History of variety shows
Variety shows grew out of vaudeville theater and radio entertainment, then became a dominant force in early television. They combined music, comedy sketches, and celebrity guests into a single program designed to entertain the widest possible audience. For TV writers, the genre offers a masterclass in how to structure diverse content into a cohesive viewing experience.
Early radio variety shows
Radio variety shows emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, establishing a template that television would later adopt wholesale. Programs like "The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour," hosted by Rudy Vallee, mixed musical performances with comedy skits and celebrity appearances. These shows served as a training ground for comedians and performers who would eventually move to TV, and the core format elements they established (opening monologue, musical number, comedy sketch) are still recognizable in late-night television today.
Golden age of television
The 1950s through the 1970s were the peak years for variety shows. Programs like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Carol Burnett Show dominated prime-time slots and pulled in massive audiences. These shows had real cultural weight: they could launch a career overnight, introduce new music to millions, and create moments the entire country talked about the next day. The format showcased both established stars and unknown talents, giving writers and performers a unique platform.
Decline in popularity
Starting in the late 1970s and accelerating through the 1980s, the classic variety show format faded. Several factors drove the decline:
- Rise of cable channels that catered to specific interests, fragmenting the broad audience variety shows depended on
- Shifting viewer preferences toward more focused, single-genre programming
- Increasing production costs for the large casts, live bands, and elaborate sets these shows required
Talk shows and reality programming gradually absorbed many variety show functions, offering similar entertainment at lower cost.
Format and structure
Variety shows follow a modular structure, cycling through distinct segment types within a single episode. This format gives writers flexibility to mix tones and styles while keeping the overall show familiar to viewers. Each segment type serves a specific purpose in the episode's rhythm.
Opening monologue
The host delivers the monologue to kick off the show, setting the tone and energy level for everything that follows. It typically includes topical jokes and commentary on current events, warming up the live audience and establishing a connection with viewers at home. For writers, the monologue is the show's first impression, so it needs to land quickly and confidently.
Musical performances
Musical segments feature established artists, up-and-coming acts, or both. These performances serve a dual purpose: they provide entertainment value on their own and they control the episode's pacing, giving the audience a change of energy between comedy-heavy segments. Performances are often tied to album releases or tours, making them partly promotional.
Comedy sketches
Sketches are short, self-contained comedic scenes or parodies. They can involve the host, regular cast members, and guest stars in various combinations. The range is wide: topical political satire, character-driven comedy, absurdist premises, physical gags. For writers, sketches are where you get the most creative freedom within the variety format.
Guest interviews
The host sits down with celebrity guests for conversations that range from serious discussion to playful banter. These segments often serve a promotional function (the guest has a movie or album coming out), but the best interviews feel genuinely spontaneous. Writers typically prepare questions and talking points, but the host needs room to improvise based on how the conversation flows.
Key elements of variety shows
These elements work together to create the variety show experience. Understanding how they interact is more useful than studying any one in isolation.
Host's role and personality
The host is the connective tissue of the entire show. They're the comedian during the monologue, the interviewer during guest segments, and the straight man (or wild card) during sketches. Strong hosts develop a recognizable persona: Johnny Carson's cool wit, Carol Burnett's fearless physicality, Ed Sullivan's earnest stiffness. Writers need to build everything around the host's strengths, because the host is what audiences tune in for week after week.
Celebrity guests
Guests provide star power and give each episode a unique identity. A single guest might appear across multiple segments: sitting for an interview, joining a sketch, performing a song. The most memorable variety show moments often come from unexpected interactions between the host and a guest, which means writers should create opportunities for spontaneity rather than scripting every second.
Live audience interaction
A live studio audience creates energy that's hard to replicate any other way. Laughter, applause, and gasps give performers real-time feedback and make at-home viewers feel like they're part of an event. Some shows build this further with audience participation segments or Q&A sessions. Writers should account for audience reactions in their timing, leaving space for laughs rather than steamrolling through jokes.
Recurring segments
Recurring bits become a show's signature. Think of Letterman's "Top Ten List" or Corden's "Carpool Karaoke." These segments give viewers something familiar to look forward to while still allowing creative variation each week. The best recurring segments eventually become cultural touchstones, generating catchphrases and social media moments that extend the show's reach beyond its time slot.
Notable variety show hosts
Studying specific hosts reveals how different personalities shaped the variety format in distinct ways.
Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan hosted The Ed Sullivan Show from 1948 to 1971. He wasn't a comedian or a singer; he was a newspaper columnist turned TV host, famous for his stiff delivery and his catchphrase "really big shew." What made him extraordinary was his curatorial instinct. He introduced The Beatles and Elvis Presley to American living rooms, but he also booked ballet dancers, plate spinners, and opera singers on the same episode. Sullivan played a significant role in desegregating television by consistently featuring African American performers at a time when that was controversial.
