This Monday Cartoon Network will debut a new fifteen minute show featuring such segments as CSiCarly, 2010 Dalmations, Batman Family Feud, and, yes, Spy vs. Spy. Though the use of the MAD Magazine satiric philosophy and name for a cartoon show seems like it should have happened a while ago, but apparently the license was tied up in MADtv. However, the live action show aired its last episode in 2009, and so it is obviously time for a new television interpretation of the historic humor publication.
From the LA Times interview with the show’s producers, who between the two of them had hands in Robot Chicken, Crank Yankers, and our personal nostalgia trigger, KaBlam!:
Kevin Shinick: It’s one of the last things you see on Cartoon Network before it goes to Adult Swim, so there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t push the envelope and try and get away with something that could easily be done on Adult Swim, but because it’s Cartoon Network, every day we have our battles, and we win a lot of them. It really does get you in the mood. You will notice a shift from watching Cartoon Network, and then you get “MAD,” and then you g o into Adult Swim. It’s going to be a nice transition.
On keeping the old MAD classics:
Kevin Shinick: Really, if you’re going to try and duplicate or capture the flavor of Mad, you’re going to want it to be an animated series, because we have so many great artists from Sergio [Aragonés] to Don Martin, “Spy vs. Spy,” Al Jaffee, all these great artists that you want to bring to life. And the great thing about our show, I think, is that we have the actual guys. Sergio is working on our show, contributing stuff. Mark and I have talked about this before. It’s such a blessing to have these guys on the show. It’s not only a blessing, it’s a validation. I feel that they’re on board, and this truly is Mad. It may have taken a while to get here, but I don’t care how we got here. The point is, we’re here.
On the new show’s content:
Mark Marek: “Spy vs. Spy” you at least have to bring in, and the Don Martin you have to bring in, and the Sergio you certainly have to bring in. And then it’s a matter of bringing in new styles, which is sort of the hallmark of Mad — introducing people. Some of the artists we may have known before, but a lot of times it’s like, “Let’s introduce this to a new audience, these styles that we like.”
Kevin Shinick: Every episode has a sampling of Flash animation, photo collage, stop-motion, and for every one of those things that I’ve mentioned, there are at least three companies that do different styles of that type of animation, so it will really be like a mini film festival of different styles of things.
You can read the entire interview here. The first episode of MAD airs from 8:30-8:45, Monday the 6th, on Cartoon Network. Not quite in Adult Swim territory, but close enough.
