variety show

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variety show

type of radio and television program

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July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

A variety show is a type of theatrical entertainment featuring a succession of separate performances, such as songs, dances, skits, and acrobatic feats. This format, which originated in vaudeville, became highly popular on early radio and television.123

Early television, facing resource limitations, often relied on live broadcasts and drew inspiration from vaudeville. These shows typically included an emcee, a live audience, and a variety of guest acts, ranging from musicians and comedians to classical performers. Shows like The Texaco Star Theatre and The Ed Sullivan Show were among the highest-rated programs in the late 1940s and early 1950s, demonstrating the format's broad appeal. The variety show's flexibility allowed for diverse styles, from slapstick comedy to more sophisticated sketch comedy and musical performances.2

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Sid Caesar
…comedian who pioneered the television variety show format with the programs Your Show of Shows (1950–54) and Caesar’s Hour (1954–57).
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…comedian who pioneered the television variety show format with the programs Your Show of Shows (1950–54) and Caesar’s Hour (1954–57).
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radio
Variety shows
The variety program, a combination of comedy and music that almost always included a singing host and a guest star for the week, also dominated the period. Frequently, a comedy sketch would be included among the proceedings. The earliest examples of the form…
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The variety program, a combination of comedy and music that almost always included a singing host and a guest star for the week, also dominated the period. Frequently, a comedy sketch would be included among the proceedings. The earliest examples of the form…
Read More

Television in the United States
Variety shows
After a period of experimentation, the immediacy of live television led programmers to turn to the theater, especially vaudeville. Before the advent of radio and sound movies, vaudeville had been the most popular of the performing arts in the United States. Traveling shows…
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After a period of experimentation, the immediacy of live television led programmers to turn to the theater, especially vaudeville. Before the advent of radio and sound movies, vaudeville had been the most popular of the performing arts in the United States. Traveling shows…
Read More

tap dance
Television and Las Vegas
Variety shows, which included tap dancers along with their other acts, were among the most popular programs in the early decades of television, including The Colgate Comedy Hour, Your Show of Shows, The Milton Berle Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show, to name but a…
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Variety shows, which included tap dancers along with their other acts, were among the most popular programs in the early decades of television, including The Colgate Comedy Hour, Your Show of Shows, The Milton Berle Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show, to name but a…
Read More