Would a prime time variety show still work today?

Depends on how much of the titty is shown.

I think they ought to try something like the Carol Burnett show again, and with the right people I think it would work. The real trick is getting the right ensemble. I've never found the full cast of SNL to be funny in years. YEARS. And they have too many people. Keep it to around 4 people and a guest or two.

The humor could be clean with some bawdy thrown in, but nothing profane since we get innuendos, bathroom, and bedroom humor in sitcoms, premium TV, cable, and movies anyway. That kind of writing would be a REAL challenge...leaving out the HBO-type profanity and such. Don't get me wrong, I curse like a sailor and use potty humor at work. But I would like to see some genuinely humorous writing that is comparatively clean. Bill Cosby pulled it off in his routines, but I don't know of many other comedians who even attempted anything that wasn't potty humor.

I enjoyed In Living Color a lot, but was very reserved on MadTV. Loved Carol Burnett and the Smothers Brothers like crazy. Ed Sullivan had some GREAT moments.

For you younger pumks out there who never heard of the Smothers Brothers...look em up on Youtube. There's a bunch of routines they did, as well as some skits that they and their guests did.

America's Got Talent is a Variety show by definition.

Same with Idol...the hosts provide "the comedy", the judges provide "the drama/comedy" - the live audience and then the different acts by the contestants with music thrown in.

Same stuff as Gong Show and Star Search.

It's never gone away, we just change the appearance.

Simon Cowell = Carol Burnett in your example. So yes, they work.

I personally would love it, I miss it. Today, the Hollywood producers would have half Gays, Lesbians, pot smoking, Muslims, anti-Bible comments, anti-gun, foul language as normal, the F--- word every other sentence, Spanish language bits, Socialist favoritism, anti-Patriotism comments, etc.