Mad TV (season 1)
| Mad TV (season 1) | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | October 14, 1995 – June 22, 1996 |
| Season chronology | |
The first season of Mad TV, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on the Fox Network between October 14, 1995, and June 22, 1996.
Season summary
Mad TV's first season premiered in the 1995 television season, on October 14 at 11 p.m., thirty minutes before the time-slot of its chief rival, Saturday Night Live.
The original Mad TV repertory cast members were Bryan Callen, David Herman, Orlando Jones, Phil LaMarr, Artie Lange, Mary Scheer, Nicole Sullivan, and Debra Wilson, with Craig Anton as a featured player. The first season's cast was a mixture of seasoned television and film veterans like LaMarr, Herman, and Scheer, and relatively unknown newcomers like Callen, Jones, Lange, Sullivan, and Wilson. The cast was one of the most ethnically diverse sketch comedy casts of the 1990s, with one Native American (and half Irish) man, one Jewish-American man, two African-American men, one African-American woman, two white men and two white women.
Season one of Mad TV relied heavily on the fan base of MAD Magazine. Each episode featured the use of the MAD logo (which is still used today), Alfred E. Neuman images and puns, the Spy vs. Spy cartoons, and the catchphrase "What...me worry?" The first season also established some of the series' landmark characters like Jaq the UBS Guy (LaMarr), The Vancome Lady (Sullivan), Clorox (Anton), Mrs. Jewel Barone (Scheer) and Momma (Lange) from That's My White Momma. This season also produced several enduring celebrity parodies like Oprah Winfrey (Wilson), Tom Hanks (Herman) in Gump Fiction and Dennis Rodman (Jones) making a public service announcement.
Unlike Saturday Night Live, Mad TV had no celebrity hosts during its first season. However, the show did have special guests including Kato Kaelin, Joe Walsh and Dean Stockwell, Peter Marshall, Michael Buffer, Adam West, Gary Coleman, Jamie Farr, Ken Norton, Jr, David Faustino, Claudia Schiffer, Kim Coles, Bruce McCulloch, Tony Orlando, and Harland Williams. Musical groups like Poison, Pharcyde and The Rolling Stones (who were the show's first musical guests) also made appearances on the show.
Opening montage
The title sequence begins with several fingers pointing at a bomb. The bomb explodes and several different pictures of Alfred E. Neuman appear on the screen, followed by the Mad TV logo. The theme song, performed by the hip-hop group Heavy D & the Boyz, begins. Cast members are introduced alphabetically with their names appearing in caption over live-action clips of each performer. More pictures of Alfred E. Neuman appear between the introduction of each cast member. When the last cast member is introduced, the music stops and the title sequence ends with the phrase "You are now watching Mad TV."
Cast
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Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Guest(s) | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kato Kaelin and Poison | October 14, 1995 |
| Executives desperately search the streets of Los Angeles for cast members for a new sketch comedy show; Vudweiser Commercial: Tongue Lashing/Crushed Frog; The Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan) mistreats customers; Ice-T (Phil LaMarr) and Ice Cube (Orlando Jones) rap: It ain't easy being me; Fox News at Midnight anchor (David Herman) presents a 911 call to the Vancome Lady; Spy vs. Spy: Bombing/Pogo Stick; Don Martin: Inflatable House/Last Chance Gas; Forrest Gump meets Pulp Fiction parody: Gump Fiction; Spike Lee (Phil LaMarr) makes a tinned fish commercial; MTV Week With Poison; Kato Kaelin speaks his truth; Chain Smoker Mrs. Jewel Barone (Mary Scheer) spends time with her daughter (Nicole Sullivan) at the hospital; MacDumpster's sketch; Star Trek: Deep Stain Nine. | |||
| 2 | 2 | Kato Kaelin, Joe Walsh and Dean Stockwell | October 21, 1995 |
