Best tv shows like History Bites
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Plot Summary:
History Bites was a television series on the History Television network that ran from 1998-2003. Created by Rick Green, History Bites explored what would be on television if the medium had been around for the last 5,000 years of human history. Typically, a significant historical event was chosen and mock news, sports and entertainment programming was created around it. Each episode included several segments of Green offering historical background of the episode's chosen era and otherwise showed frequent shifts from one comedy sketch to another representing a channel-surfing viewer who never watched any one sketch for more than a few minutes at a time. Reruns of History Bites are currently being shown on History Television and The Comedy Network.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 281
Genere: Comedy, History
Country: Canada
Duration:
Plot tags: parody, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, sketch comedy, fake documentary
Best tv shows and movies like History Bites (1998):
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CODCO (1986)
Plot Summary:
CODCO was a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1992. Founded as a theatrical revue in 1973, CODCO drew on the province's cultural history of self-deprecating "Newfie" humour, frequently focusing on the cod fishing industry. The troupe's name was an abbreviation of "Cod Company". Following the end of CODCO, two of the troupe's core members and an occasional guest collaborator, as well as some of their sketch characters, moved on to the new series This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 217
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sketch comedy
Similar in 75%
Bizarre (1979)
Plot Summary:
A half hour sketch comedy show that is not politically correct. It showcased the talents of veteran performers John Byner (the host) and Bob Einstein as Super Dave Osbourne.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 646
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: parody, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, sketch comedy
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This Hour Has 22 Minutes (1992)
Plot Summary:
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials. Originally featuring Cathy Jones, Rick Mercer, Greg Thomey and Mary Walsh, the series featured satirical sketches of the weekly news and Canadian political events. The show's format is a mock news program, intercut with comic sketches, parody commercials and humorous interviews of public figures. The on-location segments are frequently filmed with slanted camera angles. Its full name is a parody of This Hour Has Seven Days, a CBC newsmagazine from the 1960s; the "22 Minutes" refers to the fact that a half-hour television program in Canada and the U.S. is typically 22 minutes long with eight minutes of commercials. Jones and Walsh had previously worked together on the sketch comedy series CODCO, on which Thomey sometimes appeared as a guest. Mercer had been a notable young writer and performer on his own, touring several successful one-man shows of comedic political commentary.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 965
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration:
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, biting, spoof, suspense
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Comedy Now! (1997)
Plot Summary:
Comedy Now! is a Canadian comedy television series which debuted in 1997 featuring the newest in Canadian comedic talent. The show has won numerous Gemini Awards as well as many international awards. It is broadcast in Canada on The Comedy Network and CTV. In the United States, the program airs on Comedy Central. The show has started the careers of notable Canadian comedians, including Brent Butt, Gavin Crawford, Shaun Majumder, Russell Peters, and Harland Williams and has showcased comedians like Eric Tunney.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 290
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration:
Plot tags: parody, offbeat, humorous, live comedy, comic
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Rutland Weekend Television (1975)
Plot Summary:
Rutland Weekend Television was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series were broadcast, the first consisting of six episodes in 1975, the second of seven in 1976. A Christmas special also aired on Boxing Day 1975. It was Idle's first television project after Monty Python's Flying Circus, which ended the previous year. The show was the catalyst for The Rutles. Rutland Weekend Television or RWT centred on "Britain's smallest television network", situated in England's smallest county, Rutland. The show's title alludes to London Weekend Television. A Rutland TV station would be pretty small, so a Rutland Weekend Television would have to be ridiculously tiny. The joke was doubly meaningful as Idle had accidentally been granted a presentation budget instead of the more lavish budgets associated with light entertainment - so the weekly patter about their inability to buy props and sets was in fact quite real. Indeed, the last show of the first series featured Idle and Innes, stripped and shivering in blankets under a bare bulb, singing about how the power's about to be shut off. Idle speaks bitterly about these conditions now but his attempts to overcome them formed the basis of a lot of the show's jokes.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 138
Genere: Comedy, Music
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: mockumentary, sketch comedy, spoof, parody, clever, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty, cynical
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SCTV Network 90 (1981)
Plot Summary:
After a successful Canadian run as Second City TV on Global and SCTV on CBC, the cast packed up and moved to America (theoretically) when NBC offered them a timeslot under the title SCTV Network 90. With them, they brought their unique, quirky characters, their personalities, and the shows they had appeared on. Dick Blasucci had begun writing for the cast in their second series, SCTV, and joined them here, serving as a recurring straight man for the characters. Tony Rosato and Robin Duke wrote scripts at the beginning of the show as they had before, until quickly leaving to write and perform for Saturday Night Live. The appeal of SCTV Network 90, however, doesn't only come from the writing, but from the sheer wit of its legendary stars.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, spoof, absurd, black comedy, soap opera, fun, cult film
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SCTV Channel (1983)
Plot Summary:
The staff of Melonville's TV station put on programming that is unique in its own silly way. A spin off of "SCTV Network 90" that starts when "SCTV" mastermind Guy Cabellaro announces that he's turning his station into a pay cable channel.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 888
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, spoof
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Four on the Floor (1985)
Plot Summary:
