The Maddening Death Of Mad TV

During the time of it's premiere, MadTV was set up to be the perfect replacement for a struggling Saturday Night Live. With a fresh cast of talent, and the history of Mad Magazine behind it, MadTV started strong, but quickly lost favor among it's core audience when SNL began it's resurgence. Even though it was brought back for a brief time years after it's cancellation, MadTV never quite found it's footing with a new audience. Should Mad Magazines, MadTV have had a longer legacy? Or was Saturday Night Live just too big to go up against?
#madtv #saturdaynightlive #snl
SOURCES
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[@DeTAYL.]

MadTV felt more raw and edgy at the time. I always preferred it over SNL.

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

No pandering to A-list celebrities, whose movie was coming out that week. Nobody was safe of ridicule on MadTV. They didn't give a f**k.

[@TheBfutgreg]

Internet changed everything to an early millennial

[@Ottophil]

@@JoeyArmstrong2800trump isnt safe from ridicule at all. Neither was hillary, her husband. Bush. Bernie sanders. And literally everyone on both sides was on snl. There just happens to be a lot more things to make fun of on the right wing

[@Richard_Nickerson]

​@@Ottophil They made fun of Obama, they still make fun of Clinton and Sanders...

[@Chelaxim]

@Ottophil A lot of the people who MadTV made fun of was kicking a person when they were already down. Making fun of Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, Whitney Houston, Micheal Jackson and Anna Nichole Smith....wow so brave...so daring...so edgy...so forward thinking. I will maintain thier skits on 90s teen dramas was spot on. Pretty White Kids With Problems and Devon's Creek. Devon's Creek was a skit about color blind casting only done to appease people when the characters are clearly written for white actors and when the black people make suggestions to the executives on how a black person would say a line they get shut down.

[@HandsomeLongshanks]

MadTV was an underrated gem that should have gotten more attention. So many people from that cast are funnier than most people in Hollywood and don't get the credit they deserve

[@JoeyJojoJrJr]

Eh...I liked both SNL and MadTV, but I definitely wouldn't ever call MadTV "underrated". Most of the writing was just dumb. Yeah, SNL misses a lot too, but they also do a weekly live show, so it's a completely different format and subject to much more time constraints.

[@dlxmarks]

Nothing that ran for 14 seasons can be considered underrated.

[@feny8]

It’s a different type of comedy. It’s more slapstick than anything else. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just a style. SNL is more sophisticated and satirical playing with politics and pop culture. Mad tv was funny as hell but it was really dumb humor aimed at teens more than adults. Different styles. That’s all. But there’s really no argument clearly SNL is the better show. It survived and the it formed many careers. Your opinion is just your opinion but the results are clear. You can’t really argue with stats. Ratings etc. as much as you wish people shared your opinion you’re just incorrect.

[@imalizard2113]

At the time this show was huge. They had a good run and fizzled out.

[@ElAssoWipe-o]

@@feny8 But SNL still fails at being funny regardless of who they target.

[@rykeman916]

I didn't know what SNL was until my late teens but i watched MadTV as a kid

[@oreo_frito]

Fuckin same

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Right. The cast from this are all-times to for me. When you name that original cast and I get excited for all of them? Yeah, you're iconic.

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

MadTV was greater than SNL, especially given how downhill SNL went in the past 2 decades

[@davidadams2395]

I was in my mid-twenties when Mad TV began, but I preferred it to SNL. Nevertheless, I would record SNL for later watching. Mad TV was more left field like SCTV.

[@blackguyofthesouth2161]

Then you must be young af, because SNL wasn't just a show, it also had movies

[@johnnykarate_SweepLeg]

The fact that the narrator felt the need to say in the introduction that it was NOT a SNL skit, but rather a show "called MadTV"... like it was forgotten in time... breaks my heart. This show was a big part of my late teens/early 20s.

[@CjE-d4s]

I think the script was written with AI. Either that or this guy just googled stuff poorly.

[@kevincruise3521]

That comment must've been aimed towards teenagers that never saw it but if you were watching tv in the 2000s you l damn sure knew what Madtv was!

[@kingbaard5395]

It's a garbage show that wasn't on very long and did not garner a large enough following. It's insane to assume that everyone, especially 20 years out, would remember this crap.

[@kingbaard5395]

@@kevincruise3521 Yeah, the worst show on TV

[@johnnykarate_SweepLeg]

@@kingbaard5395 Madtv must have hurt you growing up. The outlash is much.

