After roughly seven years off the air, The CW is reviving MADtv as a primetime series.
The former Fox late-night sketch comedy will debut with eight new episodes comprising of a new cast, along with original members making guest appearances to host the one-hour show.
“The MADtv franchise is as vibrant as ever thanks largely to social and digital media appealing to a fan base numbering in the millions that relates to the show’s brand of authentic and irreverent cross-cultural comedy,” executive David Salzman stated. “We will continue to present the hard-hitting, laugh-out-loud, wall-to-wall pop culture parody our fans expect, but in a fresh, new way.”
The popular sketch comedy aired from 1995 to 2009, competing with the likes of Saturday Night Live throughout its run. It subsequently helped many actors and comedians launch their careers. These include Alex Borstein, Ike Barinholtz, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Helberg, Orlando Jones, and others.
The CW recently aired a 20th anniversary reunion depicting MADtv’s most memorable moments and characters. The show’s resurrection is partly due to Fox’ decision to launch a new sketch comedy earlier this year, Party Over Here, which also takes place on Saturday nights.
A previous revival by The CW also includes Whose Line is it Anyway, which aired on the ABC network before ending its run in 2004.
Other networks have jumped on the revival bandwagon ranging from comedy to drama series. These include Fuller House on Netflix, as well as The X-Files on Fox.
There is currently no premiere date for the revived series, which is managed by Telepictures with executive producers John Montgomery, Mark Teitelbaum, and David Salzman.