--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Standups have all the talk shows, but you…" description: "\"Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a sketch group on a talk show. Even on so-called variety shows, if you do see a sketch group or cha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg" --- # Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a… ![“Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a sketch group on a talk show. Even on so-called variety shows, if you do see a sketch group or character, it's written specifically for that variety show and usually written around the host of the show or a celebrity.” quote by Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg) > “Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a sketch group on a talk show. Even on so-called variety shows, if you do see a sketch group or character, it's written specifically for that variety show and usually written around the host of the show or a celebrity.” [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sketch groups rarely appear on talk shows; formats favor host-centered content over ensemble comedy. **In simple terms:** Talk shows limit sketch groups. Key Takeaway Explore alternative platforms for sketch comedy. Themes media comedy format creativity Mood analytical creative Type industry strategic When to use this quote - network TV - online streaming - live events - festival programming Key Concepts production audience expectations collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How can sketch groups adapt to talk show constraints? - What platforms best showcase ensemble comedy? A Different Perspective Audience expectations may resist format change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Celebrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrity/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Talk show](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-show/) [Talk shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-shows/) ## Related quotes > [It's a very hard thing to explain when we sit with writers on our shows. But then if they show us a sketch, instinctively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ant-mcpartlin/it-s-a-very-hard-thing-to-explain-when-we-sit-with-writers-on-our/) [Ant McPartlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-mcpartlin/) > [Like I said, a sketch is one joke. They shouldn't really be more than a minute, two minutes. There are some shows where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-andre/like-i-said-a-sketch-is-one-joke-they-shouldn-t-really-be-more-than-a/) [Eric Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-andre/) > [Sketch shows change gears so drastically every two minutes. I think sketch shows are for sketch fans; they're not really for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ben-garant/sketch-shows-change-gears-so-drastically-every-two-minutes-i-think/) [Robert Ben Garant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ben-garant/) > [ What we have to do is go on the offensive. \[The science on climate change\] has been maligned and misinterpreted, and we need to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/what-we-have-to-do-is-go-on-the-offensive-the-science-on-climate/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, talk show Rush Limbaugh claim - " don't you love that, they "claim."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/former-new-york-mayor-rudy-giuliani-former-alaska-governor-sarah/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I only got the opportjnity to co-host a talk show because I failed at news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-only-got-the-opportjnity-to-co-host-a-talk-show-because-i-failed-at/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I'd actually rather have a talk show in Australia than even America; I hope I do end up with a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-monk/i-d-actually-rather-have-a-talk-show-in-australia-than-even-america-i/) [Sophie Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-monk/) > [ I love doing \[stand-up\]. I love making people laugh no matter how. Whether it's a commercial, or a TV show, or a reality show,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/i-love-doing-stand-up-i-love-making-people-laugh-no-matter-how/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [On the other side, you have the conservative intelligentsia - magazines like National Review, which has a big anti-Trump issue; Weekly Standard editor, conservative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/on-the-other-side-you-have-the-conservative-intelligentsia-magazines/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [Cannabis always made me paranoid; I felt like people were watching me. And now I'm sober, and I've got this talk show in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/cannabis-always-made-me-paranoid-i-felt-like-people-were-watching-me/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [To get an Emmy nomination for a show that was the first-ever science talk show on television to us was an affirmation that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/to-get-an-emmy-nomination-for-a-show-that-was-the-first-ever-science/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've always wanted to do a segment on a talk show. Jay Leno has been such a good friend, and if he would allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-a-segment-on-a-talk-show-jay-leno-has-been/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [I guess the best advice I ever got or anyone could get for doing a talk show, though it has not been easy very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-guess-the-best-advice-i-ever-got-or-anyone-could-get-for-doing-a/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [About a year after I moved to Los Angeles, I decided I wanted to be a joke writer for a late night talk show.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/about-a-year-after-i-moved-to-los-angeles-i-decided-i-wanted-to-be-a/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) ## More by Matt Besser > [I got really depressed when Sidney Moncrief lost to Larry Bird. That really depressed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-got-really-depressed-when-sidney-moncrief-lost-to-larry-bird-that/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [I always like being a director in terms of giving acting notes and punching up on the fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-always-like-being-a-director-in-terms-of-giving-acting-notes-and/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [I really enjoyed doing stand-up. Andy Kaufman was a big hero of mine. I tried to do conceptual stuff like he tried to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-really-enjoyed-doing-stand-up-andy-kaufman-was-a-big-hero-of-mine-i/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [I'd been involved with stand-up before improv, so I already thought highly of myself as being a funny person. I never thought I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-d-been-involved-with-stand-up-before-improv-so-i-already-thought/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [I guess that I was always considered a little too weird for the standup clubs and probably too jokey for doing performance art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-guess-that-i-was-always-considered-a-little-too-weird-for-the/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [I can't stand USC. They get such media attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-can-t-stand-usc-they-get-such-media-attention/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [“My name is Matt Besser, and I'm an Arkansas Razorback. My father is a Jew from Little Rock, Ark., my mother was a Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/my-name-is-matt-besser-and-i-m-an-arkansas-razorback-my-father-is-a/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [Many improv groups give off the same positive annoying vibe that I associate with Christian Young Life groups with shows that more resemble children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/many-improv-groups-give-off-the-same-positive-annoying-vibe-that-i/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [I'm more comfortable doing a character than being myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/i-m-more-comfortable-doing-a-character-than-being-myself/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [Don't invite me to a surprise birthday party. I don't have room for that secret. I've got enough real secrets I have to keep:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/don-t-invite-me-to-a-surprise-birthday-party-i-don-t-have-room-for/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [Right after college, a buddy of mine was moving to Boulder for some summer program, and he was like, 'Come live with me.