Mad TV
MADtv is a sketch comedy television series in the United States. First broadcast on October 14, 1995, the successful show is Fox Network's only late night program. The one-hour show airs Saturday nights on FOX and is in syndication on Comedy Central. It is a spin-off from MAD magazine.
The format of MADtv is a mixture of scenes shot live for a studio audience, and pre-taped short films - both place a heavy emphasis on pop culture parody. Skits and sketches are performed in a manner similar to other variety shows. Current recurring characters include Bae Sung (Bobby Lee), Coach Hines (Keegan Michael Key), Dot (Stephnie Weir) and the very popular Stuart (Michael McDonald). Former recurring characters include The Vancome Lady, Stan the Coffee Man, Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson, and MADtv's most well known character, Miss Swan, played by Alex Borstein.
In addition, MADtv spoofs other shows, particularly the long-running game show The Price is Right, with actors playing Bob Barker and the late Rod Roddy, and it also takes on other celebrities, like Wayne Brady and John Madden. One recurring skit is the show-within-a-show called Real Mother****ing Talk with Dollar Bill Montgomery, which is a spoof of other forum-style shows such as Hardball with Chris Matthews and Real Time with Bill Maher. Maher made a cameo appearance on a 10th-season episode, opposite cast lead Aries Spears. Real Mother****ing Talk is known for its excessive use of (comically censored) foul language.
Comparisons with NBC's Saturday Night Live are inevitable, given the two shows' close airtimes (MADtv runs from 11:00 PM to midnight, while SNL begins at 11:35 and runs past the ending of MADtv).