MADtv Cast Reunites For 20th Anniversary

[#Classic Hi-Definition X]

MADtv cast to reunite on the CW for the show's 20th anniversary

by Dylan Kickham • @thatssodylan

Posted December 9 2015 — 4:11 PM EST

MADtv may have gone off the air in 2009, but it has definitely not been forgotten. And now, 20 years since its 1995 premiere, the cast is coming together again for an hour-long special to look back on the highlights of the Emmy-winning series, the CW announced Wednesday.

The reunion special will air on the CW on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. ET, and will bring back 19 of the show’s cast members. The special will have the cast members coming together for an awards ceremony meant to honor MADtv, which of course goes horribly wrong, and throughout that some of the most memorable sketches will be shown.

Many of MADtv’s alumni have gone on to make a much larger name for themselves in recent years. In particular, Keegan-Michael Key started up the wildly successful Key & Peele, Ike Barinholtz landed a fan favorite role on The Mindy Project, and Alex Borstein has shown her range on the acclaimed HBO series Getting On. These three will be back for the reunion, along with Mo Collins, Crista Flanagan, Anjelah Johnson, Nicole Randall Johnson, Phil LaMarr, Artie Lange, Bobby Lee, Michael McDonald, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, Eric Price, Will Sasso, Aries Spears, Nicole Sullivan, and Stephnie Weir.

And the MADtv love doesn’t end there. Starting Jan. 5, CW Seed will begin streaming 75 favorite MADtv episodes exclusively.

MADtv 20th Anniversary Special will air on the CW on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. ET.

www.ew.com/article/2015/12/09/madtv-cast-reunite-20th-anniversary

[Surfer Sandman]

Really? Damn. I still have to find some MadTV for my collection.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

No Debra Wilson?

[Cyno]

Needs more Jordan Peele.

[#Classic Hi-Definition X]

Dec 10, 2015 12:01:09 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

No Debra Wilson?

I think she's there too. She was in the picture included in the article.

[triplethreatmark]

I'm actually pretty excited for this. I watched both late night Saturday shows growing up, but I did lean Mad TV over SNL for various periods of time. Also, the first 3 seasons with the original cast and the 2001-2004 seasons were the two best periods for it.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Dec 10, 2015 12:33:48 GMT -5 Cyno said:

Needs more Jordan Peele.

And Josh Meyers.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

Dec 10, 2015 13:02:19 GMT -5 triplethreatmark said:

I'm actually pretty excited for this. I watched both late night Saturday shows growing up, but I did lean Mad TV over SNL for various periods of time.

Same. I really feel MadTV benefit greatly from just how bad SNL had gotten at that point, as the first couple season were way better then anything SNL was putting out there.

[Cela]

I'm guessing it's just going to be an hour of Stuart.


On parodies and one offs, MadTV was second to none. But they fell way too hard in love with shitty recurring characters like Stuart, Ms. Swan, and that Mo Collins old lady character.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Dec 10, 2015 13:44:43 GMT -5 Cela said:

I'm guessing it's just going to be an hour of Stuart.


On parodies and one offs, MadTV was second to none. But they fell way too hard in love with shitty recurring characters like Stuart, Ms. Swan, and that Mo Collins old lady character.

The recurring characters were a big part of MADtv's charm and the thing people remember most about the show.

[Cela]

Dec 10, 2015 14:14:57 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Dec 10, 2015 13:44:43 GMT -5 Cela said:

I'm guessing it's just going to be an hour of Stuart.


On parodies and one offs, MadTV was second to none. But they fell way too hard in love with shitty recurring characters like Stuart, Ms. Swan, and that Mo Collins old lady character.

The recurring characters were a big part of MADtv's charm and the thing people remember most about the show.

Because of the 7 or so skits each episode, 6 were those recurring characters.

And yes, they were cute at first, but 30 episodes worth of the same jokes got really old.

[Deleted]

I'll have to remember to set the DVR timer for this.

In its prime in the early 2000s, it was pure gold. Hell, it was better than SNL in the mid 2000s (at least, IMO).

[Deleted]

Since Artie Lange is involved, can we get a reunion within a reunion of "That's My White Mama"?

[triplethreatmark]

Dec 10, 2015 17:23:31 GMT -5 @ricrocket said:

Since Artie Lange is involved, can we get a reunion within a reunion of "That's My White Mama"?

If they don't, I may have to break my foot off in someone's ass.

[DSR]

No Frank Caliendo?!

[Limity (BLM)]

Dec 10, 2015 17:10:38 GMT -5 @geneyussrevolution said:

I'll have to remember to set the DVR timer for this.

In its prime in the early 2000s, it was pure gold. Hell, it was better than SNL in the mid 2000s (at least, IMO).

Oh yeah, when it first started it was incredible. Does anyone know what happened? Did they suddenly lose all their writers or something?

[Glitch]

This show was really bold when it came out. SNL pretty much got set in their ways and was the old folks comedy show about tradition. Then came Madtv with their weird ass humor. I frikkin loved it when the show came out.

So why is this happening on the CW instead of Fox?

[triplethreatmark]

Dec 10, 2015 17:38:14 GMT -5 Limity (BLM) said:

Dec 10, 2015 17:10:38 GMT -5 @geneyussrevolution said:

I'll have to remember to set the DVR timer for this.

In its prime in the early 2000s, it was pure gold. Hell, it was better than SNL in the mid 2000s (at least, IMO).

Oh yeah, when it first started it was incredible. Does anyone know what happened? Did they suddenly lose all their writers or something?

To MadTV you mean? If that's what you meant, the show went through a huge turn-over in terms of cast and writers in around 2005 or 2006. The mainstays from the late-90s-early 00s(Will Sasso, Debra Wilson, Michael McDonald, Aries Spears, Mo Collins, etc) were pretty much all gone by then. A lot of the newer members who came aboard around 2002/2003 like Ike Barenholtz, Ron Peterson, Josh Meyers, Stephanie Weir, etc(who benefited greatly from joining when the mainstays were still there and were able to carry the show once the Sassos', Wilsons', Spiers, etc left) left around that time as well. At that time, Keegan Michael-Key, Jordan Peele, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, etc who came in to replace them were funny, but they were still new to televised sketched comedy and so their timing and presence wasn't there. Also, as I had mentioned, since the better known people had left completely, the writing wasn't strong enough to carry all the new people. The only guy who stuck around from that 2001-2004 golden period was Bobby Lee. No offense to Bobby, but he's not the pillar from which to re-build after all those people left.

Anyways, by like 2008, the show changed completely and those last two cast turnovers(around early-2007 and 2008 at some point) were bad. I can tell you because I quit watching in 2007. I tuned in close to the end in 2009 out of curiosity and couldn't stomach more than 20 minutes. That's pretty much what happened to MadTV as far as I remember it.


...

Holy crap, I know way too much about MadTV.

[Mozenrath]

Bret Hart should show up to attack Will Sasso, like old times.

[triplethreatmark]

Dec 10, 2015 19:58:42 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Bret Hart should show up to attack Will Sasso, like old times.

I'm seriously going to mark if Sasso comes out as Stone Cold during the reunion. I also hope Andy Daly will be there because he's awesome.