In the summer of 1971, television was basically a wasteland of reruns until two people with bell-bottoms and some serious baggage walked onto a CBS soundstage. They weren't exactly "new." Sonny and Cher were already relics of the mid-60s folk-rock scene, a duo that the hippest kids in 1971 thought were kinda corny. But then something weird happened. The Sonny and Cher TV show—officially titled The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour—became a massive, logic-defying hit.
It wasn't just the music. Honestly, it was the bickering.
You've got Sonny Bono, playing the lovable, slightly dim-witted foil, and Cher, the deadpan goddess who could dismantle his ego with a single arched eyebrow. It was a formula that shouldn't have worked for three years, let alone become a cultural touchstone. Yet, it did. By the time the show hit its stride, they were pulling in 30 million viewers a week. That’s Super Bowl numbers in today’s world.
How a "Has-Been" Lounge Act Saved CBS
The back story is actually pretty desperate. By 1968, Sonny and Cher were broke. Like, "we can't pay our taxes" broke. Their movie Chastity had flopped, and the rock world had moved on to harder drugs and heavier sounds. They were "too square for the hippies and too hippie for the squares."
To survive, they took a lounge act to Las Vegas. They learned how to work a room, how to handle hecklers, and how to turn their real-life marital friction into a comedy routine.
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Fred Silverman, the legendary CBS executive, saw them subbing for Merv Griffin and had a hunch. He threw them on as a summer replacement series. It was a low-risk move that paid off almost instantly. People didn't just want to hear "I Got You Babe"; they wanted to see what Cher was wearing and how hard she was going to roast Sonny’s height.
The Secret Sauce: Bob Mackie and One-Liners
You can't talk about the Sonny and Cher TV show without talking about the look. Bob Mackie, the Sultan of Sequins, turned Cher into a high-fashion icon every Tuesday night.
While most variety shows felt a bit stiff, this one felt like a party you weren't quite cool enough to be invited to. The sketches were fast. The humor was snappy. They had a writing room that was basically a factory for future legends, including a young, banjo-playing guy named Steve Martin.
- The Vamps: Cher playing historical "bad girls" like Cleopatra or Sadie Thompson.
- The Fortune Teller: Cher inside a crystal ball, usually making fun of Sonny.
- Sonny's Pizza: A recurring bit that was mostly just an excuse for physical comedy.
- The Closing: Always, always ending with "I Got You Babe" and their daughter, Chastity, coming out to wave goodbye.
The Divorce That Killed the Magic (And the Reboot That Didn't Work)
Behind the scenes, things were getting dark. While they were playing the "happy, bickering couple" on screen, the marriage was falling apart. Cher later described the environment as "involuntary servitude," claiming Sonny was too controlling over their business and personal lives.
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They split in 1974. The show was canceled at the height of its popularity because, well, it’s hard to do a "husband and wife" variety hour when you're filing for divorce and suing each other for millions.
They both tried solo shows. Sonny's was a disaster. Cher's solo show, Cher, was actually a hit and showed she was a powerhouse on her own, but it lacked that specific "Sonny and Cher" spark. In a move that feels like a weird fever dream, they actually reunited for The Sonny and Cher Show in 1976.
It was awkward.
Imagine trying to do a comedy routine with your ex while the whole world knows you're seeing other people. The "fingers crossed" logo they used for the revival was supposed to signify their friendship, but viewers could feel the tension. It lasted two seasons, but the variety show era was dying anyway. The audience was moving on to sitcoms like MASH* and All in the Family.
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Why It Still Matters
The legacy of the Sonny and Cher TV show isn't just about the nostalgia. It changed how women appeared on television. Cher wasn't a "submissive housewife" character; she was the smartest person in the room. She was glamorous, she was cynical, and she was completely in control of the stage.
It also pioneered the "meta" comedy style. They frequently broke the fourth wall, made fun of the network, and leaned into their own public personas in a way that modern celebrities do on Instagram every day.
If you want to understand where modern variety-style entertainment comes from, you have to look at these two. They proved that if you have enough sequins and a good enough insult, you can make an entire country fall in love with you—even if you can't stand each other.
How to Revisit the Magic
If you're looking to dive back into the 70s vibe, keep these things in mind:
- Check the archives: Many episodes are currently held in the Paley Center for Media, but you can find a lot of the musical numbers and "Vamps" sketches on official YouTube channels.
- Watch the guest spots: Look for the episodes featuring The Jackson 5 or Ronald Reagan (yes, really). They show just how much of a "must-stop" this show was for anyone in the public eye.
- Analyze the Mackie designs: If you’re into fashion, the Bob Mackie costumes from this era are essentially the blueprint for every Met Gala look for the last 50 years.
- Listen for the writing: See if you can spot the specific brand of "absurdist" humor that writers like Steve Martin and Bob Einstein (Super Dave Osborne) brought to the table.
The Sonny and Cher TV show was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. It was the bridge between old-school vaudeville and the modern era of the "celebrity brand." Even now, when that theme song starts, you sort of can't help but wait for the first insult to fly.