| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inlivingcolororiginalcast.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:The original cast of ''In Living Color!''.[[note]]Counter-clockwise outside the limo from the bottom right: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, Kim Wayans, Kelly Coffield, T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh, (Inside limo) Jim Carrey, Tommy Davidson, Shawn Wayans aka DJ SW-1, Kim Coles and David Alan Grier.[[/note]]]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"You can do what you wanna do...In Living Color!"'' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ''In Living Color!'' Wrote an article 'bout it! Like to read it? Here it goes! |
| 7 | |
| 8 | A half-hour sketch comedy show that aired on Creator/{{Fox}} from 1990 to 1994, created by Creator/KeenenIvoryWayans and starring several of his brothers ({{Creator/Damon|Wayans}}, {{Creator/Shawn|Wayans}}, and {{Creator/Marlon|Wayans}}) and one sister ({{Creator/Kim|Wayans}}). The series is largely known as the launching pad for the careers of Creator/TheWayansFamily, Creator/JimCarrey, Creator/JamieFoxx, Creator/DavidAlanGrier, and Creator/TommyDavidson -- as well as Creator/JenniferLopez and Carrie Ann Inaba, who were part of the show's "Fly Girl" dance troupe. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | It was effectively ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for the black and Hispanic set (''SNL'' didn't have a lot of black cast members at the time[[note]]Back in the 1990s, they had Creator/ChrisRock [who left because of {{creative differences}}], Creator/TimMeadows [who didn't become popular until later in the decade], and Creator/EllenCleghorne [who was lost in the shuffle of white, male cast members but is considered the first black female repertory player who lasted more than one season]. Compare to Seasons 40-41, when they had five black cast members -- Creator/KenanThompson, Creator/JayPharoah, Creator/MichaelChe, Creator/SasheerZamata, and Creator/LeslieJones -- the most in one cast.[[/note]] and wouldn't get a Hispanic cast member until Creator/HoratioSanz was hired in 1998[[note]]Since then, ''SNL'' has had three other Hispanic cast members besides Sanz: Creator/FredArmisen, the longest-running Hispanic cast member [2002-2013], Creator/NoelWells, the first Hispanic female cast member, first to be Mexican, and the shortest-lived Hispanic cast member [was only on the show for the 39th season -- 2013-2014] and Creator/MelissaVillasenor[[/note]]), featuring R&B and hip-hop musical acts. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Memorable recurring characters include the ex-con clown Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans), the flamboyantly gay film critics for the "Men On..." series[[note]]it started out as "Men On Film," but expanded to other topics from vacation to football to books[[/note]] (Damon Wayans as Blaine Edwards and Grier as Antoine Merriweather), [[AbhorrentAdmirer abhorrent]] and MirrorCrackingUgly admirer Wanda (Foxx), mannish bodybuilder Vera [=DeMilo=] (Carrey), and the cartoonishly destructive safety officer Fire Marshall Bill Burns (Carrey). |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Unfortunately, the edgy comedy of the series -- not only its raunchiness but sometimes cutting racial satire -- eventually brought down the wrath of network executives who regarded it as TooHotForTV, and the Wayans family ended up leaving the series over the course of the fourth season. Season Five still had Carrey, Grier, Foxx and Davidson, but the quality suffered for the absence of many of the recurring characters (not only those the Wayans played but Carrey's, as he was making fewer appearances due to his burgeoning film career) while five new cast members[[note]]Jay Leggett, Reggie [=McFadden=], Carol Rosenthal, Marc Wilmore, and Anne-Marie Johnson. Despite his appearances in some episodes, Creator/ChrisRock was never a cast member during ''In Living Color'''s final season. He was like Creator/SteveMartin on ''SNL'' in that he appeared a lot as a guest star[[/note]] didn't connect with audiences. The show ultimately was cancelled, freeing the breakout stars to go on to varying degrees of success in film, TV, and stand-up comedy. [[{{Revival}} It was scheduled to be revived with a new cast]] in 2012, but due to negative reception from focus groups and executives over the new pilot the project was shelved. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | The show has been on and off television in reruns. It's aired in reruns on Creator/{{FX|Networks}}, Creator/{{BET}}, Centric, and FXX, and currently splits time between Aspire and TV One. All five seasons are on DVD, but most episodes are [[ClumsyCopyrightCensorship edited to remove any and all traces of licensed songs]], such as characters WaxingLyrical, characters singing the actual song, popular 1990s songs playing during the Fly Girls interstitials, and the music video parodies. [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes If you want to see the show as it was back in the 1990s]], your best bets are reruns or Website/YouTube[[note]]if you happen upon an uncut version, as most of them are the edited DVD cuts[[/note]]. