TVSquad

Aside from being a very funny performer, nobody would ever accuse Wanda Sykes of being a shrinking violet. She's a strong, determined and no-nonsense woman and if I was in a foxhole, I'd want her with me.

Therefore, it's my belief that Sykes' deal with Fox for a Saturday night late night show will succeed. It won't be easy, going up against the giant of Saturday night comedy Saturday Night Live, but Wanda's a good bet to give them a good challenge.

One of television's least appreciated talk shows is one step closer to getting some real estate in Fox's front store window.

Starting this Saturday, Talkshow with Spike Feresten will have one-hour episodes instead of the measly little piecemeal 30 minutes Fox has been giving it.

Still not convinced that Fox is giving this show the treatment it deserves? It's not only giving it more time, but it's also bumping it ahead of Mad TV for six whole weeks. Wow, maybe this means Fox will give Mike Judge a new animated show and will replace it ... with Family Guy.

Mad TV came along at a time in American television history when America had an excuse to get out of the house and live healthy and productive lives on Saturday night.

But eventually, the show evolved into a 60-minute scream fest of recurring characters spouting catchphrases over and over and celebrity satire that taught lessons about the proliferation of pop culture and ignorance. Important lessons, such as "Boy is Anna Nicole Smith dumb and fat!" and "Hey, is that Paris Hilton a whore or what?" Every episode felt like a hand was reaching out of the TV and rubbing a cheese grater across my face. Now 14 years after its inception, Fox has finally decided to pull the plug on Mad TV and let it die a slow horrible death instead of taking it out Old Yeller-style, the way God intended.

After 14 years on the air, Fox has finally decided to pull the plug on Mad TV. I can't say I was an overwhelming fan but I did watch one or two of their early shows and got a chuckle out of it. The sudden revitalization of SNL's popularity was probably the final nail in that coffin (thank you, Tina Fey).

Let me eulogize for a moment. Others have tried to take on the Saturday Night Live juggernaut through the years and failed much more quickly. This show lasted 14 years against it. Pretty impressive, if you ask me. It also helped launch the careers of several comedians/actors, including Alex Borstein, Orlando Jones and Artie Lange.

While I don't think Mad TV was the worst show on television, it wasn't the best either. It amazes me that this show lasted 14 years on Fox while Firefly was canceled before the first season finished broadcasting.

Most people don't turn in to Fine Living Network for laughs, but all that's about to change on September 16, at least for as long as a new comedy series called Whatever, Martha! runs. Imagine, if you will, an entire clip show culled from The Martha Stewart Show.

Now, picture a couple of chicks sitting around and making fun of said clips. That's the concept for Whatever, Martha!, and if this idea reminds you of Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- sans puppets -- that's a good thing.

Fine Living has gotten Martha's blessing for the show. Heck, she's leading the laughs by allowing the clips to be used. Also the two women who'll be presenting the show and mocking her every half-hour are close to her: Alexis Stewart, her daughter, and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, whose father -- Charles Koppelman -- is the chairman of Martha's media empire.

So, this is all in the family for the Stewart camp, and whatever jokes, cracks and observations made by the women will be with the Martha Stewart seal of approval.

A&E will celebrate the return of Mindfreak (in it's fourth season, God help us) by broadcasting the first ever live episode of the show. The special one-hour episode will feature Angel shackled to a six-story building. He must escape to a helicopter hovering over the rooftop as the building explodes. But wait, there's more. The fourth season kicks off one week before the live show with "Walk on a Lake," the season premiere. In this episode, the magician will attempt to walk on the world's largest man-made lake, Lake Mead in Nevada.

I think all the season premiere will prove is that Criss Angel definitely has a God-complex. He is the biggest megalomanic douchebag I've ever seen on TV. I think the best thing to come of Mindfreak is that parody Mad TV did. I put the video after the jump.

The live Mindfreak will air on July 30th at 10 p.m. ET on A&E. The season premiere will air on July 23rd at 10 p.m. ET. Will you be watching?

Following the strong ratings figures for Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which received that order for 10,000 episodes right off the bat, give or take 9,000, and the solid premiere of The Bill Engvall Show, TBS struck comedy gold again with Frank Caliendo's Frank TV. The late-night sketch/impression show scored an impressive 2.9 million viewers, according to Variety, with a not-surprising-at-all 64% of those in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

Caliendo, whose impressions include George W. Bush, the entire main cast of Seinfeld, Robin Williams and his signature John Madden, plays virtually every character on the show. His Bush is so dead-on, if the strike continues, he can just stand their and make Bush's classic expressions for thirty minutes. His half-smiles, smirks and squinchy eyebrows are enough to bring audiences to tears.