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

As far as I'm concerned, Michael McDonald, Debra Wilson, Will Sasso, Aries Spears, Nicole Sullivan, Alex Borstein, Mo Collins, Stephanie Weir, Nicole Parker, Phil Lamarr, Frank Caliendo all deserve a place in the television comedy pantheon.

[@pvrplesticks1939]

Is it bad I only recognise two of those names?

[@R0FLC4T5]

Bobby Lee 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@TGFMusic]

How tf you forget Bobby Lee

[@hiimjustin8826]

@@R0FLC4T5 Bobby Lee was insane on that show too. A real standout from the cast. And thennn

[@mikedl1105]

Representin for Bobby Lee

[@Uncle_n00b]

Used to watch this with my mom as a child. Great memories.Mad always brings a smile to my face. R.I.P. Mom ❤

[@Old-ded-memes]

Kenny Rogers jackass sometimes pops in to my head for no reason.

[@zanegraham4103]

I was raised on the dairy.

[@rustycrestmore8784]

"Catch me generation X"

[@iamme8770]

"This is bat-catch with my teef!"

[@Cookieboy70]

Those few seconds of that baseball bat flying and hitting Kenny Rogers in the mouth is forever ingrained in my memory.

[@CodyPinder]

You got egg nog in my goat milk

[@theman946]

The wrong show died...

[@michaelhooper6227]

In the words from Walk hard "The wrong kid died"

[@someguy2775]

Blame jews for that.

[@DrSpaceman42]

@@michaelhooper6227 yesss

[@bassman8144]

You got that right!

[@ohreally3784]

I mean they both sucked

[@darex0827]

I loved Mad TV growing up as a kid. Absolute gold. Things went down hill and it stopped being a thing. Miss the gold old days, lol.

[@NothingBesideRemains]

Love your avatar. I've used it before. Crocodylus pontifex.

[@kenfresno2125]

What's interesting is that Key and Peele are the two biggest stars Mad ever produced... yet no one was still watching that show by time they showed up. 99% of people who would say they're Key and Peele fans likely never saw them on Mad.

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

I loved the comics. They were hilarious, especially when they mocked bad movies like Spider-Man 3.

[@skyMcWeeds]

MAD TV John Madden and Kenny Rogers skits will always be iconic

[@Seibertz]

Stuart what are you doing? "holding a chicken and smoking a cigarette" I will never forget that line

[@Crawlerz2468]

Ma! Look what I can do! I still say that and I'm a 40yo guy.

[@NotALiberalSoSkipTheScript]

When he argues and pushes that guy. “I can’t stand up you hurt my back!” “Then crawl out you bastard!”

[@HubCityIcon]

"smoking is for europeans and white trash" - Stuart decades ago... and me last night to an Italian girl I'm trying to get to stop smoking. SNL could *never* touch peak Mad TV.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

​@@Crawlerz2468 Literally the cringiest part of the show. You do this as a 40 year old man? 🤦‍♂️

[@telegramsam]

I just remember the line about lesbians taking real good care of their cats and having a can-do attitude

[@roberttreacy8271]

Fun fact: Family Guy was originally going to start as a series of shorts on MadTV, but MadTv’s budget was not big enough to support animation production, so the idea was scrapped.

[@AnthonySforza]

Probably explains why certain alumni found their way on the voice roster.

[@hardlyworking_]

wait, that can't be right because they literally DID have animations on Mad TV like Spy Vs. Spy

[@Imac7065]

so they woulda been even more of a simpsons rip off? haha

[@seewhativescene]

oh cool

[@enrkm85]

Fun Fact: This is word for word from the wiki

[@frankbivona5924]

ADAM SMALL IS DAVID ALLEN GRIER.. AT LEAST THATS THE PICTURE YOU USED @02:37 LOL

[@damianmayo3174]

😂😂😂 i caught that too!

[@generaldiscernment]

Came here to say this lol

[@Jaheartsjonas]

It's weird on Google and some industry site he comes up as a older white guy and on the result from imdb it shows his picture as David Alan Grier (tho it's probably a glitch)... I guess that's where the confusion comes from but nerdstagic def didn't clock that 😂😅

[@markphouthong4101]

next review has to be for In Living Color

[@VirgoJodie]

Damn, I just said that… lol

[@savagebeastking8703]

Mad tv was way funnier then snl

[@Wills4gottenbday]

I was raised on mad tv, my brother & I still quote Stuart and miss Swan

[@Jivewired]

My family definitely still "tell you everything" on a regular basis!

