Sketch Comedy

Sketch comedy is not to be confused with skit comedy. A sketch is essentially a very short one-act play, usually no more than about 7 minutes in length. Ten minutes and up generally falls in the one-act category.

The primary difference between a sketch and a skit is that while skits typically do not possess a concrete script and are hastily rehearsed shortly before they are performed, on the order of a few minutes or more. Sketches, on the other hand, are fully scripted and fully rehearsed well in advance of the scheduled performance.

Television shows like MAD TV and Kids in the Hall would fall in the sketch category, while a show like Saturday Night Live would technically be a skit-based show as the scenes are scripted but little rehearsed, there is frequent improvisation and performance deviation from rehearsal, and most of the dialogue is read from cue cards during the performance.
