Best tv shows like Second City Television
Last updated March 2024
Looking for tv shows similar to Second City Television? Offer your expertise to direct others to tv shows and films you've already watched that might appeal to them also. Support expanding the assembly of people recommending videos to one another. We encourage your participation!
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
Best tv shows and movies like Second City Television (1976):
Similar in 83%
I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (1989)
Plot Summary:
Martin goes on an adventure with his 3 friends, Ballsy, Felcher and Bungle f*ck. Their mission? To travel to Hollywood to get Martin's movie made. Follow the awesome foursome as they encounter crocogators, Gangsters, Pirates, AIDS and many other hilarious obstacles.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 120
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sketch comedy
Similar in 75%
The Best of SCTV (1988)
Plot Summary:
Guy Caballero and Edith Prickley try to persuade the FCC to renew SCTV's license.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 254
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, spoof
Similar in 79%
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks (2004)
Plot Summary:
A collection of Tom Hanks sketches during his times hosting Saturday Night Live.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 492
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sketch comedy
Similar in 78%
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
Similar in 80%
The New Show (1984)
Plot Summary:
The New Show is a NBC sketch comedy show produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, which ran for only one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. Apart from being 60 minutes in length and entirely pre-recorded, the show is similar in format to SNL. It was the lowest rated of 94 programs that aired during the 1983-84 television season, averaging a dismal 7.81 household rating. It was opposite 20/20 & Falcon Crest.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody
Similar in 77%
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
Similar in 76%
The UCB Show (2016)
Plot Summary:
A weekly variety showcase for the best sketch, characters and stand-up homegrown at the UCB Theatres in LA and NYC. Hosted by Upright Citizens Brigade co-founders Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh and filmed with a live audience at UCB Sunset in Hollywood.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 90
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, spoof, black comedy, slapstick comedy, slapstick, alternative comedy, live comedy
Similar in 80%
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
Similar in 80%
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
Similar in 81%
Not Only... But Also (1965)
Plot Summary:
Not Only... But Also was a popular 1960s BBC British television series starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 216
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, surreal, parody, spoof
Similar in 76%
Super Dave (1987)
Plot Summary:
Super Dave is a Canadian/American variety show starring and hosted by the fictional character Super Dave Osborne. It ran from 1987 to 1991 on Showtime in the US and the Global Television Network in Canada. Super Dave was spun off from the sketch comedy series Bizarre, which featured Bob Einstein in recurring roles, including Super Dave. Super Dave made his first appearance on the 1972 TV series The John Byner Comedy Hour. Einstein then regularly played the character on the short-lived 1976 variety show Van Dyke and Company starring Dick Van Dyke.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 717
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, realistic, not serious, sitcom, spoof, sketch comedy
Similar in 76%
Saturday Night Live: Thanksgiving (2013)
Plot Summary:
Karen is on first visit to new boyfriend's parents when she discovers something odd about his eating habits.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 35
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, light, feel good, entertaining, contemplative, sketch comedy, spoof
Similar in 87%
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
Similar in 83%
The Ben Stiller Show (1992)
Plot Summary:
The Ben Stiller Show is the name of two sketch comedy television shows that aired on MTV from 1990 to 1991, and then on Fox from September 1992 to January 1993. The Fox show stars Ben Stiller, Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk. Character actor John F. O'Donohue also appeared in every episode. It featured numerous filmed comedy segments, many of which parodied mid-1980s to early 1990s pop-culture. Despite mostly positive reviews, Fox canceled the series after only 12 episodes, due to low ratings. Unlike most sketch comedy shows, The Ben Stiller Show did not use a studio audience or a laugh track. This was the only Fox sketch comedy program not to use a laugh track. The semi-spinoff, The Andy Dick Show, used the same format. After cancellation, the series won the 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 306 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, parody, spoof, slapstick comedy, alternative comedy, fake documentary, cult film
Similar in 88%
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
Similar in 79%
The State (1993)
Plot Summary:
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast in the USA on MTV between December 17, 1993, and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience. The cast consisted of 11 twenty-something comedians who created, acted, wrote, directed and edited the show. Several memorable characters were created for the show, and for a short time their catchphrases entered into the vernacular. Often, the cast would appear as themselves and address the audience to promote fake contests or to deliver mock public service announcements. Much like Monty Python, The State's sketches were sometimes linked to each other in some way: a punchline or image that ended one sketch often provided a lead-in to the next. After years of legal issues related to the soundtrack to many of the episodes, the series was released on DVD on July 14, 2009. A State film featuring all of the original troupe members is in the works, but was delayed by the 2007-2008 screenwriters strike, and no release date for the project has been announced.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, slapstick, skit, offbeat, humorous, realistic, surreal, witty, not serious, independent film
