The LA Times reports that Spy vs. Spy and other MAD Magazine classic cartoons are now on the Cartoon Network as a 15 minute comedy show. Noelene Clark has posted an interview with the show’s producers Mark Marek and Kevin Shinick.
NC: How did the idea for a Mad magazine-inspired cartoon end up on Cartoon Network?
KS: The idea was, they want to extend the hours of Adult Swim, which they already have done, so now it starts at 9 instead of 10, and they wanted something that would really bridge the gap, that would give everyone, the kids, the feeling of something they shouldn’t be watching, but technically we’re prime time.
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.
That’s actually awesome. The Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin bumper animations were the one thing I remember as being highly enjoyable from MadTV.
MAD always had a knack for taking intellectual humor and dumbing down the presentation (not the content, usually) just enough for a mass audience. “Spy vs. Spy” and the other stuff by Antonio Prohias is very thought provoking when you look at it deep enough, yet accessible enough for people who love slapstick to get a chuckle without thinking.
This should be pretty great! I’ve always thought that a MAD cartoon would be perfect. I can’t wait to see it.
It would be great if they could do parodies of other cartoons, movies or TV shows.
Hopefully they will be allowed to stretch the boundaries and be as edgy as possible. Cartoon Network is great at letting the creators go wild. I’d love to See Sergio Aragones carttons pop up in the corners every so often during skits. That would be AWESOME!!!
I really enjoyed the first episode.
Kudos to the UGOI!
i was never a fan of the Spy vs Spy bit on MADTV, but I always liked the magazine. I’ll have to be on the look out for this show.
There’s a transition happening alright, and it’s an overall one. the network seems to be doing subtle things to shift its demographic from a 6-11 crowd to a 12-24 crowd. it’s pretty obvious from making as come on at 9 and from the nature of most (if not all) of their new programming. most everything, 2010 and later, has earned at least a TV-PG rating (same as SOME of adult swim’s programming). i believe its an attempt to merge the two back into one network. possibly for financial reasons? whatever the reason, it’s not a bad idea imo. i feel that a 24 hr “teen/adult” animation outlet will give some artists a bit more elbow room. and people will eventually see that cartoons doesn’t have to be just for kids nor does ‘adult’ animation have to be vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. I approve.