MADtv

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This article is about the Fox sketch comedy TV series. For the Greek music channel, see MAD TV (music TV). For the magazine, see Mad (magazine).

MADtv
Genre	Live action, comedy, variety television series
Picture format	480i SDTV
Running time	44 minutes per episode
Creator(s)	Quincy Jones, Fax Bahr and Adam Small.
Starring	See the MADtv Complete Cast List.
Country of origin	USA
Original channel	FOX
Original run	October 14, 1995–present
No. of episodes	267

MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series based on the popular humor magazine, Mad. It was first broadcast on October 14, 1995. The one-hour show airs Saturday nights on Fox and is in syndication on Comedy Central. It was created by Fax Bahr and Adam Small, who wrote for In Living Color and are also responsible for Gary and Mike and Blue Collar TV, and is produced by Quincy Jones.

[edit] Format

The format of MADtv is a mixture of scenes shot live for a studio audience, and pre-taped short films—both place a heavy emphasis on pop culture parody. Skits and sketches are performed in a manner similar to other variety shows. In the early days animated shorts of Don Martin classics and Spy vs Spy would be shown between sketches. Strangely enough, besides the occasional appearances of Alfred E. Neuman in the opening credits, Spy vs Spy would be the only direct connection between the magazine and the TV series. Indirectly, another connection is that relative to other sketch shows, MADtv has a heavy focus on parody. Music videos and TV shows are parodied often on MADtv.

MADtv spoofs other shows, such as the long-running game show The Price is Right, with actors playing Bob Barker and Rod Roddy, and it also takes on other celebrities, like Wayne Brady, Kenny Rogers and John Madden. One recurring skit is the show-within-a-show called Real **********ing Talk with Dollar Bill Montgomery, which is a spoof of other forum-style shows such as Hardball with Chris Matthews and Real Time with Bill Maher. Maher made a cameo appearance on a 10th-season episode, opposite cast lead Aries Spears. Real **********ing Talk is known for its excessive use of (censored) foul language.

MADtv is said to be a successor to FOX's previous sketch comedy program, In Living Color. Fax Bahr and Adam Small were writers for In Living Color. Also, some sketches in MADtv were based on In Living Color.

Comparisons with NBC's Saturday Night Live are inevitable, given the two shows' similar formats and close airtimes on Saturday night (MADtv runs from 11:00 p.m. to midnight, while SNL runs from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., both Eastern time).

[edit] MADtv Cast

The current cast of MADtv. (Top Row, Standing Left to Right) Bobby Lee, Keegan-Michael Key, Ike Barinholtz, Michael McDonald and Frank Caeti. (Bottom Row, Seated Left to Right) Nicole Randall Johnson, Arden Myrin, Crista Flanagan, Jordan Peele and Nicole Parker.

[edit] Current Cast

For the twelfth season of MADtv, there are ten repertory cast members. The following is a list of the current repertory and featured members of the cast.

[edit] Repertory members

• Ike Barinholtz (2002 – Present)
• Frank Caeti (2005 – Present)
• Crista Flanagan (2004 – Present)
• Nicole Randall Johnson (2005 – Present)
• Keegan-Michael Key (2003 – Present)
• Bobby Lee (2001 – Present)
• Michael McDonald (1998 – Present)
• Arden Myrin (2005 – Present)
• Nicole Parker (2003 – Present)
• Jordan Peele (2003 – Present)

[edit] Featured members

None as of September 2006.

For a full list of past and present cast, see MADtv Complete Cast List.

[edit] Notable tenures

Although the MADtv cast has changed quite often over the seasons, some performers have had long tenures with the show. Few have broken the seven-year barrier. Among the longest serving repertory players are:

[edit] History of MADtv

The original cast of MADtv. (Top Row, Left to Right) Artie Lange, Bryan Callen, David Herman, Mary Scheer, (Middle Row) Phil Lamarr, Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, (Bottom) Orlando Jones.

[edit] Original MADtv Cast

Like the Not Ready for Prime Time players of Saturday Night Live, or the original cast of SCTV, the original cast of MADtv was a mixture of seasoned performers and newcomers to comedy. However, unlike the aforementioned casts, the MADtv performers were all under 33 years old when the show premiered on October 14, 1995. Thus, the MADtv cast had more of a willingness to explore very racy and controversial skits that appealed to younger generations as opposed to its more established counterparts. The first MADtv cast consisted of nine racially/gender diverse performers. The original cast of MADtv were as follows:

• Bryan Callen
• David Herman
• Orlando Jones
• Phil LaMarr
• Artie Lange
• Mary Scheer
• Nicole Sullivan
• Debra Wilson

Featuring

• Craig Anton

[edit] Historical Synopsis

The following are a series of links to pages which shall give a detailed account of the history of MADtv.

