Actually, we don't have sketch comedy shows anymore because of the First Law of Thermodynamics.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. Back in the '90s, sketch comedy was tightly compressed into 30-minute broadcast windows like In Living Color and MadTV. But in 2012, a catastrophic core leak occurred at TikTok and Instagram, instantly atomizing all sketch comedy into 15-second vertical clips of people arguing with imaginary versions of themselves in a wig.
Today, sketch comedy isn't dead, it's just ambient. Every time you scroll past a guy doing an impression of a fast-food cashier, that is technically MadTV Season 32, Episode 4. You are watching it right now. It is in the air you breathe.
As for SNL? Lorne Michaels struck a deal with a 17th-century sea witch to absorb the life force of every canceled sketch show. Saturday Night Live will outlive the collapse of the sun. In the year 3042, a cyborg Colin Jost will still be reading fake news to a studio audience of cockroaches.
Man I don't know if your trolling or what. But you are a fun read. I just want to come up with off the wall questions now to see if you would get serious or just go literal on my ass. People please read this guy or gal or whomever.
There're online sketch comedy shows. Think collegehumor ( it's become Dropout, which does mostly structured/edited improv now). But like there are a bunch of YouTube channels that do prewritten sketches - albeit usually much smaller scale.
There are a ton of skit channels on platforms like YouTube that have filled the void. Most are shorts, but there are channels like Viva La Dirt League that does some longer form sketches. Chris and Jack is another channel that I think does some really funny sketch comedy too. Dropout.tv is imo the best subscription out there. While not really sketch, it's almost entirely improv, but it can kind of scratch that itch.
Sketch shows during prime time were incredibly common when you only had three channels. The reason why SNL had the "not ready for prime time players" was because it was where comedians could go who weren't able to be on a better sketch comedy show.
As time went on, it became less and less worth it to have a sketch comedy show on your network. You could target a smaller audience as FOX and cable channels became serious competition. There was also a collapse in the television studio system, so it didn't make much economic sense for a studio to put out a sketch comedy show as a way to develop internal talent.
SNL is only really still around because it is a cultural icon that still gets in the news and acts as a decent promotional stop for Universal projects. Its development pipeline for talent isn't worth it, in part as the success rate for SNL alum has gone down significantly.
Others mention Dropout as the best Internet brand who could put out a sketch comedy show, but they've said that scripted comedy is still too expensive for them and they seem happy to be everyone's favorite second gig instead of their first.
I Think You Should Leave is the best modern sketch comedy show. Can't wait for the next season.
Even back when In Living Color and MadTV were around, there wasn't much else besides SNL. I don't even recall if ILC and MadTV were concurrent with each other outside of reruns of ILC. The only other shows I even remember were Roundhouse and All That on Nickelodeon. And those were intended for kids.
27 Comments
Hirohito@fedinsfw.app · 63 pts · 1d
Actually, we don't have sketch comedy shows anymore because of the First Law of Thermodynamics.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. Back in the '90s, sketch comedy was tightly compressed into 30-minute broadcast windows like In Living Color and MadTV. But in 2012, a catastrophic core leak occurred at TikTok and Instagram, instantly atomizing all sketch comedy into 15-second vertical clips of people arguing with imaginary versions of themselves in a wig.
Today, sketch comedy isn't dead, it's just ambient. Every time you scroll past a guy doing an impression of a fast-food cashier, that is technically MadTV Season 32, Episode 4. You are watching it right now. It is in the air you breathe.
As for SNL? Lorne Michaels struck a deal with a 17th-century sea witch to absorb the life force of every canceled sketch show. Saturday Night Live will outlive the collapse of the sun. In the year 3042, a cyborg Colin Jost will still be reading fake news to a studio audience of cockroaches.
PoastRotato@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 1d
Have you ever considered writing an encyclopedia? You have so much wisdom to share.
Hirohito@fedinsfw.app · 12 pts · 1d
Wikipedia keeps rejecting my contributions
TheMuffinMan@piefed.world · 11 pts · 1d
idk who you are but I adore this comment with all my heart
GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Patnou@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Man I don't know if your trolling or what. But you are a fun read. I just want to come up with off the wall questions now to see if you would get serious or just go literal on my ass. People please read this guy or gal or whomever.
GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
the sea witch actually mad me chuckle
turdburglar@piefed.social · 1 pts · 22h
thumbrider’s manual to the universe
Patnou@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Go to a popular AMA instance and I would book mark the shit out of it.
Bustedknuckles@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 1d
There're online sketch comedy shows. Think collegehumor ( it's become Dropout, which does mostly structured/edited improv now). But like there are a bunch of YouTube channels that do prewritten sketches - albeit usually much smaller scale.
Because of the second law of thermodynamics
mushroommunk@lemmy.today · 13 pts · 1d
Came in specifically to mention Dropout.tv too. SNL even snagged one or two of their writers. This is where the comedy is.
BassTurd@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
Jeremy Culhane was on Dropout before SNL too. They're a great company that treats employees and customers great.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 4 pts · 1d
He's even been back after he got the job to write something mean on a fish.
BassTurd@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
I was super happy to see him back after getting the gig at SNL. I was also thrilled to see to really well there in his first season.
FearMeAndDecay@literature.cafe · 9 pts · 1d
Thirding Dropout. I just got it after watching clips on YouTube for months and it's fucking hilarious. Absolutely worth the money
Venator@lemmy.nz · 2 pts · 2h
I'd also recommend Mitchell and Webb are not helping:
https://m.youtube.com/@Channel4Comedy/search?query=Mitchell+and+Webb
BassTurd@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1d
There are a ton of skit channels on platforms like YouTube that have filled the void. Most are shorts, but there are channels like Viva La Dirt League that does some longer form sketches. Chris and Jack is another channel that I think does some really funny sketch comedy too. Dropout.tv is imo the best subscription out there. While not really sketch, it's almost entirely improv, but it can kind of scratch that itch.
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1d
Depends where you are located.
David Mitchell released a skit show last year that I haven't gotten around to watching yet.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 6 pts · 1d
Media has changed.
Sketch shows during prime time were incredibly common when you only had three channels. The reason why SNL had the "not ready for prime time players" was because it was where comedians could go who weren't able to be on a better sketch comedy show.
As time went on, it became less and less worth it to have a sketch comedy show on your network. You could target a smaller audience as FOX and cable channels became serious competition. There was also a collapse in the television studio system, so it didn't make much economic sense for a studio to put out a sketch comedy show as a way to develop internal talent.
SNL is only really still around because it is a cultural icon that still gets in the news and acts as a decent promotional stop for Universal projects. Its development pipeline for talent isn't worth it, in part as the success rate for SNL alum has gone down significantly.
Others mention Dropout as the best Internet brand who could put out a sketch comedy show, but they've said that scripted comedy is still too expensive for them and they seem happy to be everyone's favorite second gig instead of their first.
IronBird@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1d
we do, you just won't find them on tv anymore. reaching own audiance without network/media-mogul parasites in the way is easier than ever.
Formfiller@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 23h
This Canadian sketch comedy show is really good Punish the elite day
friend_of_satan@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Because Homie don't play that.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 3 pts · 1d
I Think You Should Leave is the best modern sketch comedy show. Can't wait for the next season.
Even back when In Living Color and MadTV were around, there wasn't much else besides SNL. I don't even recall if ILC and MadTV were concurrent with each other outside of reruns of ILC. The only other shows I even remember were Roundhouse and All That on Nickelodeon. And those were intended for kids.
Burninator05@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 22h
I think ILC was early/mid-90s and MadTV was late 90s/early 00s but im not sure.
IWW4@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 1d
We don’t them because not enough people watched them.
Venator@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 2h
Relevant rant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrEv7gLKoo8
altphoto@lemmy.today · 0 pts · 1d
They talk about the orange turd. You can't talk about the orange turd when he's not wearing any clothes.
Redditmodstouchgrass@lemmy.zip · -2 pts · 1d
People tend to get angry at humor that hasn't passed through 10 layers of approval based on their preferred politics