Favourite sketch comedy groups

[Canadave]

I love sketch comedy. Done well, it can be some of the funniest stuff out there (though admittedly, done poorly, it can also be some of the most painful stuff out there), so I thought I'd start a thread to see what everyone's favourite sketch comedy groups are.

I'll start with a classic one. No, not Monty Python, because everyone knows who they were, but The Kids in the Hall, whom I tend to consider the spiritual successors to Python. They were often random and surreal, sometimes satirical, occasionally a little puzzling, but nearly always funny. A couple of example sketches:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40&feature=related[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zJTNOxV4Qg&feature=related[/yt]

But one of the things I love about the internet is that it's led to some pretty solid sketch comedy groups emerge on YouTube. I think one of the most consistently funny is BriTANik. Unfortunately, their videos seem to be temporarily gone from Youtube, but you can check out some of their stuff on Funny or Die. I particularly enjoy the ad for HerpEX, and the trailer for every Oscar winning movie ever, which is still on YouTube:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbhrz1-4hN4[/yt]

 

[LitmusDragon]

I vote Kids in the Hall. It's what I grew up with and I still find a lot of it hilarious.

Monty Python could be brilliant at times but stone-boring at others.

Classic-era SNL and mid-90s SNL were brilliant as well.

Come to think of it I'm largely ignorant of any sketch comedy since about 1995 or so. Some of Will Ferrel's stuff is funny.

 

[Servo]

The Fast Show
Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Caroline Aherne, John Thomson, Mark Williams.

My favourite sketch show of all time. As funny and relevant today as it was then it first started back in 1994, and still the most quotable comedy show of the last 20 years (in the UK, at least).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_Show

Some of these vids contain swearing, so probably won't be work safe.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGBTrCZObyA[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj84tfS7ag4&feature=related[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R11wOyP1en4&feature=related[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8USITOUBqk&feature=related[/yt]

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

This is my favorite KITH sketch:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JinJ7NY5_E[/yt]

 

[Mistral]

SCTV was funny stuff. Also, the Not Ready For Prime Time Players.
I'd embed vids but I don't really know how.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

The Fast Show
Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Caroline Aherne, John Thomson, Mark Williams.

My favourite sketch show of all time. As funny and relevant today as it was then it first started back in 1994, and still the most quotable comedy show of the last 20 years (in the UK, at least).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_Show

Some of these vids contain swearing, so probably won't be work safe.

I'm not sure, I tried watching Fast Show again recently and some of it was just rubbish. Sure there's some good stuff, but seems they're just as hit and miss as everyone else really.

 

[stoneroses]

Yer loved Kids in The Hall. Python is great. Not The Nine o'Clock News. Fry and Laurie. Mitchell And Webb. Big Train. The Fast Show. The Armstrong and Miller Show

 

[DevilEyes]

Monty Python, of course... and The Fast Show.

The Fast Show
Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Caroline Aherne, John Thomson, Mark Williams.

My favourite sketch show of all time. As funny and relevant today as it was then it first started back in 1994, and still the most quotable comedy show of the last 20 years (in the UK, at least).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_Show

Some of these vids contain swearing, so probably won't be work safe.

I'm not sure, I tried watching Fast Show again recently and some of it was just rubbish. Sure there's some good stuff, but seems they're just as hit and miss as everyone else really.

The thing with The Fast Show is that they have those regular sketches, like the Jazz club, the Brilliant kid, the Suit you tailors, the drunk, etc. and some of the sketches that seem nothing special or a bit rubbish at first become a lot funnier when you've seen many versions of the same concept.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0lrQdFmL9U[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TebUMhJAKSM[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClcwKgxu2wk[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knYOcaQ-x5o[/yt]

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd embed vids but I don't really know how.

You use the [ yt ] tag, then the YouTube link, and a [ /yt ] link after it.

(Without the spaces.)

 

[I Grok Spock]

Monty Python
SNL - early 70s and late 80s/ early 90s casts.
SCTV
Kids in the Hall

Can't think of any in the past 10 years.

 

[Nathan_Heller]

I'm going with the original "Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players."

 

[Timby]

Second City has always been my favorite, and seeing so many alumni reunited on Ghostbusters always brings a smile to my face.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

The Kids in the Hall for me. Every now and then I watch a few discs and wind up making avatars out of them.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

Don't forget about Mr Show.

 

[species5618]

Don't forget about Mr Show.

Mr. Show was awesome! That and Kids in the Hall are my two favourites.

 

[bluedana]

In Living Color, one of the original programs on the fledgling new network, FOX, back in the day. It gave us the Wayans Brothers, Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, etc., as well as Jennifer Lopez and Carrie Ann Inaba. It was a treasure trove of catch phrases: "Hated it!" "Two snaps up!" "Homey don't play dat."

Probably the funniest skit ever was The Wrath of Farrakhan.