Top 10 Funniest MadTV Characters

This sketch show may not have had the same public profile as its famous competition, but it did possess some seriously good talent, including Mo Collins. This versatile and funny comedian had a number of recurring characters. Lorraine Swanson may just be one of her best, however, thanks largely in part to Collins’ complete lack of vanity in service to the laughs. Swanson’s midwestern mom stereotype is amplified by an intentionally frumpy wardrobe, as well as Collins’ exaggerated accent and vocalizations. Oh, and that famous cough. You just gotta love the cough.

Will Sasso was another member of the “Mad TV” cast who was adept at making the most out of his time on the show. Sasso was particularly good at impressions, including this take on musical icon Kenny Rogers. This version of Kenny Rogers is anything but wholesome, however, and is instead played up for villainous laughs. Sasso’s portrayal of The Gambler is loud, boorish and prone to violence at any given moment. The skits containing Rogers also often mention various franchises that bear his name, including a certain chicken chain. It’s all very exaggerated, of course… but super-memorable.

One of the benefits of having a recurring character on a sketch comedy show is being able to avoid going to the often-dry lake of topical humor. As a result, characters like Mo Collins’ Trina Moss bear solid-gold comedy fruit, each time they appear on screen. Collins brings her memorable facial expressions and little nervous tics to a character that, on the surface, could be problematic and offensive. After all, the running joke is how Moss desperately wants children, yet is unable to have them, thus resulting in multiple attempts at filling this emotional void. Trina remains eminently likable and sympathetic throughout her interactions in each sketch.

If there’s any supreme success story to come out of the end results of “Mad TV,” then it’s probably the careers of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. The former is known largely today for his amazing movies, while the latter has stretched his creative legs in various comedy series and films. Yet, most “Mad” fans can probably recall Key’s character of Jovan Muskatelle from his time on the show, a “professional witness” with a recurring tagline that’s “crazy as hell!” Muskatelle’s excited and exaggerated demeanor is ripped straight out of those stories you see about regular people becoming famous after being interviewed by local reporters. And Key absolutely nails the stereotype, with hilarious results.

Stephnie Weir was another member of the “Mad TV” cast who was adept at creating fringe characters and making them her own. Dot Goddard appears in another set of recurring skits on the show that are definitely “of their time” with regards to how they portray mental health. It’s all very irreverent, as Weir’s behavior is played up for laughs against the dismissal of her parents. The sketches often highlight the dichotomy between The Goddards’ adoration of their other daughter, Karen, and Dot’s vocal outbursts, including conversations with God and Jesus Christ. The end results are so sublimely ridiculous that any sinister inclinations are immediately forgotten, and we can simply sit back and laugh at the total chaos.

Phil LaMarr has enjoyed a thriving career in the world of voice acting after first gaining television fame as a cast member on “Mad TV.” LaMarr created a number of memorable characters on the show, particularly during those all-important early years. The UBS Man is an overly-caffeinated, uncomfortably energetic delivery driver with an amazing amount of enthusiasm. LaMarr brings a certain likability to this everyday employee who just wants to be helpful, but can’t seem to focus upon anything for any longer than a few moments at a time. It’s funny stuff, and still makes us laugh.

Every good sketch comedy show is only as good as its writing team, but perhaps second only to that criteria is a cohesive cast. The OG “Mad TV” crew included one Debra Wilson, and she managed to create one of the show’s early, breakout recurring characters in the form of Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson. Debra Wilson brings an unapologetic brashness to the performance, leaning into stereotypes, while at the same time creating a character that always made her mark on screen. Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson was a force of nature, never short with her words and not shy to make her feelings known at every opportunity.

There’s just no getting around this: The Vancome Lady is a horrible person, but we always loved it when she showed up on “Mad TV.” There’s a sense of schadenfreude that shows up whenever Nicole Sullivan’s “Vancome Lady” shows up to ruin somebody’s day with one of her trademarked sayings. We know that it’s wrong, but isn’t that the glory of catchphrases? The Vancome Lady may point out every low-hanging stereotype and insult in the book, but Sullivan sells the obnoxiousness for all she’s worth, and this character became one of the show’s early hits, as a result of this hard work.

Alex Borstein is another esteemed “Mad TV” alum who has gone on to success, most notably as a voice actor on “Family Guy.” However, she was already working her comedy magic years before voicing Lois Griffin with recurring “Mad TV” characters like “Ms. Swan.” This is yet another character that leans heavily upon cultural stereotypes (we’re sensing a theme here), but Borstein’s delivery and dedication to the performance just sells it every time. Swan is a maddening presence for everyone she encounters, a mumbling and confused character that was reportedly an amalgamation of Bjork, Borstein’s Hungarian grandmother and…we’re guessing a strange space alien?!

Here it is: the big one. This is the most enduring character to emerge from the era of “Mad TV,” and one that’s almost always mentioned whenever the show comes up in casual conversation. Michael McDonald brings everything he has to the role of a young (?) man-boy who loves junk food, kicks anything he doesn’t like, and possesses a surprisingly deep voice when he’s pushed into a corner. The “Mad TV” studio audience always lost it whenever Stuart showed up, and so do we. It’s a perfect example of a character who was home-grown, hilarious and just wild enough to work.