To let the Emmys tell it, there have only been two important variety sketch series over the last few years. That is because, when determining the number of nominees for a category, the Television Academy uses a sliding scale rule that allow the number of submissions to determine the number of slots, and yes, this is a medium that has lost quite a few star players with few replacements in sight.

But it is an increasing important medium, especially as audience members' attention spans dwindle due to endlessly scrolling through short sentiments and even quicker clips on social media all day. A good sketch, which usually ranges from two to seven minutes in length of time, can pack a whole lot of social commentary and laughs into a small package.

October 2022 sees the expansion of the genre with the return of Inside Amy Schumer, a sketch series that originally aired four seasons on Comedy Central between 2013 and 2016 and features the eponymous comedian in narrative short-form sketches as well as interviews with the average American. Since it's Schumer's show, she takes the lead character in sketches, but the show welcomes a bevy of guest stars, who in the past included Jennifer Coolidge, Jerry Seinfeld, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Bridget Everett, who performed original music in the original run of the series and is back in the new season.

To celebrate the return of Inside Amy Schumer, now on Paramount+, Metacritic is looking back on sketch through the years to highlight other important series to binge. You may notice a few such seemingly obvious choices as The Carol Burnett Show have been left off the below list, and that is because those series do not have Metascores — though that is not to say they are not worthy of a watch (or rewatch). What you will find below are sketch series like Inside Amy Schumer to watch next, ranked by Metascore.

A Black Lady Sketch Show

Metascore: 89
Best for: Fans of the Black female perspective and A-list guest stars
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 3 (so far)

This Robin Thede creation is unlike any sketch show out there for a few reasons, the first being that it features an all Black, female cast of core players, and another being that in addition to the requisite sketches the show also delivers a powerful narrative through line featuring characters who think they are only survivors of an apocalyptic event, only to learn later (spoiler alert) it was all part of an experiment. The show sends up everything from haircare routines to religion and magic, and it features both beloved recurring characters (such as Trinity, the Invisible Spy and Dr. Hadassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman, Pre-PhD) and beloved guest stars (including Angela Bassett, David Alan Grier, Patti LaBelle, and so many more).

"A hilarious and witty comedy series that has a lot of jokes other comedians may not think of. The lightning-fast sketches manage to be universal and specific, enjoyable by more than just its obvious target demographic, but also serving an audience long ignored by Hollywood." — Kelly Lawler, USA Today

Mr. Show With Bob and David

Metascore: 87
Best for: Fans of Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul who want to see Bob Odenkirk's roots and also those who love the '90s
Where to watch: 

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Seasons: 4, plus a revival under a new name

Early in their careers, David Cross and Odenkirk worked together on The Ben Stiller Show, a sketch series centered on the eponymous actor. Just a few years later they would team up again to put themselves in the spotlight with this mid- to late-'90s surreal sketch series. Here, they lean into sketches that have fun with history, pop culture, and everyday life, including tackling a singing Adolf Hitler, a modern version of the KKK, and the question of what if your local mom and pop store was a porn shop?

"Mr. Show offers up a mad world of silliness and satire that recalls the heyday of Monty Python. ... No convention is left untrammeled, no target left unskewered. And, perhaps most remarkable given the recent spate of less-than-hilarious sketch shows, hardly a moment of the show is left unfunny." — Chuck Crisafulli, Los Angeles Times

Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun

Metascore: 85
Best for: Fans of group dynamics 
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 1

Unlike many titles on this list, including Inside Amy Schumer, this is an ensemble sketch series that juggles the different personalities and comedy styles of the titular Australian comedy group members. As such, the topics the show covers are wide-ranging but always aimed at including as many of them as possible. In one episode, for example, there are concerns when one member goes on a date, while in another, there is a disagreement when two of the guys turn the house in the bar, and in another they have to consider if they are rising to the same level of celebrity at the same time.

"If you appreciate the unrepentantly absurd and the overwhelmingly silly, you'll probably enjoy Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun." — Garrett Martin, Paste

I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson

Metascore: 83
Best for: Fans of quotable lines and absurd situations
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 2 (so far)

Tim Robinson delivers a sketch series that relies on awkward and often cringe-based humor in over-the-top situations including but not limited to job interviews, learning to drive, credit card roulette, encountering an overly friendly service dog, baby showers, and game shows. Making the characters within the sketches uncomfortable is the point — hence the title — but thanks to some help from guest stars including Sam Richardson, Patti Harrison, Will Forte, and yes, even Odenkirk, there's a balance of responses for the audience to relate to and laugh at.

