It’s just about impossible to discuss sketch comedy without bringing in Monty Python. Everyone from The Simpsons’ Matt Groening to Tina Fey to Jim Carrey has cited the comedy troupe as an influence.

The art of TV comedy is distilled into its purest essence in the format of a sketch show. Sketch comedies have been entertaining viewers at home since the 1940s, when variety shows like Texaco Star ...