BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE VANCOME LADY
I could have went with a lot of characters, but at the end of the day the whole “Tcha… you know what? Uh-uh!” line still makes me giggle. It was annoying at the time, but as time wore off I think I enjoyed it more. Maybe I just “get it” now. Nicole Sullivan’s self absorbed vulgar and blunt bitch was great. This character was pretty underrated.
(THREE) MS. SWAN
This character annoyed and annoys me. It’s just a little too grating for my taste, but I get why others dig it. It’s a funny character and it was one of ones that had a strong lasting run on the show. Over time Alex Borstein’s “foreign woman” character would become part of the show’s foundation.
(TWO) COACH HINES
This is really one of the only “later era” characters I really liked. Keegan-Michael Key’s crazy coach character was really over the top, but he just did it so well. I remember towards the end when they weren’t even using sets anymore and he’d still come on with just a big chalk board and a prop or two and still make for a hilarious spot. I could have even gone for a lower budget Coach Hines movie. Of all the characters, I’d think this one would have had the most SNL crossover appeal. I think if it were on SNL it would have gotten that movie. With Key having a new show, maybe we’ll get to see this character again. If not, someone is going to get stabbed in the neck with a pencil!
(ONE) STUART LARKIN
By far, the best character on MADtv was Stuart! That’s right, an exclamation mark. Michael McDonald was the show’s anchor. He made that show and carried it in many ways. The whiney dopey little boy got into many situations and provided tons of laughs. The character was the right amount of over the top, uncomfortable, raunchy, and in a creep-as-shit way adorable. This character appeared 36 times during the run of MADtv for a reason. A Stuart movie would have been great. Hell, I think there’d even have been mileage in a spin off TV show. I think I miss Stuart.
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