Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

performances,

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 ...

, magic,

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acr ...

juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...

, and

ventriloquism Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

. It is normally introduced by a compère (master of ceremonies) or host. The variety format made its way from the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

stage in Britain and America to radio and then television. Variety shows were a staple of English language television from the late 1940s into the 1980s. While still widespread in some parts of the world, such as in the United Kingdom with the ''

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

'', and South Korea with '' Running Man'', the proliferation of multichannel television and evolving viewer tastes have affected the popularity of variety shows in the United States. Despite this, their influence has still had a major effect on

late night television Late night television is one of the dayparts in television broadcast programming. It follows prime time and precedes the overnight television show graveyard slot. The slot generally runs from about 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ET, with variations ...

whose

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show popular in the United States, where the format originated. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It i ...

s and

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's variety series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' (which originally premiered in 1975) have remained popular fixtures of North American television.

History

Stage and radio

The live entertainment style known as

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

in the United Kingdom and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

in the United States can be considered a direct predecessor of the "variety show" format. Variety in the UK evolved in theatres and music halls, and later in

Working Men's Clubs Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class me ...

. British performers who honed their skills in music hall sketches include

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 10 ...

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born Gertr ...

, and

Marie Lloyd Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as " T ...

. Most of the early top performers on

British television Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...

and radio did an apprenticeship either in stage variety, or during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Entertainments National Service Association The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

(ENSA). In the UK, the ultimate accolade for a variety artist for decades was to be asked to do the annual

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

theatre, in front of the monarch. Later known as the ''

'' (from 1919), it continues today. In the 1940s, Stan Laurel revisited his music hall days when he performed at the ''Royal Variety'' show. In the United States, former vaudeville performers such as the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

and

Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ...

, W. C. Fields, and

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

honed their skills in the

Borscht Belt The Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster counties in the U.S. state of New York, straddling both Upstate New York and the nort ...

before moving to

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

, to

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

shows, and then to

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

shows, including variety shows. Radio variety shows were the predominant form of light entertainment during the

Golden Age of Radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

from the late 1920s through the 1940s; such radio shows typically included a house vocalist, music from the

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

, a

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

monologue and a short

comedy sketch 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 i ...

. Variety shows centered on running comedy sketches with recurring characters eventually evolved into

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

s (situation comedies).

1931–1960

Variety shows were among the first programs to be featured on television during the experimental

mechanical television Mechanical television or mechanical scan television is a television system that relies on a mechanical scanning device, such as a rotating disk with holes in it or a rotating mirror drum, to scan the scene and generate the video signal, and a si ...

era. Variety shows hosted by

Helen Haynes ''Helen Haynes'' is the assumed title of an early American television series. It aired in 1931 and again in 1932 on experimental New York City station W2XAB, and was a 15-minute music program viewed on mechanical television sets. There is scarce ...

and Harriet Lee are recorded in contemporary newspapers in 1931 and 1932; because of technical limits of the era, no recordings of either show have been preserved. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the genre again was an early favorite of the burgeoning electronic television industry; ''

Hour Glass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically san ...

'', dating to 1946, is the earliest surviving variety show, preserved in the form of audio recordings and still photographs. The genre proliferated during the

Golden Age of Television The first Golden Age of Television is an era of television in the United States marked by its large number of live productions. The period is generally recognized as beginning in 1947 with the first episode of the drama anthology '' Kraft Televi ...

, generally considered to be roughly 1948 to 1960. Many of these Golden Age variety shows were spin-offs or adaptations of previous radio variety shows. From 1948 to 1971, ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' was one of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's most popular television series. Using his no-nonsense approach, host

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

was instrumental in bringing many acts to prominence in the United States, including

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. "

The Arthur Murray Party ''The Arthur Murray Party'' is an American television variety show which ran from July 1950 until September 1960. The show was hosted by famous dancers Arthur and Kathryn Murray, and was basically one long advertisement for their chain of dance ...

" (1950-1960) was wildly popular and one of only 5 shows in the history of television to appear on all four major networks at the same time. The premise was a large dance party hosted by

Kathryn Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman, April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

and

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman, April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

that showcased a new dance and a celebrity guest along with dozens of professional dancers. The show also hosted the only television appearance of

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

and

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

. ''

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1 ...