| P.C. Cops; Nicole Sullivan's bedroom secrets; Quantum Dream Team; Power Book, the ultimate in interactive computers; Don Martin: Refrigerator Anesthesia/Chopped Frog Prince; Newt Gingrich (Artie Lange) presents the Habitat 2000 virtual reality helmet; The UBS Delivery Guy (Phil LaMarr) tries to hit on a businesswoman; Spy vs. Spy: Gorilla/3D Movies; Whoopi Goldberg (Debra Wilson) and Shirley MacLaine (Mary Scheer) in Crimson Tide II; Post Office gun regulation; Family that recently moved dislikes the unusual neighbors; The Pro Air Guitar Shop; Nicole Sullivan's Diary. | |||
| 3 | 3 | Peter Marshall, The Rolling Stones (musical guest) | October 28, 1995 |
| Mom (Mary Scheer) with a phone sex line talks with her son (Bryan Callen); Mary Scheer's A.D.D.; NDI versus AE&E, phone service bills; Lenny (Artie Lange) and Lumpken (David Herman), the Outing Dummy; Psychic Cop (Mary Scheer); Spy vs. Spy: Microbomb; Overprotective mother (Nicole Sullivan) and teenage daughter (Mary Scheer); Racism vs Spam; Peter Marshall hosts First to a Million; Don Martin: Couple/Inflatable Lifesaver; Apollo the 13th: Jason Takes Nasa; Mulatto Entertainment Association; Cookin' with Sherry (Mary Scheer); Circus guy; Homeland Improvement; Like a Rolling Stone video clip. | |||
| 4 | 4 | Michael Buffer, Adam West and Gary Coleman | November 4, 1995 |
| Life with Buffer; Cast supporting Mike Tyson and/or Buster Mathis, Jr.; Highagain beer; Boxing Corner; E.R. parody features has-been celebrities trying to revive their careers: P.R. Public Relations; Spy vs. Spy: Umbrella/Down the Drain; The Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan) mistreats the patients at the hospital; Lying; Woody Allen (David Herman) Action Flick: Crimes, Misdemeanors and Payback; Sex Therapist; Dennis Rodman (Orlando Jones) recommends white people to stay away from the NBA; Family Feed; Republican Gladiators; Don Martin: Fishing; Drug Abuse; Other White Meat. | |||
| 5 | 5 | November 11, 1995 | |
| Phone Conference Call; IZM CompuPad; A Hare Krishna breaks up with his band at the airport and goes solo; Lowered Expectations; Urine; Affirmative Crips; Got Urine?; Don Martin: Beach hunk; Larry King (David Herman) Gone Mad; Billy Crystal (Phil LaMarr) struggles having a platonic friendship with a whale in romantic comedy: When Harry Met Willy; Midnight Golfer; A man (Bryan Callen) in death row brakes up with his girlfriend; Celibacy; Couple that just broke up calling their best friend in very near phone booths; Backstage Cats; Spy vs. Spy: Beach Girl. | |||
| 6 | 6 | Neve Campbell, Jamie Farr, Matthew Fox, Dana Gould, Scott Wolf | November 18, 1995 |
| QVC Fine China Hour: O.J. Plates; When We Knew...; Calvin Klein; Stop Smoking; Oprah Winfrey (Debra Wilson) Severe Traumas; Swimming Pool; Vague; Clueless of the Lambs; A mad moment from Dana Gould; Don Martin:Harp Fall; Movie trailer referencing lots of other movies; Nicole Sullivan in Party of Five; Spy vs. Spy: Slinky/Sun Rays; Debbie Dander (Mary Scheer) Seminar Training. | |||
| 7 | 7 | Billy Barty, Dave Foley, Ken Norton, Jr. | November 25, 1995 |
| Lowered Expectations; Ken Norton Jr. encourages the cast; Vud Light; Disruptive Principal (David Herman); Navajo Football League; Don Martin:Water Skiing/Fat freak wife; Mike Tyson vs Billy Barty; Steven Seagal (Bryan Callen) in Hard to Oppress: Dark Territory 2; Spy vs. Spy: Crane Machine/Torpedo; The Happy Happy Storytime Lady; Mary Scheer's Tapeworm; Math Made Easy; Dave Foley speaks about Canada; Phil LaMarr and his imaginative friends; Duck... Goose. | |||
| 8 | 8 | Quincy Jones, LL Cool J, RuPaul | December 9, 1995 |
| Sweatin' to the O.G.'s; Phil LaMarr, the lottery loser; Daytime Jane (Mary Scheer); L.L.Cool J., news shows vs. talk shows; Octoroon (Bryan Callen); Don Martin:Surgery/Castaways; Gump Fiction; Scat Chat; Spy vs. Spy: Prison Escape/Dream Sounds; The UBS Delivery Guy (Phil LaMarr)gets promoted; Ejaculation; Fabulous; Monkey Woman. | |||
| 9 | 9 | Pauly Shore | December 16, 1995 |
| Easy to Assemble; Jesus's Birthday; Wonder Rake 5000; The Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan): Department Store Santa; Fruitcake vs. Santa; Spy vs. Spy: Toilet Plunger/Tank Bomb; Raging Rudolph; College Advisor; The Christmas Santa Forgot; The Bank; Pauly Shore talks about a past Christmas; Donut Shop; Happy Go Lucky Phil LaMarr; Mrs. Barone at a bar. | |||
