Fox’s original MADtv run never had the critical acclaim or mainstream popularity of Saturday Night Live, but the show ran for 14 seasons and managed to pull together a surprising number of a performers who have gone on to do some pretty big stuff in the years since. The show had Mindy Project breakout star Ike Barinholtz, former Fox NFL impressions guy Frank Caliendo, Review creator and podcast superstar Andy Daly, future SNL cast member Taran Killam, The Big Bang Theory’s Simon Helberg, every cartoon show ever’s Phil Lamarr, The Three Stooges’ Will Sasso, six-time Scrubs guest star Michael McDonald, Family Guy’s Alex Borstein, and Key And Peele creators Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
Now, with The CW set to revive MADtv later this summer, TV Line has the list of new cast members who will be tasked with escaping from under the shadow of those sketch comedy icons. It’s a little early to say if any of them will rise to the ranks of those who came before, but with Scrubs no longer on the air, they’ll at least be facing a slightly more difficult challenge than the previous cast. Anyway, the newbies are Carlie Craig (MTV’s Todrick), Chelsea Davison (a writer for @Midnight), Jeremy D. Howard, Amir K, Lyric Lewis (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Piotr Michael (Wander Over Yonder), Adam Ray, and Michelle Ortiz (Life In Pieces). You can see their smiling faces up above.
The new MADtv will debut on July 26, and these new cast members will reportedly be joined by guest appearances from some of the old performers “reprising their fan-favorite characters.”