'' (1955–1982) would go on to become one of U.S. television's longest-running variety shows; based on the concept of the

big band remote A big band remote (a.k.a. dance band remote) was a remote broadcast, common on radio during the 1930s and 1940s, involving a coast-to-coast live transmission of a big band. Overview Broadcasts were usually transmitted by the major radio networks d ...

from the old-time radio era, it was already one of the last shows of its kind when it debuted and far outlasted all other big-band centered broadcast series by the end of its run. Other long-running American variety shows that premiered during this time include ''

Texaco Star Theatre ''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...

'' (1948–1956),

Jerry Lester Jerry Lester (born Lester J. Goldberg; February 16, 1910 – March 23, 1995) was an American comedian, singer and performer on radio, television and the stage, knows for playing the father of the main characters, Mike Firpo, in the comedy ' ...

's ''Cavalcade of Stars'', ''

Broadway Open House ''Broadway Open House'' is network television's first late-night comedy-variety series.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 138. It was telecast live on NBC from May 29 ...

'' and ''Chesterfield Sound-Off Time'' (1949–1952); ''

The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'' (1950–1955), ''

The Garry Moore Show ''The Garry Moore Show'' is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talent ...

'' (1950–1967, in various incarnations), '' The Morey Amsterdam Show'' (1950–1954 in various incarnations), ''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the series ...

'' (1950–1955), ''

Your Show of Shows ''Your Show of Shows'' is a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC from February 25, 1950, through June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, Howa ...

'' (1950–1954), ''

The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televi ...

'' (1951–1971), ''

The Dinah Shore Show ''The Dinah Shore Show'' is an American variety show which was broadcast by NBC from November 1951 to July 1957, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division. For most of the program's run, it aired from 7:30 to 7:45 Eastern Time on Tuesday an ...

'' (1951–1957), ''

The George Gobel Show George Leslie Goebel (May 20, 1919 – February 24, 1991) was an American humorist, actor, and comedian. He was best known as the star of his own weekly comedy variety television series, ''The George Gobel Show'', broadcasting from 1954 to 195 ...

'' (1954–1960) and '' The Dinah Shore Chevy Show'' (1956–1963).

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signin ...

also hosted a series of variety shows that collectively ran from 1948 to 1969, followed by variety specials that ran until 1994. Shorter-lived variety shows during this period include '' The Frank Sinatra Show'' (1950–1952), ''The Jimmy Durante Show'' (1954–1956) and a different '' The Frank Sinatra Show'' (1957–1958). In the UK, '' The Good Old Days''—which ran from 1953 to 1983—featured modern artists performing dressed in late Victorian/Early

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

costume, either doing their own act or performing as a music hall artist of that period. The audience was also encouraged to dress in period costume in a similar fashion. Other long-running British variety shows that originated in the 1950s include ''

Tonight at the London Palladium ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sund ...

'' (1955–1969), ''

The Black and White Minstrel Show ''The Black and White Minstrel Show'' was a British light entertainment show that ran for twenty years on BBC prime-time television. Running from 1958 to 1978, it was a weekly variety show that presented traditional American minstrel and count ...

'' (1958–1978), '' The White Heather Club'' (1958–1968) and ''

'' (an annual event televised since the 1950s).

1960s

Popular American variety shows that began in the 60s include a revival of ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' (1960–1970), ''

The Andy Williams Show ''The Andy Williams Show'' was an American television variety show that ran from 1962 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with ''Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens'')Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time N ...

'' (1962–1971), ''

The Danny Kaye Show ''The Danny Kaye Show'' was an American variety show, hosted by the stage and screen star Danny Kaye, which aired on Wednesday nights from September 25, 1963, to June 7, 1967, on the CBS television network. Directed by Robert Scheerer, it premi ...

'' (1963–1967), '' The Hollywood Palace'' (1964–1970), ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the ...

'' (1965–1974), ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Har ...

'' (1967–1978) and ''

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...

'' (1967–1969). 1969 saw a flurry of new variety shows with rural appeal: ''

The Johnny Cash Show ''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

'' (1969–1971), ''

The Jim Nabors Hour ''The Jim Nabors Hour'' is an American variety television series hosted by Jim Nabors that aired on the CBS television network from 1969 to 1971. Fresh from his success with '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'', which put his backwoods "Gomer Pyle" charac ...

