''Townsend Television'' is an American
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
/
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
starring
Robert Townsend who also served as the series’ executive producer. The series featured an ensemble cast including
John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense reali ...
,
Barry Diamond
Barry Diamond (born November 14, 1951) is an American comedian who released one album, ''Fighter Pilot'', on IRS Records in 1983. He continues to perform stand-up comedy today.
He has had bit parts in several films and television sitcoms. H ...
and
Paula Jai Parker
Paula Jai Parker is an American actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the films ''Friday'' (1995), '' Sprung'' (1997), '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), ''Phone Booth'' (2002), ''Hustle & Flow'' (2005), and '' Idlewild'' (200 ...
and aired on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
from September 12, 1993 to December 26, 1993.
Overview
Each episode featured stand-up comedy from
Robert Townsend. There are also musical numbers and comedy sketches, including spoofs of movies and commercials, performed by the regulars and guests.
Regulars
* Robert Townsend
*
John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense reali ...
*
Barry Diamond
Barry Diamond (born November 14, 1951) is an American comedian who released one album, ''Fighter Pilot'', on IRS Records in 1983. He continues to perform stand-up comedy today.
He has had bit parts in several films and television sitcoms. H ...
*
Paula Jai Parker
Paula Jai Parker is an American actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the films ''Friday'' (1995), '' Sprung'' (1997), '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), ''Phone Booth'' (2002), ''Hustle & Flow'' (2005), and '' Idlewild'' (200 ...
*
Roxanne Beckford
Roxanne Beckford-Hoge (born November 17, 1969) is a Jamaican-born American actress.
Career
She has acted in numerous television series and played minor roles in films, including ''Bewitched (2005 film), Bewitched'' (2005) ''Something's Gotta ...
*
Darrel Heath
*
Lester Barrie
Lester Barrie (born October 1, 1965) is a Southern California Christian pastor, a professional stand-up comedian, and former movie and television actor.
Reverend Barrie is currently the assistant at the Atherton Baptist Church in Hawthorne Califor ...
*
Biz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...
* The Paul Jackson Orchestra
* The Russel Clark Dancers
References
1990s American sketch comedy television series
1993 American television series debuts
1993 American television series endings
English-language television shows
Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
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