TV Pirata

The series

TV Pirata was a weekly Brazilian comedy show aired on Rede Globo between 1988 and 1990, being re-aired monthly in 1992. Some of the writers later went on to form the comedy troupe Casseta & Planeta. The show was first aired in April 1988 to fill a gap on Rede Globo's Tuesday night prime time line-up and its comedy was inspired by sketch comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live and Monty Python's Flying Circus with a no-nonsense approach to Brazilian comedy; however, it mixed a new style of comedy with elements of Brazilian culture such as football, politics, pop culture, telenovelas, economics and celebrities. No well-known figure or member of any economical or social class was spared from the show's cutting edge humor. The premise of the show was a TV studio being invaded by pirates who took over the programming department and put a tape on the air with some "unusual" programming. Another new element to Brazilian audiences was the performers, who weren't the usual comedic actors, but dramatic actors doing more comedic roles.