As we know, after stand-up comedy, sketch comedy is the second most recognizable form of comedy. It’s been popularized by television shows like Saturday Night Live, MAD-tv, Kids In The Hall, In Living Color, Studio C, and Key & Peele. A sketch comedy show consists of a team of comedians, that performs original sketch material that has been carefully written and rehearsed. The writing of this material is done by either a team of writers or the performers you see on stage – frequently, it’s a combination of both.
A sketch is a comedy study of a concept, character, or situation. Therefore, as long as the written work is short, entertaining, and amusing on stage (or recorded in audio or video format) – it’s a perfect sketch. Sketch comedies are famous for television, but they are still performed regularly in theatres, studios, streets, and backyards around the world.
Sketch comedy has changed and evolved since it’s original formation. Once trapped in the theatre alone, the sketch was later released onto TVs and then on the Internet waiting to be browsed over the Internet via phones, tablets, and computers at any time. Their medium has clearly defined the environment for over the last 20 years. Public debates on the Internet, social media, politics, social traditions, race, and gender are undergoing significant changes – sketch comedies not only reflect these but also help to facilitate those changes.
Sketch Comedy Is Still Trendy
Sketch comedy has always been a reliable form of this genre, but with the development of comedy on a wide range, and launch of many podcast networks – where does it leave our good old friend, sketch comedy in it? Not thrown to the wind or even surpassed by stand up.
However, with the advent of our distant online age, sketch comedies have also changed and often become better. In the past decade, the Internet era has opened the door for writers, creators, and comedians who still follow the path of the traditional (perhaps old) comedy theatre. Thanks to the evolution of the comedy, sketch comedy took an important place in our culture. They still provide a new common language for ordinary people; they enable us to deal with serious or painful aspects of our lives – all in all, they make us laugh and have a great time.
Sketch Comedy – A Golden Era
It’s no surprise that most people love sketch comedy. After all, who doesn’t crack up a little bit while watching Saturday Night Live? – One of the natural results of the longest-running and most viewed sketch series of all time. Sketch comedy is older than the TV itself.
The traditional setting of 3-6 minutes sketches loosely attached as a whole by the host, theme, or general comedic situation is a global entertainment tradition even before the cabaret era. However, in recent years, narrative series and films have taken precedence over comedy sketches.
For artists looking forward to breakout their first work, this art has been classified as a success point for them. But today, many series have come from well-established artists from around the world and circling around traditional sketch comedy. These new TV shows admire and praise the old-fashioned form of sketch comedy and put-up an advance art form far beyond its old roots with a fun new perspective and diversified ideas.
SNL is not only the touchstone of its culture, but it is also considered a consistent punching bag for negative attackers. The diversity of the show may lack an unprecedented political perspective and has been baffling its fan base for decades. Also, more and more people have criticized the show for saying that existing crew and cast, cannot fight against past communities.
Despite its shortcomings, SNL looks forward to delivering it’s best for its lovers. The show may seem to be moving at a snail’s pace. Still, each and every episode highlights the extraordinary woman tactics among the fast-paced actors, highlighting the mental health problem and bring forward many to more rising issues. But in short, in the world of sketch comedy – SNL will always be the greatest competition in the future.
Best Sketch Comedy Bits
Sketch Comedy has moved to TV shows and movies for quite a while now, with exciting new shows premiering throughout the year. We’ve put together the best comedy sketch of the last decade – we apologize in advance if you don’t see your favorite show making it to this list. Let’s move on and check who made it to our list of best sketch comedies:
More Cowbell – Saturday Night Live
More Cow Bell is the most quoted and funniest SNL sketch in recent memory. Was it how Will Ferrell played the cowbell or how Christopher Walken requested more cowbell that made us laugh? Either way, this sketch makes you laugh from beginning to end.
Scott Sterling – Studio C
Perhaps the most-watched and the most shared sketch of Studio C’s run is the Scott Sterling sketch. This BYUTv sketch show was brought to the forefront because of their ability to create viral sketches. None seems to have the impact (pun intended) of the Scott Sterling sketch.
Substitute Teacher – Key & Peele
And who doesn’t love Key & Peele sketches? Perhaps the most famous included the words A-A-Ron and the mispronunciation of every person’s name for the entire clip. It’s no wonder that no matter how many times we watch Mr. Garvy we can’t help but laugh.
Cheap Pete – In Living Color
Chris Rock was formerly an alumnus of SNL but jumped ship to In Living Color. With his role as Cheap Pete Rock cemented his role as a member of one of the best sketch comedy casts in history. This was a great and often repeated sketch during his tenure on the show.
Clayton Bigsby – Chappelle’s Show
This sketch made Chappelle’s Show a hit. The black, white supremacist and KKK leader were one of the funniest things ever to air on TV. This sketch brought eyeballs and fans to Comedy Central and build a following and love back to sketch comedy that had not been seen in years.
Sketch comedy has a great place not only in the annuals of comedy but also for comedians who have great ideas that may not translate to the stage in the form of jokes. The world of comedy is always in need of more entertainment outside stand up and sketch comedy offers the opportunity for comedians to make their mark in ways that make us think, laugh, and share comedy with others.