| 10 | 10 | Andy Kindler, Rip Taylor | January 6, 1996 |
| Stress Management; Bill Clinton (David Herman) makes a US Commercial; Clintfeld; Knowledge; Spy vs. Spy: Spaghetti Door/Training Fleas; Handicapped Toilet Police; The Go-Between; Get Smarty; Improv; Don Martin:Brick Layers/Cake Machine; Mafia Management; Andy Kindler complains on TV entertainment; Line of Duty; Emotional Prostitute; Mime Psychiatrist (Phil LaMarr). | |||
| 11 | 11 | Tony Orlando, The Presidents of the United States (Musical Guest) | January 13, 1996 |
| Political party commercial; The Presidents of the United States Commercial; Lounge Lawyer; Spy vs. Spy: Macaroni/Lab Fly; Office Window; Don Martin:Civil War/Bear Hunt; Window of the Soul; I Could Do That; The Presidents of the United States: Lump; Time Manager; Coffee and Dana; Take a Letter; Rock, Paper, Scissors; Mad About Jew. | |||
| 12 | 12 | David Faustino, Pharcyde | February 3, 1996 |
| Cotton Swabs; Heart Pops; Martin Luther King (Phil LaMarr) struggles to prepare his speech in a parody of Martin; Spy vs. Spy: Magnet/Typewriter; Poetry class; Rap group Pharcyde and David Faustino star in a spoof of The Three Stooges against a backdrop of urban violence; Don Martin:Tennis; The Linder family auditions to appear on an episode of Rescue 911, but the parents (David Herman, Mary Scheer) frequently embarrass their son Mark (Bryan Callen); A loudmouth (David Herman) tells a story to his friends, then tells everyone else to stop looking at him; A psychiatrist (Nicole Sullivan) doesn't make her patient (Mary Scheer) feel any better when she discusses her relationship troubles; While looking for a target to take out, a hitman (David Herman) tries to think of the song that plays in his head; Needy Guy; Instant Personality; Woman dog. | |||
| 13 | 13 | February 10, 1996 | |
| Lowered Expectations; Vista Militia; Dr. Goodwrench (Bryan Callen); Spy vs. Spy: Falling Rocks; Memory Wizard (Bryan Callen); The XXX Files; Your Cheatin' Head; Don Martin:Chemistry Set; Jim Carrey (Bryan Callen) School of Acting; The Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan) Hostage Negotiator; Sick of It; That's How They Get You; Quality Time; Foreign Psychiatrist. | |||
| 14 | 14 | Whoopi Goldberg, Brian Austin Green | February 17, 1996 |
| News reporters remain callously umsympathetic while reporting on dangerous events; Michael Jackson (Phil LaMarr) promotes a seminar tape on how to be famous; Two wannabe gangstas (David Herman, Nicole Sullivan) rethink their ways when they are introduced to White Chocolate (Brian Austin Green); A woman (Mary Scheer) is rude to everyone on an airplane; Spy vs. Spy: Hair Dryer; A parody of Davey and Goliath has Davey forced by his dog Goliath to dish out harsh discipline to sinners with a gun; A discussion about Casino erupts into a fight; A man (Artie Lange) suffers from a disease that makes him act like a sports fanatic; A coffee addict (Bryan Callen) doesn't understand that his girlfriend (Nicole Sullivan) wants to break up with him. Don Martin: Beach Ball Boy/Tee Pee Guy; Two cops (David Herman, Artie Lange) try different tactics to get one of their suspects (Orlando Jones) to confess to a crime; A fan who look like Whoopi Goldberg accosts the actress/comedian backstage; UBS Delivery Guy (Phil LaMarr) Wake; Odds and Evens: The Movie; Disruptive Waitress (Nicole Sullivan). | |||
| 15 | 15 | Dave Higgins, Doug Llewelyn | March 9, 1996 |
| Spishak Products; Ink Blot; A player (Phil LaMarr) claims to be too good to be a bachelor on Lowered Expectations; That's My White Mama (Artie Lange); Roseanne Barr (Artie Lange), Drew Barrymore (Nicole Sullivan), Whitney Houston (Debra Wilson), and Barbra Streisand (Mary Scheer) star in Terms of Imprisonment; Spy vs. Spy: Dream Tank/Bomb Assembly; Small Claims Court; Eddie Murphy (Orlando Jones) tries to convince director Spike Lee (Phil LaMarr) to work with him; Dave Higgins talks about alcohol; Russian Landlords; Don Martin: Assembly Line. | |||
