MADtv

This article is about the American live-action comedy program. For the 2010 animated sketch comedy show, see Mad (TV series). For other uses, see Mad TV (disambiguation).

MADtv
Format	Live action, sketch comedy, variety, Animation
Created by	Fax Bahr Adam Small
Starring	see List of MADtv cast members
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	14
No. of episodes	321
Production
Running time	45–48 minutes
Production company(s)	Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment Inc. (entire run) Bahr/Small Productions (Season 1-3 only) Klasky Csupo (Spy vs. Spy animated cartoon shorts) Rough Draft Studios (Spy vs. Spy animation services) DC Comics
Distributor	WB Television Distribution
Broadcast
Original channel	Fox
Picture format	480i SDTV, 720p HDTV
Original run	October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14) – May 16, 2009 (2009-05-16)
Chronology
Followed by	MAD

MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first TV broadcast was on October 14, 1995. The one-hour show aired Saturday nights on Fox and is in syndication on Comedy Central. In Australia the show screens on satellite and cable TV channel The Comedy Channel and in late-night timeslots on free-to-air broadcaster the Nine Network and its affiliates.

It was created by Fax Bahr and Adam Small. The series was originally produced by Bahr/Small Productions and Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment (QDE). 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 WB Television Distribution (its parent company Time Warner Entertainment owns Mad magazine through its DC Comics subsidiary). The series was directed by Bruce Leddy (196 episodes), as well as David Grossman, and Amanda Bearse.

On November 12, 2008, Fox announced that MADtv's 14th season would be its last. Despite this, David Salzman said that he would be exploring the continuation of the show on another channel, possibly cable (though, as of 2010, the only evidence of a MADtv cable revival can be found on the Cartoon Network series MAD). However the show did not air in the 2009–2010 season. In early 2009, the show was moved behind Talkshow with Spike Feresten, the show that normally followed MADtv, as a test, before being moved back. The show was nominated for 35 Emmy awards and won 8. The series finale aired on May 16, 2009.

Format

MADtv was taped in front of a live audience and consists of skits and musical performances. Much of its comedy parodies popular television shows, movies, and music, and covers topical, political, and pop cultural humor.

Notable tenures

Although MADtv has a rapid turnover of supporting players, some performers have had long tenures with the show. Some cast members did not appear in every episode of a season, and thus appeared in fewer episodes than other cast members who were on the show for fewer seasons. The cast members who have appeared in over 100 episodes are:

Cast Member	First Cast Appearance	Last Cast Appearance	Seasons	Episodes	Guest Appearances
Michael McDonald	September 12, 1998	May 17, 2008	4–13 (10 total)	239	1 (Season 14)
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	4 (Seasons 10, 13, and 14)
Mo Collins	September 12, 1998	May 22, 2004	4–9 (6 total)	150	3 (Seasons 10, 13, and 14)
Bobby Lee	October 6, 2001	May 16, 2009	7–14 (8 total)	147
Nicole Sullivan	October 14, 1995	May 12, 2001	1–6 (6 total)	141	6 (Seasons 8, 9, and 10)
Alex Borstein	September 20, 1997	May 18, 2002	3–7 (5 total)	122	4 (Seasons 9, 10, and 14)
Stephnie Weir	November 18, 2000	May 6, 2006	6–11 (6 total)	120
Frank Caliendo	September 22, 2001	May 20, 2006	7–11 (5 total)	117
Nicole Parker	November 1, 2003	March 28, 2009	9–14 (6 total)	113
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
Keegan-Michael Key	February 7, 2004	May 16, 2009	9–14 (6 total)	106

• Nicole Parker is the only cast member to be nominated and win an Emmy for her work on the show (Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics), though not in an acting category.
• Michael McDonald is the only cast member to have a "Best Of" compilation episode devoted to him.

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:

• 1995–2000
• 2000–2005
• 2005–2009

MADtv season breakdown

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

• Season One (1995–1996)
• Season Two (1996–1997)
• Season Three (1997–1998)
• Season Four (1998–1999)
• Season Five (1999–2000)
• Season Six (2000–2001)
• Season Seven (2001–2002)
• Season Eight (2002–2003)
• Season Nine (2003–2004)
• Season Ten (2004–2005)
• Season Eleven (2005–2006)
• Season Twelve (2006–2007)
• Season Thirteen (2007–2008)
• Season Fourteen (2008–2009)

Recurring characters and sketches

Main article: MADtv recurring characters

Home media

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. The series has yet to receive a thorough DVD issuing.

Syndication

Originally, reruns of MADtv aired as 30-minute reruns on local TV stations. The cable channel TNN (now Spike TV) aired the first six seasons of MADtv from 1999 to 2001. Comedy Central soon picked up the show after its syndication package of Saturday Night Live reruns was acquired by the E! Entertainment Network, and has aired 30-minute and full-hour reruns of episodes from season 1 to season 11 (though, in 2008, Comedy Central limited their reruns to episodes from seasons eight to eleven). Canada's The Comedy Network also airs MADtv reruns (starting at season eight), but, unlike Comedy Central, The Comedy Network also includes episodes from seasons 12 and 13. As of 2010, MADtv no longer airs on Comedy Central. MADtv can currently be watched on thewb.com with 20 full episodes available to watch.

