Fox had a problem in 1995. It was a young, scrappy network trying to find its identity while being bullied by the "Big Three." They needed something late-night, something edgy, and something that didn't feel like a stuffy institution. Enter the first wave of actors on MADtv. They weren't just "not-ready-for-prime-time players." They were the chaotic, sweaty, often-offensive counter-culture to the increasingly polished world of Saturday Night Live.
If you grew up in the late nineties, you remember the vibe. It was grittier. The lighting was weird. The sets looked like they might fall over if a performer hit them too hard. But the talent? Man, the talent was nuclear. We’re talking about a group of people who took sketch comedy, stripped it of its self-importance, and turned it into a high-octane fever dream.
Honestly, the legacy of these performers is massive. You see it everywhere today, from Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning directorial career to Alex Borstein’s dominance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But back then, they were just a bunch of weirdos in a basement at Hollywood Center Studios.
The Groundbreakers: Who Started the Madness?
The original cast was a strange cocktail of personalities. You had Orlando Jones, who was basically a human cartoon, and Artie Lange, who brought a raw, blue-collar energy that eventually landed him a seat next to Howard Stern. Nicole Sullivan was there too. She could play the "girl next door" and then immediately pivot into Vancome Lady, a character so biting and cynical it basically defined the show's early mean-spirited charm.
It wasn't easy.
Critics mostly hated it at first. They called it a cheap knockoff. But the audience—the teenagers and the college kids who stayed up late—saw something different. They saw performers who weren't afraid to look ugly. While SNL actors often felt like they were auditioning for a movie role, actors on MADtv felt like they were trying to survive a riot.
David Herman was perhaps the most underrated of the bunch. He’s the guy who played Michael Bolton in Office Space, but on MADtv, he was a chameleon. He could do a dead-on Larry King or some bizarre original character that defied logic. He eventually left because the grind was too much. That was a common theme. The show was a meat grinder.
The Phil LaMarr and Debra Wilson Era
If we’re talking about sheer skill, you have to talk about Phil LaMarr and Debra Wilson. They were the backbone. LaMarr is a legend now in the voice-acting world (Hermes from Futurama, Samurai Jack), but his physical comedy on Fox was unmatched. He had this precision. He never missed a beat.
Debra Wilson, though? She was the queen. Her Whitney Houston impression was so iconic it almost became the definitive version of the singer in the public consciousness for a while. It was exaggerated, sure, but it was rooted in this frantic energy that only Wilson could provide. She stayed on the show for eight seasons. That’s a lifetime in sketch comedy years. She was the glue that held the revolving door of cast members together when things got shaky.
Then came the middle years. This is when the show really found its footing with "character" comedy.
The Rise of Ms. Swan and Stewart
Alex Borstein and Michael McDonald. If you mention MADtv to a random person on the street, they will likely scream "He look-a like a man!" or "Look what I can do!"
Borstein’s Ms. Swan was a phenomenon. Was it politically correct? Probably not. Would it fly today? Absolutely not. But at the time, it was the show’s biggest hit. Borstein brought a commitment to that character that was terrifying. She would stay in character between takes, staring down the audience with those squinted eyes. It was performance art hidden inside a sitcom wrapper.
Michael McDonald was the show's longest-serving cast member, and for good reason. His character Stewart—the giant toddler with the bowl cut—was pure physical genius. McDonald would throw his body around the stage with zero regard for his own safety. He’d jump on furniture, do splits, and make these high-pitched squeals that haunted your dreams. It was stupid. It was brilliant. It was exactly what actors on MADtv were supposed to do.
Why the MADtv Casting Process Was Different
Unlike SNL, which pulled heavily from The Groundlings or Second City with a very specific "Ivy League" comedy filter, MADtv was a bit more of a Wild West. They looked for people with high energy.
- They wanted physical risk-takers.
- They looked for people who could write their own material (though this led to some ego clashes).
- Diversity was baked into the DNA from day one, which gave them a massive advantage in parading pop culture.
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele joined later in the run, around Season 9. Watching old clips of them now is like watching a pre-season game for two Hall of Famers. You could tell they were on a different level. Their chemistry was instant. When they did their "Hypeman" sketches or their various musical parodies, the show felt elevated. It wasn't just "dumb funny" anymore; it was "smart funny."
