DANA CARVEY GETS NEW, LESS WEIRD SKETCH SHOW

According to Variety, Dana Carvey is coming back to TV with a new sketch show for Fox that’ll be co-created by TV scriptwriter Spike Feresten (Seinfeld, Late Show With David Letterman, Saturday Night Live). Now you might be asking, “why do we care if an old, washed up SNL actor who brutally murdered the concept of comedy with The Master Of Disguise gets his own TV show?” And the answer is the amazing wonder that was the Dana Carvey Show, the sketch show that ran on ABC for six episodes in 1996 before becoming easily one of the most cancelled sketch shows of all time.

If you never saw it, picture one of the funniest, and somewhat disturbing, comedy shows that somehow managed to sneak into a primetime network slot. For example, the first episode featured Carvey as a multi-breasted Bill Clinton who actually suckled puppies and kittens onscreen, which would be perfectly acceptable in our post South Park world, but apparently disturbed the family demographic of the show before it, the Tim Allen suckfest Home Improvement. It also featured insanely good writers and actors, including Louis C.K., Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert, Jon Glaser, Dino Stamatopolous, Robert Smigel and even a pre-Being John Malkovitch Charlie Kaufman.

Apparently, it’ll be filmed on location and have a “strong online component.” It also won’t be as weird as the earlier as show, as Carvey said, “The dryness or subversive elements will be a bit more subtle and less alternative.” He added that they plan to “play with our friends” during the show, which might mean any of the above comedians might be involved. (Although, we’re betting Carrell and Colbert are way too busy these days.)

All I know is if they have anything half as good as Skinheads from Maine, I can’t wait.

[Variety]