Carol Burnett says her 60s CBS show ‘couldn’t be made today’

Carol Burnett reckons her self-titled 1960s and 70s CBS hit “couldn’t be made today”.

The Carol Burnett Show, starring Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Lyle Waggoner, aired from 1967 to 1978.

The famous entertainer, who has enjoyed a colourful career in showbusiness, turns 90 next week and is set to feature in a new TV special.

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, which was filmed last month, airs on Wednesday, April 26 on NBC – her actual birthday.

Speaking to Page Six ahead of its release, the actor and comedian reflected on her glistening years on screen and her famous CBS show.

“I feel like I’m 11,” she told the outlet.

Of the upcoming show, Carol added: “I was absolutely gobsmacked by the evening.

“It was incredible. It’s not a birthday party. It’s not a roast. It’s a variety show.”

Best known for The Carol Burnett Show, she opened up about making the programme – explaining why it simply couldn’t be made today.

“I don’t think a network would go for what we did,” she explained.

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Carol added: “We had a 28-piece live orchestra, we had 12 dancers, we had two guest stars a week.

“Bob Mackie designed — get this — 60 to 75 costumes a week, everything everybody wore in all the sketches and all the musical numbers, on and on and on.

“And no network today would spend that kind of money. The money that it would cost today would be astronomical.

“So they’re not gonna go for it. And they, you know, they feel that variety is dead, which I don’t believe it is.

“There are many people who could do a variety show, but … they couldn’t do what we did because of the cost.”

Carol continued: “That’s the problem. That’s why there aren’t any shows like ours or Dean Martin or any of those, you know, just can’t happen today.”

Despite her upcoming 90th birthday party, Burnett is not showing any signs of slowing down.

She recently filmed the upcoming Apple TV+ miniseries Mrs American Pie alongside Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney and Laura Dern.

Carol also appeared in the final season of Better Call Saul earlier last year.

“I’m just so fortunate, at this age, to be able to be getting in the sandbox and playing with people” she concluded.

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