Awards and nominations

This table is incomplete. You can help by expanding it.

Year	Association	Award Category	Recipients	Result
1999	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series		Nominated
2000	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Use of a Boson Dart - Television (for a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)	Jennifer Aspinall Felicia Linsky Ed French	Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Innovative Hair Styling - Television (for a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)	Dugg Kirkpatrick	Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Character Hair Styling - Television (for a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)	Judith Tiedemann Dugg Kirkpatrick Chriss Curry	Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Character Hair Styling - Television (for a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)	Judith Tiedemann Dugg Kirkpatrick Chriss Curry	Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Character Makeup - Television (for a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)	Jennifer Aspinall Felicia Linsky Ed French	Won
2001	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program	Wendy Benbrook (costume designer) Wanda Leavey (costume supervisor)	Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety or Music Program	Matthew Kasten (hairstylist) Mishell Chandler (hairstylist) Desmond Miller (hairstylist) Rod Ortega (hairstylist) Mimi Jafari (hairstylist) Fabrizio Sanges (hairstylist)	Won
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program	John Sabato (production designer) D. Martyn Bookwalter (art director) Cece Destefano (art director) Daryn-Reid Goodall (set decorator)	Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Main Title Design	Steve Kirklys (title designer) Adam Byrd (title designer)	Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Series	Jennifer Aspinall (makeup artist) Felicia Linsky (makeup artist) Stephanie L. Massie (makeup artist) Darrell McIntyre (makeup artist) Randy Westgate (makeup artist) Julie Purcell (makeup artist) Ed French (makeup artist) Susan A. Cabral (makeup artist) Myke Michaels (makeup artist)	Nominated
	Canadian Comedy Awards	Television - Pretty Funny Male Performance	Will Sasso	Nominated
	Art Directors Guild Awards	Excellence in Production Design Award	John Sabato (production designer) D. Martyn Bookwalter (art director) Cece Destefano (art director)	Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Special Makeup Effects - Television (For a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)	Jennifer Aspinall Randy Westgate Episode: "MADtv Goes To The Movies"	Won
	Image Awards	Outstanding Variety Series/Speciality jumpsuit		Nominated
	Canadian Comedy Awards	Television - Pretty Funny Male Performance	Ron Pederson	Nominated
2002	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Choreography		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)		Nominated
	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Guest Starring Young Actress	Michelle Trachtenberg	Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards	Best Special Makeup Effects - Television (For a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)		Won
2003	Art Directors Guild Awards	Television - Variety or Awards Show, Music Special or Documentary		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Prosthetic)		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program		Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award	Best Character Makeup - Television Series		Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards	Best Character Hair Styling - Television Series		Nominated
	Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards	Best Special Makeup Effects - Television Series		Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Show - Late Night		Nominated
	WGA Award (TV)	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series		Nominated
2004	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Show - Late Night		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Choreography		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series		Nominated
	BET Comedy Award	Outstanding Comedy Variety Series		Nominated
2005	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program		Won
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety, Music Program or Special		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Choreography		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series		Won
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special		Nominated
2006	Emmy Award	Excellence in Production Design Award		Won
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)		Nominated
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety, Music Program, or Special		Nominated
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics	Greg O'Connor (music by) Jim Wise (lyrics by)	Won
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program		Won
2007	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special		Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics	Greg O'Connor (music by) Bruce McCoy (music and lyrics by) Jim Wise (music and lyrics by)	Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)		Nominated
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming		Nominated
	Art Directors Guild Award	Excellence in Production Design Award	John Sabato (production designer) D. Martyn Bookwalter (art director) Nicole Elespuru (assistant art director)	Won
2008	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming	Nicole Elespuru (production designer) James Yarnell (production designer) Daryn-Reid Goodall (set decorator)	Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or a Special (Non-Prosthetic)	Jennifer Aspinall (department head makeup artist) Heather Mages (additional makeup artist) Chris Burgoyne (additional makeup artist) Ned Neidhardt (additional makeup artist)	Nominated
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics	Greg O'Connor (music by) Jordan Peele (music and lyrics by) Jim Wise (music by)	Nominated
	Art Directors Guild Award	Excellence in Production Design Award	John Sabato (production designer) D. Martyn Bookwalter (art director) Nicole Elespuru (assistant art director)	Won
	ALMA Awards	Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series	Anjelah Johnson	Nominated
	ALMA Awards	Outstanding Male Performance in a Comedy Television Series	Johnny A. Sanchez	Nominated

External links

• MADtv - Official MySpace
• MADtv at the Internet Movie Database
• MADtv at TV.com
• MADtv Streaming episodes on TheWB.com (Only for US viewers)