The Wanda Sykes Show

[MADfan2004]

So how much was tvman crying during the premiere of The Wanda Sykes show tonight?

It's okay if you were, though. I definitely felt a part of me die inside while watching it.

[tvmanismadformad]

I didn't even watch. Surprisingly, it went, and is currently right now going by so fast. The show just sounds bad though despite my MAD feelings. It will be cancelled fast, and then Fox will go to Salzman to beg him to come back and make MAD again. The wheels are in motion guys.

[MADfan2004]

As much as I'd like to think that, I have a feeling this episode will get higher ratings than anything MADtv's done in the last four years.

[tvmanismadformad]

Probably, but that's only because they have been advertising it. If they had ran ads for MAD during the World Series in the last 4 years, MAD would have gotten high ratings too. Once people get use to it though, I have a feeling that it won't make it past May at the least. This show just sounds like it isn't bringing anything new to the table. They're taking Chelsea Lately's, and Talkshow with Bill Mahr formula, throwing in some Daily Show on location stuff, and combining parts of every single talkshow on right now. In this saturated market of talkshows, you have to be original, and this just doesn't sound original enough. I mean they called it the original title of The Wanda Sykes Show for God sake!

[MADfan2004]

If this show fails, I expect FOX to take a HUGE loss with it. They're putting WAY more faith in it than they ever did for Talkshow OR MADtv.

[tvmanismadformad]

Dude by May, I can guarentee people are going to forget about this show. I don't think Fox has a higher stock on this show than they do any other. Hell it may even be lower on there ladder than Dollhouse was when it permiered.

[MADfan2004]

Originally Posted by MADfan2004

I have a feeling this episode will get higher ratings than anything MADtv's done in the last four years.

And I was right. According to the FOX press release, last night's episode got a 2.2/5, which is 16% higher than MADtv's ratings this time last year (1.9/4). It was also a whopping 100% higher than Spike Feresten's ratings when he was on at 11:00 back in February (1.1/2).

So, yeah, I don't think Wanda's going anywhere. At least not for the rest of this season.

[tvmanismadformad]

Yes, MADfan, it did get higher ratings than MADtv, but it was at this time last year, which I believe would have been episode 1406 with Jeff Probst (which is funny since Phil Khoegin of the Amazing Race was on Wanda's show). What I would like to see is how good it did in comparison to MAD's premier last season. Also, the fact that it did better than Spike is no big thing. Everyone knows that Spike only stayed alive through the follow up viewership of MAD.

Series premiers always get high ratings. I believe that the true test of a show comes in the first 4 episodes. If the shows ratings don't increase or stay within a .05 of there previous episode, the show is in trouble. Success will also be keen apon Fox's advertising. If by next year were not seeing any ads, this show combined with the ratings thing I mentioned will sink the show.

Also, by the reviews I have been reading, and the comments being made, this show better right it's ship fast or this could be the next Rosanne on Fox scenario, in which a big comedian at the time gets a late night show on Fox, and fails. By what I have been reading, people are saying that the monologue was, in the words of many "painful to watch" and that the rest of the show wasn't that better. People are saying they don't like it because Wanda is harping on the conservatives too much, and that her jokes are pedestrian, and not even close to the caliber of jokes from people like Jon Stewart, and David Letterman when they say political jokes. Even people who say they are big fans of Wanda are saying that they hate the show, and some say they will not be tuning into the show again.

But the part I love the most, is that some of the people are saying that they wish MADtv was still on, and there are a fair bit of people saying that. This is making me think that if I can mention the bringing back of MADtv on any thread about this show on any site, I might just be able to form a grassroots movement to get Fox to bring it back! Remember, shows like Family Guy, Futurama, and The Game were brought back even when it seemed hopeless, so why can't MAD? Saturday nights should be left for sketch comedy, because honestly, aren't there enough talk shows on late night? SNL should not be the only multi cast sketch show on television.

[MADfan2004]

Originally Posted by tvmanismadformad

Yes, MADfan, it did get higher ratings than MADtv, but it was at this time last year, which I believe would have been episode 1406 with Jeff Probst.

...Which was the last episode that aired right before the show was cancelled, so what does that tell you?

Also, by the reviews I have been reading, and the comments being made, this show better right it's ship fast or this could be the next Rosanne on Fox scenario, in which a big comedian at the time gets a late night show on Fox, and fails. By what I have been reading, people are saying that the monologue was, in the words of many "painful to watch" and that the rest of the show wasn't that better. People are saying they don't like it because Wanda is harping on the conservatives too much, and that her jokes are pedestrian, and not even close to the caliber of jokes from people like Jon Stewart, and David Letterman when they say political jokes. Even people who say they are big fans of Wanda are saying that they hate the show, and some say they will not be tuning into the show again.

People harp on a lot of show's first episodes. Did you see how bad the reviews were for the first episode of MADtv?

