Where Saturday Night Live Left Off…
Written: Dec 15 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great writing - very funny show!
Cons: Some may find it offensive.
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| jsmorris's Full Review: MadTV |
I have to admit to still watching Saturday Night Live every once in a while just to see if the writers and actors have returned to the era of greatness that they once had. While still funny it just doesn't measure up to the performances of the late 70's and early 80's when Saturday Night Live was the ultimate in comedy.
Now, instead of being disappointed and just going to bed early on Saturday nights, I've found a show that keeps me laughing. Mad TV seems to take up where Saturday Night Live left off all those years ago - it's funny, witty, original, and sometimes just plain nuts!
Since this is their 6th season (Mad TV first aired on November 6th, 1994), I find it amazing that the only Emmys this show has been nominated for are in the wardrobe, hair, make-up, and art departments. What about writing? What about some of these fantastic individual performances given week after week? I can only guess that the people who do the nominating don't stay up that late on Saturday nights.
The Cast
Christian Duguay developed many of his characters at the Groundling Theater in Los Angeles. He originally came from Maine and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. The relocation to California proved to be a good one for him. After graduating from Cal State Northridge (with a degree in Film Studies) he went to the Groundling Theater where the producers of Mad TV find many talented performers.
Will Sasso is the Canadian Italian and loves to make fun of anyone and anything. Will is one of the veterans of the current cast having been on the show for four years. No one is safe from Will's humor - his specialty is satire and he aims his special brand of comedy at all people.
Aries Spears is originally from the Windy City. He left high school and went right into a career as a stand-up comedian. His past performances include appearances on Def Comedy Jam and Showtime at the Apollo. Aries has a dry sense of humor and you'll either love it or hate it - there's no in-between.
Mo Collins is one of the female comedians on Mad TV and enjoying her third season on the show. She brings her own unique sense of humor with her and definitely has learned the tricks of the trade! Some of her humor is derived from being a wife and mom.
Nicole Sullivan had a lot of appearances on sitcoms before landing her contract with Mad TV. She is even the voice of the bad girl babysitter on "Baby Blues" (a WB cartoon) and the voice for Buzz Lightyear's right hand princess on "Star Command".
Nelson Ascencio was born in Cuba and raised in New York. Much of his comedy is derived from his true-life experiences in Cuba, being raised in a Catholic family and having that family is bilingual. Nelson is also a Groundling Theater alumni.
There are many others who make up the rest of the cast, but these are a few to entice you into watching the show!
Joining the regulars on Mad TV have been some high powered celebrities. Harry Connick, Jr., LL Cool J, Pauly Shore, LaToya Jackson, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin McDonald (from SNL fame), and many others. A talent for every taste out there it seems!
If you miss the great writing of Saturday Night Live of years gone by and are in the mood for a few belly laughs, then I'd suggest planning an evening with Mad TV. It's on a 30 minutes before Saturday Night Live, so if you don't like it you can always change the channel at 11:30 PM. (but I don't think you'll be disappointed)!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jsmorris
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Member: Susie Morris
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 682
Trusted by: 294 members
About Me:
Broken hearts sometimes don't mend...but life goes on.
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