‘MADtv’ Coming Back With New Episodes On The CW
This past January, The CWaired a 20th anniversary specialtaking a look back at the former Fox sketch comedy seriesMADtv. It was an odd programming move for the network at the time, but now it sound like it might have been a test to see if there was still interest in the show that aired from 1995 to 2009. Why? Because The CW has just announced thatMADtvwill be returning to television with new episodes.
Find out more details aboutMADtvcoming back to television after the jump.
The CW made the announcement about the return ofMADtvyesterday with an initial order of eight one-hour episodes that will air during primetime as opposed to the late night time slot that Fox gave the show during its heyday. What’s interesting is that in addition to starting from scratch with a whole new cast of rising comedy stars, it will also have appearances from returning cast members from the original run of the show as the hosts of each episode.
This will likely also serve as a test for The CW to see if a revival ofMADtvis something their audience is interested in. While the programming doesn’t seem like something that fits in with the network’s brand, The CW did previously bring backWhose Line Is It Anyway?for new episodes, and the show has stuck around there for a few years now. When the network brought back the improv comedy series, they ordered 12 initial episodes, waited to see how it performed in the ratings, and then decided to keep it around. We can expect the same approach toMADtv, so only time will tell if the revival will stick around.
The CW hasn’t revealed which cast members will come back to host episodes, or if those cast members will reprise characters from their time on the show. But the anniversary episode featuredFamily GuystarAlex Borstein,NeighborsandThe Mindy ProjectstarIke Barinholtz, Emmy nomineeKeegan-Michael KeyandFuturamastarPhil LaMarr, and they would make great hosts. Other possibilities includeMo Collins, Crista Flanagan, Anjelah Johnson, Nicole Randall Johnson, Artie Lange, Bobby Lee, Michael McDonald, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, Eric Price, Will Sasso, Aries Spears, Nicole Sullivan, Stephnie WeirandDebra Wilson.
As of now, there’s no indication as to when the newMADtvwill premiere or on which night it will air. But since The CW is bringing the show into primetime, don’t expect it to air on Saturday nights as it did in its original series run. That means it won’t be competing directly withSaturday Night Livelike it used to, but that also means it will have plenty of other competition than it used to have.
If you’d rather just watch the old episodes ofMADtv, you can watch some of them on CW Seed, the network’s digital network.