But the part I love the most, is that some of the people are saying that they wish MADtv was still on, and there are a fair bit of people saying that. This is making me think that if I can mention the bringing back of MADtv on any thread about this show on any site, I might just be able to form a grassroots movement to get Fox to bring it back! Remember, shows like Family Guy, Futurama, and The Game were brought back even when it seemed hopeless, so why can't MAD? Saturday nights should be left for sketch comedy, because honestly, aren't there enough talk shows on late night? SNL should not be the only multi cast sketch show on television.

Futurama and Family Guy are cartoons. MADtv isn't. Everyone on MADtv has probably long since found new jobs, so even if it did come back, it wouldn't be the same. Considering Season 14, that may or may not necessarily be a bad thing, but still, it would be very hard to bring it back.

And The Game was in talks to move to BET as soon as CW thought about axing it, so they probably had no problem getting the cast and crew back. For MADtv, the show was announced to be ending a year ago, so if another network wanted it, they would have needed to have picked it up by then.

I do kind of wish they kept MADtv on the backburner for midseason, though. That way, if Wanda Sykes is canned, they could bring it back and still have something in that timeslot for the rest of the season, but if Wanda Sykes was a hit, they could still can MADtv. As it is, it's more than likely that Wanda Sykes will go on for the rest of the season regardless of ratings because they have nothing else to air, lest they either give that hour back to the affiliates like they did with Saturday mornings or fill it with
reruns of House and Fringe like they did with Friday nights.

[tvmanismadformad]

Originally Posted by MADfan2004

...Which was the last episode that aired right before the show was cancelled, so what does that tell you?

Nothing, because I honestly believe that MAD was destined for cancellation from May 2008. I've read an article that Kevin Reilly, president of Fox had called Wanda then asking her if she wanted a late night show, but she refused because of the prior idescresion. When that didn't go through, they decided just to obligate MAD's final year on his contract.

People harp on a lot of show's first episodes. Did you see how bad the reviews were for the first episode of MADtv?

Yeah, your right on that, but still, there are some shows that get bad reviews on there first episode, and then continue to have bad episodes, and I honestly think that is the case here.

Everyone on MADtv has probably long since found new jobs, so even if it did come back, it wouldn't be the same. Considering Season 14, that may or may not necessarily be a bad thing, but still, it would be very hard to bring it back.

Yeah, but most of the cast was going to be leaving soon anyway. The only real loss would have been the rookie cast. I just believe sketch comedy belongs on Saturdays, and if they don't want to bring back MAD, they should at least bring on another sketch show like it. That way Fox can produce it themselves, and they won't have to pay royalties to MAD Mag like they must have had to with MADtv.

I do kind of wish they kept MADtv on the backburner for midseason, though. That way, if Wanda Sykes is canned, they could bring it back and still have something in that timeslot for the rest of the season, but if Wanda Sykes was a hit, they could still can MADtv. As it is, it's more than likely that Wanda Sykes will go on for the rest of the season regardless of ratings because they have nothing else to air, lest they either give that hour back to the affiliates like they did with Saturday mornings or fill it with
reruns of House and Fringe like they did with Friday nights.

Agreed.

[Planned Disaster]

FOX really can't get a long lasting talk show, can they. Spike was the first to go longer than one season. Plus Saturday nights are a weird night to have to have late ngith talk shows. Considering that all the other network TV stations have them on the 5 weekdays. FOX could get a successful late night talk show if they ran it during the weekdays. But then again, they'd be competing against numerous hosts that have very large audiences, which I doubt FOX could ever take away from them. Maybe FOX shoudl just give up on the late night talk show game all together.

[MADfan2004]

FOX is actually the perfect network for a late night talk show on weeknights. The show would start at 11:00, but since people usually only watch the first half hour of a talk show anyway, the natural dropoff rate that would occur at 11:30 when Conan and Letterman start wouldn't be that big of a deal.

The problem is, a lot of FOX affiliates have started expanding their news into the the 11:00 hour, so I don't know how happy they'd be to sacrifice that extra half hour.

[Planned Disaster]

True.. I don't get why there needs to be an hour and half of local news anyway.

[MADfan2004]

I'll give you a hint: $

[cartman2002]

I wonder what were the ratings for MADtv when it premiered in 1995

[tvmanismadformad]

Well Wanda's show took a dip on Saturday, as Wanda's show had a mild dip in the ratings. Now this may seem like nothing, but this slip has put them under MADtv's average from this time last year. I honestly feel it's going to slip farther, and if it's already falling under MAD's average now, that's really not good. Fox, make the right decision here. I'm sure you can still bring MAD back. Do the right thing here Fox, do the right thing!

[MADfan2004]

Originally Posted by tvmanismadformad

Fox, make the right decision here. I'm sure you can still bring MAD back. Do the right thing here Fox, do the right thing!

Oh, my God, if you don't shut the fuck about this...

[tarzapam]

...lolz.

[Planned Disaster]

In 20 years from now, I think tvman will still be trying to get MADtv back on the air