Television series
The Flip Wilson Show
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
Flip Wilson's NBC variety show (1970–74) was a watershed moment: the first Black-hosted network variety series to dominate mainstream ratings. Sixty minutes of sketches, music, and characters—Geraldine Jones, Reverend Leroy—performed on an arena stage with the audience surrounding the action. Funny, groundbreaking, and a genuine pleasure to watch.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love sketch comedy built around a single performer's characters, the sly, character-driven kind where a wig, a voice and a stubborn attitude carry an entire bit.
Skip it if you want a tight, plot-driven story or a modern pace; the skits are stitched together with variety-hour detours, music and stage banter that can feel leisurely.
What it asks of you: Settle in for a full hour of brisk sketches, switching characters and costumes fast, with some gags that land and others that simply come and go.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Carol Burnett Show1967
The gold standard of sketch comedy variety shows. Carol and her ensemble (Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway) built elaborate, character-driven sketches that evolved over multiple seasons. You'll see the blueprint for everything that came after.
But It's long—episodes run 60 to 90 minutes—and some sketches outstay their welcome. The parade of guest stars can feel dated now.
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In1967
Fast, absurdist, anarchic. Rapid-fire gags, catchphrases, running jokes, and a who's-who of emerging talent (Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Dick Martin). It was the show that proved sketch comedy could be wildly inventive and massively popular at the same time.
But The frenetic pacing and relentless one-liners can exhaust you. Humour is heavily '60s—some references have calcified.
Saturday Night Live1975
SNL inherited the variety-show torch directly. Sketches, musical guests, cold opens—and the live, anything-can-happen energy that gave it an edge Flip Wilson's polish sometimes lacked. The early years (1975–80) are essential comedy history.
But The show is uneven by design. You'll sit through sketches that fall flat just to reach the good ones. It's also long and demands real commitment.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Flip Wilson Show
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Richard Pryor Show1977
Both shows proved that a Black comedian could command a variety-show format and a massive audience, but Pryor went places Wilson's softer persona never reached—the show is an argument about what American television was willing to embrace.
Richard Pryor's variety show aired for only five episodes before NBC pulled it—partly because it was too raw, too truthful, and too Black for network comfort. It's rougher and sharper than Flip Wilson's work, with none of the institutional safety. Every sketch crackles.
But It's fragmented and brief, frustratingly so. The show was cancelled before it could develop, and some sketches feel incomplete. Also, it's harder to find than Flip Wilson.
More like this (8)
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour1971
Another sketch show that thrived on personality and chemistry. Sonny and Cher's banter felt genuinely improvised, and the show's mix of comedy, music, and domestic-couple energy was irresistible. Great supporting cast and costume work.
But The couple dynamic that made it work is also its limitation—repetition sets in. Some material trades on gender stereotypes that don't age gracefully.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show1970
Sitcom gold. MTM proved that you could do smart, character-driven comedy with real emotion underneath. The ensemble cast (Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Georgia Engel) was impeccable, and the writing was sharp without being showy.
But It's a sitcom, not a variety show—a different animal entirely. If you want sketches and music, this isn't it.
The Dean Martin Show1965
Variety-show elegance: sketches, musical numbers, celebrity guests, all built around Dean's effortless charisma. The show had real production value and a jazz-lounge sophistication that was rare on network TV.
But It can feel static and slow compared to Flip Wilson or Laugh-In. Dean's perpetual boozy charm wears thin after a while.
Sanford and Son1972
A sitcom that proved Black comedians could carry a network hit on character and funny writing. Redd Foxx was brilliant—caustic, quick, completely alive in the role. It helped pave the way for shows like The Jeffersons.
But It's a sitcom set in a junkyard, not a variety show. The humour relies heavily on Redd's ad-libbed profanity (mostly bleeped), which can feel repetitive.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1962
Carson's daytime variety show (not The Tonight Show) was loose, inventive, and a masterclass in hosting. Sketches, guest stars, audience participation—all held together by Johnny's timing and warmth. A different energy from the primetime shows.
But Not all episodes survive. What does exist can feel thin—the show was produced at a daytime pace. It requires patience.
Hee Haw1969
A country-music variety show that deserves more respect than it gets. Fast-paced sketches, great musicians, silly humour that lands more often than it misses. It was hugely popular and genuinely inventive in how it used the stage.
But The country-music setting and cornpone humour will feel alien if that's not your world. Some of the jokes are painfully groan-worthy.
Inside the NFL1977
Both are performance-driven shows built around charismatic hosts who understand that how you say something matters as much as what you say—and both treated their audiences like they were smart enough to enjoy style and substance together.
Not a comedy show, but bear with me: it's a sports highlight show presented with theatrical flair and personality. Cris Collinsworth, O.J. Simpson, and other analysts turned football analysis into performance. The joy in the hosts' voices is genuine and infectious.
But You have to care about American football, or at least be willing to learn. The sports commentary has dated, and some of the presenters have become toxic.
Bamboozled2000
Flip Wilson navigated the constraints of network television and mainstream success by creating characters and personas that allowed him to be funny while staying legible to white audiences—Bamboozled asks hard questions about what that negotiation costs, and whether it was ever really his choice to make.
Spike Lee's film about a struggling screenwriter who pitches a minstrel-show revival to save his career is brutal, funny, and absolutely essential. It examines entertainment, race, and complicity with a fury that doesn't let anyone off the hook. It's a provocation disguised as satire.
But It's deliberately ugly and uncompromising. Lee doesn't soften the edges for comfort. Some viewers will find it heavy-handed; others will find it cathartic but exhausting.
People
Cast
Flip WilsonHost
Writing
- David FrostCreator
- Flip WilsonCreator
Recommended by
The Julie Andrews Hour, The Richard Pryor Show, Julia, Please Give, The Dean Martin Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge