i can not understand why this show is not in reruns. I'm writing a letter to TV Land, to ask why they have never aired this on their network. What makes this show so good, is the chemistry between the perfect cast. A variety show like Saturday Night Live is greatly dependent on the chemistry among its cast members. When one of them leaves, it upsets the balance among the rest. This show was lucky enough to have most of its cast stay for the duration of the run, and therefore, it is the best.
41 Reviews
Conway and Mama's Family Are Still Amazing
nafps17 April 2022
The opening, with Carol spontaneously joking with the audience, is the funniest part. Burnett even did a popular tour just before the pandemic, recreating that.
Conway remains the next most reliably funniest part of the show. There are also some amazing guest stars like Steven Martin and Robin Williams very early in their careers.
Some parts have aged poorly, the musical numbers that were already corny in the 70s. Some of the guest stars like Ken Berry seem trapped in that time.
But the crown jewels in the series were all the Eunice and Mama's Family skits. Somehow, in an at times corny show, the most popular characters were like watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf. Abrasive and raw, a deeply dysfunctional family tearing each other apart, yet still funny and touching.
Can you imagine an audience watching an old time musical number suddenly hearing a woman telling her mother that she married her husband because she "had to"? That she got pregnant. And her mother answering "Welcome to the club." And the most midde America audience laughing loud, in recognition of how many of them it happened to.
Conway remains the next most reliably funniest part of the show. There are also some amazing guest stars like Steven Martin and Robin Williams very early in their careers.
Some parts have aged poorly, the musical numbers that were already corny in the 70s. Some of the guest stars like Ken Berry seem trapped in that time.
But the crown jewels in the series were all the Eunice and Mama's Family skits. Somehow, in an at times corny show, the most popular characters were like watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf. Abrasive and raw, a deeply dysfunctional family tearing each other apart, yet still funny and touching.
Can you imagine an audience watching an old time musical number suddenly hearing a woman telling her mother that she married her husband because she "had to"? That she got pregnant. And her mother answering "Welcome to the club." And the most midde America audience laughing loud, in recognition of how many of them it happened to.
A Saturday night staple in the 1970s
thowen198812 December 2008
If my siblings and I were good, my mother would allow us to stay up until 11pm to watch 'The Carol Burnett Show' each Saturday night in the 1970s.
To say Carol, along with her co-stars Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Vicki Lawrence, were talented and funny would be an understatement. Each Saturday at 10pm, Carol and the aforementioned regulars, along with some 'special guest stars' (such as Steve Lawrence, Betty White, Roddy McDowall, and Julie Andrews, to mention a few) would sing, dance, and perform the absolute funniest skits ever seen on American television.
Who could forget Carol's "Eunice" constantly being belittled and nagged by Vicki's "Momma"? Carol's "Mrs. Wh-Whiggins" was a riot, along with Tim's "Mr. Tudball", and perhaps the funniest segments were those with both Tim and Harvey. The audience never seemed to mind it when Harvey lost control and laughed out of character.
Today's Hollywood elitist performers could learn a lot from this classic TV show: Carol Burnett and her co-stars entertained us for ten years without foul language, tasteless humor, sexual innuendo, or inserting politics. On the contrary, Tim, Harvey, Vicki, and Carol conducted themselves as professionals.
This show is classic American comedy for all ages. I highly recommend this outstanding program.
To say Carol, along with her co-stars Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Vicki Lawrence, were talented and funny would be an understatement. Each Saturday at 10pm, Carol and the aforementioned regulars, along with some 'special guest stars' (such as Steve Lawrence, Betty White, Roddy McDowall, and Julie Andrews, to mention a few) would sing, dance, and perform the absolute funniest skits ever seen on American television.
Who could forget Carol's "Eunice" constantly being belittled and nagged by Vicki's "Momma"? Carol's "Mrs. Wh-Whiggins" was a riot, along with Tim's "Mr. Tudball", and perhaps the funniest segments were those with both Tim and Harvey. The audience never seemed to mind it when Harvey lost control and laughed out of character.
Today's Hollywood elitist performers could learn a lot from this classic TV show: Carol Burnett and her co-stars entertained us for ten years without foul language, tasteless humor, sexual innuendo, or inserting politics. On the contrary, Tim, Harvey, Vicki, and Carol conducted themselves as professionals.
This show is classic American comedy for all ages. I highly recommend this outstanding program.
Made staying at home on Saturday nights respectable
lbliss3148 May 2005
The jewel in the crown on CBS's Saturday night comedies. In one night you saw All in the Family, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, bob Newhart, and Carol Burnett. There was never that much great comedy on one evening, before or after. Must-see TV years before NBC. Me and my family stayed glued to the set from 8 to 11. A great cast and consistently funny; I found out later that several Mad magazine writers were on the staff. I did get tired of Harvey Korman breaking up very week... but opposite Tim Conway, who could resist? I remember a sketch where Harvey was in a dentist chair; Tim was the dentist. All was going well... until Tim injected the Novocaine into himself and not his patient. Various parts of his body went numb. I remember him slapping his dangling right hand with his left--the numb hand swung back and forth like a half-filled water balloon. Then the left half of his face went slack. Then the right. The his right leg gave out and he had to sit on the chair with Harvey. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard, and poor Harvey almost slid out of his chair with laughter. A class act, all the way. It's a shame Harvey Korman never went on to comedy stardom, when marginally talented folks like Adam Sandler became millionaires.
Still my favorite show!
Sylviastel23 January 2004
I loved the Carol Burnett show when I was a child. It was in half-hour reruns. After spending the last weekend watching TV Land marathon, I just learned why. It was one of the most entertaining experiences in television history. This was a great cast of highly talented people not just the beloved star, Carol Burnett. Her former husband Joe Hamilton produced the show. Her friends like Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner were all uniquely talented and gifted. We can see why this show thrived. Most of the cast were there from beginning to end. After 11 years of superb Emmy winning and golden globe episodes, the show is available on DVD and can be seen on TV Land where it belongs with some of television's classics. It is still a classic. Sometimes Saturday Night Live and MAD TV can embrace the wholesome comedy as a risk in itself.
One of the greatest comedy variety shows of all time!!!
justin-fencsak3 December 2017
Debuting on CBS in the fall of 1967 and lasting until March of 1978, this one hour variety show starring Carol Burnett became a mainstay on Saturday Night TV for CBS due to its family friendly humor, skits, and of course the music and songs. Currently MeTV has aired the syndicated version (known as "Carol Burnett and Friends") while CBS as of this writing is airing a taped 50th anniversary special featuring classic clips and interviews with the surviving cast members (Jim Nabors passed away days before tonight's airing).
the show
jbinsaccal21 August 2006
Great cast of characters! They were like pieces of a fine swiss watch,who all fit perfectly, and timing was always correct.I was watching an A&E special,and was still rolling from Mc Hale's Navy, and Carol Burnett clips. He and Korman are a very underrated all time comedy duo. Vicky Lawrence, as seen by her great performance in Mama's Family is also a versatile person.Carol Burnett went out on top,and the show could have lasted longer. Conway is hilarious in the "Dorf" videos. Ialmost cry with laughter when I watch them. Where has that great type of comedy gone? With the lack of imagination,need for instant gratification,hip-hop influenced immorality,and deviance running amok in the world, we'll probably never see it again.
the Burnett for my money had one of the best ensemble ever
chrispkorman6 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
To all those who hated Harvey Korman breaking up I say bravo!So Did I and I'm his son.My dad took pride in the fact that he was a serious actor out of Goodman.He hated that Tim broke him up,Tim never did the same performance in rehearsal as he did in the tapings.He often sabotaged his own writing or someone elses to crack my dad up.As much as I love Tim and respect his partnership with my father I wished he would stayed on script more often.I will say my wife never knew when something was funny until my dad broke up.My dad was one of the finest sketch comedians around along with Carl Reiner when he wasn't breaking up.Carol Burnett was one of those rare stars who were secure in her status to showcase others.
We're So Glad We Had This Time Together
DKosty1239 September 2008
Carol Burnett was a staple on CBS from 1967 until it left a significant mark upon all those fans who watched it. This show was always funny, very imaginative, and did some of the wildest things that could be done in the variety format but at a pace that was not as frantic as Rowan & Martins Laugh-In. This is a good thing.
Carol has a great talent which really showed when she would often come out & take questions from her live studio audience. While the show was taped, it was done at CBS studios in front of a live audience much the same as Red Skelton did for many years in California. While Carol was always the star, she never minded sharing the air with some fantastic support.
The now late Harvey Korman, one of the great second bananas in comedy history whose memory now has a spot for all of us. Tim Conway whose antics made Korman laugh, and who is one of the last of a line of great physical comedians with an off-beat sense of humor & timing. Vicki Lawrence, Carols alter ego on this show and often the seemingly straight female while Lyle Waggoner seems to be the male that fit this role.
As the show went along, Vicki learned more about doing comedy. Lyle went on to play opposite Wonder Woman. In a way, while Gleason created one sketch with this format which became "The Honeymooners", Carols crew did the same with "Mamas Family" which still runs a lot in syndication. I am hoping the DVD folks can get some of these seasons of Carol intact on DVD's soon as there were some great shows. Shows like this one, may never come this way to pass again.
We just have share a laugh or two, because the more you know it, this show has had to end too soon.
Carol has a great talent which really showed when she would often come out & take questions from her live studio audience. While the show was taped, it was done at CBS studios in front of a live audience much the same as Red Skelton did for many years in California. While Carol was always the star, she never minded sharing the air with some fantastic support.
The now late Harvey Korman, one of the great second bananas in comedy history whose memory now has a spot for all of us. Tim Conway whose antics made Korman laugh, and who is one of the last of a line of great physical comedians with an off-beat sense of humor & timing. Vicki Lawrence, Carols alter ego on this show and often the seemingly straight female while Lyle Waggoner seems to be the male that fit this role.
As the show went along, Vicki learned more about doing comedy. Lyle went on to play opposite Wonder Woman. In a way, while Gleason created one sketch with this format which became "The Honeymooners", Carols crew did the same with "Mamas Family" which still runs a lot in syndication. I am hoping the DVD folks can get some of these seasons of Carol intact on DVD's soon as there were some great shows. Shows like this one, may never come this way to pass again.
We just have share a laugh or two, because the more you know it, this show has had to end too soon.
lbliss314 is right . . . "Must See TV" WAY before NBC thought of it . . .
TRhett15 March 2015
lbliss314 - I just read a short interview with Carol Burnett in which she discussed the unbelievable amount of work that went into this legendary show, and the utter impossibility of doing something like this on a weekly basis today. The cast of 6-ish, the full orchestra (Nelson Riddle, if I'm not mistaken), the 50 fabulous costumes per week (by, of course, Bob Mackie), the 6 - 8 sketches/numbers per week that had to be written, rehearsed, set to music, and performed live - WITH guest stars . . . it just went on and on and on. The bottom line: No, this could NOT be pulled off today - it would be prohibitively expensive, and require a small army of people. But boy, I'm so glad we had this time together. This came along during my childhood, so I had to beg to stay up late, too. When I was a child, I spent most Saturday nights with my grandparents, and I was trying to remember that fantastic Saturday night lineup. I remember Mary Tyler Moore throwing that beret in the air (of course, back then I had no idea the HUGE cultural shift that represented); I remember Bob Newhart walking past the "Picasso horse" in Chicago to work; and I remember Carol, but I couldn't put it all together. I knew this would be the place to come. You're right . . . CBS on Saturday Night was "Must See TV" WAY before NBC thought of it. I always wondered why Carol was never able to reignite that spark . . . it seemed like her "light" was dimmed before its time. I think the loss of Harvey Korman, together with Carol's personal "issues" (I seem to remember big trouble with her daughter, husband, AND parents . . . remember the "National Enquirer" debacle?) sent her into retirement way before her time. Like several others here said, I really wish they would collect the FULL show on DVD, not just edited-for-syndication snippets. But what a ride it was for 11 years . . . of course, everyone remembers "Went With the Wind" and "Mildred Fierce" (I can't even watch the original movies, because I think of Carol Burnett the entire time), "Missus Awhiggins" . . . and my personal favorite, "Mama and Eunice," which was just brilliant at times (esp. with guest stars like Ken Berry, Betty White, and Jim Neighbors). I remember an episode of Mama and Eunice where Eunice tried out for (and was cut from) a "reality TV" show, and it was as moving as anything "serious" on TV. This show worked on so many levels, it truly deserves the moniker "LEGENDARY."
Gen X especially but baby boomers too-great on many levels
spk1237130 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Thanks, Peacock, for showing free (a few ads-a 5th of the length of network television commercial breaks) full seasons of The Carol Burnett show. I know Amazon Prime has TCBS as well but not everyone wants to pay for (another) streaming service-if they have a service at all, it's probably Netflix.
So far they've only got the first three 1967-69 seasons, and hopefully they'll have the rest of the series through 1978 soon. That, apart from its genuine humor & cleverness & genuinely funny dialogue, is what adds to the enjoyment of watching this- the later 1960's & 70's aura TCBS has. It's so cool, at least to people like myself, who just missed not being alive or too young to appreciate the feel of that time (which you don't realize at the time, obviously). It's a lot less wacky than I remembered, which is a good thing. A little more risqué that I remembered and that's also a good thing. Watching this show (which are mostly aired in the order and length they were originally) and grouped by season/years is much more enjoyable than those "Best of Carol"-esque DVD compilations they were hawking 10+ years ago. And streaming so far on this new service has been great, except for the fact that the rest of the show's 8 additional seasons besides these are not yet here. If you love early 70's, everyday hairstyles & clothes, but some of its now-garish looking outfits are still groovy af. And again, it contains many less weaknesses in the sketches comprised mostly of funny dialogue reflective of what was going on in the world vs. the physical. Some of the "was that a double entendre?" humor sometimes leads to bemused eye raising, like "wow, they went *there* in 1970? Awesome."
Went With the Wind! Is Still my all time FAV! :D
midnitepantera21 August 2021
OMG!! Grew up watching this show as a little kid with the whole family and we all laughed till we cried! Too Bad families are too busy on their phones to even acknowledge each other these days. :(
I still remember Carol playing Scarlett and the Curtain Rod! Ha ahahahahahahhahaa Bob Mackie's idea I think she said. He made her some beautiful gowns just like he did for Cher back then.
Carol, Vicki, Harvey and Tim were the FAB 4 on this show and since it was LIVE, Tim was always trying to Crack Harvey up and succeeding at it to the delight of all the viewers. They all did so many different, hilarious characters and Eunice and Mama, were so loved they gave Vicki the comedy series Mama's Family that was also a treasure chest of fun and great hilarious insults from that crabby old Woman!
LOL God, I wish I had a Time Machine! :o What a Wonderful show and I'm so glad I got to be a kid back then, seems to stressful and narcissistic, sad and lonely to be a kid in 2021. :( Go watch re-runs of this show, it will drive away the Blues! ;D.
Carol, Vicki, Harvey and Tim were the FAB 4 on this show and since it was LIVE, Tim was always trying to Crack Harvey up and succeeding at it to the delight of all the viewers. They all did so many different, hilarious characters and Eunice and Mama, were so loved they gave Vicki the comedy series Mama's Family that was also a treasure chest of fun and great hilarious insults from that crabby old Woman!
LOL God, I wish I had a Time Machine! :o What a Wonderful show and I'm so glad I got to be a kid back then, seems to stressful and narcissistic, sad and lonely to be a kid in 2021. :( Go watch re-runs of this show, it will drive away the Blues! ;D.
Was good for it's time.
mm-391 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As a kid I would watch The Carol Burnett Show with my sister as a child and loved the show. There was a song, over reactions, stupid reactions, Conway hurting himself etc. Now I watch The Carol Burnett Show I saw the punch line before it hits. The sight gag hits the viewer and I think it's been it done it before. The Carol Burnett Show was so successful it has made itself dated because the scripts been so over copied so many times. Modern scripts are so improved and adapted that what was once cutting edge is like watching an Eddie VanHallen guitar solo and one thinks thats nice! Everyone does it now. A classic show for it's time 6 stars.
Painfully unfunny.
13Funbags1 June 2017
I don't understand how anyone could ever enjoy this show.I watched eleven episodes and only laughed once.It's hard to know for sure but it seems like they parody a lot of very old movies that no one under fifty would have ever seen.Maybe if I was sixty or seventy years old I would get more of the references.It blows my mind to hear that people consider this a great show.I guess half a century ago people would laugh at anything.This is definitely a show that you should avoid.
Classic show, classic people, classic memories
blanche-229 September 2005
The Carol Burnett Show was one of the most fabulous shows ever on TV, and certainly the best of its type, the variety show, which is gone now. Carol, her delightful ensemble cast of Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and her many guest stars always delivered a great show.
What stands out for me is her film takeoffs, and on this board, I'm sure that's what stands out for most of us. I had the misfortune of seeing "Mildred Fierce" before I saw the real "Mildred Pierce." So I laughed all the way through Mildred Pierce. Torchy Song and her marvelous Joan Crawford - when I saw Mommie Dearest, all I could think of was Carol Burnett. Sunset Boulevard - when I saw the movie after seeing her takeoff, she was all I could think of.
But there was one movie takeoff that beat them all - Gone with the Wind. An absolute classic. If Carol Burnett had in her entire career only walked down those stairs wearing the rods still in the drapes and said, "Thank you. I saw it in the window and I just couldn't resist it," it would have been enough to make her a superstar. The skit was so brilliant that I can still remember watching it at home when friends came by to pick me up. They started watching it and laughing, too. When a commercial break came, one of my friends said, "Okay, let's go." Everyone moaned that they wanted to see the rest of it. My friend objected, saying, "It's going to be hours - they haven't burned Atlanta yet." The skit was so complete, he was sure he was watching a takeoff of the entire film.
