The George Burns Show February 1959 sweeps, the format was changed to a live sketch-comedy/variety show in the style of "The Jack Benny Program", in an attempt to improve the ratings. The ratings didn't improve, however, so they reverted to the sitcom format. The series ended after 25 episodes. <nowiki>*</nowiki> Unknown The George Burns Show The George Burns Show is a short-lived comedy television program that aired on NBC for one season (1958–59). The program was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. "The George Burns Show" immediately followed the eight-season run of "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show", which had aired on CBS, and shared continuity
Variety show being produced were of remarkably poor quality (see, for instance, the infamous "Pink Lady and Jeff"), hastening the format's demise. Since "Pink Lady", only a few traditional variety shows have been attempted by major networks: these include "Dolly" (starring Dolly Parton), which ran for 23 episodes on the ABC during the 1987–'88 season; a revival of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" from 1988 to 1989; a revival of "The Carol Burnett Show", which was broadcast by CBS for nine episodes in 1991; and the first incarnation of "The Wayne Brady Show", which was telecast by ABC in August 2001. By