[edit] MADtv Era Breakdown

For a historical overview with a detail analysis of each era of MADtv (cast members, sketches, animation, etc.) please see one of the following links below:

• 1995 – 2000
• 2000 – 2005
• 2005 – Present

[edit] MADtv Season Breakdown

For a detailed analysis of each individual season of MADtv (cast members, sketches, animation, etc.) please see one of the following links:

[edit] Popular recurring characters and sketches

[edit] Trivia

• Michael Hitchcock, perhaps most famous for his role as Hamilton Swan in the movie Best in Show, has made many uncredited appearances on the show, most notably as game show announcer Simeon Dyson in the recurring sketch The Lillian Verner Game Show.

• Unlike Saturday Night Live, the show is not broadcast live.

• Bryan Callen was added to the original cast at the last minute, replacing Craig Anton as the eighth cast member. This explains why Anton appears in the opening sketch and Bryan does not. Anton remained on the show as a featured player for three years.

• Daniele Gaither made her first appearance on Season 2 as Dolemite Girl #1 on episode #202.

• The man yelling "MADtv! MADtv!" during Alex Borstein and Will Sasso's red carpet interviews at the Billboard Music Awards in Season 5, episode #512, is actually Alex's husband Jackson Douglas.

• Episode #701's closing was re-filmed with Mo Collins at a later tape date, paying tribute to September 11th.

• Josh Meyers' brother, Seth Meyers, is a cast member on MADtv's competition, Saturday Night Live.

• In episode #812, Josh Meyers became the Spishak spokesperson. The role was previously played by Pat Kilbane.

• For an unknown reason, cast member Jordan Peele did not appear in the first four episodes from Season 10, though he's credited as a regular member of the show.

• Mary Scheer left the show to attend motherhood. Currently, she voices all female characters on Spike TV's cult hit MXC.

• In a skit where Ms. Swan (Alex Borstein) gets her eyes checked for driving lessons, she reads "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!", an opening phrase of SNL. One woman told her that it's the wrong show.

• As of the twelfth season, Michael McDonald holds the record for the longest tenure for a cast member at nine seasons each.

• Jeff Richards is the only actor to have been on MADtv and Saturday Night Live.

• Pamela Anderson was a special guest on the 250th episode.

• Ms. Swan was based on a combination of Alex Borstein's actual grandmother and Björk.
• According to TV Guide Spot, the animated program Family Guy was originally intended to be a sketch for MADtv.

• Crista Flanagan is currently involved with an internet podcast series called Hope is Emo. The podcast was created by Beatbox Giant Productions, the same team responsible for the hit podcast series Ask a Ninja.

• MADtv is taped at Hollywood Center Studios.

• While done in a subtle manner, MADtv in fact uses a laugh-track, most easily recognized by a specific high-pitched laugh which is used throughout the entire series in various sketches (one example, in the episode of "Celebrity Fear Factor" with Kenny Rogers, Rosie O'Donnell, and Chris Tucker, after Rosie calls Kenny a boozebag, and Kenny says "Boozebag? Who you callin' a booze--hey, I kinda like that!" after he says this, the specific laugh in question can be heard clearly.)

• In the earlier seasons of the show, Will Sasso plays Kenny Rogers, making a decent impersonation which makes fun of him and his chain of restaurants (Kenny Roger's Roasters). In each progressing seasons, this imitation changes from an actual impersonation of Kenny, to a completely different character who is a childlike idiot and alcoholic (notable for the Kenny Rogers Jackass sketches)

• Probably some of the most famous sketches are those that involve Debra Wilson playing exaggerated versions of Whitney Houston (portrayed as a demanding diva drug addict) and Oprah Winfrey (portrayed as an arrogant, egocentric host who turns into a evil supernatural being when angry) during her 8 season run on the show.

• On the Orlando, FL Radio Show Shannon Burke According to John Leguizamo; Originally MADtv was House of Buggin', After a test market run FOX decided to replace more than half of the cast and change the format after John said He would walk.

[edit] External links

• Planet MADtv
• The MADtv Forum
• MADtv - Official Website
• Crazy MADtv World
• MADtv at The Internet Movie Database
• MADtv at TV.com
• Jump The Shark - MADtv
• MADtv Group at Youtube (500+ viewable sketches)