I don't know why there isn't a place on television now for this kind of show, but I can hazard one guess. Burnett did takeoffs on the film The Heiress, Til We Meet Again, Mildred Pierce, Torch Song, Sunset Boulevard - if she was on TV today, no one would laugh because they wouldn't know what she was doing. I'm sure most people have never seen most of those films - certainly not enough to keep her on the air. It's an amazing thing to think about how the world has changed. I'm glad I was in the world before it did.
What stands out for me is her film takeoffs, and on this board, I'm sure that's what stands out for most of us. I had the misfortune of seeing "Mildred Fierce" before I saw the real "Mildred Pierce." So I laughed all the way through Mildred Pierce. Torchy Song and her marvelous Joan Crawford - when I saw Mommie Dearest, all I could think of was Carol Burnett. Sunset Boulevard - when I saw the movie after seeing her takeoff, she was all I could think of.
But there was one movie takeoff that beat them all - Gone with the Wind. An absolute classic. If Carol Burnett had in her entire career only walked down those stairs wearing the rods still in the drapes and said, "Thank you. I saw it in the window and I just couldn't resist it," it would have been enough to make her a superstar. The skit was so brilliant that I can still remember watching it at home when friends came by to pick me up. They started watching it and laughing, too. When a commercial break came, one of my friends said, "Okay, let's go." Everyone moaned that they wanted to see the rest of it. My friend objected, saying, "It's going to be hours - they haven't burned Atlanta yet." The skit was so complete, he was sure he was watching a takeoff of the entire film.
I don't know why there isn't a place on television now for this kind of show, but I can hazard one guess. Burnett did takeoffs on the film The Heiress, Til We Meet Again, Mildred Pierce, Torch Song, Sunset Boulevard - if she was on TV today, no one would laugh because they wouldn't know what she was doing. I'm sure most people have never seen most of those films - certainly not enough to keep her on the air. It's an amazing thing to think about how the world has changed. I'm glad I was in the world before it did.
Laugh til you barf!
m_winship6 May 2020
On Amazon Prime! Before Saturday Night Live, there was Carol. We'd loved it all the way through; the way they did commercials and skits was quite revolutionary in its time in prime viewing on television. Back before cable we laughed, hummed, hawed about the characters with everything they'd done. We loved the way they made fun of hillbillies in the bible belt, really nothing was sacred either. Well, like all good things, it couldn't last forever, and change was to come with SNL, and it's cutting edge profanity, sacrilege and stereotyping that helped America heal after the War. I hope something good comes out of all our recent travesty and travails. Pax, Murf
A Very Funny Variety Show
hfan7713 January 2010
The Carol Burnett Show (whose initials are the same as the network it aired on) was a very funny variety show that was so successful thanks to Carol Burnett and her supporting cast of Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman and Lyle Waggoner. When Tim Conway became a regular, the show became more hilarious. Guest stars also were a part of the festivities each week, including Jim Nabors, who was the show's first guest, and continued in the same role at the start of each season.
Of all the sketches that aired, my all-time favorite was "Went With the Wind." I saw it on a retrospective and it was still extremely funny, especially the outfits used.
What also made the show's successful was the way Carol interacted with the studio audience, treating them as a participant by taking questions in the opening segment. She also showed her versatility in playing different roles, including the washerwoman who closed down the show at season's end.
If you haven't bought the DVD'S or seen the reruns under the title "Carol Burnett and Friends", it's highly recommended to see Carol and company in action as well as to see the sketches that spawned the sitcom "Mama's Family." You'll be glad you had that time together.
Of all the sketches that aired, my all-time favorite was "Went With the Wind." I saw it on a retrospective and it was still extremely funny, especially the outfits used.
What also made the show's successful was the way Carol interacted with the studio audience, treating them as a participant by taking questions in the opening segment. She also showed her versatility in playing different roles, including the washerwoman who closed down the show at season's end.
If you haven't bought the DVD'S or seen the reruns under the title "Carol Burnett and Friends", it's highly recommended to see Carol and company in action as well as to see the sketches that spawned the sitcom "Mama's Family." You'll be glad you had that time together.