[@TheChosen-of4lb]

Look what I can do ☺️

[@Mr.O-Town]

She… a looka like a man

[@Daniel-xg3ul]

I don't wanna.

[@Nmdixon-cu7vm]

He looka lika maaaaan.

[@StarlaBizarre]

I never thought SNL was ever funny but I used to watch this like crazy

[@miked9594]

The OJ Simpson touring golf courses looking for the killer was my favorite skit.

[@steve716]

He finally caught the real killer this week

[@thekillers1stfan]

the OJ bloopers were one of my favorite sketches

[@ElAssoWipe-o]

I find the O.J Simpsons Blind Date skit was funny as well.

[@planescaped]

Crazy how Will Sasso's Steven Seagal parody became more and more accurate with each passing year, XD

[@superdave3093]

“It was viewed as a kids show that didn’t offend.” This statement right here is why critics are so often WRONG. I think the reason people loved MadTV was that they WEREN’T afraid to offend pop culture and celebrities. SNL during that time didn’t allow themselves to be silly and only focused on Political type stuff a lot of the time, until Will Ferrel. As someone in college at the time, me and my buddies LOVED watching MadTV! Characters like Stuart and Miss Swan and UPS guy and Kenny Rodgers weren’t deep and insightful and they didn’t need to be! It was just silly off the wall fun and funny to watch. It wasn’t very geo political and thought provoking and was also rarely boring whereas SNL so many times the skits would just drag on and on 😑 Miss MadTV and don’t think SNL is funny at all. Those days are long gone. And like so many commenters have stated it’s only funny cause everyone is TOLD how funny it is. That’s not funny it’s sad.

[@SpaceCowFour]

Yeah, that anyone somehow saw it as a kids show is wild, for how mature and raunchy the jokes often were. Edit: Just realized it could be the writer of this video may have crossed some wires in their research, since there was a separate Mad animated TV show on Cartoon Network in the 2010s for awhile that definitely was aimed more toward kids

[@superdave3093]

@@SpaceCowFour he often times botches his research so that is possible. I still like the discussions though so I tend to watch.

[@nonamenoname1942]

true

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

Agreed. SNL blows. It’s become a propaganda wing. MadTV didn’t care how famous you were or what party you were affiliated with, everyone was fair game on their chopping block. Which ironically made the general audience not get offended because everything was funny/no one was perfect. Society was better back then when everyone wasn’t so uptight and playing the victim class

[@superdave3093]

@@Lawrence_Talbot very well said. Victim mentality and entitlement go hand in hand. 👍👍

[@ARCWuLF]

For my money, the Will Sasso/Pat Kilbane/Ares Spears era was one of the funniest sketch comedy shows ever produced, with the "Son of Dolomite," "Sling Blade," and "Rocket Revengers" sketches being highlights.

[@KayJay940]

Areis Spears still doing standup comedy but he kind of pushes the race stuff pretty hard. Not sure if because of his crowds or just him.

[@ARCWuLF]

@@KayJay940 Yeah, that's kind of a thing with comedians "of that age," I suppose.

[@marcusbullock630]

coffee guy was hilarious

[@KeyDash753]

I remember my mind being blown when I found out Phil LaMarr was Samurai Jack. He was funny on MadTV, but he's a genius voice actor.

[@steved4221]

Agreed! Phil is possibly one of the best voice actors ever.

[@billkendrick1]

My manwich!!!

[@RAFAKAUST]

Hermes on Futurama, Static Shock, Green Lantern, various voices on king of the hill. Phil LaMarr was such s huge part of my childhood.

[@mimseydemon1844]

Met him at a comiccon when the revived Samurai Jack was about to air the last episode of the series. One of the best guests I've talked to, mostly about Jack, Mad TV, and the voice actors strike that was going on at the time.

[@ElAssoWipe-o]

He should be in front of a camera instead of just doing voice over work.

[@FRANKMSM321]

Will Sasso leaving before spoofing Lance Bass’s plans to go into space with the Russians is the greatest missed opportunity in TV history.

[@guyr.6053]

As a teen not living in the US, I wasn't exposed to SNL as it was not airing in my country. But we did have MadTV in syndication, so I have very fond memories of those forst 5 seasons. What a great cast!

