MADTV

'''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 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 in association with Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment (QDE) and distributed by Warner Bros. Television (Warner Bros.' parent company Time Warner owns MAD Magazine through its DC Comics subsidiary), but since Bahr and Small left the series at the end of (they are currently credited as "executive consultants"), the series has been handled by QDE and Warner Bros. Television.
MADtv will begin its thirteenth season on September 15, 2007

Contents

Format

''MADtv'' cast

Featured members

Notable tenures

History of ''MADtv''

Historical synopsis

''MADtv'' era breakdown

''MADtv'' season breakdown

Popular recurring characters and sketches

Episode tapings

Cast becomes crew

DVD releases

Reruns of ''MADtv''

Trivia

See Also

External links

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 first three seasons, animated segments based on Don Martin and ''Spy vs. Spy'' comic strips would be shown between sketches without the studio audience. Aside from the appearance of Alfred E. Neuman in the opening credits and during occasional interstitials, these cartoons provided 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''.
Previously, MADtv had opening and closing monologues from the cast. Recent seasons has monologues performed in character.
''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
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★ 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 tenth-season episode, opposite cast lead Aries Spears. ''Real
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★ 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 ones in ''In Living Color''.
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 midnight, while ''SNL'' runs from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., both Eastern time). Having lasted now for more than a decade, ''MADtv'' is the longest-running ''SNL'' competitor to date.

''MADtv'' cast

★ Crista Flanagan (2005-Present)

★ Keegan-Michael Key (2004-present)

★ Bobby Lee (2001-present)

★ Michael McDonald (1998-present)

★ Arden Myrin (2005-present)

★ Nicole Parker (2003-present)

★ Jordan Peele (2003-present)

★ Johnny A. Sanchez (2007-present)

Featured members

★ Anjelah Johnson (2007-present)

★ Dan Oster (2007-present)

Notable tenures

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 (as of season 13)

History of ''MADtv''

Historical synopsis

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

''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:
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★ 1995 – 2000
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★ 2000 – 2005
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★ 2005 – Present

''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:

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: ★ : ★ : ★ : ★ : ★ : ★

Popular recurring characters and sketches

Episode tapings

Each week, the cast and crew work hard to get each episode ready for TV viewing. The process is as follows:
'Sunday'

★ Scripts for the episode are mailed home to cast members.

★ Cast members read through the sketches and practice their lines at home.
'Monday'

★ First rehearsal.

★ Scripts are read through and acted out.

★ If necessary, changes are made.
'Tuesday'

★ Sketches are edited to fit new changes.

★ Cast members and crew discuss other ways to improve the episode.
'Wednesday'

★ First Rehearsal in the studio.

★ Sets are sketched.

★ Props are discussed and used.

★ Transitions and technical details are practiced.
'Thursday'

★ Pre-taped sketches are taped.

★ Last minute rehearsal for Friday's taping.

★ Preparations for Friday's taping are made.
'Friday'

★ Dress rehearsal for the night's taping.

★ The episode is taped.

★ Audience reactions and music are added to pre-taped sketches.
'Saturday'

★ Cast gets a day off.

Cast becomes crew

The cast members often write their own sketches. If a cast member wishes to write his/her own sketch, he/she submits 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. Michael still directs sketches to this day.

DVD releases

In 2004, WB Home Video released ''The Complete First Season of MADtv''. However, due to poor sales, they cancelled the release of Season 2 (despite the promise for it in the Season 1 DVD). However, in 2005, '' was released, which featured the most popular sketches from the most recent years of ''MADtv''.

Reruns of ''MADtv''

''MADtv'' is currently being rerun on Comedy Central. Comedy Central added the series to its line-up in 2004 (replacing re-runs 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, they obtained the rights to Season 9, and in 2005 they obtained the rights of Season 10. Recently, the network has picked up the rights to the 11th season of the show and Season 11 episodes have begun airing on the weekends in the early morning and on the weekdays in the early afternoon. The show currently airs in the 12:00 p.m, and 1:00 p.m. . timeslots. Sometimes, episodes of the show are cut from one hour to 30 minutes, but most episodes are kept in their original format.
TNN aired ''MADtv'' from 1999 to 2001 and aired the first six seasons of the show only. All episodes were cut from one hour to 30 minutes when aired on TNN.
''MADtv'' has also been aired on several local channels, but it is usually heavily edited due to content on these channels.

Trivia

★ Heavy D and the Boyz, who did the ''In Living Color'' theme song, also created the ''MADtv'' theme song.

★ Klasky Csupo did shorts of ''Spy vs. Spy'' and other shorts until early/late 1997 when Rough Draft Studios handled production.

★ Unlike its competitor ''Saturday Night Live'', the show is not live and does not have a host (though it does have special celebrity guests, some of which have hosted or cameoed on SNL).

★ Some former SNL castmembers who have appeared on MADtv include: Gilbert Gottfried (on a "Funky Walker, Dirty Talker" sketch), Martin Short (once on MADtv's fifth anniversary special [which he mistakes for SNL's 25th Anniversary Special] and again on a season 12 sketch where he teaches castmember Nicole Parker how to be a Broadway star), and Jimmy Fallon (appeared on a red carpet interview segment).

★ Stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt was a writer for Mad TV in its first two seasons.

★ Alex Borstein also known as Miss Bunny Swan in MADtv Miss Swan sang the MADtv theme song in one of the Miss Swan episodes.

See Also

List of late night network TV programs

External links

★ MADtv Official Myspace]

★ ''MADtv'' - Official Website

★ Jump The Shark - ''MADtv''

★ iPhone Parody Video - MADtv

★ Planet MADtv

★ The MADtv Forum