Best show ever
ablondmoment20 April 2020
I'm So Glad We Had this Time Together ****
edwagreen21 September 2007
This show was an amazing hit due to the fine comedic talents of Carol Burnett and a terrific supporting cast of Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman and Lyle Waggoner.
Those sketches of Burnett will be forever etched in the minds of television viewers. Who can forget Mrs. Wiggins or Nora Desmond, the latter a take off on the brilliant performance of Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in 1950's "Sunset Boulevard?" Swanson, at one time, guest starred on the Burnett show and stated that she never realized that Norma Desmond was such a comical rather than tragic figure.
I'm so glad we had this time together.
Those sketches of Burnett will be forever etched in the minds of television viewers. Who can forget Mrs. Wiggins or Nora Desmond, the latter a take off on the brilliant performance of Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in 1950's "Sunset Boulevard?" Swanson, at one time, guest starred on the Burnett show and stated that she never realized that Norma Desmond was such a comical rather than tragic figure.
I'm so glad we had this time together.
Really funny in it's day.
barrynoir8 January 2019
Very entertaining
putahw-4099729 March 2021
A-1
VetteRanger27 April 2023
The men and women who created and started in this show produced probably the best comedy-sketch/variety show ever. The cast was simply dynamite, headed of course by Carol Burnett. Then there was Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Lyle Wagner, and of course the irrepressible Tim Conway.
Carol's Q&A to "warm-up the audience" and begin the show was generally a treat, often with a lot of laughs.
The show featured top talents of the day ... in music ... in comedy ... and in acting. Some sketches and some lines are still remembered today as iconic. And goodness gracious ... watch the outtakes sometime. Tim Conway so often went ad lib and cracked up everyone in a sketch with him.
You'll she tears laughing.
Carol's Q&A to "warm-up the audience" and begin the show was generally a treat, often with a lot of laughs.
The show featured top talents of the day ... in music ... in comedy ... and in acting. Some sketches and some lines are still remembered today as iconic. And goodness gracious ... watch the outtakes sometime. Tim Conway so often went ad lib and cracked up everyone in a sketch with him.
You'll she tears laughing.
A Very Good Variety Show & Okay TV
amexspam4 July 2015
This is a show that I remember as a 10, but when reviewed 30 years later is a 7 with occasional eights. If you erase the nostalgia and purely focus on the writing it is a 6, but the brilliance of the performers raises it to a 7 and sometimes an 8 - Tim Conway and Carol are always at a nine level. I watched it every Saturday, but it was the best of what was on and not an 8.8 by itself. If you are rating by memory and not by today, get copies of back programs and see if your opinions hold, If you've never seen it, it is definitely worth watching to see some extraordinary characters, but it is not an 8.8. Apparently the line police needs more. How about...Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Guess it's a generational thing
tiffanie_says_stay_in_your_lane2 December 2023
I can't believe there's only one other 1 star review besides mine. Am I missing something??? This show is so unfunny that I leave the room every time it comes on (before that it's Hogan's Heroes, which is also equally dumb, but still kind of watchable. I went a long time not even being able to figure out what it was about, and now that I do, I feel bad for laughing, because it pretty much trivialized WWII by spoofing the Nazis). When The Carol Burnett Show's opening credits start rolling that's when I'm like welp, time to go. I can't imagine anyone under 50 laughing at the jokes. The humor is so dated. All of their skits looked awkward. It might not even be a generational thing, because I'm a young adult, but I love old movies and TV shows. But it seems like TCBS is one of those things that you had to exist at that time to enjoy. Like unless you have memories of watching this on the living room floor as a kid, it won't resonate with you. Because it's not contemporary. It's crazy this stayed on until 1978, when variety shows had lost their popularity. I have no problem laughing to the point of tears - and I know everyone doesn't have that ability - so if something doesn't make me laugh on that level, it's not worth my time.
The BEST comedy series of all time!
Richard-11028 August 1999
Half of the fun of watching Carol Burnett and Friends was watching the actors and actresses try to maintain straight faces during their skits, even when on the inside they were dying to burst out laughing. What made this series funny is that the actors and actresses ad-libbed most of their lines. This way, even the other actors didn't know what would be said next. I've seen many episodes of this show and each one of them keeps me laughing. This is comedy at it highest, at a time when humor was based on slapstick humor and the totally unexpected instead of sexual one-liners. If you ever get a chance to see this show, watch it. You won't be disappointed--especially if you're fortunate to see the episode where Lyle Waggoner is a prisoner of war in WWII interrogated by German officers Harvey Korman and Tim Conway.
See also
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