'' (1969–1971), ''

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' was an American music and comedy television variety show hosted by singer Glen Campbell from January 29, 1969, to June 13, 1972, on CBS. He was offered the show after he hosted a 1968 summer replacement for ' ...

'' (1969–1972) and ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

'' (1969–1992). Entertainers with less successful variety shows in the 1960s include

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

and Sammy Davis Jr.

1970s

In 1970 and 1971, the American TV networks, CBS especially, conducted the so-called "

rural purge The "rural purge" of American television networks (in particular CBS) was a series of cancellations in the early 1970s of still-popular rural-themed shows with demographically skewed audiences, the majority of which occurred at the end of the ...

", in which shows that appealed to more rural and older audiences were canceled as part of a greater focus on appealing to wealthier demographics. Many variety shows, including long-running ones, were canceled as part of this "purge," with a few shows (such as ''Hee Haw'' and ''The Lawrence Welk Show'') surviving and moving into first-run

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

. Variety shows continued to be produced in the 1970s, with most of them stripped down to only music and comedy. Popular variety shows that ran in the 1970s include ''

The Flip Wilson Show ''The Flip Wilson Show'' is an hour-long variety show that originally aired in the US on NBC from September 17, 1970, to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs ...

'' (1970–1974), ''

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was ...

'' (1971–1977, in various incarnations), ''The

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

Show'' (1973–1975), ''The Hudson Brothers' Razzle Dazzle Show'' (1974-1975), '' The Midnight Special'' (1973–1981), ''

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations, initially through Viacom Enterprises, and later ...

'' (1973–1981), '' The Mac Davis Show'' (1974–1976), ''

Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando and Dawn is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn (Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson). Their signature hits include " Candida", " Knock Thre ...

'' (1974–1976), ''

'' (1975–present), ''Donny & Marie (1976 TV series), Donny & Marie'' (1976–1979), ''The Muppet Show'' (1976–1981), and ''Sha Na Na (TV series), Sha Na Na'' (1977–1981). Of all of these, only ''Saturday Night Live'' remains on the air today, and has become the longest running variety show in the history of American television. Entertainers with weekly variety shows that ran for one season or less in the 1970s include Captain & Tennille, The Jacksons, The Keane Brothers, Bobby Darin, Mary Tyler Moore, Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, Shields and Yarnell, The Manhattan Transfer, Starland Vocal Band, and the cast of ''The Brady Bunch''. Entertainers with variety-based TV specials in the 70s include The Carpenters, John Denver, Shirley MacLaine, Diana Ross, Bob Hope, and Pat Boone. Paul Lynde hosted a string of irregularly scheduled ''Comedy Hours'' through the late 1970s. By the late 1970s, nearly every variety show had ended production, in part because of audience burnout; the highest-rated variety show of 1975, ''Cher (TV series), Cher'', was only the 22nd-most watched show of the year.

1980s–present

By the early 1980s, the few new variety shows being produced were of remarkably poor quality (see, for instance, the infamous ''Pink Lady and Jeff''), hastening the format's demise, though a few moderately successful shows remained like Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters (November 1980 to June 1982). A brief revival of the genre arose in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Variety shows from this era included ''Dolly (TV series), Dolly'' (starring Dolly Parton), which ran for 23 episodes on ABC during the 1987–'88 season; ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' which aired on Fox from April 1987 through May 1990; a revival of ''

'' from 1988 to 1989; a revival of ''

'', which was broadcast by CBS for nine episodes in 1991 (following up on ''Carol & Company'' on NBC the previous year); and Showtime (TV network), Showtime's ''The Super Dave Osborne Show'' hosted by Bob Einstein from 1987 to 1991. By the 1990s, networks had given up on the format; after initially promising Phil Hartman his own variety show, NBC backed out of the agreement believing a variety show could no longer succeed. By the 21st century, the variety show format had fallen out of fashion, due largely to changing tastes and the fracturing of media audiences (caused by the multi-channel transition, proliferation of cable and satellite television) that makes a multiple-genre variety show impractical. Even reruns of variety shows have generally not been especially widespread; TV Land briefly telecast some variety shows (namely ''

'' and ''

'') upon its beginning in 1996, but within a few years, reruns of most of those shows (except ''

'') stopped. Similarly, Country Music Television, CMT held the rights to ''

