Sketch comedy

A sketch (US: skit), is a vignette, an extremely short play. Sketch comedy is a performance genre based upon ous sketches. It evolved out of the 'bits' used in vaudeville and in its modern form contains elements found in stand-up and improvisational comedy.

Television programmes based on sketch comedy are very popular in some countries. These may contain recurring sketches (often with characters and catch phrases that enter popular culture), or completely new sketches every episode. Monty Python's Flying Circus is a classic British example, and Saturday Night Live is a current, long-running sketch-comedy show in the US.