[@JaneDoesMind]

I grew up on Mad TV, would always get a Mad TV magazine every time I flew because it kept me distracted. It will always have a special place in my ❤.

[@deliciabooker-nickles5526]

Yes, and I loved doing the Mad Libs puzzles! ❤

[@Bruin_ffs]

Years later and I still randomly think of Debra Wilson’s Whitney Houston parody and it kills me every time

[@markjacobs3337]

I liked her Lowered Expectations sketch

[@DesiderataSanctuary]

BOBBY!

[@TheRealVolk]

Stewart, Mrs. Swan, Lowered Expectations, Gump Fiction. So happy to have been able to watch this show every week growing up.

[@sampicano]

For a time MADTV was better - Orlando Jones - Phil LaMarr - Artie Lange - Nicole Sullivan - Debra Wilson - Alex Borstein - Will Sasso - Aries Spears - Bobby Lee - Mo Collins - Michael McDonald - Stephnie Weir - Ike Barinholtz - Simon Helberg - Jordan Peele - Keegan-Michael Key MADTV was SO GOOD for a while....the cast is STACKED Kenny Rogers Jackass Bobby Lee and John Cena skit Can I Have Your Number Coach Hines There's one skit with an NFL coach doing a press conference after the game that I CANNOT FIND...it was a gem. Man that show was good.

[@SimoExMachina2]

- Gump Fiction - Terminator protecting Jesus - Gay rapper - Oprah and Dr Phil spoofs

[@aliadrift]

When I was a kid, my parents never watched SNL. They only watched Mad TV. And I would hide on the stairs to watch because it was so funny but my parents thought I was too young.

[@Randomark3087]

The first time I saw their Sopranos parody, was when I was on break at work. The part when they were going "Fu...Fu...Fu...Motherfu...Fu...Fu..." I laughed so hard I almost choked on my sandwich.

[@hez859]

The Sopranos on the pax channel 😂☠️

[@gnomechomsky2524]

Pus-

[@tapset]

Funniest shit ever

[@huitzi7985]

Thank you for reminding me of this lol

[@Randomark3087]

@@huitzi7985 No prob. You can also find it here on KZbin. It STILL cracks me up!

[@CornNut007]

That’s not a picture of Adam Small! That’s David Alan Grier, son.

[@nomenomerson23]

Grew up on Mad TV in my teens. Way more relevant than SNL.

[@cessxiii]

Norm MacDonald's weekend update ALONE blows away anything mad TV did. Also WAY more relevant, in every sense of the word lol

[@michaelkeller5927]

Relevant?? No. Madtv had some great skits, but it was never more relevant than snl

[@ElAssoWipe-o]

@@cessxiii lol the only thing that people that people remember from Norm MacDonald on SNL is his Weekend Updates and none of his skits because they suck.

[@nomenomerson23]

@@michaelkeller5927 relevant to teens. Way way more relevant.

[@nomenomerson23]

@@cessxiii relevant to what? My teen years? Nope. Thanks for engaging with my post. Why ask questions when you can provide unsolicited opinions of your own. Thanks for coming to my talk on modern alienation through KZbin posts.

[@ThatJohnKillion1970]

SNL is beyond stale. Even in its heyday there were LONG stretches of boredom between truly funny sketches.

[@marcusbullock630]

the only reason to watch snl was for norm mcdonald and it was never funny again. ever.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Mad TV > SNL. No Contest!

[@brandonjones8059]

I have been on a binge of old MadTV. The first six seasons are the best.

[@Bigpontious]

at 2:36 isn’t that david alan grier?

[@derfdilla]

Yep

[@BenHiggins]

100%

[@yvetteturner6280]

That picture you used for Adam Small is actually David Alan Grier

[@kensmith7288]

not even going to fix it huh?

[@calebross8174]

Kenny rogers jackass was some of the best entertainment I’ve ever seen

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

yOu gOt eGgNoG iN mY gOaTmIlK!

[@TheBfutgreg]

"Tastes like chicken.....but BRAINIER!!!"

[@caddywampa6602]

Fire your fact checker, if you have one. The picture you have for Adam Small is actually David Allen Grier, who was on In Living Color. The picture comes from "Chocolate News" which Grier Co-created with Adam Small, and which Grier starred in.