The Gritty Reality of Being a Cast Member
It wasn't all fun and games. Ask any former cast member and they'll tell you the schedule was brutal. Writers and actors were often at odds. There were rumors of massive egos and backstage brawls.
Artie Lange famously struggled with substance abuse during his time there, culminating in some legendary and tragic stories that he eventually detailed in his books. The show didn't have the "prestige" of other networks, so the actors often felt like they had to work twice as hard for half the credit.
But that chip on their shoulder is what made the comedy so aggressive. They weren't trying to win an Emmy (though they won a few for makeup and costume). They were trying to make you spit out your soda.
The Bobby Lee Factor
Bobby Lee is another one who basically used the show as a platform for his own brand of beautiful insanity. He was the first Asian-American cast member, and he used that to subvert every stereotype he could find, usually by being the most naked or most loud person in the room. Lee has talked openly on his podcasts about how he was frequently "unhirable" before the show and how the actors on MADtv became his dysfunctional family.
His characters, like the Blind Kung Fu Master or the various Kim Jong-il sketches, were high-wire acts. He’d push the audience until they were uncomfortable, then keep going until they started laughing again out of pure shock.
The Forgotten Stars
Not everyone became a household name. Remember Mo Collins? She should have been a massive movie star. Her Lorraine character—the middle-aged woman who would "high-five" everyone and make gross noises—was a masterclass in character study. Collins had this ability to disappear into a role.
Then there was Will Sasso.
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Sasso’s impressions were legendary. His Kenny Rogers? Unbeatable. His James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano? Perfect. Sasso was a big guy who moved like a featherweight. He brought a jovial but chaotic energy to the set. He was the guy everyone wanted to work with because he made every sketch better just by being in the background making a weird face.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Show
People often think MADtv was just a "bad SNL." That's a lazy take.
SNL is about the "Moment." It’s about who is hosting this week and what happened in the news on Thursday. MADtv was about the "Bit." It was more akin to The Carol Burnett Show or In Living Color. They wanted characters that could return week after week. They wanted catchphrases. They wanted physical gags that worked regardless of what was happening in Washington D.C.
The actors on MADtv were specialists. They weren't just generalist comedians; they were specialists in the art of the grotesque.
The Legacy in 2026
Where are they now? They’re everywhere.
- Jordan Peele: Changing the face of horror cinema.
- Alex Borstein: Winning multiple Emmys for Maisel and voicing Lois Griffin for decades.
- Ike Barinholtz: A massive comedic force in film and TV writing (The Mindy Project, Suicide Squad).
- Taran Killam: Transitioned to SNL and became one of their strongest players.
It turns out that the "B-team" was actually the "A-team" in disguise. The training ground of Fox's late-night slot produced some of the most versatile performers in the industry.
How to Appreciate the MADtv Era Today
If you’re looking to dive back into the archives, don't just look for the "Best Of" compilations. Look for the full episodes from Seasons 3 through 6. That was the sweet spot. You get to see the transitions, the failed sketches that were still weirdly interesting, and the raw energy of a cast that knew they were the underdogs.
Actionable Insights for Comedy Fans:
First, go watch the "Key & Peele" pilot and then find their first MADtv sketch together. You can see the evolution of their "thinking" comedy.
Second, look up Mo Collins and Nicole Sullivan interviews. They offer a great perspective on what it was like being a woman in a very male-dominated, aggressive comedy room in the nineties.
Third, check out the voice acting credits of the former cast. You’ll realize that half of your favorite animated characters from the last twenty years were voiced by these people. Phil LaMarr, Billy West (who did some early work), and Tress MacNeille all have ties to that world.
The show ended in 2009, with a brief, ill-fated revival later on, but the impact of those original actors on MADtv is permanent. They taught a generation that it was okay to be loud, okay to be weird, and okay to be a little bit "mad." They didn't need a fancy New York stage or a high-profile musical guest to be relevant. They just needed a wig, a silly voice, and the guts to do something that might make the network censors sweat.