The variety show premieres on CBS, launching Cher's career as a major television star.
On September 19, 1971, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour premiered on CBS, introducing American audiences to a new format that combined musical performance with sketch comedy. The show quickly became a ratings success, showcasing Cher's sharp comedic timing, glamorous fashion sense, and vocal talent in a weekly primetime slot.
The variety show format was a significant departure from Cher's earlier identity purely as a pop singer, revealing her range as an entertainer and helping to establish her as a television personality in her own right, separate from her musical partnership with Sonny Bono. Her often self-deprecating humor and elaborate Bob Mackie gowns became iconic elements of the show.
The program's popularity helped sustain the duo's fame even as their musical chart success waned in the early 1970s, and it laid essential groundwork for Cher's subsequent solo television career after her divorce from Bono. The show is remembered as a landmark of 1970s variety television and a key stepping stone in Cher's evolution into a multi-platform entertainment icon.