Television series
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
A variety show built around the chemistry between Sonny Bono and Cher, mixing comedy sketches, musical numbers, and their witty back-and-forth banter. It's loose, warm, and genuinely funny—the kind of thing you'd want to watch with someone you love. Essential seventies pop culture, and a genuine window into why this unlikely duo became a phenomenon.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love vintage variety television, with its band numbers, quick sketches and cheerful bickering, and you enjoy watching two performers who clearly like working together.
Skip it if you want a story that builds across episodes, since each hour is a self-contained grab bag of banter, sketches and songs with little continuity between them.
What it asks of you: Sixty minutes at a time, with no need to follow a plot; you dip in and out, and the rhythm is brisk, jokes landing every few minutes.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Carol Burnett Show1967
The gold standard of variety television. Carol's improvisational gift and ensemble chemistry created sketches of genuine brilliance, mixed with musical performances and guest stars. If you loved Sonny & Cher's format, this is where it was perfected.
But It's long—most episodes run 90 minutes—and some sketches are rougher than others. A couple feel dated in ways that aren't charming.
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In1967
Fast, anarchic, and crammed with jokes from the writers who'd go on to dominate comedy. The pace is dizzying; sketches last seconds. It's the energy and irreverence of the seventies distilled into pure comedy.
But The rapid-fire format can exhaust you. Some of the humor lands harder if you're familiar with the politics of 1968–70.
The Muppet Show1976
Variety show with genuine artistry beneath the humor. Henson's puppets have real personalities; the guest stars actually engage with them. It's funny for kids and adults, with a warmth that rarely feels forced.
But If you find puppets irritating, no episode will change your mind. Some musical numbers run long.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Straw Dogs1971
Both are products of 1971 America, but they reveal completely opposite truths about the culture. One is naive joy; one is civilized veneer stripped away. Together they show what was possible in that moment—lightness and darkness, neither canceling the other out.
Released the same year Sonny & Cher premiered, this is sixties counterculture rage turned into art. Peckinpah's violence is ugly and justified in ways that still provoke. Dustin Hoffman is extraordinary—small, principled, then terrifying.
But It's graphic and disturbing. The rape scene is long and difficult. If you watch it for lightness, you will be disappointed and angry.
More like this (6)
The Hollywood Squares1966
Game show with real comedians, real wit. The format gives guests room for genuinely funny ad-libs and reactions. It's light, clever, and deeply charming in its simplicity.
But It's a game show first, comedy second. If the format bores you, the jokes won't save it.
That's Entertainment!1974
A compilation of classic MGM musical numbers that proves variety entertainment was once the soul of Hollywood. Incredible performers doing what they do best, with genuine polish. It's a love letter to the form.
But It's nostalgic by design. If you're not charmed by old Hollywood glamour, this won't convert you. Some numbers feel quaint now.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show1970
Sitcom with the sharpness and warmth that made seventies comedy great. Smart writing, real character work, and ensemble timing that rivals any sketch show. It invented the modern comedy we still use.
But It's a sitcom, not a variety show—totally different animal. Some early episodes feel rough compared to later seasons.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1962
If you want to see what made the era tick, watch Carson do monologues and sketches. He's sharper than Sonny, and the show moves with real precision. It's a masterclass in hosting.
But Carson can feel remote compared to Sonny & Cher's warmth. The show is often uneven; not every guest segment works.
Singin' in the Rain1952
Both understand that the real art isn't the story—it's the connection between performers and audience. Singin' in the Rain proved that variety and spectacle could be high art. Sonny & Cher brought that same principle into the living room, making greatness intimate.
The greatest argument for entertainment as an art form ever made. Kelly, Astaire, and Charisse are impossibly skilled; the choreography is pure joy. It's technically perfect and emotionally generous.
But It's a musical from 1952. If you need irony or self-awareness in your entertainment, this will feel quaint. The plot is thin.
The Gong Show1976
Both shows built their humor on the gap between ordinary people and the spotlight. Sonny & Cher were pros playing pros; The Gong Show celebrated amateurs being brave and terrible. The Gong Show took that variety-show format and removed all the polish, exposing what made it work underneath.
Anarchic talent show where amateurs perform bizarrely, judges end bad acts with a gong, and nobody takes it seriously. It's chaos and kindness at once—the show wants you to love the weird. Pure seventies id.
But Much of it is genuinely bad to watch. Some acts are uncomfortable in ways that aren't funny. The humor is lowest-common-denominator.
People
Cast
Sonny BonoHost
Writing
- Chris BeardeCreator
Recommended by
The Carol Burnett Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Julie Andrews Hour, The Dean Martin Show, Donny & Marie, The Flip Wilson Show, Hee Haw, The Brady Bunch Hour, Pink Lady and Jeff