MadTV Returning To Primetime

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Deadline is reporting that MadTV, the popular sketch comedy show that enjoyed a 14-year tenure in late night at Fox, will make its triumphant return to television this year on The CW network. The show, loosely based on the satirical Mad magazine, was a juggernaut of cultural and political satire that left no target unstruck, and no boundary uncrossed. The show was a flagship for irreverent and alternative humor, helping to launch the careers of various cast members and earning itself five Emmy awards, right up until the series finale on May 16th, 2009.

The show went into its 14th season knowing that it would be its last, so showrunner David Salzman tried, and failed, to shop the show around to other networks. Salzman had no luck and the show remained dormant for years until this past December, when it was announced that The CW network would play host to a 20th anniversary special for the series. The special featured a large portion of the original cast, including Artie Lange, Bobby Lee, Nicole Randall Jackson, Keegan-Michael Key, Will Sasso, Michael McDonald, Debra Wilson, Aries Spears, and Nicole Sullivan, among many more.

The special received warm ratings, drawing in a respectable 1.7 million live viewers and a favorable Live+ score among adults aged 18-49. This, accompanied by the fact that The CW’s digital platform, Seed, had acquired the rights to have 75 episodes of the original series made, was a giant hint that the network was looking to bring the show back to its former glory on television. Salzman has implied that the cast will consist of up-and-coming comics, with returning cast members acting as hosts for each episode. The names of the new/returning comics have yet to be announced.

“The MadTV franchise is as vibrant as ever thanks largely to social and digital media appealing to a fan base numbering in the millions that relates to the show’s brand of authentic and irreverent cross-cultural comedy,” Salzman said of the show’s arduous return to network television. “We will continue to present the hard-hitting, laugh-out-loud, wall-to-wall pop culture parody our fans expect, but in a fresh, new way.”

Salzman will remain at the helm of the show as the showrunner/executive producer, with Mark Teitelbaum and John Montgomery as EP’s as well.

As of now, The CW has ordered eight one-hour long episodes to be aired during prime time, after which a decision about the show’s future will be made (again.) Exactly when we will see these episodes, or what time slot they will be occupying, is still unclear. Stay tuned for more information.

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Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler
Bill Tressler
Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.