade-conto-la-verdad-sobre-el-final-de-decalegron-lo-tomamos-a-mal-todos |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=EL PAIS |language=es-UY}}] Among its most renowned sketches was Espalter’s “Pinchinatti” in 1989, in which he portrayed a fictional presidential candidate with absurd and satirical populist proposals.[{{Cite web |title=30 años después, repasamos la campaña política de Pinchinatti, "el hijo de pueblo" |url=https://www.montevideo.com.uy/Noticias/30-anos-despues-repasamos-la-campana-politica-de-Pinchinatti--el-hijo-de-pueblo--uc718984 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=Montevideo Portal |language=es}}] The sketch became extremely popular, prompting rallies that closely resembled real political campaigns, with large crowds carrying banners, posters, and flags, along with campaign-style propaganda and jingles—although these events were entirely theatrical and not in support of a real candidate.[{{Cite web |title=Pinchinatti y el día que Decalegrón tuvo que explicar un chiste |url=https://delsol.uy/lamesa/rebobinado/pinchinatti-y-el-dia-que-decalegron-tuvo-que-explicar-un-chiste |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=delsol.uy |language=es-UY}}][{{Cite web |date=2024-08-03 |title=Pinchinatti: a 35 años de su proclamación, cómo surgió el "candidato" y qué políticos se quejaron |url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/sabado-show/pinchinatti-a-35-anos-de-su-proclamacion-como-surgio-el-candidato-y-que-politicos-se-quejaron |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=EL PAIS |language=es-UY}}]
While separate sketches historically have tended to be unrelated, more recent groups have introduced overarching themes that connect the sketches within a particular show with recurring characters that return for more than one appearance. Examples of recurring characters include [Mr. Gumby](/source/Gumbys) from ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''; Ted and Ralph from ''[The Fast Show](/source/The_Fast_Show)''; [The Family](/source/The_Family_(sketch)) from ''[The Carol Burnett Show](/source/The_Carol_Burnett_Show)''; the [Head Crusher](/source/Mr._Tyzik) from ''[The Kids in the Hall](/source/The_Kids_in_the_Hall_(TV_series))''; [Martin Short](/source/Martin_Short)'s [Ed Grimley](/source/Ed_Grimley), a recurring character from both ''[SCTV](/source/Second_City_Television)'' and ''[Saturday Night Live](/source/Saturday_Night_Live)''; The Nerd from ''[Robot Chicken](/source/Robot_Chicken)''; and Kevin and Perry from ''[Harry Enfield and Chums](/source/Harry_Enfield_and_Chums)''. Recurring characters from ''Saturday Night Live'' have notably been featured in a number of spinoff films, including ''[The Blues Brothers](/source/The_Blues_Brothers_(film))'' (1980), ''[Wayne's World](/source/Wayne's_World_(film))'' (1992) and ''[Superstar](/source/Superstar_(1999_film))'' (1999).
The idea of running characters was taken a step further with shows like ''[The Red Green Show](/source/The_Red_Green_Show)'' and ''[The League of Gentlemen](/source/The_League_of_Gentlemen)'', where sketches centered on the various inhabitants of the fictional towns of [Possum Lake](/source/Possum_Lake) and [Royston Vasey](/source/Royston_Vasey), respectively. In ''[Little Britain](/source/Little_Britain_(sketch_show))'', sketches focused on a cast of recurring characters.
In North America, contemporary sketch comedy is largely an outgrowth of the [improvisational comedy](/source/improvisational_comedy) scene that flourished during the 1970s, largely growing out of ''[The Second City](/source/The_Second_City)'' in [Chicago](/source/Chicago) and [Toronto](/source/Toronto), which was built upon the success in Minneapolis of [The Brave New Workshop](/source/Brave_New_Workshop) and [Dudley Riggs](/source/Dudley_Riggs).