'' but telecast very few episodes, opting mainly to hold rights to allow them to air performance videos from the show in its video blocks. The current rights holder of ''Hee Haw'', RFD-TV, has been more prominent in its telecasts of the show; RFD-TV also airs numerous other country music, country-style variety shows from the 1960s and 1970s up through the present day, in a rarity for modern television. Another notable exception is ''

'', which has been telecast frequently in reruns on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) since 1986. ''

'' returned to television in 2017 with reruns on Jewish Life Television (and, in the case of a one-off Christmas special, the Christian-leaning network INSP (TV channel), INSP); JLTV dropped Kaye from its schedule at the end of 2018. ''

'', which had aired in severely edited form sporadically in syndication since it ended in 1977, returned in whole in 2019 on numerous platforms. Digital multicast network getTV shows variety shows on an irregular basis. The Spanish language variety show ''Sabado Gigante'', which began in 1962, and then moved from Chile to the United States in 1986, continued to produce and broadcast new episodes on Univision until its cancellation in September 2015. At least one national variety show continued on national radio into the 21st century. ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was founded and created by Garrison Keillor in 1974 as an homage to rural radio variety shows, featuring sketch comedy based on radio dramas of the old-time radio era, complete with faux commercials. (For a brief time in the late 1980s, the show was replaced with ''The American Radio Company of the Air'', also hosted and created by Keillor, was set in a more urban environment and likewise was based on old-time radio; its short run eventually morphed into a revival of ''A Prairie Home Companion''). In 2016, following Keillor's retirement, Chris Thile took over the program and, over the course of the next year, transformed it into ''Live from Here'', a more streamlined musical variety series. ''Live from Here'', which moved to New York City in 2019, was cancelled due to budget cuts in 2020. Improvisational comic Wayne Brady, coming off his successful appearances on the panel game ''Whose Line Is It Anyway? (American TV series), Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', launched an eponymous variety show in 2001, which aired on ABC. ''The Wayne Brady Show'' lasted only one summer season in its variety format; when the show returned the next year in syndication, it had been reformatted as a talk show, under which format it ran until 2004. Fox's ''Osbournes Reloaded'', a variety show featuring the family of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, was canceled after only one episode had been telecast in 2009. More than two dozen affiliates refused to telecast the first episode of the show. This series had been slated for a six-episode run. NBC has made repeated attempts at reviving the variety format since the late 2000s (its last successful series in this genre, Michael Nesmith's short-lived but influential ''Television Parts'', had aired in summer 1985) . A pilot episode for ''Rosie Live'' was telecast the day before Thanksgiving Day in 2008 and, after receiving middling ratings and extremely poor reviews, was not picked up for its originally planned run in January 2009. In May 2014, NBC aired ''The Maya Rudolph Show'', a variety show starring ''SNL'' performer Maya Rudolph. Like ''Rosie Live'', the broadcast was intended to be a one-off special, but with the possibility of additional episodes depending on its performance. The special won its time slot, due mainly to a strong lead-in, and spawned the May 2016 premiere of ''Maya & Marty'', adding fellow ''SNL'' cast member Martin Short; under that format, ''Maya & Marty'' lasted six episodes. Earlier that season, NBC aired ''Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, Best Time Ever'', an adaptation of the British variety game show ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' starring actor Neil Patrick Harris which was ultimately unsuccessful.

Related formats

Christmas and other variety specials

Starting in the 1950s, some entertainers became associated with variety television specials that would recur on a regular basis, in some cases for decades, on American network TV. Such entertainers included Bob Hope, Bing Crosby,

, Andy Williams and Mitzi Gaynor. Many of these were Christmas variety specials, which often showed the star in a set meant to look like their home, welcoming singers and other guests to perform duets of Christmas songs. The popularity of these Christmas shows outlasted that of weekly variety shows. In 1973, for example, even as variety shows were starting to fade in popularity, variety Christmas specials hosted by Williams and Como both attracted an enormous 40% of the American television audience. Williams's and Johnny Cash's annual Christmas specials outlasted the regularly scheduled variety shows that spawned them by several years. Also, Barbara Mandrell Christmas special. Christmas variety specials' popularity continued into the 1990s, before starting to wane in the 2000s. Nevertheless, the tradition has continued. Entertainers who have hosted Christmas variety specials in the 21st century include Kid Rock, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Bill Murray, Gwen Stefani, and Darci Lynne.