Similar in 79%
The Richard Pryor Show (1977)
Plot Summary:
The Richard Pryor Show is an American comedy variety series starring Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977 at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's popular television shows Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. The show was produced by Rocco Urbisci for Burt Sugarman Productions. It was conceived out of a special that Pryor did for NBC in May 1977. Because the special was a major hit, both critically and commercially, Pryor was given a chance to host and star in his own television show. TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 446
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, exciting, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, biting, parody, spoof, black comedy
Similar in 80%
At Last the 1948 Show (1967)
Plot Summary:
At Last the 1948 Show is a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions, in association with Rediffusion London. Transmitted on Britain's ITV network during 1967 and 1968, it brought Cambridge Footlights humour to a broader audience. The show starred Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Marty Feldman and Aimi MacDonald. Cleese and Brooke-Taylor were also the programme editors. The director was Ian Fordyce.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 582
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty, not serious, parody
Similar in 77%
Exit 57 (1995)
Plot Summary:
Exit 57 was a 30-minute sketch comedy series that aired on the American television channel Comedy Central from 1995 to 1996; its cast was composed of comedians Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert, Jodi Lennon, and Mitch Rouse, all of whom had previously studied improv at The Second City in Chicago. In 1999 Sedaris, Dinello, Colbert and Rouse would also create the Comedy Central show "Strangers with Candy". Humorist David Sedaris also served as an additional writer for the series, sharing a single onscreen credit with his sister as "The Talent Family". The show's producer, Joe Forristal, had also served as executive producer for The Kids in the Hall. All of the sketches in the series are implied to take place in the fictional suburban setting of the Quad Cities. During the show's memorably cryptic opening sequence, the cast members are seen standing next to a broken down car on the highway. Soon they are picked up by a passing driver, who changes the radio station at the mention of a serial killer, and takes Polaroid pictures of his increasingly uncomfortable passengers. Growing suspicious, the cast demands to be let out. The car is then seen pulling off the highway at Exit 57.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 249
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, parody, spoof, slapstick comedy, slapstick, alternative comedy
Similar in 89%
Viva Variety (1997)
Plot Summary:
Viva Variety is an American sketch comedy series that aired on Comedy Central from April 1997 to December 1999. The series satirizes European variety shows.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 343
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, spoof
Similar in 78%
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
Similar in 79%
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
Similar in 81%
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
Similar in 80%
Big Train (1998)
Plot Summary:
Big Train is a surreal British television comedy sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, writers of the successful sitcom Father Ted. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, absurd, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
Similar in 90%
Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995)
Plot Summary:
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995 to December 28, 1998. Cross and Odenkirk introduced most episodes as heightened versions of themselves, before transitioning to a mixture of live sketches and pre-taped segments. The show featured a number of alternative comedians as both cast members and writers, including Sarah Silverman, Paul F. Tompkins, Jack Black, Tom Kenny, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Brian Posehn, Jerry Minor, Scott Aukerman, and Dino Stamatopoulos. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as a Golden Satellite Award.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 27 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, funny, absurd, cult classic, parody, offbeat, humorous, witty
Similar in 83%
The Birthday Boys (2013)
Plot Summary:
"The Birthday Boys" is a scripted original sketch comedy, executive produced by Bob Odenkirk ("Breaking Bad", "Mr. Show") and Ben Stiller ("The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", "Zoolander"). The series features the Los Angeles comedy group of the same name (UCB Theatre Los Angeles, Just for Laughs Festival) along with Odenkirk and is in the classic vein of absurd/silly/smart/funny variety shows ("Mr. Show", Monty Python), featuring sketches that twist real-life moments and cultural touchstones.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, realistic, surreal, not serious, dark comedy, skit, offbeat, independent film, slapstick comedy
Similar in 83%
Upright Citizens Brigade (1998)
Plot Summary:
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Besser, Ali Farahnakian, Drew Franklin, Adam McKay, Roberts, Rick Roman, and Horatio Sanz. Other early members included Neil Flynn, Armando Diaz, and Rich Fulcher.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, funny, surreal, offbeat, humorous, not serious, independent film, parody, spoof, odd
Similar in 88%
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
Similar in 75%
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
Similar in 80%
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019)
Plot Summary:
There is no such thing as an ordinary interaction in this offbeat sketch comedy series that features a deep roster of guest stars.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 16 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, light, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, satirical, offbeat, surreal