[@SD18-videos]

You should do an episode about the animated MAD show

[@jeffreysolano5717]

I’m surprised that he didn’t even mention it in the video

[@C47vin]

@@jeffreysolano5717right that shit was insane lmao

[@KasumiKenshirou]

A TV version HAD been tried before this. There was an animated MAD Magazine TV pilot made in the 1970s, but it never actually aired because they couldn't get any corporate sponsors on board. It wasn't seen by the public until just a few years ago when it was uploaded to KZbin. I watched MAD TV almost until it ended. One season towards the end, all of a sudden the skits just didn't even have sets anymore, and everything was on a single stage. Then for a while it was still on, but there weren't any new episodes, and they would just repeat the same two or three "Best of MadTV" specials over and over again (which didn't, in fact, contain the best sketches, not even close), containing very dated material, including a sketch about the George W. Bush vs. John Kerry election, long after this election had ended. I'm confused by the whole "Mad TV is for teenagers" thing. Wasn't SNL also for teenagers originally? People frequently say that the best era of SNL is whatever one was airing when you were a teenager. I liked MadTV better, simply because SNL dragged on way too long, and too many lengthy commercial breaks, due to the show being live and needing time to switch out the sets and costumes, and musical guest segments. I lived on the west coast, so SNL wasn't even live anyway. SNLs individual sketches always dragged on too long. Something that was funny for maybe a minute would be dragged on for 10 minutes.

[@patrynize]

Dude why do you have a picture of David Alan Grier as Adam Small?

[@jonm.1030]

That is the same thing I was thinking , "pretty sure that's david alan grier" lol

[@patrynize]

@@jonm.1030 Like normally I wouldn't even care - but thats David Alan Grier! My man is a comedy STAPLE (especially from In Living Color, which they mentioned!)

[@jr2904]

​@@patrynize he was in that awful racist movie that just got dumped from theaters, right?

[@facerip2222]

Wat. @2:37 that's a picture of David Alan Grier from In Living Color, not Adam Small lol.

[@KHaskins23]

I LOVED MAD TV!!! Will Sasso's parody of Steven Segal, Steward, and Key & Peele got their start on there before doing their comedy show years later was so good. I was really heartbroken when they canceled it.

[@NotALiberalSoSkipTheScript]

When he was with the Dalai Lama Would you like some tea Na tea gives me farts… And Kenny Rogers was great!

[@KHaskins23]

@@NotALiberalSoSkipTheScript Crouching Cops Hidden Badges. Nuff said lol

[@NotALiberalSoSkipTheScript]

@@KHaskins23 Oh yea! I forgot that was the name! He wanted to fly without the wires!

[@jeddy8469]

It can’t be stated enough how SNL had massive movie stars . Mad TV was home of the best voice actors currently working today . Phil Lamar , Debra Wilson , Alex Borstein , and even Nicole Sullivan for Shego can get enough praise for the voice talents

[@mimseydemon1844]

Dave Herman who also ended up on Futurama.

[@billc5433]

I thought Mad TV was fine, but man, there were some skits/characters that they ran INTO THE GROUND. I think a lot of the cast did "OK" after they departed the show, but I do think some of them should have been bigger names.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

For me it was Will Sasso. He deserved more success in his career.

[@billc5433]

@@kutter_ttl6786 Will Sasso is exactly who I was thinking of. He has shown up in a LOT of shows, but I'm surprised he hasn't been bigger on sitcoms.

[@NotALiberalSoSkipTheScript]

Will Sasso I wish did more. He was great and did great impressions.

[@SuperRat420]

I'm surprised how many came right back to having seen just a second of a clip

[@jr2904]

​@@NotALiberalSoSkipTheScript you think democrats will be kinder about questions? Lol

[@positivelight_]

“Speak into the microphone 👶🏼🎤” -Stuart (most iconic character ever)

[@tizodd6]

Me and my ex-wife used to love Will Sasso back in the day. Dude always killed it😂 edit: Also, @2:35, that's David Alan Grier, not Adan Small. No, we do not all look alike, lol.

[@the_stewbear]

Coach Hines and Will Sasso’s Kenny Rogers were absolutely the best characters ever. Also, being named Stewart, this show affected me greatly.

[@GendoIkari_82]

Was a huge fan of Mad TV through the first 4 or so seasons. Watched almost every episode when it first aired; and have those seasons on DVD now.

[@Jordacar]

Thanks for mentioning In Living Color. I grew up watching that before I ever watched SNL.

