What the heck happened to Mad TV? I never really caught onto Mad TV when it started, because it’s on at the same time as SNL, and for the past several years, SNL was too good to miss. But over the past year or so, I “discovered” Mad TV in reruns on Comedy Central… and eventually made a habit of catching the new episodes. You can’t go wrong with Frank Caliendo playing Rod Roddy and Michael McDonald as Bob Barker. Or even better, Michael McDonald’s popular Stuart character (shown at left). But this season, even before the Writers Guild strike, Mad TV has just flat-out sucked.
Up until now, the show was partially shot before a live audience in a studio, not too different from the way SNL is done. Granted, Mad TV has never been broadcast live — but at least some of the material was “taped live” before an audience. This season, they do the show from some weird-looking theater, where the entire stage is just a giant TV screen, giving you the impression that everything is now pre-taped. On top of that, most of the sketches have been awful.
Michael McDonald is still around, but most of the recurring characters that made the show so great are no longer an option, because the co-stars (who are just as important) are gone. Mo Collins, who used to play Stuart’s mother, is gone. Debra Wilson, who used to play Oprah (to Michael’s impression of Dr. Phil) is gone. Caliendo’s gone too, so no more TPIR skits. In fact, a recent new episode since Mad TV came back on the air had McDonald in only one new sketch, plus a “Classic Mad TV” Stuart sketch recycled from years ago.
Bobby Lee is also still there… but I think I would have rather seen him quit, if it could have meant keeping any one of the folks mentioned above. The recurring “Rice and Beans Tour” series with him and some new guy is awful. They ride around in an RV and act like bums. Nothing ever happens. Sure, there might be a funny line here or there, but nothing that I’d truly “crave” to see in reruns 5 or 10 years from now.
Last season, Mad TV was a great alternative on the nights when SNL was in a rerun (quite often), and even when both were new, it was at least worth DVR’ing Mad TV to watch it later. Sometimes, Mad TV was so good, we’d watch that live, and let SNL sit on the DVR. This season, it’s just been horrible. After watching the first of the 3 latest episodes on DVR, most of which we fast-forwarded because it was so bad, we decided to just delete the other two, and take MadTV off the DVR schedule completely.
If Fox gives this show another season, it’ll only happen because Fox will give them the benefit of the doubt — blaming the low ratings on the WGA strike. (I don’t even know for sure how the ratings are, but it’s a pretty safe bet, they’re low.) So I think Mad TV will be renewed for the 2008-2009 season… but unless some big changes are made, I don’t think we’ll see Mad TV on the air for the 2009-2010 season. I would rather watch reruns from the late 90’s and early 2000’s than the new crap they’ve been churning out this season. (Not to mention, the new theme music is awful. Bring back the old theme music.)
On a side note, whatever happened to the “Mad” in Mad TV? The show used to have “Spy vs. Spy” cartoons and other references to Mad magazine. Very little to none of that in the last few years.
YOu no what they had no writers before, and now they do, so start watching again to see if it gets better. but i hate the new theme too, it is just horrible.
I used to love Mad TV. I loved the sketches. I too, noticed it went downhill when they started at the new location with lots of unfunny Hispanic mockery and just not funny sketches. Ike and Bobby Lee had a good comedy chemistry together, then they let Ike go and put the Hispanic guy with Bobby and it just doesn’t work. I miss all the funny people. Michael McDonald, Keegan Michael-Key, Bobby and a couple of others are still there, and are funny, but most of the talent is gone. I miss Alex Borstein “Swan” lady, Mo Collins was a hoot, of course Debra Wilson as Oprah, Nicole Parker “Vancome Lady”, I think his name is Paul Vogt who did the big girls, that was so funny, oh yes and how can I forget Stephnie Weir who did all sorts of roles from old ladies to Dot. There are good memories of a show that was once funny. To sum it up, as Michael McDonald, as Tim Gunn, concerning what I feel about the new Mad TV, “something’s not sitting RIGHT!” Oh and by the way, Michael did a great impression of Tim and Crista did a great impression of Heidi Klum, VERY funny! Those were the days!
Great points, Johnny. If SNL is a good example, sketch comedy shows have their ups and downs. If Mad TV can make it past this current slump — perhaps replacing a few actors and writers in the process — we could see a better cast with better material in the future and the show could pick up again. Nothing could ever replace the cast that got Mad TV on the map, but anything’s better than what they’re offering right now.