Austin Improv

Hey guys, I'm kinda new here, but what's your favorite sketch comedy on TV? I just love sketch comedies like MadTV and SNL, but my favorite is Tracey Ullman's State of the Union on Showtime. I'm not sure if anyone has heard of her before but I've been a fan of hers for some time now and just love her skits. Recently got the Season 1 DVD from VE when I went Christmas shopping this past weekend and here are some of my favorite skits from the show that I found to be pretty hilarious. sorry for rambling guys, but just wanted to share some stuff from my favorite sketch comedy on TV and seeing if you guys like it as much as I do or not. but yeah, that's me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35br-tDHnrQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6ooIW09kRM

I freakin' love Tracy Ullman. I haven't seen her new show but I plan to check out the links you posted when I get home tonight. I mainly remember her from the Tracy Ullman show that spawned the Simpsons.

back in the mid 80's (1984 I think) there was a SNL knockoff starring Michael Richards ( who soon went on to Sinefeld) . It was called "Friday NIght" and it was supposed to be a live sketch show.

Then they invited Andy Kaufman.

The whole show was one hilarous romp, as Kaufman (sp?) refused to use the cue cards and improvised his lines throughout the whole show. In one scene Michael Richards ets so frustrated he breaks character, leaves the set, and grabs one of the cue cards with Andy's lines on it. He them brings it back to the dinner table scene they were at, and places it on the table and says something to the effect of "here's your lines."

That was a great show. The rest of them sucked though.

I've seen that episode - definitely one of my favorite live TV moments.

The Carol Burnett Show comes to mind.

OMG! Kids in the Hall! I don't know why I didn't think of them first!

Madeline

Mike wrote:back in the mid 80's (1984 I think) there was a SNL knockoff starring Michael Richards ( who soon went on to Sinefeld) . It was called "Friday NIght" and it was supposed to be a live sketch show.

Yeah, that was Fridays.

Kids in the Hall
Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!
Monty Python's Flying Circus
The State

Those are my faves, I think.

Most of Mr. Show is up there for me as well.

HerrHerr wrote:Most of Mr. Show is up there for me as well.

I knew I was forgetting one.

Mike wrote:back in the mid 80's (1984 I think) there was a SNL knockoff starring Michael Richards ( who soon went on to Sinefeld) . It was called "Friday NIght" and it was supposed to be a live sketch show.

Then they invited Andy Kaufman.

...

That was a great show. The rest of them sucked though.

We can do this now on the boards:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bc1GXuNPuQ[/youtube]

Ug, I didn't know thy explained the premise beforehand...blegh.

i think they explained the premise because most of them were in on it, including michael richards, and it gave andy an easy way out of his character so they could get to the whole point of the sketch, it's own dissentigration.
there's no way they would not go to commercial earlier or have something on tape ready to go for that kind of live show. also, this video leaves out his apology when they came back from break which is pretty hilarious.

KITH and MP's Flying Circus for sure. Carol Burnett was pure genius if you subtract the godawful musical numbers (Dinah Shore's expressionless butchering of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" left a permanent scar on me). SCTV gets hon. mention.

I had a certain fondness for the short lived Ben Stiller show.

Hmmm... does MST3K count? The Joel Hodgson years were brilliant. Where can I find his new Cinematic Titanic stuff?

But you never forget your first and SNL was that for me. No matter the ups and downs over the years - Buck Henry's saying "I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines" on live TV when I was 8 or 9 was a f***ing epiphany.

"Sketch Pad"was a show on HBO that featured various comedy troupes from around the world performing sketch comedy skits before a live audience.
like the Second City, Groundlings, ACME Theatre, UCB, Kids in the Hall. etc...
Here are some sketches from it: These were some of my favs

Bravo Company, "Wild Skates"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2TcXHx2uUs

Captain Apathy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_oanuhMibU

Big Guy Lil Mike (Astrophysics Class)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO4tjhG055Y

Canadian Border Patrol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFcIH2tK2iM

The Romantics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2KxgdI0ROg

Special Occasion ***Warning- contains graphic adult content*** but it is damn funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13RjIJgnyb0

Among others (Mr. Show, Carol Burnett, the old Tracey Ullman show) I love In Living Colour. That show had such memorable characters.

And Chappelle show. That guy is a genius.

I know there are others I'm forgetting...