[@MrKrk221988]

There needs to be another sketch comedy show to compete with Saturday Night Live. Mad TV is funnier and more timeless, but SNL was also really good during that era, too. Now that SNL has no challengers, they're completely resting on their laurels.

[@GoblinArmyInYourWalls]

There's tons of sketch groups on KZbin

[@BakedRBeans]

SNL also had competition in Fridays (it lasted a few seasons) as well as SCTV Network (1 season)

[@FunFilmFare]

Think SNL had some competition with Portlandia and Key & Peele.

[@ReglazeRX]

This was my favorite series at the time. It was a great time on FOX. It's sad that SNL still exists and MADtv is gone.

[@JoaquinPhoenix-s3k]

I'd like a Mad TV movie, like Kids in the Hall Brain Candy, but with all the Mad TV characters in an ensemble piece like a comical Magnolia or Pulp Fiction.

[@Voyzeck26]

Flashbulb memory, watching MadTV and learning about Princess Diana. While she passed on Sunday (August 31, 1997), the news broke Saturday evening. I was too young to understand, I was just annoyed I couldn't watch the rest of my show because everyone was covering the crash in Paris.

[@trah666]

Im so glad to see people talking about MAD tv, i used to watch it religiously, it was always way gnarlier and more subversive than snl. Glad to see it get some love

[@Almighty_cornholio]

Will sasso as Kenny rogers is always gonna be hilarious

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

*obligatory truthful “better than SNL” comment*

[@thehalfmanTL]

2:37 😂 that's David Allen Grier you have a picture of bud, not Adam small.. lol

[@blurrble5]

I loved MAD TV. The Abercrombie store sketch has a special place in my heart

[@mercymaddox]

MadTV is one of my favourite shows of all time. The cast is absolutely amazing and talented. Micheal McDonald, Debra Wilson, Mo Collins, Stephanie Weir, Nicole Sullivan, Nicole Parker, Ike Barinholtz, Jordan Peele, and Keegan Micheal Key--SO MANY OTHERS are so iconic and I wished that all of them saw the super stardom they deserve. Im glad some cast members have gotten a spotlight or were on our screens at all but I think they deserve more credit and i hope they know the impact theyve had on fans. Seriously they are so amazing! Back then and to this day, SNL never appealed to me and I felt bored alot while watching them when I tried. Theres only rare gems i like from them.

[@MrAlexSan00]

"Viewed as Kid Friendly and didn't want to offend anyone" Meanwhile, skits like Darlene McBride's Take Back America Tour

[@ekahnoman7331]

MadTV will always be funnier than SNL

[@thirtythreeteam]

Miss MadTV such a pinnacle of my childhood

[@nicholasbrown2498]

"look what I can do!" Will always live in my memories

[@The_RedVIII]

Funnily enough, MadTV was dubbed and aired in other countries, unlike SNL. (Obviously because one was live and one was prerecorded). That is why I, as a none American, am way more familiar with MadTV than with SNL. Love MadTV as a kid.

[@guyr.6053]

Same here

[@armandoparedes7776]

In latin america SNL aired on SONY channel in a programming block with other NBC comedy shows like parks & rec, the office, scrubs, 30 rock. Since SONY had tv channels all over the world i always thought they were airing it in the same way everywhere

[@m00ncat89]

2:36 why does “adam small” look exactly like david alan greer

[@Tb0n33999]

Losing Borstein and Sasso ended it for me. Huge loss of talent.

[@KLondike5]

The first Borstein/Green greeting card company sketch was so damn funny, especially when the wheelchair crashes. There was a censored segment I believe of Sullivan and McDonald as a couple arguing with each other. The dialogue about his sexual preferences included her being painted in mime paint and laying in an ice filled tub so he could pretend she was a corpse. But then there was some sort of line that got audibly bleeped which was pretty rare. However, the line was still there in the closed captioning if you turned it on. I don't remember exactly what the joke was that was censored but it had something to do with menstrual blood & got a big reaction from the audience.

[@Adam-jw3uz]

I'm kind of surprised this video didn't touch on the strange animated spinoff on Cartoon Network.

[@AlexInDaMixForMashUpMusicVideo]

So happy someone covered this I miss MAD TV So awesome

[@benjaminwatt2436]

Considering the current state of SNL, someone should be looking into making a decent skit based show

[@MRF1983]

Spishack... we're working on it 😆

[@hahncodesix9754]

You used a David Allen Grier photo for Adam Small, dude lol

[@FabulousKilljoy917]

Never watched Mad TV, I basically went from All That to SNL, and I credit a decent amount of that to Keenan, a legend

[@tecpaocelotl]

Madtv was awesome. Felt like a calmed down version In Living Color.

