The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott

Bud Abbott

William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...

 and Lou Costello

Lou Costello

Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...

 that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954.

The series is regarded among the most influential comedy programs in history. In 1998 Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

praised the series as one of the "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time." In 2007, Time

Time (magazine)

Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

magazine selected it for its "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME."
The show was a vehicle to bring the duo's tried and true burlesque

American burlesque

American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...

 routines to television in a format that the team could control.