Talk shows

Though the format faded in popularity in prime time, it thrived in American late night television, late night TV. Night-time variety shows eventually evolved into

s, which combine variety entertainment (primarily comedy and live music) with the aspects of a talk show (such as interviews with celebrities). The Emmy Awards academy considers the two genres to be related closely enough that, until 2015, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series was open to any of these types of show; in 2015, the academy separated late-night talk shows and sketch comedy series into separate categories. During Johnny Carson's tenure on ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC from 1962 to 1992, the show dominated late night ratings, and the other networks attempted late-night talk shows only sporadically. This changed with Carson's retirement, and other networks began to air their own talk show competitors, starting with ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on CBS in 1993. As of the current generation of U.S. hosts, late-night talk shows vary widely on their resemblance to the original variety format, with Jimmy Fallon's incarnation of ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show'' putting heavy emphasis on sketch and game segments incorporating celebrity guests (especially involving music), while ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' has placed a larger emphasis on news satire similar to its Stephen Colbert, host's previous Comedy Central late-night program ''The Colbert Report'' (where Colbert Stephen Colbert (character), portrayed himself as a parody of Conservatism in the United States, conservative pundits). ''The Richard Bey Show'' combined the variety show with the tabloid talk show, not only having its guests talk about their problems but also having them participate in absurdist games, and ''Sally (1983 TV series), Sally Jesse Raphael'' was known for occasionally having music and fashion in the show, especially drag queen, drag and gender-bending performances.

Sketch comedy shows

American

series such as ''

'', ''In Living Color'', ''Almost Live!'' (and its successor ''Up Late NW''), ''MADtv'', and ''Second City Television, SCTV'' also contain variety show elements, particularly musical performances and comedy sketches. The most obvious difference between shows such as ''Saturday Night Live'' and traditional variety shows is the lack of a single lead host (or hosts) and a large ensemble cast. ''SNL'' has used different guest hosts ever since its inception.

Talent shows

Televised talent shows have a variety show element, in that they feature a variety of different acts. Examples of US talent shows that feature entertainers from a broad variety of disciplines include ''Star Search'', which had a run in the 1980s in syndication and a run on

in the early 2000s during the reality television boom; ''The Gong Show'', which reached its peak in the 1970s but has had occasional revivals since then; and the worldwide ''Got Talent'' franchise.

Telethons

The variety show format also continued in America in the form of the telethon, which feature variety entertainment (often music) interspersed with appeals for viewers to make donations to support a charity or cause. The ''Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon'' was one of the best known telethons in the US, but it too was eventually canceled after several years of shortening (originally over 21 hours, by the time of its last telecast in 2014, by which point Lewis had been gone from the telethon several years, it was down to two hours). Another popular telethon, for United Cerebral Palsy, ended its run in 1998 shortly after the death of its founder and figurehead, Dennis James. Likewise, only a handful of long-established local telethons remain.

Other countries or regions

Australia

The prime time variety show format was popular in the early decades of Australian television, spawning such series as ''In Melbourne Tonight'', ''The Graham Kennedy Show'', ''The Don Lane Show'', and ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'', which ran for 27 years. Recent prime time variety shows include the short lived ''Micallef Tonight'' and ''The Sideshow (TV series), The Sideshow''.

Brazil

In Brazil, variety shows are referred to as a ''show de auditório'' (lit. "auditorium show"). Among the longest-running variety shows on Brazilian TV have been Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão, SBT's ''Programa Silvio Santos'' (1963–present), which is hosted by SBT's owner Silvio Santos, and TV Globo's ''Domingão do Faustão'' (1989–2021), which was hosted by Fausto Silva until he departed the network to host a Faustão na Band, new variety show on Rede Bandeirantes.

Taiwan

Two notable Taiwanese variety shows are ''Guess (TV program), Guess'' (1996-2012) and ''100% Entertainment'' (1997-present). East Asian variety programs are known for their constant use of sound effects, on-screen visuals and comedic bantering. Many of the shows are presented in a live-like presentation in a fast-paced setting, with scenes repeating or fast forwarded. Another popular variety show in Taiwan was ''Kangsi Coming'' (2004-2016). It was famous for its bantering, which was scripted.

Hong Kong

The first Cantonese variety show to become a major success was Hong Kong's ''Enjoy Yourself Tonight'', which first aired in 1967 and ran for 27 years. In Hong Kong, variety shows are often combined with elements of a cooking show or a talent competition but end in various results.