Carol Burnett
The Carol Burnett Show ran from 1967 to 1978, and Burnett broke ground as a female variety show host in a field dominated by men. Her strengths were physical comedy and character work. The show featured iconic recurring sketches (including the famous Went with the Wind parody) and a beloved audience Q&A segment that opened each episode, showcasing Burnett's quick improvisational skills. Her show demonstrated that a variety program could be built around an ensemble comedy sensibility rather than just a parade of guest acts.
Dean Martin
Dean Martin hosted The Dean Martin Show from 1965 to 1974, cultivating a laid-back, effortlessly cool persona. His singing talent and comedic timing made him a natural fit for the format, and his celebrity roast segments became a hugely popular feature. Martin's approach was the opposite of tightly scripted: he projected an air of casual spontaneity, as if the whole show might fall apart at any moment and he wouldn't mind. For writers, his show is a study in how a strong host persona can hold loose material together.
Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992, and his influence on the late-night format is hard to overstate. He mastered the opening monologue, the celebrity interview, and the recurring comedy bit (like his "Carnac the Magnificent" character). What set Carson apart was his ability to recover gracefully when a joke bombed, often getting a bigger laugh from the save than the original joke would have earned. His approach to hosting became the template that virtually every late-night host since has followed or reacted against.
Writing for variety shows
Writing for variety shows demands versatility. You're not just writing one type of comedy; you're writing monologue jokes, sketch scripts, interview prep, and sometimes song parodies, all for the same episode.
Monologue writing techniques
Monologue jokes need to be short and punchy, with clear setups and punchlines. The material is almost always topical, drawn from the day's news. Writers tailor every joke to the host's delivery style and comedic voice. A good monologue also weaves in callbacks and running gags that reward attentive viewers. The balance between political satire and lighter, more universal humor depends on the show and its audience.
Sketch comedy development
Sketch writing typically starts in the writers' room with group brainstorming. The process generally follows these steps:
- Generate premises by pitching ideas based on current events, character concepts, or absurd "what if" scenarios
- Develop the strongest ideas into full sketches with well-defined characters and clear comedic escalation
- Write tight scenes with a clear beginning, middle, and end (most sketches run 3-7 minutes)
- Layer in physical comedy and visual gags that complement the dialogue
- Read through and revise with the cast, cutting anything that doesn't get a laugh or slows the pace
Adapting to host's style
Every host has a distinct voice, and the writing has to match it. This means studying the host's timing, speech patterns, vocabulary, and comfort zones. If the host is a strong improviser, you write looser material that leaves room for riffing. If the host excels at character work, you develop recurring sketch roles that play to that strength. Close collaboration between writers and host is essential for making scripted material sound natural.
Topical vs. evergreen content
Variety shows need both timely and timeless material. Topical content (jokes about this week's news, sketches parodying a current trend) gives the show urgency and relevance. Evergreen content (character-based sketches, recurring bits with a flexible premise) can be reused, repurposed, or revisited. Writers have to be ready to scrap topical material at the last minute if the news cycle shifts, which means always having backup material ready.
Production aspects
Writers don't work in a vacuum. Understanding production realities helps you write material that can actually be executed on stage and on camera.
Set design and staging
A variety show set needs to accommodate multiple segment types: an interview area with chairs and a desk, a performance stage for musical acts, and open space for sketches. The design creates the show's visual identity while allowing quick transitions between segments. Writers should be aware of what the set can and can't do, since a sketch that requires an elaborate set change might not be practical in a live taping.
Musical direction
The house band and musical director handle much more than just guest performances. They provide musical cues and transitions between segments, arrange walk-on music for guests, and sometimes collaborate with writers on original songs or parodies. During live tapings, the musical director has to adapt in real time to pacing changes, extended interviews, or improvised moments.
Costume and makeup
Costume and makeup teams bring sketch characters to life visually and manage the quick changes required when performers move between segments. Writers should consider costume feasibility when creating sketch characters. A character concept that requires 20 minutes of prosthetic makeup won't work if the performer has to be back on stage two segments later.
Live vs. taped performances
The production format shapes how writers approach their material:
- Live shows offer immediacy and genuine spontaneity but demand precise timing and leave no room for do-overs
- Taped shows allow multiple takes and post-production editing, giving writers and performers more room to experiment
- Live-to-tape (filming in front of an audience in real time, with minimal editing afterward) combines elements of both
Writers need to account for the format. Live shows require built-in pauses for audience reactions. Taped shows can include more ambitious visual effects or complex staging.
Impact on popular culture
Variety shows didn't just reflect popular culture; they actively shaped it for decades.
Star-making power
A single appearance on a major variety show could transform an unknown act into a national sensation. The most famous example: The Beatles' February 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show drew an estimated 73 million viewers and effectively launched the British Invasion in America. This star-making power gave variety show hosts enormous influence as cultural gatekeepers. Modern talent competition shows like America's Got Talent are direct descendants of this tradition.
Influence on music industry
Variety shows were one of the primary ways Americans discovered new music before MTV and streaming. A performance on Ed Sullivan or The Tonight Show could send a song up the charts. These shows also created iconic visual moments, like Elvis Presley's controversial hip movements, that shaped how audiences experienced music as a visual medium. The connection between television performance and music promotion that variety shows established is still fundamental to the industry.
