Legendary Comedian Carol Burnett Laments Her Show Could Not Be Done Today

Legendary Comedian Carol Burnett Laments Her Show Could Not Be Done Today


Renowned, award-winning comedian Carol Burnett has said that her hit show would not be possible in today’s world and expressed her fondness for classic comedy sketch shows while sharing her desire for such shows to make a comeback.

Burnett, 89, made her remarks as she reflected on her lengthy Hollywood career and her legendary hit “The Carol Burnett Show,” according to Fox News.

“I’d like to see variety come back,” Burnett told the outlet. “But [the networks] could never do what we did because I think the cost would be extravagant now.”

“We had a 28-piece orchestra, 12 dancers,” she added. “We had 60 to 75 costumes a week. Bob Mackie designed for our guest stars. All of that you couldn’t do today. It would be too much. We did kind of a Broadway mini-musical comedy review every week. And that couldn’t be done today.”

“But there could be a hybrid of some way to do a variety show because there are people who could certainly do variety,” Burnett continued. “But I don’t think a network would take a chance. I just wish they would.”

After reflecting on her career, the Hollywood star revealed that CBS executives initially discouraged her from producing her show in the manner she desired. She disclosed that a network vice president expressed to her that variety shows were “a man’s game” and were better suited for stars of the time like Jackie Gleason and Dean Martin.

“And [they] had a sitcom they wanted me to do, to which I said, ‘I don’t want to be the same person every week. I want variety, I want music, I want different characters to do,’” Burnett said. “They had to put us on the air because I had a 10-year contract … I just said, ‘This is what I know, and this is what I want to do.’ I wasn’t deterred at all. I just simply said, ‘I want to have fun.’ And I pushed for that. They had to put it on the air.”

She would be proven right; she went on to have a huge hit on CBS from 1967 to 1978, including nine follow-on episodes in the fall of 1991.

At one point during her interview, she was also candid about an upcoming two-hour special in her honor titled “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love.”

“What I love about it was the fact that it wasn’t a roast, and it wasn’t a birthday party with a cake and balloons and stuff,” Burnett told the outlet. “It was a two-hour variety show. We had a 19-piece orchestra and I had so many friends who were there. And the live entertainment, my gosh… It was really exciting. It was just a party – everybody had a good time.


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