Parents' Guide to

MADtv

By Lucy Maher, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Rude, crude SNL wannabe. Proceed with caution.

TV Fox Variety Show 1995
MADtv Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Cooldee
Cooldee Parent
April 2, 2010
age 14+

For children ages 14 and up.

Watch out for the foul langauge and any illegal activities!

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Great messages
Great role models
Plague
Plague Parent
March 8, 2010
age 11+

MADtv

The only skits worth watching on this show are the Lorraine and Stewart skits. Other than that, the show is pretty much trash.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MADTV, which airs new episodes on Fox on Saturday nights and is syndicated as part of Comedy Central's late-night rotation, takes a page from Saturday Night Live and In Living Color and entertains audiences with sketches that skewer celebrities, film, music, politics, and other pop culture fixtures. Over the years, the series has produced scores of offbeat characters, including Stuart (Michael McDonald), a dim-witted man-boy who lives with his crazy mother, and Jaq the UBS Guy (Phil LaMarr), an annoying, hyperactive mailman. It has also featured scores of guest stars, from Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, and Jackie Chan to Queen Latifah, Drew Barrymore, and Green Day.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (10 ):

Like its namesake magazine, MADtv purposely pushes the limits of decency to the breaking point. It's more tasteless and less wry than SNL. In one episode, for example, a slimy male character says, "Give me a 68. That's where you give me a BJ and I owe you one." Another sketch portrays a buxom blonde doctor unable to carry on an intelligent conversation with her patient.

Still, there are moments of brilliance. In a scene in which a woman driving an SUV is pulled over for speeding, when asked the make of her car, she replies, "2003 Earth Destroyer."Since each episode's content is unpredictable and almost certainly in questionable taste, only mature teens should tune in.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the show's brand of humor. Why is satire funny? What makes it work, and when does it fail or fall flat? How do you know when a joke's gone too far? Also, how do you think the writers come up with their ideas? What would you pick as a topic if you were coming up with a sketch for the show?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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