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/right-after-college-a-buddy-of-mine-was-moving-to-boulder-for-some/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [There's a creative vibe at U.C.B., and to maintain it, we can't pay people. If you pay, then you have to assign worth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/there-s-a-creative-vibe-at-u-c-b-and-to-maintain-it-we-can-t-pay/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [For all you Joe Besser haters who claim that he was the worst Stooge, that's not true - Curly Joe DeRita was the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/for-all-you-joe-besser-haters-who-claim-that-he-was-the-worst-stooge/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [Every funny story has at least one unusual thing in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/every-funny-story-has-at-least-one-unusual-thing-in-it/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) > [There's something about the Razorbacks that's unique to Arkansas - I don't know how many states have just one team that the entire state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/there-s-something-about-the-razorbacks-that-s-unique-to-arkansas-i/) [Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) [Explore all 61 Matt Besser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/) ## More Celebrity quotes > [“I'm always looking for evidence to support my conjecture that celebrity in Hollywood is sort of like a Joel Peter Witkin photograph: It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cintra-wilson/i-m-always-looking-for-evidence-to-support-my-conjecture-that/) [Cintra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cintra-wilson/) > [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I gave up some of my celebrity to be with my children for 14 years, but it's been fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rabbitt/i-gave-up-some-of-my-celebrity-to-be-with-my-children-for-14-years/) [Eddie Rabbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rabbitt/) > [Unfortunately, celebrity is a powerful thing. It can influence people, but if it can influence people in a good way, then that's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-furnish/unfortunately-celebrity-is-a-powerful-thing-it-can-influence-people/) [David Furnish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-furnish/) > [There's only one me. I'm obsessed with pop culture and celebrity. I used to be an actor, I used to be a journalist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/there-s-only-one-me-i-m-obsessed-with-pop-culture-and-celebrity-i/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I don't like the word celebrity. If I become a good actress and be in movies where I'm expected to be a good actress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reilly/i-don-t-like-the-word-celebrity-if-i-become-a-good-actress-and-be-in/) [Kelly Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reilly/) > [I loved 'Celebrity Fit Club,' working out six days a week, running a mile and a half three times a week, and doing 1,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/i-loved-celebrity-fit-club-working-out-six-days-a-week-running-a-mile/) [Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/) > [Royalty is completely different than celebrity. Royalty has a magic all its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/royalty-is-completely-different-than-celebrity-royalty-has-a-magic/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [I suppose people also have to be a little more careful or circumspect if they're going to leverage their celebrity to promote their political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-rundgren/i-suppose-people-also-have-to-be-a-little-more-careful-or-circumspect/) [Todd Rundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-rundgren/) > [I surprised the hell out of myself when I got MVP for the 2018 All Star Legends Celebrity game. I had no idea I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-miz/i-surprised-the-hell-out-of-myself-when-i-got-mvp-for-the-2018-all/) [The Miz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-miz/) > [I grew up in celebrity world, so I know what famous people are like, and I've never looked up to them in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-allen/i-grew-up-in-celebrity-world-so-i-know-what-famous-people-are-like/) [Lily Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-allen/) > [Well, I knew I wanted to be an actor, and I didn't necessarily need or want to be famous or a celebrity actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-fischer/well-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-didn-t-necessarily-need-or/) [Jenna Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-fischer/) > [People are people. All that celebrity tagging doesn't bother me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-price/people-are-people-all-that-celebrity-tagging-doesn-t-bother-me-at-all/) [Katie Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-price/) > [There's a line between being an artist and being a celebrity. Whether you're a famous photographer or artist, or you're an actor or director,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/there-s-a-line-between-being-an-artist-and-being-a-celebrity-whether/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) [Browse all 1,675 Celebrity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a sketch group on a talk show. Even on so-called variety shows, if you do see a sketch group or character, it's written specifically for that variety show and usually written around the host of the show or a celebrity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Besser" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you-never-see-a-sketch-group-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Celebrity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you-never-see-a-sketch-group-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/matt-besser-11252_celebrity_standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you_2489671.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a sketch group on a talk show. Even on so-called variety…” — Matt Besser", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Matt Besser", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Standups have all the talk shows,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you-never-see-a-sketch-group-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/standups-have-all-the-talk-shows-but-you-never-see-a-sketch-group-on/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```