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The show is also notable for being the reason the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague books high profile musical acts for the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl halftime show. During Super Bowl XXVI on CBS in 1992, Fox decided to broadcast a special live episode of ''In Living Color!'' at halftime so viewers would have something to watch other than the then-bland halftime shows consisting of marching bands and pageants. The stunt worked and the episode drew in 22 million viewers while also causing the second half of the Super Bowl to lose 10 Nielsen ratings points as people stayed on Fox to finish out the episode. Thus, the NFL began booking popular singers to perform, starting with Music/MichaelJackson the next year, to keep as many viewers glued to the game as possible. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Not to be confused with the funk-metal band Music/LivingColour or a BBC radio comedy sketch show of a similar name. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Now has a Character page that could use some wiki love. |
| 23 | ---- |
| 24 | !!This show contained examples of the following: |
| 25 | |
| 26 | * TheNineties: A lot of early rap talent appears, and many of the sketches reflect then-current news and pop culture. Unless you lived through the 1990s, you'll definitely have to Wikipedia many of the social and political references. |
| 27 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: Jamie Foxx's Ugly Wanda. Her SpearCounterpart, Luther (Marlon Wayans), is this to her in one episode. |
| 28 | * ActionGirl: Vera De Milo and Kim Wayans as Creator/GraceJones are two examples in the show. The former can do things like easily rip telephone books in half and use washers and dryers as weights (due to abusing steroids) and the latter has said that she likes to "chew glass, ride sharks and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking bite the heads off of gummy bears."]] |
| 29 | * ActorAllusion: |
| 30 | ** Chris Rock often did sketches as Cheap Pete, a bit part he played in ''Film/ImGonnaGitYouSucka''. |
| 31 | ** In the [[Creator/JimCarrey Background Guy]] skit in which he cavorts around a HauntedHouse, the house's owner in the foreground is describing strange phenomena she's experienced inside, such as the television set turning on of its own accord "and ''Film/OnceBitten'' was on!" |
| 32 | * AerithAndBob: In the "[[Series/SoulTrain Old Train]]" skit, the two participants in the word scramble are named Methuselah and [[ShoutOut Jane Pittman.]] |
| 33 | * AlliterativeName: Wanda Wayne. |
| 34 | * AllPeriodsArePMS: Jim Carrey and Kelly Coffield play a couple where the guy ends up ''jumping from a five-story window'' to escape his ranting, [=PMS=]-ing wife. |
| 35 | * AmazonianBeauty: Spoofed with Grace Jones as played by Kim Wayans. |
| 36 | * AmbiguouslyGay: One skit has Tommy Davidson portraying a choreographer who teaches the L.A. Raiders how to dance in order to do a "proper" football victory dance. |
| 37 | * AndThisIsFor: In the "Jackson Family Rock Em, Sock Em Robots" skit, when Joe is fighting (and is eventually defeated by) Tito, the latter cries out as he's punching Joe's robot "And that's for scaring Michael, that's for cheating on Mom and most of all, that's for naming me Tito!" |
| 38 | * {{Anvilicious}}: Invoked. On ''[[Series/ADifferentWorld A Different Message]]'', everything the characters say makes a point, from the importance of conserving energy to not wasting money shopping to dentists who recommend chewing Trident over other gums. |
| 39 | * ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In the "[[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathofKhan Wrath of Farrakhan]]" skit, Farrakhan defiantly proclaims that his people have survived "four hundred years of slavery, two hundred years of apartheid, and twenty-five years of ''Series/TheJeffersons'' in syndication". |
| 40 | * AxCrazy: Fire Marshall Bill, who's possibly a pyromanic. |
| 41 | * BadBadActing: Li'l Magic. |
| 42 | * BadImpressionists: An "East Hollywood Squares" sketch where Creator/JamesEarlJones shows off impressionist skills with such characters as Tweety Bird and Lucy Ricardo, not changing his voice in the least for his lines. |
| 43 | * BagOfHolding: Wanda was implied to carry one of these, considering her ability to produce almost any item someone might ask for at any given time from her purse - up to and including cans of gasoline. |
