# Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968)

> A fast-paced American sketch comedy variety show hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, built from quick gags and recurring bits.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/9185

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 140
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: George Schlatter, Ed Friendly
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Gary Owens, Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin, Alan Sues, Jeremy Lloyd, Chelsea Brown
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062601/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, irreverent, joyful, playful

## What critics say

Critics broadly regard Laugh-In as a groundbreaking, fast-paced sketch series that defined late-1960s television comedy, though its humor is often seen as dated.

## Synopsis

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973) is an American sketch comedy variety series created by George Schlatter and Ed Friendly for NBC. Hosts Dan Rowan and Dick Martin anchor a rapid succession of short sketches, one-liners and visual bits, with announcer Gary Owens and regulars Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin and Alan Sues popping in and out of the fast-cut assembly. Rather than following a single storyline, each hour is a restless collage of topical jokes, recurring catchphrases and playful slapstick that rushes from one gag to the next before a viewer can settle in. The show runs six seasons and 140 episodes, and its engine is simply momentum: a constant supply of punchlines, cameo bits and comic rhythm that keeps the energy high. Its tone is breezy, irreverent and joyful, with a sly, counterculture edge that pokes fun at the politics and social conventions of late sixties and early seventies America. Fans of Saturday Night Live, The Carol Burnett Show and Monty Python's Flying Circus will find a kindred spirit in its cheeky, ensemble-driven variety format and its love of catchphrase-driven comedy.

## Shows like Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

- [All That (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/3628)
- [The Mickey Mouse Club (1955)](https://ember.film/tv/2093)
- [Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/576)
- [The Benny Hill Show (1969)](https://ember.film/tv/2855)
- [The Carol Burnett Show (1967)](https://ember.film/tv/964)
- [That Girl (1966)](https://ember.film/tv/1817)
- [Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/54425)
- [The Ben Stiller Show (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/699)
- [Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)](https://ember.film/tv/805)
- [In Living Color (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/4197)

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