Remember "Mad TV"? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for recurring characters from “Mad TV” who still live in our brains, rent-free.
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00:00 So, uh, enjoy the show!
00:01 I gotta go.
00:02 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for recurring characters from
00:07 MADtv who still live in our brains, rent-free.
00:10 Don't you understand?
00:11 Plain clothes cup doesn't necessarily mean plain clothes.
00:18 Number 10.
00:19 Lorraine Swanson This sketch show may not have had the same
00:23 public profile as its famous competition, but it did possess some seriously good talent,
00:29 including Mo Collins.
00:39 This versatile and funny comedian had a number of recurring characters.
00:43 Lorraine Swanson may just be one of her best, however, thanks largely in part to Collins'
00:48 complete lack of vanity in service to the laughs.
00:56 Collins' midwestern mom stereotype is amplified by an intentionally frumpy wardrobe, as well
01:01 as Collins' exaggerated accent and vocalizations.
01:04 Oh, and that famous cough.
01:07 You just gotta love the cough.
01:16 Number 9.
01:17 Kenny Rogers Will Sasso was another member of the MADtv
01:21 cast who was adept at making the most out of his time on the show.
01:36 Sasso was particularly good at impressions, including this take on musical icon Kenny
01:41 Rogers.
01:42 This version of Kenny Rogers is anything but wholesome, however, and is instead played
01:47 up for villainous laughs.
01:51 Sasso's portrayal of the gambler is loud, boorish, and prone to violence at any given
01:58 moment.
01:59 The skits containing Rogers also often mention various franchises that bear his name, including
02:04 a certain chicken chain.
02:06 It's all very exaggerated, of course, but super memorable.
02:14 Number 8.
02:15 Trina Moss One of the benefits of having a recurring
02:18 character on a sketch comedy show is being able to avoid going to the often dry lake
02:23 of topical humor.
02:34 As a result, characters like Mo Collins' Trina Moss bear solid gold comedy fruit each
02:40 time they appear on screen.
02:42 Collins brings her memorable facial expressions and little nervous tics to a character that,
02:48 on the surface, could be problematic and offensive.
03:02 After all, the running joke is how Moss desperately wants children, yet is unable to have them,
03:07 thus resulting in multiple attempts at filling this emotional void.
03:26 Trina remains eminently likable and sympathetic throughout her interactions in each sketch.
03:40 Number 7.
03:41 Jovan Muscatel If there's any supreme success story to
03:45 come out of the end results of MadTV, then it's probably the careers of Jordan Peele
03:50 and Keegan-Michael Key.
03:56 The former is known largely today for his amazing movies, while the latter has stretched
04:01 his creative legs in various comedy series and films.
04:04 Yet most Mad fans can probably recall Key's character of Jovan Muscatel from his time
04:10 on the show, a "professional witness" with the recurring tagline, "That whip crated
04:15 him!"
04:16 Muscatel's excited and exaggerated demeanor is ripped straight out of the stories you
04:20 see about regular people becoming famous after being interviewed by local reporters.
04:31 And Key absolutely nails the stereotype, with hilarious results.
04:46 Number 6.
04:48 Dot Goddard Stephanie Weir was another member of the MadTV
04:52 cast who was adept at creating fringe characters and making them her own.
05:06 Dot Goddard appears in another set of recurring skits on the show that are definitely of their
05:11 time, with regards to how they portray mental health.
05:15 It's all very irreverent, as Weir's behavior is played up for laughs against the dismissal
05:20 of her parents.
05:36 The sketches often highlight the dichotomy between the Goddards' adoration of their
05:40 other daughter Karen and Dot's vocal outbursts, including conversations with God and Jesus
05:45 Christ.
05:54 The end results are so sublimely ridiculous that any sinister inclinations are immediately
06:00 forgotten, and we can simply sit back and laugh at the total chaos.
06:11 Number 5.
06:12 UBS guy Jack Phil LaMarr has enjoyed a thriving career
06:16 in the world of voice acting after first gaining television fame as a cast member on MadTV.
06:30 LaMarr created a number of memorable characters on the show, particularly during those all-important
06:35 early years.
06:36 The UBS man is an overly caffeinated, uncomfortably energetic delivery driver with an amazing
06:42 amount of enthusiasm.
06:55 LaMarr brings a certain likeability to this everyday employee who just wants to be helpful,
07:00 but can't seem to focus upon anything for any longer than a few moments at a time.
07:15 It's funny stuff and still makes us laugh.
07:25 Number 4.
07:26 Banifa Latifa Halifa Sharifa Jackson Every good sketch comedy show is only as good
07:32 as its writing team, but perhaps second only to that criteria is a cohesive cast.
07:45 The OG MadTV crew included one Deborah Wilson, and she managed to create one of the show's
07:50 early breakout recurring characters in the form of Banifa Latifa Halifa Sharifa Jackson.
08:09 Deborah Wilson brings an unapologetic brashness to the performance, leaning into stereotypes
08:14 while at the same time creating a character that always made her mark on screen.
08:32 Banifa Latifa Halifa Sharifa Jackson was a force of nature, never short with her words
08:38 and not shy to make her feelings known at every opportunity.
08:44 Number 3.
08:45 The Vancombe Lady There's just no getting around this.
08:49 The Vancombe Lady is a horrible person, but we always loved it when she showed up on MadTV.
09:05 There's a sense of schadenfreude that shows up whenever Nicole Sullivan's Vancombe Lady
09:14 shows up to ruin somebody's day with one of her trademark sayings.
09:24 We know that it's wrong, but isn't that the glory of catchphrases?
09:27 The Vancombe Lady may point out every low-hanging stereotype and insult in the book, but Sullivan
09:33 sells the obnoxiousness for all she's worth.
09:36 And this character became one of the show's early hits as a result of this hard work.
09:48 Number 2.
09:49 Miss Swan Alex Borstein is another esteemed MadTV alum
09:53 who has gone on to success, most notably as a voice actor on Family Guy.
09:58 However, she was already working her comedy magic years before voicing Lois Griffin with
10:03 recurring MadTV characters like Miss Swan.
10:17 This is yet another character that leans heavily upon cultural stereotypes.
10:21 We're sensing a theme here, but Borstein's delivery and dedication to the performance
10:26 just sells it every time.
10:40 Swan is a maddening presence for everyone she encounters.
10:44 A mumbling and confused character that was reportedly an amalgamation of Bjork, Borstein's
10:49 Hungarian grandmother and, we're guessing, a strange space alien?
11:18 Number 1.
11:19 Stuart Larkin Here it is, the big one.
11:23 This is the most enduring character to emerge from the era of MadTV and one that's almost
11:28 always mentioned whenever the show comes up in casual conversation.
11:42 Michael McDonald brings everything he has to the role of a young man-boy who loves junk
11:48 food, kicks anything he doesn't like and possesses a surprisingly deep voice when he's
11:53 pushed into a corner.
12:03 The MadTV studio audience always lost it whenever Stuart showed up, and so do we.
12:07 It's a perfect example of a character who was homegrown, hilarious and just wild enough
12:13 to work.
12:19 Did you watch MadTV when it was on the air?
12:21 What are your memories of the show?
12:23 Let us know in the comments.
12:37 [Music]
12:47 (upbeat music)