| 16 | 16 | Chris Hardwick, Barry Williams | March 16, 1996 |
| X-News; International Coffee; Ozark Mountain Single Out; Bob Dole (David Herman) Commercial; In a parody of Casino and Encino Man, Nicky Santarone (Artie Lange) helps Dave (Bryan Callen) and Stony (David Herman) become big shots at their school: Encino Man 2, Casino Man; Doctor's Visit; Insanely Disappointed; In the latest installment of X-News Marsh's roommate (Bryan Callen) takes over while the two newscasters (David Herman, Nicole Sullivan) deal with their own problems; Survival Weekend; Spy vs. Spy: Basketball; The Big Game. | |||
| 17 | 17 | Claudia Schiffer and Kim Coles | April 6, 1996 |
| Artie Lange introduces the cast in announcer fashion; An interview with O. J. Simpson (Orlando Jones) contains outrageous bloopers; Parody of Levi's commercials; Mrs. Curtis (Artie Lange) catches her daughter (Debra Wilson) smoking cigarettes on That's My White Mama; A news reporter (Mary Scheer) repeats nearly verbatim everything her colleagues say; Parody of Lethal Weapon where Murtaugh (Orlando Jones) works with a new partner, Montell Jordan (Phil LaMarr): Lethal Weapon 4, Lethal Talkin'; Claudia Schiffer stars in a parody of James Bond films: Jane Bond, For Your Files Only; Spy vs. Spy: Brain Swap; Two home girls (Kim Coles, Debra Wilson) work as surgeons; A gangster (Artie Lange) poses as a businessman who sells stolen products, then harasses his partner (Bryan Callen); The high school's valedictorian (Nicole Sullivan) makes reference to grim, historic events during graduation. | |||
| 18 | 18 | Bruce McCulloch | May 25, 1996 |
| X-News; Mary Scheer introduces the cast as soap opera actors; Headache; Unsolved Events: Beauty Pageant; The New Nut Job; Spy vs. Spy: Projector/Fallen in Love/Safe Trick; Babe-Watch; Drug Bust; Bruce McCulloch on different subjects; Funeral DJ. | |||
| 19 | 19 | Harland Williams (special guest) | June 22, 1996 |
| Two clueless martial artists (Bryan Callen, Artie Lange) have a sparring match; The fictitious Spishak Company promotes its margarine; Two parents (Artie Lange, Mary Scheer) are oblivious that their daughter (Nicole Sullivan) is a lesbian, and that her "friend" (Debra Wilson) is her lover; Lowered Expectations bachelors include one who's very uptight (David Herman), one with a special talent (Orlando Jones), and one who's looking for a spiritual relationship (Debra Wilson); A fugitive with missing limbs is on the loose, but several cops are able to find the body parts and other pieces of evidence; Spy vs. Spy: Telephone/Briefcase; Kids have their slumber party ruined by the host's father (David Herman); A Claymation parody of Gumby involves the curious clay figure looking through a Playboy-like magazine: Gumboy; A scamming little league bookie (Artie Lange) strikes up deals with children; Harland Williams and the secrets of America; Two employees (Mary Scheer, Nicole Sullivan) settle their rivalry by threatening to kick each other's asses; Two goofy performers (David Herman, Mary Scheer) look to get their big break. | |||
Home releases
All 19 episodes from season one were released on DVD on September 21, 2004, in a boxed set entitled Mad TV: The Complete First Season. The audio track included on this release was a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround mix. Extra features included the 200th episode of Mad TV (from season nine), the best of Mad TV's commercial, movie, television, music video and animation parodies, a reel of season one bloopers, nine unaired sketches (including one called "Schindler's Lost," which was banned for censorship reasons and mentioned on the clip show episode "Mad TV Ruined My Life"), and a preview of Mad TV: The Complete Second Season.
Despite promises from FOX of a second season DVD release (and a preview of Mad TV's second season on the season one DVD), the Complete First Season DVD remained the only complete season of the show to be released on DVD. Recently, Shout Factory has picked up the home video rights to Mad TV and released the 2nd season on March 26, 2013.