"Not quite satire. Not quite whimsy. Something weirdly, maniacally new." — Louis Chilton, The Independent

The Kids in the Hall

Metascore: 83
Best for: Fans of 1980s humor 
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 5, plus a revival season

Another series that focuses on an ensemble rather than one or two primary voices, the titular Canadian sketch troupe got their own television series in 1988, and many of the sketches, admittedly, are true products of their time. You can decide for yourself if the comedy of male actors in drag as female characters and/or office worker characters trying to guess the sexuality of their co-workers holds up when watching through a 21st century lens, but even if it does, you can't deny what they were doing for their era was special. Consider the infamous "Gazebo" sketch, for example, that, on the surface, looks like a fight between neighbors, but really skewers two generations of people.

"The quality of the material, all of which is written by the performers themselves, is spotty, to be sure. But when it hits, it has that 'on the edge' feeling that makes you squirm as much as it makes you laugh." — Eric Mink, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Key & Peele

Metascore: 78
Best for: Fans of iconic comedy duos 
Where to watch: 

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Seasons: 5

Before he was an esteemed horror writer-producer-director, Jordan Peele was one-half of this iconic comedy duo, alongside Keegan-Michael Key. Like Mr. Show before it, Key & Peele features the eponymous stars introducing their sketches as themselves, but then slipping into larger-than-life personas for said sketches. Perhaps most memorably, Peele played Barack Obama and Key played his anger translator Luther, which serves as commentary on how Black men, especially those in power, feel they have to carry themselves a certain way. Other popular recurring characters and sketches that offer social commentary include Levi and Cedric, inner-city kids whose friendship is tested because the former keeps jumping on fads; the Black Republicans, which is self-explanatory; the intimidating substitute teacher Mr. Garvey; and valets who get into intense discussions about pop culture.

"The comedy ranges from silly to sharp, but it's seldom stupid and it's never mean-spirited - and the pair's talent is always on obvious display." — Robert Bianco, USA Today

Portlandia

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of quirky characters and Oregon
Where to watch:

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Seasons: 8

Portlandia is another series that focuses primarily on two actor playing a variety of recurring roles, including a version of themselves as roommates living in Portland, Ore. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen are the stars and co-creators (along with Jonathan Krisel) of the show, playing everything from a hipster couple, to overbearing parents, ecoterrorists, and owners of a feminist bookstore. Kyle MacLachlan memorably portrays the fictional mayor. Although the show is set in and was film in Portland, its character types are certainly not relegated to just that one town, which makes it easy to see people you've encountered in these sketches, regardless of from where you're watching.

"Armisen and Browstein's masterstroke is showing how certain flavors of modern leftist sensitivity/engagement can seem (to outsiders) like passive-aggressive self-absorption laced with contempt for the unenlightened." — Matt Zoller Seitz, Salon

Sherman's Showcase

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of old-school variety hours
Where to watch: 

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Seasons: 2, and a Black History Month special (so far)

Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle created this series, and on it Salahuddin stars as the titular Sherman, the host of a variety show that is reminiscent of such classics as Soul Train. Since this show is modeled after variety shows, it includes much music, in addition to sketches, spanning four-decades of the fictional series with themes that include "white music," a ladies showcase, a dancers showcase, and a special anniversary episode of the show-within-the-show.

"There's something hugely refreshing about Sherman's Showcase, a show that makes you giggle before you realize, 'Hey, that's pretty smart.'" — Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian

The Ben Stiller Show

Metascore: 75
Best for: Fans of Ben Stiller and 1990s pop culture
Where to watch: 

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Seasons: 1

This series only lasted one short season, but while it was on it parodied the pop culture of its time (the 1990s) and right before it (the 1980s). Taking a no-holds-barred approach, the series often mashed up recognizable characters and projects into one truly unique sketch. Think about how it makes U2 a part of the Partridge Family, or even how Stiller perfected a Tom Cruise impression. And what other show would have through to replace Robert De Niro in Cape Fear with Eddie Munster, turning the tale of revenge onto the television industry, in response to the cancelation of The Munsters? That sketch may hit different now, reflecting on the treatment of The Ben Still Show...

"Stiller and company's satire, though too [TV-]oriented, is stylistically spirited and fresh. It's feisty without being nasty, and the show has an air of improvisation that plays into Stiller's easy, look-mom-I've-got-my-own-show persona." — John Koch, The Boston Globe

Chappelle's Show

Metascore: 74
Best for: Fans of Dave Chappelle
Where to watch: 

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Seasons: 3

The eponymous comedian mixes short stand-up comedy sets with traditional sketches in his three-season series that skewers society by going hard at sexuality, addiction, gun violence, appropriation, and celebrities. Never one to worry about controversy, Chappelle doesn't hold back here as he plays everyone from Prince to Rick James and Lil Jon, and even parodies himself in a meta sketch that comments on him quitting his own show.

"At its best, the show is outrageous and hilarious at once." — Terry Kelleher, People