The art of TV comedy is distilled into its purest essence in the format of a sketch show. Sketch comedies have been entertaining viewers at home since the 1940s, when variety shows like Texaco Star Theater were transferred to the small screen. Since then, the TV comedy sketch has evolved far beyond the broad strokes of a variety hour.

Small-screen skits have become more diverse and sophisticated, covering a wide range of subgenres from political satire to surrealist humor. Some recurring character-based sketches have even inspired their own TV shows , such is the appeal of their specific brands of comedy. It’s worth remembering that celebrated sitcoms like The Simpsons and Ted Lasso began life on sketch shows.

In other cases, TV sketch comedy troupes have even made it onto th

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