Four on the Floor was a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television in 1986. Consisting of only 13 episodes, the series was a showcase for The Frantics, a comedy troupe consisting of Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican and Peter Wildman. In the U.K., it aired in Channel 4's traditional Friday night comedy slot, 10 June-2 September 1988. The introduction was voiced by Dan and Rick alternating each line, with video clips and sound effects interspersed in the opening. Although the series was quickly cancelled due to CBC budget constraints, it was an important influence on later Canadian sketch comedy, such as The Kids in the Hall.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 177
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration:
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, spoof
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Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday (2008)
Plot Summary:
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday is an American limited-run series broadcast on NBC. It is a political satire news show spin-off from Saturday Night Live, featuring that show's "Weekend Update" segment. It initially ran for three 30-minute episodes in October 2008, during the lead-up to the 2008 United States presidential election.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 960
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: parody, humorous, not serious, clever, witty, talky, realistic, biting, spoof, sketch comedy
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The Ron James Show (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Ron James Show is a Canadian television comedy show, which debuted on CBC Television on September 25, 2009. Starring comedian Ron James, the show intersperses filmed and stage sketches with clips of James performing his stand-up routine. One of the show's more noted features is L'il Ronnie James, an animated recurring sketch which depicts James as a young child growing up in Cape Breton in the vein of Terry Gilliam's animation style.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 271
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, talky, cynical, not serious, biting, parody, spoof, sketch comedy
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Royal Canadian Air Farce (1993)
Plot Summary:
A comedy sketch show focusing on Canadian events and affairs.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 730
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, parody, spoof, sketch comedy, live comedy
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Demo Reel (2012)
Plot Summary:
Antics from a film crew as they attempt to remake movies, claiming that they can make them better.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 412
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: parody, humorous, realistic, not serious, sketch comedy
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The Showbiz Show with David Spade (2005)
Plot Summary:
The Showbiz Show with David Spade was a weekly television program on Comedy Central that starred comedian David Spade. It is a comedic parody of celebrity news programs such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. The show was developed from David Spade's Hollywood Minute segment on Saturday Night Live.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 272
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, not serious, parody, spoof, sketch comedy
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Star Stories (2006)
Plot Summary:
Star Stories is a British television comedy programme that takes a satirical look at celebrities and their lives. It was first shown on Channel 4 on September 15, 2006. Star Stories is made by Objective Productions commissioned for Channel 4 by Shane Allen and Andrew Newman with Lee Hupfield producing, Elliot Hegarty directing and Phil Clarke and Andew O'Connor as executive producers. The Sun reported that Channel 4 had axed Star Stories to free up cash to invest in other shows. The main theme of the show is the theme from the film Gone with the Wind.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 520
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, offbeat
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Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979)
Plot Summary:
Attention, comedy fans: NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is the real thing. This is scathing, no-holds-barred Brit humor at its best. Rapid-fire skits starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) are as politically incorrect as they are side-bustingly funny, sparing no one as they take on the British Royal Family, Margaret Thatcher, Scotland Yard, country music, Christianity, devil worship, punk rock and bathroom etiquette. NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is so irreverent that when the pilot was due to air in April 1979, the BBC cancelled it due to its incendiary political content. When at last it aired, the greatest comedy group to hit England since Monty Python's Flying Circus stormed the airwaves and revolutionized British and American television alike. Discover the show that set the standard for the anarchic cynicism that defined the alternative comedy of the 80's.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, political, sitcom, parody, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, vintage
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The Big Gay Sketch Show (2006)
Plot Summary:
A sketch-comedy series featuring a cast of up-and-coming comics performing live skits, musical numbers and political satire.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 458
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: parody, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, sketch comedy, offbeat, spoof, live comedy, queer cinema
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The Rick Mercer Report (2004)
Plot Summary:
A weekly helping of topical satire, funny takes on the week's top stories and Canada-wide adventures.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 864
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, parody, realistic, talky, semi serious, biting, spoof, sketch comedy, slapstick comedy
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Drunk History (2013)
Plot Summary:
Historical reenactments from A-list talent as told by inebriated storytellers. A unique take on the familiar and less familiar people and events from America’s great past as great moments in history are retold with unforgettable results.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, History
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: humorous, talky, realistic, parody, absurd, funny, mumblecore, sketch comedy, educational, mockumentary
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That's So Weird! (2009)
Plot Summary:
That's So Weird was a Canadian sketch comedy television show owned by the Halifax Film Company and was broadcast on YTV. The show has been described as SCTV or Mad TV for teenagers and includes an array of comedic skits.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 238
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration:
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, witty, clever, sketch comedy
