Baroness Von Sketch Show is groundbreaking for being a show run by and starring women in their 40s, but since its debut in 2016, the show has proven itself to be more than just that landmark. Created by and starring Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen, each episode is a series of rapid-fire sketches blending social critique, slapstick comedy, and dry observations. Any sketch is just as likely to be about the way women are marketed to as it is to be about awkward dance moves at a wedding.
Each star has their own special charms. MacNeill is best when she’s manically ripping through a sketch showing her dexterous physical comedy. Often this involves her needing to do something quickly (like take off her clothes for a massage or make it through a public washroom without touching anything) and stumbling hilariously through. Taylor is classic at taking a joke well beyond its limit, leaving everyone in the sketch (and at home) uncomfortable. Browne is the woman of a thousand faces, and Whalen is the ultimate straight woman with an ability to take things so literally they become ridiculous.
The fifth and final series of Baroness Von Sketch Show concluded in early 2021, and the show will be remembered for not only being from a woman’s point of view, but for being queer, relatable, and able to find comedy in just about anything, even transvaginal ultrasounds.