Social commentary through comedy
Variety shows used humor to address topics that straight news coverage couldn't always touch. Sketch comedy and satirical monologues let writers comment on politics, race, gender, and social norms in ways that felt accessible rather than preachy. Shows like The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on network television in the late 1960s, directly challenging censors over anti-war and countercultural content.
Catchphrases and cultural references
Variety shows generated catchphrases, characters, and moments that entered the shared cultural vocabulary. "Here's Johnny," "really big shew," and countless sketch characters became reference points that crossed demographic lines. These shared touchstones were possible because variety shows drew such broad audiences. In an era before media fragmentation, a single sketch could become something nearly everyone in the country recognized.
Modern interpretations
The classic variety show format has largely disappeared, but its DNA is everywhere in contemporary television.
Late-night talk shows
Late-night is the most direct descendant of the variety format. Shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live! retain the core structure: opening monologue, comedy segments, musical guests, and celebrity interviews. The main evolution is a heavier emphasis on viral-friendly segments designed for social media clips, which has shifted how writers think about individual bits (each one needs to work as a standalone video, not just as part of the full episode).
Sketch comedy programs
Shows like Saturday Night Live and Key & Peele specialize in the sketch comedy component of the variety format. SNL in particular preserves many classic variety elements: a different celebrity host each week, a musical guest, and a live studio audience. These programs typically feature ensemble casts rather than a single star host, and they continue to serve as launching pads for comedic actors and writers.
Reality talent competitions
Shows like America's Got Talent and The Voice borrow the variety show's emphasis on diverse performances and audience participation. They replace the host-as-curator model with a competition framework, adding judges, audience voting, and elimination rounds. The core appeal is the same: watching a range of performers in a single program.
Online variety content
Digital platforms have enabled new takes on the variety concept. Web series like Between Two Ferns and late-night show YouTube channels adapt variety elements for shorter attention spans and niche audiences. Online formats allow for more experimentation since there's no network time slot to fill and no broadcast standards department to satisfy. The trade-off is smaller budgets and less cultural centrality.
Challenges and considerations
Writing for variety-style programming comes with specific challenges that differ from single-genre shows.
Balancing diverse content
The fundamental challenge of variety writing is maintaining a coherent flow between segments that differ in tone, pace, and style. A show might move from a political monologue to a silly sketch to a serious musical performance within 15 minutes. Writers need to think about transitions and emotional pacing across the full episode, not just within individual segments. Time constraints add pressure: every segment competes for limited airtime.
Appealing to broad audiences
Variety shows historically succeeded by attracting viewers across age groups and backgrounds. That's harder now in a fragmented media landscape. Writers have to navigate cultural sensitivities, stay relevant to younger viewers without alienating older ones, and create content with broad appeal that still feels distinctive. The temptation is to play it safe, but safe material rarely generates the memorable moments that build an audience.
Keeping the format fresh
Audiences get bored with repetition, but they also want the comfort of familiar structure. Writers have to innovate within the format: developing new recurring segments, incorporating current trends, and finding fresh angles on established bit types. Adapting to shorter attention spans and second-screen viewing habits (people watching while scrolling their phones) is an ongoing challenge.
Competing with niche programming
In a media environment where viewers can find content tailored to their exact interests, the "something for everyone" approach of variety shows is both a strength and a vulnerability. Writers need to offer experiences that niche programming can't replicate, like unexpected combinations of guests, cross-genre moments, or the energy of a live event. Social media and cross-promotion have become essential tools for building and maintaining audience engagement.
Legacy and influence
The variety show era may be over, but its influence runs through nearly every corner of modern television entertainment.
Variety show elements in modern TV
Late-night talk shows use monologues and musical guests. Reality competitions feature diverse performances and celebrity judges. Comedy programs occasionally produce variety-style special episodes. Even news programs have incorporated entertainment and humor segments. Streaming platforms have experimented with variety-style content, though no single format has fully revived the classic model.
Nostalgia factor
Classic variety show clips remain popular on YouTube and in compilation specials. Reunion tributes and retrospective documentaries draw audiences who remember the originals and introduce the format to younger viewers. The fashion, music, and cultural style of the variety show era continue to influence period-piece productions and retro-themed programming.
Training ground for performers
Variety shows gave performers a unique opportunity to develop range. A comedian could try character work, musical comedy, and improvisation all within a single show. This tradition continues in programs like SNL, which functions as a proving ground for comedic actors and writers. Many of the biggest names in comedy (from Tim Conway to Tina Fey) built their skills in variety or variety-adjacent formats.
Influence on comedy writing
The variety format established many techniques that comedy writers still use: structuring a topical monologue, building a sketch around escalation, creating recurring characters that audiences look forward to, and blending different types of humor within a single program. Understanding these techniques gives you a foundation that applies whether you're writing for late-night, sketch shows, or any format that mixes comedy styles.