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Five Shows in the Tradition of 'The Carol Burnett Show'
by Allison Waldman, posted Apr 7th 2010 2:04PM
Television legend Carol Burnett has been making the talk show circuit to promote her new book, a look back at her wonderful, classic variety show 'The Carol Burnett Show,' called "This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection." The book sounds like a must-read, especially if you grew up on the comedy, music and characters that Carol, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner and Tim Conway brought to TV viewers every week. In fact, to this day, those characters are still hilarious. Last week, my sister and I recalled the Mrs. Wiggins sketch, with Tim Conway as Mr. Tudball. We both laughed at the memory.
Sadly, 'The Carol Burnett Show' today is like a relic from the past. It was in many ways the end of an era. Like Carol herself said in USA Today, the cost of those shows would be too much today. But when she was doing her show, CBS Television City was also producing 'The Sonny & Cher Show,' 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' and 'The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.' That was a lot of variety, something that's non-existent today .
But we're not totally without music, comedy and dancing entertainment. If you look around the dial, some of the most popular TV shows now are this generation's variety. Here's the top five shows that approximate the way it was when Carol and company were entertaining America:
5. 'Dancing With the Stars' – Like 'The Carol Burnett Show,' 'Dancing With the Stars' is big on star power, only instead of just music and television personalities, the 'DWTS' formula brings us all kinds of celebrities. The thrill of watching a non-dancer like astronaut Buzz Aldrin try to master a classic dance is as entertaining in its own way as Jim Nabors trying to do a skit on Carol's show back in the day.
4. 'America's Got Talent' – Variety is the key on 'America's Got Talent,' so in that way it's a bit more like 'The Ed Sullivan Show' than 'Carol Burnett.' But the great thing about 'America's Got Talent' is the diversity. You may see jugglers, dancers, magicians, singers, the entire gamut of entertainment. And you never know who's going to surprise you with their talent.
3. 'American Idol' – With this show, as well as 'America's Got Talent' and 'Dancing With the Stars,' there's more to the program than entertainment. It's competition, too, and viewers getting wrapped up in the excitement of the contestants' journey. 'American Idol' does something else, however. It's a great showcase for the hottest, biggest stars in the world today. Last week, both Usher and P. Diddy were singing and dancing. And with the upcoming 'Idol Gives Back,' there will be even more stars performing on the big Fox stage in Hollywood.
2. 'Glee' – You may raise an eyebrow at this choice, but you shouldn't. 'Glee' embodies many of the same qualities that made 'The Carol Burnett Show' must-see TV, like a troupe of exciting singers and dancers doing different musical numbers each and every week. The whole show choir concept is like the musical revues that Carol would bring us, with great guests joining in. Even some of the outrageous characters remind you of the Burnett style. Couldn't you see Carol doing Sue Sylvester, with Harvey as Sandy Ryerson, Vicki as Rachel Berry, and Lyle as Finn?
1. 'Saturday Night Live' – The cast changes year in and year out, but the roots of 'Saturday Night Live' is very much the same as 'The Carol Burnett Show,' especially in the commitment to original comedy and the creation of unique characters. 'Saturday Night Live' began in 1975, overlapping the end of Carol's show in 1978. It was in many ways the passing of a torch, from one generation's comedy style to the next.
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