TV Funhouse
Animated parodies from Saturday Night Live.
Saturday TV Funhouse was a recurring animated segment on NBC's Saturday Night Live, created by SNL writer Robert Smigel. It aired 101 segments between 1996 and 2008, with one additional segment in 2011, and later inspired a short-lived spinoff series on Comedy Central.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 22 Minutes
- Creator
- Robert Smigel; Dana Carvey
- Producer
- Samantha Scharff; Tanya Ryno, for SNL
- Executive producers
- Robert Smigel
- Dino Stamatopoulos
- Lou Wallach
- Starring
- Doug Dale
- Robert Smigel
- Jon Glaser
- Dino Stamatopoulos
- David Juskow
- Tommy Blacha
- Frank Simms
- Theme music
- Steven Gold
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Production
TV Funhouse segments were programmed to air between the host segments of Saturday Night Live. They parodied genres such as 1950s educational films, Saturday morning cartoons from Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and Filmation of the 1970s and 1980s, and the 1960s stop-motion holiday specials of Rankin/Bass. Any episode of TV Funhouse that appeared on Saturday Night Live was listed by the announcer as "A cartoon by Robert Smigel." Animation was produced by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions for the first three seasons, after which Wachtenheim/Marianetti Animation took over primary production duties. One recurring sketch, "Fun with Real Audio," presented animated scenes set to found, real-life audio tracks. Another recurring sketch, "The All-New Adventures of Mr. T," parodied the Ruby-Spears animated series Mister T. It featured Mr. T, voiced by Tracy Morgan, desperate for work after ten years and aggressively auditioning for unlikely roles. He was helped by Jeff Harris (voiced by Andy Daly), Kim Nakamura (voiced by Ana Gasteyer), Spike O'Neill (voiced by Andrew Daly), and Bulldozer the Bulldog. Mr. T would respond to obstacles with the phrase "Ain't got time for jibber-jabber, I need work!" and would mix up advice such as "Drink your milk," "Stay in school," "Don't do drugs," and "Eat all your greens." The sketch "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" parodied comic book superhero duets, featuring the vaguely homosexual superheroes Ace and Gary, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell respectively, fighting crime in Metroville. Their adversaries included Bighead (voiced by Robert Smigel) and Dr. Brainio (voiced by Stephen Colbert), with narration by Bill Chott. All the shorts were re-written from The Dana Carvey Show. A live-action version aired on an SNL episode hosted by Ed Helms, with Jon Hamm and Jimmy Fallon as Ace and Gary, while Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell played Dr. Brainio and Bighead.
Fox Pilot
In 1998, Fox ordered a pilot from Robert Smigel and Dino Stamatopoulos, which served as an early version of what later aired on Comedy Central. The concept was a grim take on Bozo, with Smigel portraying Prozo, a clown who seemed half-drunk. Smigel’s interest in WGN-TV’s Bozo’s Circus grew while he lived in Chicago. He dug into old TV programs, and with Doug Dale—who played the clown Looky—uncovered clips of 1970s children’s shows like Gigglesnort Hotel and The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show, which sparked ideas. The pilot opened with a segment of “Fun With Real Audio.” Then Ringmaster Ted, a character, stood before a studio crowd of kids and parents to introduce the cast: Prozo (Smigel), his odd pal Looky (Dale), the enigmatic Wizzy (Stamatopoulos), a self-licking cat puppet named Furball, and a three-member TV Funhouse Band led by Floyd Vivino. Sketches included Prozo getting the audience to sing “If you’re Jewish and you know it, clap your hands!”; a pie-filled trolley reenactment of the Camp David Accords with Bill Clinton, Yasir Arafat, and Benjamin Netanyahu; and an installment of The Ambiguously Gay Duo. A cut scene featured Bozo alongside a talking outhouse voiced by Stephen Colbert. In 2002, Smigel commented on Fox’s decision not to air the pilot: “I know this thing is all about ‘Fuck the networks! They’re idiots! But I don’t know...This show has a disturbing element.” In June 2009, Just for Laughs hosted a screening of the pilot at Chicago’s Lakeshore Theater. During a Q&A, Smigel explained, “I wanted to do the Bozo parody as close to the real thing (Bob Bell) as possible. I didn’t want to do the angry clown thing.”
Comedy Central's TV Funhouse
The Comedy Central series TV Funhouse, which debuted in December 2000, was a darkly comic take on the children's show format, reminiscent of a twisted Pee-Wee's Playhouse. It was hosted by Doug Dale alongside his puppet group, the Anipals. Each episode centered on a specific theme, such as "Hawaiian Day" or "Astronaut Day," and typically involved the Anipals resisting their cheerful host's plans and getting into trouble. The show's theme song billed it as the "last cartoon show of the day." Despite some characters from The Ambiguously Gay Duo, The Michael Jackson Show, and The X-Presidents appearing in the theme song, those cartoons were not included in the series. The show was not renewed for a second season. According to interviews with creator Robert Smigel, Comedy Central supported the show but was disappointed by its consistent budget overruns. Smigel also noted the production was incredibly difficult, particularly the tedious puppet-live animal segments. The series was released on DVD on July 22, 2008, under the title Comedy Central's TV Funhouse. The show featured several recurring segments. "Wonderman" parodied Max Fleischer's Superman cartoons, with Smigel voicing the title hero as he fought crime while trying to get his alter ego, Henry Moore, laid. "Mnemonics: Your Dear, Dear Friend," narrated by Smigel, parodied educational films by offering age-inappropriate memory tricks. "The Baby, the Immigrant, and the Guy on Mushrooms" followed Artemis the Cat, who watched over a baby (voiced by Sarah Thyre), an immigrant, and a man on mushrooms while the female homeowner (also voiced by Thyre) was away, with Artemis always ending up hurt. "A Michael Kupperman Cartoon" presented a variety of animated shorts by Michael Kupperman. The cast included Doug Dale, Tommy Blacha, Doug Dale as Jeffery, Matt Davis, Jon Glaser as Hojo, Jonathan Groff, Jackie Hoffman, David Juskow as Larry, Susan Krause, Frank Simms, Robert Smigel as Fogey, Xabu, Rocky, and Terrence, Brian Stack as Mr. Whiskers (first episode), and Dino Stamatopoulos as Chickie and Mr. Whiskers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of TV Funhouse are there?
TV Funhouse has 8 episodes across 1 season.
When did TV Funhouse first air?
TV Funhouse first aired on 6 December 2000.
When did TV Funhouse end?
TV Funhouse last aired on 24 January 2001.
More in 2000s American Late-night Television Series
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