| 44 | * BaitAndSwitch: "King: The Early Years" begins as if its a story about UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr, showing a white kid and a black kid getting into an argument at school. Instead, it turns out the King in question is the infamous boxing promoter Don King, who organizes a fight between the two kids and gets paid by the other kids to watch it! |
| 45 | * BaldnessMockery: A sketch involved a "Reality Check" for a man who was bald and trying to deny this by sporting a combover. Whilst the narrator/host kept comparing his baldness to another man with a full head of hair, eventually he shows up at a bar with a [[KickTheDog hair dryer]] which blows his combover away, causes the patrons to laugh at him and he runs away in embarrassment. |
| 46 | * BecomingTheMask: Also quite possibly an example of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, The Brothers Brothers in their first sketch admit to selling out in order to gain popularity and suggested that their personas were just an act. Later sketches however had them go above and beyond them being simply {{Boomerang Bigot}}s and imply that their statements/behavior is the real them. |
| 47 | * BegoneBribe: "Anton at the Recruiter" ends with the recruiting officer giving him money to go away and pretend that he never tried to enlist in the Army. He ends up bargaining for more money ''a la'' an auctioneer. |
| 48 | * BetterThanSex: Implied in one sketch featuring a drink called Minute Maiden and its SpearCounterpart Minute Man. The people advertising it were an astronaut who went two years without a woman while in space (Jim Carrey), Martina Navratilova (Kelly Coffield) and Music/RayCharles (David Alan Grier). |
| 49 | -->'''Ray:''' I know they call it "Minute Maiden", but it sure seems like Sheniqua to me...''(take a sip, frowns in confusion, and then sets the drink down while grinning)'' Okay, [[{{Troll}} who's the prankster that gave me the wrong flavor?]] |
| 50 | * BigEater: In the ''Oprah'' skit, she snacks on various junk foods while talking with her guests, including candy bars, a loaf of French bread, a economy sized bag of barbecue potato chips and even ends up roasting chickens on a spit over an open flame. |
| 51 | * TheBigRottenApple: Lamphaded in David Alan Grier's [[LargeHam spirited]] rendition of "Broadway" in one ColdOpen: |
| 52 | -->"Ooh, [[DrivesLikeCrazy look out for that taxi cab!]] Ow! I just got ''stabbed!'' On Broadway..." |
| 53 | * BlackComedy: Several of the sketches are this or darker parodies of other LighterAndSofter productions. ''America's Funniest Security Camera Videos'', for instance, instead of goofy home videos that are usually harmless, features an armed robbery where a store clerk is assaulted then shot and a potential hostage was so horrified at being held at gunpoint, she dies of a heart attack on camera. |
| 54 | * BlackJezebelStereotype: PlayedForLaughs in the "Wrath of Farrakhan" skit, where Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan beams aboard the Starship Enterprise from ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and rallies the crewmembers against Captain Kirk. In particular, he claims that Nyota Uhura has never been allowed to do anything of note and, emboldened by his words, she then angrily berates Kirk for not allowing her to contribute anything to the crew, other than occasionally serving as his "Chocolate fantasy". |
| 55 | * BlackSheep: Subverted in the Cousin Horsie--er, Elsie sketches. While it's obvious that she's greatly disliked by her relatives due to her unfiltered personality, revolting manners, unattractiveness and [[ExtremeOmnisexual being oversexualized with men, women and even the dead,]] it ultimately comes out that she's not related to any of her victims; she's just a nosy leech. |
| 56 | * BlandNameProduct: Sketches tend to use the actual names of companies being parodied, but the spelling is slightly off (for example, "The ''Exxxon'' Family"). |
| 57 | * {{Boomerang Bigot}}s: The Brothers Brothers (Keenen Ivory and Damon Wayans), who are essentially bigoted white men in the bodies of black men. |
| 58 | * BreadEggsMilkSquick: In the ''Misery II'' skit, when his hostage begs him to let her go, Music/RickJames is angered by her ungratefulness, citing "All the things I've done for you: cooking, cleaning, letting you suck face with my girlfriend while I watch!" |
| 59 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: [[InvokedTrope A necessity]] for the Miss Benita sketches, as the viewer is usually treated as a neighborhood resident she is acquainted with. The exceptions to this rule are the court room & high school reunion sketches, which require actual characters for Benita to play off (though she still occasionally breaks the fourth wall in the latter sketch). |
| 60 | ** Fire Marshall Bill, Anton Jackson and Homey D. Clown also regularly break the fourth wall in their sketches. |