• At 8, FOX has a new, one-hour Cops, then a new America's Most Wanted.
• ABC has college football at 8, USC vs. Washington.
• CBS repeats the premieres of Moonlight and Cane starting at 8, then has a new 48 Hours Mystery.
• At 9, Food Network has two new episodes of Heavyweights.
• Nick has two new episodes of Back at the Barnyard at 9.
• There's a new Naruto on Cartoon Network at 9, followed by a new Bobobo-bo Bo-Bobo.
• Also at 9: BBC America has a new Torchwood.
• At 11, Perez Hilton hosts a special "I Want My Mad TV" edition of Mad TV on FOX, featuring pop culture parodies.
• At 11:30, NBC has the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, with guests LeBron James and Kanye West.

Check your local TV listings for more.

In a press release sent out today, FOX revealed the premiere dates of both its returning shows and five new additions. Most returning series are back in their old timeslots. However, a lot are paired with a different series than they were during the 2006-2007 season.

Note that this schedule only lists shows beginning in September.

(S05E18) And so ends a short, inconsistent, Family Guy season. I don't know if we should chalk it up to Seth MacFarlane being spread too thin with American Dad and The Winner to watch over, or just the show coming up on 100 episodes. Something just wasn't quite right at Family Guy HQ this season though.

Somebody is still watching MADtv, because the FOX's late night series of wacky sketches and parodies has been given a thirteenth season.

According to the press release, the series is most popular among teens. That seems to be the best explanation as to why it's still on the air; I don't know anyone my age or older who still watches the series.

Not unlike the magazine it's vaguely based on, MADtv works almost exclusively in parody (I'm thinking of the old Mad I used to read, I haven't picked up a copy in many years), which is one thing that sets it apart from other sketch comedy shows, but also why it probably doesn't attract older viewers more in tune with the sensibilities of satirical shows like South Park and The Daily Show.

Of course, it is possible to enjoy more than one type of show, but it makes perfect sense that younger folks would be drawn to MADtv. It's goofy and a bit over the top, and it's not too difficult for me to think back to a time when that kind of humor was right up my alley.

You would probably end up with something like this skit from MADtv, which is particularly humorous and pretty much on target. And that's coming from someone who is a casual viewer of both series. It has all of the elements you would find in both medical dramas. From the Grey's side you have the schmaltzy soap-opera and characters that only think of themselves. While on the House side you have the caustic, arrogant doctor himself who thinks his own fecal matter doesn't have an aroma.

Michael McDonald portrays House in this skit. Even though he really didn't get the character's voice down he has all of the mannerisms that Hugh Laurie portrays on the actual show. This is the second MADtv skit where I've seen McDonald really nail the character he's playing. The first one was when he portrayed the Danny Tripp character on MADtv's send-up of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The other actor who really did a fine job was Bobby Lee, who portrayed the Sandra Oh character. My Lord, those two could be twins!

And, to dispel rumors that comedy doesn't teach us anything, this sketch reveals that their is a hierarchy of guys whose nicknames begin with 'Mc' that are needed to be bedded down in order to reach McSupremy, who apparently lives in a castle in France. So, know you know. Video after the jump.

• At 8, FOX has a new Cops.
• TLC has two new episodes of Moving Up starting at 8.
• AMC is really stretching the meaning of movie "classics" as they have Catwoman at 8, followed by Lake Placid.
• Also at 8: Emeril cooks "Fast Food" on a new Emeril Live on Food Network.
• At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
• Suze Orman talks about her new book on CNBC at 9.
• At 10, CBS has a new 48 Hours Mystery.
• HGTV has a new Design on a Dime at 10.
• At 11, FOX has a new Mad TV, with guest Rob Corddry.
• Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed!

Check your local TV listings for more.

Popular YouTube star Lisa Nova, real name Lisa Donovan, will be joining the cast of MADtv on Saturday, February 17. Donovan originally auditioned for MADtv upon moving to Los Angeles, but didn't make the cut. She then started her own production company and started putting her short films on YouTube. Those shorts were seen by a casting director at MADtv and Donovan was given another shot.

Of course, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise, since MADtv's main competition, Saturday Night Live, also dipped its ladle into the internet comedy pot to bring the Lonely Island boys to the show, and with impressive results. We'll see if MADtv can duplicate some of that success as well, or if they'll force Donovan to play the same three characters over and over and over again, which I'm fairly certain is written into everyone's contract on that series.

This is an old clip from MadTV, but I just found it, so it's new to me, and probably to many of you too. The clip, called "Since We Were On," spoofs the first three seasons of American Idol winners (Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino) and runner-ups (Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo), as well as Simon Cowell, and the unforgettably-bad William Hung.