I'm a huge fan of sketch comedy. If one can have a favorite form of comedy, sketch comedy would probably be my number one. That's not saying I don't love a good sitcom or that I don't spend way to much time searching out great stand-up, but if given a choice of only one type of comedy for the rest of my life, I would pick sketch. A great sketch can be absurd, poignant and satirical all at the same time. The only problem is as great as sketch comedy can be, when done wrong it is painful to watch. Just like any other form of comedy, there is an art to a well written, well acted sketch and not everybody is fit to create good art. What I love most about sketch comedy is that it's usually a group effort, a collection of different comedic voices coming together to make a masterpiece. In my opinion these groups are the masters of the art. I'm only listing sketch shows that were teams (no Dave Chapelle). When ranking I tried to figure in how much they made me laugh and what legacy team or show left and what the team members have gone on to accomplish...
5) The Ben Stiller Show
This comedy group looks like it will be forgotten by history even though it was highly acclaimed when it was on air and has spawned HUGE comedy careers. Some of the biggest names in mainstream comedy were part of this troupe, Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow, Andy Dick, Janeane Gaarofalo, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross. With out this show there is no Mr. Show (not ranked because I never watched it even though I am aware how beloved it is in comedy circles) and maybe no 40 Year Old Virgin. Most of the sketches were making fun of popular culture, stuff like "Counting With Bruce Sprinsteen" and "Die Hard 12: Die Hungry." My favorite was probably the Lassie spoof they did with Charles Manson playing the role of Lassie. The show didn't last long, one season on MTV and 13 episodes on Fox, which is why it is forgotten, but that doesn't make it any less funny or important.
4) SCTV
I feel this show doesn't get the recognition it deserves either. I'm guessing because it was a Canadian show it never carried the weight of Saturday Night Live, but many of the cast members would go on to SNL bringing the characters they created for SCTV with them. The cast list is a Who's Who of comedy, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Dave Thomas. They revolutionized the art of the sketch comedy television show and paved the way for the glut of sketch shows in the 90's. I really don't think I need to list the legacy these comedians have left behind because they are all that big. Without a doubt, my favorite SCTV skits are the "Great White North" sketches. The McKenzie brothers are one of my favorite comedic creations, with Strange Brew being one of my favorite all-time comedy movies.
3) Saturday Night Live '90-'94
Since this was more a list of comedy teams then comedy shows, I didn't think it was right for the list to just say Saturday Night Live so I picked a cast that I felt was the best. I know I could take a lot of heat for not picking the original cast. If you're talking just legacy it's hard to argue against them. Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Bill Murry, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris are like the Rolling Stones of sketch comedy. But my favorite cast will always be from the early 90's. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with nostalgia, I was in my teens when this cast was going strong, but I also feel strongly that this group was just as big and influential as the original. Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade... are there any bigger names in comedy today? These were the people who shaped my young comedy mind and I couldn't imagine my teenage years without them. This group went on to make some of the best comedy movies of the era as well, Wayne's World, Bill Madison, Tommy Boy. I will always argue this was SNL's best cast.
2) The State
This MTV sketch show is starting to become forgotten even though many of the cast members play huge roles in today's best comedy. I loved this show as a teenager and have followed the members on to there new project with crazy devotion. Kevin Allison, Michael Ian Black, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, David Wain all made up the shows cast. If you don't recognize the names you don't pay attention to comedy. They've had numerous Comedy Central shows (Stella, Reno 911, Viva Variety), written movie blockbusters (Night At The Museum, The Pacifier), starred in comedy classics (Wet Hot American Summer). Their humor hits on all levels, it can be mainstream, it can be absurd, it can be sentimental. The best of The State includes sketches like "Doug", "Monkey Torture" and "$240 of Pudding."
1) Monty Python
This one is a no brainer. Sketch comedy as it is today would not exist without Monty Python. Sketch comedy existed before, but wasn't as smart. It has existed after but has only been a pale imitation. The biggest problem with sketch comedy is how to end a skit. You have a premise, you have some jokes but how to you wrap it all up in three minutes, how do you end things while maintaining the funny? Monty Python was the troupe that solved the problem by not ending the sketch, but instead just moving on. When the jokes ran out they didn't keep going just to wrap things up, they didn't try to come up with a punch line to go out on, they just found an absurd way to move on to the next thing. If the original SNL cast is the Rolling Stones of comedy, Monty Python is the Beatles. In my mind, all of today's comedy comes from Monty Python and they are by far the greatest sketch comedy team of all time.
Honorable Mentions: Kids In The Hall, Human Giant, Upright Citizen's Brigade
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