The demise of sketch shows.

axisus

There seemed to be loads in the 70s', 80s ... and 90s I guess, but the once classic Sketch show format seems to have died on its arse. I absolutely loved That Mitchell and Webb look but even that finished 10 years ago. I don't particularly recall anything decent since then?

Monty Python must be one of the earliest, Morcambe & wise and also The two Ronnies were huge, later big shows included Kenny Everett, Not the nine o'clock news, Fry & Laurie, Absolutely, Smith & Jones, French & Saunders, Harry Enfield stuff, Smack the pony, Fast show, Little Britain. So many of them seemed like the event TV of the week back in their day. Where have they gone? Surely people still like a laff???

Have I missed any good uns?

munckee

I liked Armstrong and Miller a lot.  I'm not a fan of just mumbling 'political correctness' but I think that has had an impact on them.

midlifecrisis

munckee said:

I liked Armstrong and Miller a lot.  I'm not a fan of just mumbling 'political correctness' but I think that has had an impact on them.

have just be  watching their old shows on Prime, forgotten how funny they were.

guitartango

axisus said:

There seemed to be loads in the 70s', 80s ... and 90s I guess, but the once classic Sketch show format seems to have died on its arse. I absolutely loved That Mitchell and Webb look but even that finished 10 years ago. I don't particularly recall anything decent since then?

Monty Python must be one of the earliest, Morcambe & wise and also The two Ronnies were huge, later big shows included Kenny Everett, Not the nine o'clock news, Fry & Laurie, Absolutely, Smith & Jones, French & Saunders, Harry Enfield stuff, Smack the pony, Fast show, Little Britain. So many of them seemed like the event TV of the week back in their day. Where have they gone? Surely people still like a laff???

Have I missed any good uns?

Suits you Sir

I want that one

Fork Handles

Loads of Money

All done in the best possible taste

See all you need is a "Catch Phrase"

Sassafras

Apparently sketch shows cost too much to produce.
'Reality shows' are far cheaper.

EricTheWeary

I think Famalam was probably the last pre Covid sketch show on broadcast TV. Little Britain and the follow up ( the one in the airport?) probably the last ones pulling big numbers of viewers. 
To some extent sketch shows and sitcoms will have been hit hard by Covid so potentially there will be a bit of a comeback. But compared to endless panel shows they are complex and expensive to make. They burn through written material whereas stick some mid range comedians behind a desk and they are responsible for their own writing ( and, hey, occasionally actually improvise!). 
I'd suggest Taskmaster ( and the new Dave one in the woods that's a lot like Taskmaster) as maybe the closest thing now. They aren't sketch shows but they are a lot more complex than standard panel shows. There's a set up and a pay off - sketches with improvisation rather than a set script if you will. 

tony99

Big Train was easily one of the best I've ever seen.

The first series at least, series 2 was ok but the addition of Catherine Tate let it down somewhat.

thecolourbox

tony99 said:

Big Train was easily one of the best I've ever seen.

The first series at least, series 2 was ok but the addition of Catherine Tate let it down somewhat.

Yes I used to love Big Train and Smack the Pony

earwighoney

Limmy's Show is recent and it's one of the best TV shows for a long time.

Key and Peele is recentish and it's outstanding as well.

EricTheWeary

earwighoney said:

Limmy's Show is recent and it's one of the best TV shows for a long time.

Key and Peele is recentish and it's outstanding as well.

Limmy's Show finished in 2013. Key and Peele 2015, although I hadn't thought about non UK shows, the comedy sketch probably more ingrained in US culture than here. Saturday Night Live continues and one day they'll even do something funny. 

tony99

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNBOknvbPL8

Philly_Q

Do Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy count as sketch shows?  They were ages ago, of course.

I think sketch shows have largely been replaced by all the panel shows... and of course there's Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway which is a weird mix of sketch show, game show and Tonight at the London Palladium.  Like it or not, they're the nearest we've got to a new Two Ronnies or Morecambe and Wise.  Except they're not funny.

Game shows seem to have had a resurgence in recent years, both daytime and primetime.  I'm all in favour of that.

lustycourtier

earwighoney said:

Limmy's Show is recent and it's one of the best TV shows for a long time.

Key and Peele is recentish and it's outstanding as well.

First series of Limmys show was incredible. 

tanihhiavlt

is Coffin Flop a Sketch Show? 

fastonebaz

As soon as it became inappropriate to chase a busty girl in a bikini around a field, the death bell of comedy sketch shows was rung.

Or maybe kids and young adults today consume YouTube tiktok and Snapchat influencer videos like their life depends on it, so there is no space in the market for a TV sketch show any more.

CHRISB50

tony99 said:

Big Train was easily one of the best I've ever seen.

The first series at least, series 2 was ok but the addition of Catherine Tate let it down somewhat.

Yep. I was gonna mention Big Train. It’s definitely my fave. 

The Ming sketches were genius. 

I really liked Adam and Joe as well. 

tanihhiavlt

Is everythings a drum a Sketch Show? 

thecolourbox

tanihhiavlt said:

is Coffin Flop a Sketch Show? 

I'm not sure, aren't sketch shows meant to be funny?

Reverend

axisus said:

There seemed to be loads in the 70s', 80s ... and 90s I guess, but the once classic Sketch show format seems to have died on its arse. I absolutely loved That Mitchell and Webb look but even that finished 10 years ago. I don't particularly recall anything decent since then?

Monty Python must be one of the earliest, Morcambe & wise and also The two Ronnies were huge, later big shows included Kenny Everett, Not the nine o'clock news, Fry & Laurie, Absolutely, Smith & Jones, French & Saunders, Harry Enfield stuff, Smack the pony, Fast show, Little Britain. So many of them seemed like the event TV of the week back in their day. Where have they gone? Surely people still like a laff???

Have I missed any good uns?

before python there were a few. The Idiot Weekly, Not Only... But Also, At Last The 1948 Show, A Show Called red and Q.
At Last and Q very obviously influenced Python 

barnstorm

axisus said:

Have I missed any good uns?

Man Stroke Woman completely passed me by at the time – hit and miss like all sketch shows, but there was some funny stuff in there. Daisy Haggard was great in it.

And just because, my favourite sketch ever. People corpsing is always funnier than anything you could write.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs786SYC_iQ  

yocky

The Armando Iannucci Show was excellent.

Such a difficult format to do well. Most of them are dross.