Sketch comedy shows are a tough nut to crack. They tend to be very hit-and-miss, and even some of the best sketch shows had/have pretty poor ratios. Saturday Night Live, for all its history, has one of the lower ratios out there – on any given night there might only be one or two good sketches out of a set of eight to ten. And yet, in some circles, it’s the gold standard.

However, one recent trend in the world of sketch comedy is the mini renaissance that has begun at Comedy Central. Between Key & Peele and Inside Amy Schumer, two of the most unique and interesting visions in sketch comedy are being visualized. 

Tonight’s episode of Inside Amy Schumer was no exception in its success. And even so, the episode had a big swing-and-a-miss with its much buzzed-about “Milk Milk Lemonade” music video, which I found clever but ultimately not at all for me. I get it – many men idolize a relatively gross part of the human anatomy. Moving right along…

For the show to be able to follow a sketch that was for me a big miss with two knock-em-out classics in a spot-on parody of Friday Night Lights, and the titular sketch about Julia Louis Dreyfus’ Last Fuckable Day represents a remarkable high success ratio in the world of sketch comedy.

Firstly, if this is what Josh Charles is spending his post-The Good Wife-career doing, I’m more than happy with it. Though nobody could successfully mimic the peerless Kyle Chandler, he does a damn fine job in getting his character across, as the no-nonsense football coach who won’t allow rape (despite football later being compared to rape). All the while,  Amy Schumer drinking larger and larger glasses of wine both served as a great visual gag, as well as something of a homage to Cougartown. It’s a great concept, well executed, and it leads the viewer in an interesting direction.

As for Last Fuckable Day? Well, this is exactly what Amy Schumer’s forte is. It’s a sketch that’s perfectly situated in her wheelhouse. Any time you put Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a room [or in this case, outside] with a Tina Fey or a Patricia Arquette, you’re going to get good results, and this was no exception. The only thing missing is a cameo by Amy Poehler to really seal the deal. Regardless, Schumer’s perfect skewering of ageism, sexism, Hollywood double standards is a rousing success.

To further cap off the episode, Amy Schumer’s standup game continues to be on point, and the standup highlights serve as a great complement to the sketches.

Inside Amy Schumer has been knocking things out of the park for a couple of years now, and I’m excited to see how the show progresses as it begins to enter maturity, and as Schumer starts to explore new territory. Amy Schumer is poised to become a megastar with the release of Trainwreck, her upcoming Judd Apatow film (it’s getting rave reviews), and I’m excited for her to get some more attention.

Old Lady #1: Hey, you’re that new coach who don’t like raping!

Old Lady #2: How’re our boys supposed to celebrate when they win?

Old Lady #1: Or blow off steam if they lose?