History Main / TheBackstageSketch

* ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' frequently featured the stars lounging around on set in-between takes. One particularly memorable instance lampshades how the supposedly documentary-esque content of these sketches were in fact just as scripted as the rest of the show.
* ''Series/AllThat'' began each episode with the cast getting up to wacky hijinks in the green room before the show. The sketches even had their own catchphrase, with the panicked stage manager informing them they have five minutes until the show starts.
* ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' showed the backstage area on occasion, but the best example of this from it is the introduction/theme elaboration sketches on the blue triangle set, which more often than not would lapse into being more about the making of said sketches.
* ''Evening at the Improv'', a late 70s/early 80s show was mostly comprised of [[RecordedAndStandUpComedy stand-up comedians]] performing at the Improv comedy club. Between the comedians' segments (and commercials) there were backstage-type sketches involving the waitstaff at the club, sometimes interacting with the featured comics and sometimes not, including a young Julie Brown. [[EveryEpisodeEnding Every episode ended with]] one of the waitstaff doing a few jokes onstage to an empty house, presumably working on their craft after the club closed for the night.
* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' would frequently feature sketches backstage where the "talent" would propose new acts, the guest stars would bicker with Kermit over the things they were being asked to do, and zany things went on in the name of pushing the show forward. These would often be intertwined to create a plotline.
** ''{{Series/The Jim Henson Hour}}'' and ''{{Series/Muppets Tonight}}'' would also have backstage happenings. ''Series/MuppetsNow'' has a variant with the linking material being Scooter assembling the show on his computer, and being interrupted by other characters.
* A not infrequent trope on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', which shows the host preparing in his/her dressing room, cast members interacting with each other or Lorne Michaels, etc.
** This was parodied on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', with Meg losing her virginity to Jimmy Fallon in what she ''thought'' was actually backstage...up until he yells "Live from New York, it's ''Saturday Night''" post-coitus at a previously-unnoticed camera.
* ''Series/TheKidsInTheHall'' often did sketches where they played themselves, addressing their status as a comedy troupe with a TV show. For example in one sketch, Kevin in his ButtMonkey role frets that if his next contribution isn't good enough, the others will kick him out of the group.
* ''Series/RutlandWeekendTelevision'', where Eric Idle, Neil Innes, David Battley, Gwen Watford and Henry Woolf could be seen sitting around a table ostensibly doing read-throughs, commenting on the quality or otherwise of Eric Idle's scriptwriting and generally fracturing the fourth wall.
* ''{{Series/SCTV}}'' frequently had backstage plots throughout the show, especially during the 90-minute episodes.
* When ''Series/{{Roc}}'' began airing their episodes live, the show would often being with one of the actors backstage talking to the TV audience.
* ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'' uses these primarily for LampshadeHanging and SelfDeprecation, and gets increasingly meta with them with every passing series. This perhaps peaked with a series 5 sketch in which Simon Kane complains that Finnemore writes these sketches in such a way as to [[TheWarOnStraw make the rest of the cast]] look petty and bullying, and that ''that includes the lines he's currently reading''. He's reduced to tearfully begging John to stop writing the sketch, while John says he doesn't know how to because he [[DropTheCow can't think of a punchline.]]

'''Simon:''' ''You have such a cheek.'' Sitting at your computer, writing ''that'' line, for you to ask me, as if it's somehow my fault, and then writing ''this answer'' for me to say! YES OF COURSE IT'S SELF-INDULGENT! MASSIVELY SELF-INDULGENT! So for god's sake, stop it!

* ''Series/AllThat'' began each episode with the cast getting up to wacky hijinks in the green room before the show. The sketches even had their own CatchPhrase, with the panicked stage manager informing them they have five minutes until the show starts.

** ''{{Series/The Jim Henson Hour}}'' and ''{{Series/Muppets Tonight}}'' would also have backstage happenings.

* ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'' uses these primarily for LampshadeHanging and SelfDeprecation, and gets increasingly more meta with them with every passing series. This perhaps peaked with a series 7 sketch in which Simon Kane complains that Finnemore writes these sketches in such a way as to [[TheWarOnStraw make the rest of the cast]] look petty and whingeing, and that ''that includes the lines he's currently reading''. He's reduced to tearfully begging John to stop writing the sketch, while John says he doesn't know how to because he can't think of a punchline.

* ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'' uses these primarily for LampshadeHanging and SelfDeprecation, and gets increasingly more meta with them with every passing series. This perhaps peaked with a series 7 sketch in which Simon Kane complains that Finnemore writes these sketches in such a way as to make the rest of the cast look petty and whingeing, and that ''that includes the lines he's currently reading''. He's reduced to tearfully begging John to stop writing the sketch, while John says he doesn't know how to because he can't think of a punchline.

* ''ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' frequently featured the stars lounging around on set in-between takes. One particularly memorable instance lampshades how the supposedly documentary-esque content of these sketches were in fact just as scripted as the rest of the show.

* ''AllThat'' began each episode with the cast getting up to wacky hijinks in the green room before the show. The sketches even had their own CatchPhrase, with the panicked stage manager informing them they have five minutes until the show starts.
* ''YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' showed the backstage area on occasion, but the best example of this from it is the introduction/theme elaboration sketches on the blue triangle set, which more often than not would lapse into being more about the making of said sketches.

* ''TheMuppetShow'' would frequently feature sketches backstage where the "talent" would propose new acts, the guest stars would bicker with Kermit over the things they were being asked to do, and zany things went on in the name of pushing the show forward. These would often be intertwined to create a plotline.
* A not infrequent trope on ''SaturdayNightLive'', which shows the host preparing in his/her dressing room, cast members interacting with each other or Lorne Michaels, etc.
** This was parodied on ''FamilyGuy'', with Meg losing her virginity to Jimmy Fallon in what she ''thought'' was actually backstage...up until he yells "Live from New York, it's ''Saturday Night''" post-coitus at a previously-unnoticed camera.
* ''TheKidsInTheHall'' often did sketches where they played themselves, addressing their status as a comedy troupe with a TV show. For example in one sketch, Kevin in his ButtMonkey role frets that if his next contribution isn't good enough, the others will kick him out of the group.
* ''RutlandWeekendTelevision'', where Eric Idle, Neil Innes, David Battley, Gwen Watford and Henry Woolf could be seen sitting around a table ostensibly doing read-throughs, commenting on the quality or otherwise of Eric Idle's scriptwriting and generally fracturing the fourth wall.

Fairly self-explanatory. A sketch during a SketchShow that focuses on the actors preparing for the next segment, or just enjoying their downtime. If these are the majority of the episode, odds are the sketches are just a ShowWithInAShow.