MADtv

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For other uses, see Mad TV (disambiguation).
MADtv
MADtv Logo
Format Live action, comedy, variety television series
Created by Quincy Jones, Fax Bahr and Adam Small.
Starring See the MADtv Complete Cast List.
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 13
No. of episodes 309
Production
Running time 44 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel FOX
Picture format 480i SDTV
Original run October 14, 1995 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series based on the humor magazine, Mad. It was first broadcast on October 14, 1995. The one-hour show airs Saturday nights at 11 p.m. local time 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 & Mike and Blue Collar TV. The series was originally produced by Bahr/Small Productions and Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment (QDE) in associaton with 20th Century Fox Television. Since Bahr and Small left the series at the end of the third season (they are currently credited as "executive consultants"), the series has been handled by QDE and Warner Bros. Television. (Warner Bros.' parent company Time Warner owns Mad magazine through its DC Comics subsidiary.)

Contents

[edit] Format

Previously, MADtv had opening and closing monologues from the cast. Episodes from recent seasons have monologues performed in character.

MADtv parodies other television shows such as the long-running game show The Price Is Right, with actors playing Bob Barker and Rod Roddy. It also spoofs celebrities like Wayne Brady, Kenny Rogers, and John Madden.

MADtv is a successor to FOX's previous sketch comedy program In Living Color. Some MADtv sketches are based on ones from In Living Color.[citation needed]

Comparisons with NBC's Saturday Night Live are inevitable, given the two shows' similar formats and similar airtimes on Saturday night (MADtv runs from 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., while SNL runs from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., Eastern/Pacific time). Having lasted now for more than a decade (13 years to SNL's 34), MADtv is the longest-running SNL competitor to date.

[edit] MADtv cast

[edit] Current Cast

See also: List of MADtv cast members

[edit] Repertory members

[edit] Featured members

[edit] Notable tenures

[edit] Tenure by years

Although MADtv has a rapid turnover of supporting players, some performers have had long tenures with the show. Few have broken the seven-year barrier. Among the longest-serving cast members are:

Cast Member First Cast Appearance Last Cast Appearance Total Seasons
Michael McDonald September 12, 1998 Present 10 (as of Season 13)
Aries Spears September 20, 1997 May 21, 2005 8
Debra Wilson October 14, 1995 May 17, 2003 8
Bobby Lee October 6, 2001 Present 7

[edit] Tenure by episodes

There have been twelve MADtv cast members who have broken the hundred-episode barrier. Among the cast members who have appeared the in the most episodes are the following:

Cast Member First Cast Appearance Last Cast Appearance Seasons Episodes Guest Appearances
Michael McDonald September 12, 1998 Present 4— (10 and counting) 238
Aries Spears September 20, 1997 May 21, 2005 3—10 (8 total) 198
Debra Wilson October 14, 1995 May 17, 2003 1—8 (8 total) 196 3 (Seasons 10 and 13)
Mo Collins September 12, 1998 May 15, 2004 4—9 (6 total) 150 2 (Seasons 10 and 13)
Bobby Lee October 6, 2001 Present 7— (7 and counting) 146
Nicole Sullivan October 14, 1995 May 12, 2001 1—6 (6 total) 141 5 (Seasons 8, 9 and 10)
Alex Borstein September 20, 1997 May 18, 2002 3—7 (5 total) 121 2 (Seasons 9 and 10)
Will Sasso September 20, 1997 May 18, 2002 3—7 (5 total) 121 2 (Seasons 9 and 10)
Stephnie Weir November 18, 2000 January 4, 2006 6—11 (6 total) 120
Frank Caliendo September 22, 2001 May 20, 2006 7—11 (5 total) 117
Phil LaMarr October 14, 1995 May 20, 2000 1—5 (5 total) 112 1 (Season 9)
Ike Barinholtz September 14, 2002 May 19, 2007 8-12 (5 total) 112

[edit] History of MADtv

[edit] Historical synopsis

The following are a series of links to pages which 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:

[edit] MADtv season breakdown

For a detailed description of each season of MADtv, with cast members, sketches, animation, etc., see:

[edit] Popular recurring characters and sketches

For more details on this topic, see MADtv recurring characters.

[edit] Cast becomes crew

The cast members often write their own sketches. If a cast member wishes to write their own sketch, they submit it to the producers, who then decide whether the sketch is worthy of airing on television.

On occasion, cast members have taken on other behind-the scenes roles. Michael McDonald stopped appearing on the show for about half a year in Season 9 (2003-2004) to concentrate on directing sketches. McDonald still directs sketches to this day.

[edit] DVD releases

Warner Home Video released The Complete First Season of MADtv in 2004. However, due to poor sales, the release of the second season was cancelled (despite a preview for it in the first season DVD). MADtv: The Best of Seasons 8, 9, and 10 was released in 2005, featuring the most popular sketches from those seasons.

[edit] Reruns of MADtv

Comedy Central added re-runs of MADtv to its line-up in 2004 (replacing repeat episodes of Saturday Night Live, which had moved to the E! network). Comedy Central initially had the right to air Seasons 1-8. In late 2004, the channel obtained the rights to Season 9, and in 2005 obtained the rights to Season 10. Recently, the network has picked up the rights to season 11 and has begun airing those episodes. TNN (now Spike) aired MADtv from 1999 to 2001 and aired the first six seasons of the show. All episodes were cut from one hour to 30 minutes when aired on TNN.

MADtv has also been aired on several local television channels, but it is usually heavily edited due to content.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
MADtv
Current cast
Seasons
One • Two • Three • Four • Five • Six • Seven • Eight • Nine • Ten • Eleven • Twelve • Thirteen
History
Recurring Sketches


v • d • e
Current Late night talk and comedy shows in the United States
Networks
ABC
CBS
FOX
NBC
Cable
Comedy Central
E!
Fox News
HBO