Ernie Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was an American comedian whose uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident. Such iconic shows as Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Uncle Floyd Show, Saturday Night Live and even Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street, and TV hosts such as David Letterman are seen as utilizing Kovacs' influence.

Born to Hungarian immigrant parents, Kovacs was influenced deeply by his Trenton Central High School drama teacher, Harold Van Kirk, and thus went to acting school after his 1937 graduation. His first paid entertainment work was as a disc jockey on Trenton's WTTM radio, which led eventually to his first television job in 1949, a show called Three to Get Ready, at NBC's Philadelphia affiliate, WPTZ. Three to Get Ready was groundbreaking, as the first regularly scheduled early morning (7–9 a.m.) show in a major TV market. Prior to this, it had been assumed that no one would watch TV at such an early hour. The success of Three to Get Ready proved the theory wrong and was one of the factors that led NBC to create The Today Show, which led to WPTZ's cancellation of Ernie's local show in favor of the network offering.

At WPTZ, Kovacs first began to use the ad-libbed and experimental style that would come to make his reputation, including video effects, superimpositions, reverse polarities and scanning, and quick blackouts. He was also noted for abstraction and carefully timed non sequitur gags and for carefully allowing the so-called fourth wall to be breached. Kovacs' cameras commonly showed his viewers activity beyond the boundaries of the show set—including crew members and, on occasion, outside the studio itself. Kovacs also liked talking to the off-camera crew and even introduced segments from the studio control room. Ernie frequently made use of accidents and happenstance, incorporating the unexpected into his shows. One of Kovacs' Philadelphia broadcasts was "enlivened" by a homeless man who sought shelter inside the TV studio; Kovacs invited him onto the set, where he slept for the duration of the telecast, but nonetheless was introduced on camera to the audience as "Sleeping Schwartz."