MADtv was something I saw on television a lot, but I just never could get into it. It first launched in 1995, and while it was obviously meant to compete with Saturday Night Live on NBC, it did have its loyal fans. That said, I don’t think it ever held a candle to SNL, even during NBC’s legendary show’s worst seasons.
Just like Saturday Night Live, it was a sketch show, but I don’t remember many celebrity guests or musical acts, if that was even a regular thing.
What I remember most is Stuart Larkin, a commonly recurring character throughout the series. He was an overgrown man-child, serving a similar role as Sheldon Cooper did for The Big Bang Theory or Steve Urkel did for Family Matters as the loveable cringey loser.
But my God, that boy ain’t right, I’ll tell you what. I understand why people think he’s funny, but I found him more cringey than hilarious.
I know they had some talented people work on the show, but the entire program just rubbed me the wrong way. It looks bad, it’s not funny most of the time, and the best thing that ever happened to it was its cancelation in 2009.
I agree with you about MADtv. There were some funny moments and characters but something about it just never settled well for me.
Awful show, rarely relied on anything beyond broad caricature. You mention Stuart, which is a perfect contrast to SNL.
All I remember about Stuart was “look what I can do”, followed by fitful spasms. That’s not funny. Kids do that sometimes, yes, but there’s nothing else there. We’re supposed to laugh because ADULT MAN IS CHILD! HAW!
In 1993, Nicole Kidman hosted SNL and played a child alongside Mike Myers’ “Phillip”. The line “I’m hyperactive and hypoglycemic, I’m a hyper hypo” still makes me giggle like a moron. It’s not peak SNL, either. But it still did more with the “adults playing small children” concept than MadTV was capable.