| 61 | * BungledHypnotism: In the "Vortex of Fear" sketch, a stage hypnotist hypnotizes an audience member (played by Creator/JimCarrey) to act like a chicken -- and has a fatal heart attack immediately afterwards. The audience member is doomed to spend the rest of his life acting like a chicken! |
| 62 | * TheBusCameBack: Benita Buttrell, ''[[https://youtu.be/Tydj6WCHB_k?si=35Y0bxzAlx26SqaT after 28 years!]]'' |
| 63 | * TheCameo: In-universe (or in-sketch, as the case may be), Magenta Thompson makes an appearance during the "Super Fly" sketch. As usual, Super Fly tells her "Get out of my way, bitch!" |
| 64 | * CameraAbuse: PlayedForLaughs in the opening sequence for the first two seasons. The cast members played with brightly colored paint in different ways, such as throwing paintballs at the camera, spray-painting the lens, or rolling a paint-covered bicycle tire over the lens. |
| 65 | * CampGay: Blaine Edwards (Damon Wayans) and Antoine Merriweather (David Alan Grier), the critics from "Men on..." who only focus on the masculine aspects of film, books, television, art, vacation, cooking, etc. Anything and everything that has to do with women (even tangentially) earns a unison response of "Hated it!"[[note]]Ironically, many of the things they hated, like ''Film/ThelmaAndLouise'', ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', and ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', are actually ''very'' [[LGBTFanbase popular with gay men]] in real life.[[/note]] |
| 66 | * CatchPhrase: |
| 67 | ** "Homey don't play that!" (Homey D. Clown) and "LEMME SHOW YA SOMETHIN'!" (Fire Marshall Bill) among many, many others. |
| 68 | ** Calhoun Tubbs always punctuates his songs with "Aaahhhhh haaaaaaaa!" |
| 69 | *** (Take any topic)..."wrote a song 'bout it. Like to hear it?. Here it goes." |
| 70 | ** Inverted with Magenta Thompson (Kelly Coffield) who's film repertoire is only 2-second bit parts with someone saying "Get out of my way, bitch!" ''to'' her rather than said ''by'' her. |
| 71 | ** "...Hated it!", the gay critics from ''Men on...'' whenever something featured women. |
| 72 | ** ''"Mo' Money, '''Mo' Money''' '''MO' MONEY!'''" -- Homeboyz Shopping Network |
| 73 | * CatUpATree: A ''Rescue 911'' parody called ''Rescue Whenever'' which featured a Black man (played by David Alan Grier) in Compton calling 911 because he was robbed and beaten in a home invasion only to be dismissed by the cops while an Asian man (played by Steve Park) in Beverly Hills calling about his cat up a tree with [[SkewedPriorities numerous police and other officials hurrying to the scene.]] |
| 74 | * CharacterTic: Anton Jackson has a habit of picking his nose. In one skit where he's being sued, he takes the judge's gavel and uses the handle to pick something from his nose. |
| 75 | * CheckPlease: A businessman says it after his blind date Grace Jones cut an alligator's tail off. |
| 76 | -->'''Harvey:''' Waiter, check please!\ |
| 77 | '''Grace:''' ''(holding the severed tail)'' [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Would you like a piece of my tail, Harvey?]][[invoked]] |
| 78 | * CheerfulChild: Would-be child star Li'l Magic, whose biggest claim to fame is being "Miss Smile Bright 1987! See?" She's not as talented as her StageMom would have her believe, but she's not faking her cheerfulness or manipulating others with it (likely because she can't). |
| 79 | * ChezRestaurant: Chez Whitey's, a place that puts Homey D. Clown off. |
| 80 | * {{Cliffhanger}}: In a rare sketch comedy example of this trope, the Season Two finale has two skits with cliffhanger endings: In "Men on..." Blaine is [[spoiler: turned straight by a blow on the head]], while Homey D. Clown appears to sell out to The Man. Both are resolved at the top of Season Three. |
| 81 | * ClingyJealousGirl: [[DepravedKidsShowHost Candy Cane]] towards Jurassic Benny. |
| 82 | * ClipShow: There were several best-of episodes (one specifically featuring music video spoofs) plus an all-HilariousOuttakes show. |
| 83 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Keenan's Arsenio Hall does this repeatedly, especially in interviewing David Alan Grier's Marion Barry: he confuses his being booked (as in arrested and arraigned) as ''writing'' a book, vaguely expresses jealousy at people "following him around" after the press learning of said arrest, believed that the arrest video was a '''movie''' and when he played the video against Barry's wishes and the mayor cried that he ruined him, he thinks that him [[GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger pointing his finger at him in anger]] is him "striving to be number one". |
| 84 | * ComicallyOversizedButt: |
| 85 | ** In the Edna sketches, with Kelly Coffield playing an annoying and rambunctious grade schooler, her teacher (played by Kim Wayans) is given a ridiculously oversized butt which Edna has discreetly insulted her about on occasion. |