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The Day Today (1994)
Plot Summary:
The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994, and created by the comedians Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. It is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992. On the Hour was written by Morris, Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, David Quantick, and the cast. For The Day Today, Peter Baynham joined the writing team, and Lee and Herring were replaced by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The principal cast of On the Hour was retained for The Day Today. The Day Today is composed of six half-hour episodes and a selection of shorter, five-minute slots recorded as promotion trailers for the longer segments. The six half-hour episodes were originally broadcast from 19 January to 23 February 1994 on BBC2. The Day Today has won many awards, including Morris winning the 1994 British Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. All six episodes are available on BBC DVD, having previously been issued on VHS.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, political, sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, offbeat, realistic, cynical, not serious
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Dog Bites Man (2006)
Plot Summary:
Dog Bites Man is a partially improvised comedy television show on Comedy Central that aired in summer 2006. It began airing on The Comedy Channel in Australia in June 2007. The series was produced by DreamWorks Television.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: parody, humorous, stylized, not serious, sitcom, spoof, mockumentary, offbeat, realistic, alternative comedy
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The Red Green Show (1991)
Plot Summary:
The Red Green Show is a Canadian television comedy that aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC Television, and on Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale April 7, 2006, on CBC. The Red Green Show is essentially a cross between a sitcom and a sketch comedy series, and is a parody of home improvement, do-it-yourself, fishing, and other outdoors shows. Reruns currently air on CBC Television, The Comedy Network, and various PBS stations. It was produced by S&S Productions, which is owned by Steve and Morag Smith, and directed by William G. Elliott.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sketch comedy, offbeat, feel good, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, sitcom
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The Kids in the Hall (1988)
Plot Summary:
The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States. The theme song for the show was the instrumental "Having an Average Weekend" by the Canadian band Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. The troupe made one movie, Brain Candy, which was released in 1996. The troupe reformed for various tours and comedy festivals in 2000. They released an eight-part miniseries, Death Comes to Town in January, 2010. The name of the group came from Sid Caesar, who, if a joke didn't go over, or played worse than expected, would attribute it to "the kids in the hall", referring to a group of young writers hanging around the studio.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, not serious, surreal, witty, funny, clever, offbeat, realistic, biting
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Funny or Die Presents (2007)
Plot Summary:
Funny or Die Presents is a half-hour sketch comedy show that spawned from the comedy website Funny or Die, created by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay. It premiered on HBO on February 19, 2010. It is also currently being broadcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, not serious, parody, light, slapstick, offbeat, independent film, spoof, slapstick comedy
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MADtv (1995)
Plot Summary:
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series based on Mad, and contained animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts as well as images of Alfred E. Neuman. Its first TV broadcast was on October 14, 1995. The one-hour show aired Saturday nights on Fox, and was in syndication on Comedy Central. In Australia the show screens on satellite and cable TV channel The Comedy Channel and in late-night timeslots on free-to-air broadcaster the Nine Network and its affiliates.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, not serious, realistic, spoof, light, feel good, cult classic, game show, parody
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Second City Television (1976)
Plot Summary:
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, retro, humorous, cult classic, absurd, spoof, black comedy, fun
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Kroll Show (2013)
Plot Summary:
Kroll Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by and starring comedian Nick Kroll. Kroll, John Levenstein, and Jonathan Krisel serve as the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 16, 2013, on the American cable television network Comedy Central.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, parody, feel good, light, captivating, skit, offbeat, realistic, not serious
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Chocolate News (2008)
Plot Summary:
Chocolate News is a satirical news show hosted and head written by David Alan Grier with an emphasis on African American culture. The show aired on Wednesday nights at 10:30 PM on Comedy Central as a lead-in to their other news satire programs, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. The show also aired in Canada on The Comedy Network. On March 10, 2009 a Comedy Central representative confirmed that Chocolate News would not be renewed for a second season.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 549
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, cynical, not serious, captivating, realistic, biting, spoof, black comedy, sketch comedy
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CollegeHumor Originals (2006)
Plot Summary:
Funny sketches with crude, adult, and undeniably hilarious comedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: not serious, humorous, realistic, parody, light, feel good, sketch comedy, offbeat, independent film, spoof
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Dead Ringers (2002)
Plot Summary:
Dead Ringers is a United Kingdom radio and television comedy impressions show broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry. The main writers for season 1-3 on Radio were Jon Holmes and Andy Hurst with Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain coming on board in Series 4. Other writers have included Simon Blackwell, Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, John Finnemore, David Mitchell, Richard Ward, Terry Newman, Jonathan Morris, Colin Birch, Carl Carter and Tony Cooke. It was revealed by star Jan Ravens that the BBC quietly cancelled the television run in 2007 after five years of broadcast.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 403
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, talky, cynical, not serious, political, sketch comedy, spoof, clever, realistic