The Sonny and Cher Show

Sonny and Cher reunite for their highly anticipated new variety show, opening with a delayed introduction featuring celebrity commentary from Raymond Burr, Jerry Lewis, and Tony Orlando, among others, speculating on their reunion. The duo makes their entrance to a standing ovation, engaging in their signature banter—now sharper with post-divorce bite—before performing “Love Will Keep Us Together,” with Cher’s vocals exuding newfound intensity. The show introduces new sketches, including a recurring political satire about President Ford’s clumsiness and a hilarious parody of Peanuts with Sonny as Charlie Brown and Cher as Lucy. In “The Sonnytone News,” Cher debuts one of her most beloved characters, Faye Wray in King Kong Returns, lounging in the giant ape’s hand while exchanging domestic banter. Cher also spoofs Barbara Walters in a news sketch alongside Paul Michael Glaser and Carol Burnett. Sonny and Cher channel George and Martha Washington in a Bicentennial skit, and Richard Thomas joins them for a factory-set comedy routine. Cher’s solo, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” is staged among travel trunks, though Sonny interrupts to remind her of the awkwardness of singing love songs post-divorce. The duo’s chemistry continues in a concert segment with “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Where You Lead,” though their vocal styles now contrast noticeably. The night closes with the inevitable performance of “I Got You Babe,” as they bid goodnight before exiting separately through rotating panels—a bittersweet ending to their much-publicized reunion. With its mix of nostalgia, biting humor, and the emergence of a stronger, more confident Cher, the episode cements itself as a cultural event, drawing one of the highest ratings of the decade.