H. BEEBEE STYLE: why are television comedy sketch shows hit and miss?

This paper addresses a question addressed by newspaper reviewer Rachel Aroesti but not originally raised by her: why are television comedy sketch shows hit-and-miss? I formulate the puzzle more precisely, specifying simplifying assumptions involved. I then examine each of the three solutions that she lists: that humour is subjective, that nobody has good enough ideas to have a series composed of all funny sketches, and that one puts unfunny sketches so that the critics find fault with those rather than finding other faults. I then propose my own solution: that audiences need a break after a good sketch. This paper is intended as an imitation of Helen Beebee, but I am not confident that she would address a topic which seems so ephemeral: here today and gone tomorrow.