Notable contemporary American stage sketch comedy groups include The Second City, the [Upright Citizens Brigade](/source/Upright_Citizens_Brigade), and [The Groundlings](/source/The_Groundlings). In [South Bend, Indiana](/source/South_Bend%2C_Indiana), area high school students produced a sketch comedy series called ''[Beyond Our Control](/source/Beyond_Our_Control)'' that aired on the local NBC affiliate [WNDU-TV](/source/WNDU-TV) from 1967 to 1986.
[Warner Bros. Animation](/source/Warner_Bros._Animation) made two sketch comedy shows, ''[Mad](/source/Mad_(TV_series))'' and ''[Right Now Kapow](/source/Right_Now_Kapow)''.
Australian television of the 1980s and 1990s featured several successful sketch comedy shows, notably ''[The Comedy Company](/source/The_Comedy_Company)'', whose recurring characters included [Col'n Carpenter](/source/Col'n_Carpenter), [Kylie Mole](/source/Kylie_Mole) and [Con the Fruiterer](/source/Con_the_Fruiterer).
===Films===
An early British example is the influential ''[The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film](/source/The_Running_Jumping_%26_Standing_Still_Film)'' (1959).
Sketch films made during the 1970s and 1980s include ''[If You Don't Stop It... You'll Go Blind](/source/If_You_Don't_Stop_It..._You'll_Go_Blind)'' and the sequel ''[Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses?](/source/Can_I_Do_It..._'Til_I_Need_Glasses%3F)'', ''[The Groove Tube](/source/The_Groove_Tube)'', ''[Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)](/source/Everything_You_Always_Wanted_to_Know_About_Sex*_(*But_Were_Afraid_to_Ask)_(film))'', ''[The Kentucky Fried Movie](/source/The_Kentucky_Fried_Movie)'' and ''[Amazon Women on the Moon](/source/Amazon_Women_on_the_Moon)'', and [Monty Python](/source/Monty_Python)'s ''[And Now for Something Completely Different](/source/And_Now_for_Something_Completely_Different)'' and ''[The Meaning of Life](/source/Monty_Python's_The_Meaning_of_Life)''.
More recent sketch films include ''[The Underground Comedy Movie](/source/The_Underground_Comedy_Movie)'', ''[InAPPropriate Comedy](/source/InAPPropriate_Comedy)'', ''[Movie 43](/source/Movie_43)'' and ''[Livrés chez vous sans contact](/source/Livr%C3%A9s_chez_vous_sans_contact)''.
===Festivals===
Many of the sketch comedy [revue](/source/revue)s in Britain included seasons at the [Edinburgh Fringe Festival](/source/Edinburgh_Fringe).{{Further|Edinburgh Comedy Awards}}
Since 1999, the growing sketch comedy scene has precipitated the development of sketch comedy festivals in cities all around North America. Noted festivals include:
*[Chicago Sketch Fest](/source/Chicago_Sketch_Fest)
*[SF Sketchfest](/source/SF_Sketchfest)
*[Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival](/source/Toronto_Sketch_Comedy_Festival)
==See also==
*[Brave New Workshop](/source/Brave_New_Workshop)
*[British Comedy Awards](/source/British_Comedy_Awards)
*[List of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches](/source/List_of_recurring_Saturday_Night_Live_characters_and_sketches)
*[List of sketch comedy groups](/source/List_of_sketch_comedy_groups)
*[List of sketch comedy television series](/source/List_of_sketch_comedy_television_series)
*[Nininbaori](/source/Nininbaori)
*[Saturday Night Live TV show sketches](/source/Saturday_Night_Live_TV_show_sketches)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
*Clayton, Alex. ''Funny How? Sketch Comedy and the Art of Humor.'' State University of New York Press, 2020. ''Project MUSE'', DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book76826.
*{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodinsider.com/sketch-comedy-history/|title=A Brief History of Sketch Comedy and its Evolution From 1959–2020|work=hollywoodinsider.com|date=2 November 2020|access-date=15 October 2023|first1=Armando|last1=Brigham}}
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Category:Sketch comedy
Category:Television sketch shows
Category:Television genres
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sketch comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketch_comedy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketch_comedy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.