[@Andrew-sy6on]

Your Adam small photo is actually David Alan Grier.

[@BlackZynfyndel]

That was David Allen Grier 😂

[@steeltownbrown52]

I remember hearing Aries Spears in an interview with the All Out Show (Shade 45) and was asked about Mad TV. He said it was "unwatchable".

[@nathank3976]

MadTV was better than SNL

[@melmcallister6293]

2:36 that is David Allen Grier sir , not Adam Small😅

[@aleksander8497]

Mad TV had a number of hilarious skits. Should be note worthy also for having a number of talented female cast members.

[@bp251]

Mad TV was always funnier than SNL.

[@Fallingslowly09]

MadTV being popular among teens definitely lines up. I followed SNL as a teen but definitely watched MadTV much more.

[@thtboyjosh_]

I loved mad on Cartoon Network

[@z0m813]

Every Saturday night I would tune in to watch this

[@Gamer-ade]

It was so good when it started but as the years went on the cast they would hire got less and less funny.

[@FRANKMSM321]

Please do a separate video on just how bad the 90’s era of SNL was. The gist, Crappy skit, commercial, repeat for 90 minutes.

[@pulsecodemodulated]

The show wasn't popular here in Australia, but one of the local networks used to show it at about 1-3AM and it had a bit of a cult following, certainly amongst my friends and I. I seemed to recall losing interest after about season 6, I think most of the original cast were gone by then and it just wasn't the same.

[@weazill1004]

FYI You used a picture of David Alan Grier when referencing Adam Small. I think it’s because you googled Adam Small and got a promo for Chocolate News, where Small was a writer and Grier hosted.

[@Itsadarkworld34]

I turned 12 in '95 and I think I watch it all the way up to graduating high school then became too busy to stay watching what I always watched. MAD TV was definitely 1 of my favorite tv sitcoms. I think it be pointless to try to revive this show, especially during today's time, even stad up comedy is practically gone. What a shame

[@jdkincorporated4577]

Love the breakdown of the show, and I hate to say but... BUT the pictures you put up for the show writers that moved from 'In Living Color' to 'Mad TV' had an incorrect reference to a picture described as 'Adam Small' but the man in said picture is David Alan Grier, an actor from 'In Living Color'.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

I remember watching it with my mom many times back in the day, surprised she let me watch it that far back (late 90's early 00's)

[@Richard_Nickerson]

"Like SNL for high schoolers" Except I loathed Mad TV in HS, and as a theater kid I'd turn down basically every Mad TV sketch I was asked to be in. SNL > Mad, even at age 14. It came off as immature even back then. SNL now is beginning to feel like Mad did then.

[@erinthedemonhog2090]

I knew nothing about MAD until it was rebooted for CN back when I was in the 5th grade (I'm 23 now) & I liked it. But what I loved the most was Spy vs Spy. Seriously, during middle school I was obsessed.

[@myst1cull]

Where can we even watch Mad TV anymore?

[@LinebaKKer]

The picture of “Adam small” is really David Alan Grier lol.

[@m1sterw1zard]

I see that too 😂😂😂

[@stonewallperformance]

Grew up on MadTv and still love it to this day! I wish it got the recognition i deserved, it did launch some amazing careers but by the time those who got famous really "made it", MadTv was long gone. Definitely would love to see the seasons get a proper streaming and DVD release!

[@cleve817]

@ the 2:36 mark you show a picture of "Adam Small" but thats actually David Allen Greer.

[@Finfection]

I watched the show pretty hardcore regularly with my dad during the 90s. I can recall feeling the quality dropping off through the beginning of the 00s onward. Oddly enough though the show sort of had a resurgence in popularity during the late 00s when reruns of it would air on comedy central. People were enjoying the reruns of earlier seasons on CC, but not going out of their way to watch the newer seasons on Fox. It helped that by that point a lot of the cast from earlier seasons had moved on to make names for themselves in other successful projects. I can remember everybody at school being like "Did you know that Ms.Swan is the chick that voices Lois Griffin?". People were going back and watching the show just for that reason alone.

[@daytwaqua]

I for one appreciated the Al Jaffe reference at the beginning of the video, well done sir, well done.