Japan

Variety programming has remained one of the dominant genres of television programming. While Japanese variety shows are famous abroad for their wild stunts, they vary from talk shows to music shows, from tabloid news shows to skit comedy. The prominent use of telop on screen has created a style that has influenced variety programming across Asia. One of the most popular variety shows in Japan includes ''Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, Downtown no Gaki No Tsukai''.

South Korea

In South Korea, the hugely popular show ''Infinite Challenge'', has been broadcast by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, MBC from 2005 to 2018, was a new model of this, called "Real Variety Show". It combined comedy and variety scenes including unscripted stunts and special guest stars while taking place in various settings. Although many variety shows have existed in Korea long before the broadcast of ''Infinite Challenge'', this program has given a rise to a new page in the history of Korean variety shows by introducing unscripted stunts. As a result, other broadcasting channels such as Korean Broadcasting System, KBS and Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS have followed its path and introduced programs such as ''2 Days & 1 Night'' and '' Running Man''. These types of Korean variety shows are grabbing foreign interest of countries such as Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and even the United States bringing on a new type of the Korean wave globally.

Philippines

Variety shows are a huge part of daily life in the Philippines, with all of the major networks running their own variety shows usually during lunchtime and can be on the air for between one and a half hours to three hours. The most notable Philippine variety show is the longest-running ''Eat Bulaga'', which premiered in 1979 and has aired on Radio Philippines Network, RPN, ABS-CBN, and GMA Network in the succeeding years. Recently many other TV networks are different formats of variety. It's Showtime (Philippine TV program), ''It's Showtime'' and ''Lunch Out Loud'' has shown great popularity and interest to Filipino viewers.

Mexico

''Siempre en Domingo'' premiered in 1969 with Raúl Velasco hosting. It became Mexico's longest-running variety series, remaining on Televisa until 1998. Other long-running variety shows, most of which have been Televisa productions, have included ''La Carabina de Ambrosio'', ''Anabel Ferreira, Anabel'', ''Al Fin de Semana'', ''Silvia Pinal, Silvia y Enrique Guzmán, Enrique'', ''La Parodia'', ''Muevete'', ''Desmadruga2'', and ''Sabadazo.''. Most, if not all, of Televisa's variety shows have aired in other countries, including the Univision networks in the United States.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, the best known variety show is ''Súper Sábado Sensacional''. Originally established in 1968 (as ''Sábado Espectacular'') on Radio Caracas Television, the show moved to Venevision in 1970 and was renamed ''Sábado Sensacional''. In 1990, "Súper" was added to the title, and is how the show is currently known today.

Chile

The Spanish language, Spanish-language variety show known as ''Sábado Gigante, Sábados Gigantes'' (forerunner of the U.S. ''Sábado Gigante'') began in 1962 with Don Francisco (television host), Don Francisco and lasted into the 1990s. His daughter, Vivianne Kreutzberger, currently hosts the program under the title ''Gigantes con Vivi'', while Don Francisco has hosted the U.S. version since April 12, 1986 until the end of the show's run on September 19, 2015.

France

Throughout the 1960s and the 1970s, the producers Maritie and Gilbert Carpentier created the most popular variety shows on French television, including ''Le Sacha Show'' (1963-1971) hosted by Sacha Distel, ''Top à...'' (1972-1974), ''Numéro Un'' (1975-1982) and a lot of television specials presented by various famous singers (Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Claude François, Petula Clark). From 1965 to 1970 was also aired ''Dim Dam Dom'', a modern, playful and sophisticated show intended for a female audience and produced by ''Elle (magazine), Elle'' chief editor Daisy de Galard. Each episode of ''Dim Dam Dom'' was hosted in an all-white studio set by a different ''speakerine'' (a female continuity announcer), usually a popular actress or singer like Françoise Hardy, Marie Laforêt, Geraldine Chaplin, France Gall, Jane Birkin, Françoise Fabian, Romy Schneider.

United Kingdom

Variety shows with an emphasis on comedy sketches were popular in the United Kingdom from the late 1960s until the 1980s. Two of the longest-running and most popular series were Morecambe and Wise and The Two Ronnies.

References

External links

The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment
digitized items from th
Rare Book and Special Collections Division
of the Library of Congress {{Authority control Theatrical genres Television genres Variety shows, Television terminology