Top 10 Funniest MadTV Characters

WatchMojo

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.

Transcript

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)

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