| 86 | ** In the first ''Arsenio Hall'' sketch, Keenen Ivory Wayans' Arsenio is given both a large butt and an extended right index finger. |
| 87 | * ComicalOverreacting: Mr. Hedley of the "Hey Mon" skits will often resort to this if he learns that someone has only one job (no matter how well it pays) or is unemployed. |
| 88 | * CorruptChurch: "The 595 Club" with televangelists Reverend Ed Cash (Damon Wayans) and the Reverend Dr. Carl Pathos (Jim Carrey). |
| 89 | * CoattailRidingRelative: Arsenio Hall is regarded as one to Creator/EddieMurphy, despite their not being blood relations. Even the intro to the first skit featuring the former has the announcer saying, ''"Now here's Eddie Murphy's best friend--and don't you forget it!"'' |
| 90 | * CourtroomAntics: One Benita Buttrell sketch had her testifying as a witness against two men from her apartment complex who were accused of misappropriation of funds. Aside from gossiping about them, she also goes after the prosecutor, the bailiff, Miss Jenkins (but not before "fainting" at the mention of her name), and the presiding judge. The latter was so flustered by her behavior, that she declared a mistrial. |
| 91 | * CrosscastRole: Besides Foxx as Ugly Wanda, one of Jim Carrey's recurring characters is steroid-abusing female bodybuilder Vera [=DeMilo=]. David Alan Grier plays Li'l Magic's StageMom. |
| 92 | * {{Crossover}}: Some of ''In Living Color'''s cast members would go on to host ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and/or have some connection to it: |
| 93 | ** Jim Carrey: Originally auditioned as a cast member for the 1980-81 and 1985-86 seasons (those, along with the 1994-95 season, are considered ''SNL'' at its worst). He went on to host the Season 21 finale in 1996, the first 2011 episode (Season 36), and Season 40's HalloweenEpisode (2014) before becoming a recurring guest performer in Season 46 as President UsefulNotes/JoeBiden. |
| 94 | ** David Alan Grier: Hosted ''SNL'' in Seasons 21 (highlighted by the "Wake Up and Smile" sketch) and 22. |
| 95 | ** Jamie Foxx: Hosted in Seasons 25 (the first new episode of the 21st century, in fact) and 38. |
| 96 | ** Jennifer Lopez: Hosted in Season 26 episode (2000-2001) and 35 (2009-2010); currently, she's the only Hispanic celebrity to be a host and musical guest for two separate episodes. The first appearance has a sketch in which the ''In Living Color'' Fly Girls (all played by ''SNL'' cast members) visit her and complain she's fallen out of touch with her roots since becoming a celebrity. |
| 97 | ** Damon Wayans: Was a featured player on ''SNL'' during its 11th season (1985-86), but was fired after playing a cop character as a CampGay (the voice of which he would use later for his "Men on..." character Blaine) in retaliation for Lorne Michaels and the writers not giving him decent roles in sketches. Despite this, he came back to do stand-up in that season's finale ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen slated to be the last episode of the entire series]][[invoked]] because of how [[SeasonalRot bad]] it was) and hosted in another season that was plagued with SeasonalRot: Season 20 (1994-95). This brought back two of his recurring ''In Living Color'' characters, Anton Jackson and Blaine; David Alan Grier also appeared as Antoine Merriweather for the latter sketch. |
| 98 | ** In addition, Chris Rock (although not an official cast member) guest starred in several episodes during Season Five, following his exit from the cast of ''SNL''. |
| 99 | * CurseCutShort: In a "Homeboy's Shopping Network" sketch, the angry husband of a woman whose jewelry is being sold on television phones up the duo and threatens them, only for them to disconnect the call before he finishes calling him a "son-of-a-bitch". |
| 100 | * DeanBitterman: Al [=McAfee=], whose only purpose as school principal is to harass the students for doing innocuous things that he believes to be dangerous or disorderly (as well as sexually harass a fellow teacher he has a crush on) or to ignore or just be completely oblivious to anyone who really is doing something wrong or sneaky. |
| 101 | * DeathGlare: Homey is the master at giving these, especially whenever one of the children he's supposed to be entertaining says something stupid or they sing over him during the ending song. |
| 102 | * DelusionsOfEloquence: Oswald Bates, an inmate who delivers self-educated political ramblings. The humor is based on his misuse of vocabulary words, and anatomical terms in particular. |
| 103 | * DemBones: One sketch riffs how the cast of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' are getting too old for the movies. Captain Kirk calls for Bones to come to the bridge, only to find he really lives up to his name this time. |
| 104 | -->'''Skeleton in a wheelchair:''' Dammit Jim, [[ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder I'm a corpse not a doctor!]] |
| 105 | * DepravedKidsShowHost[=/=]SubvertedKidsShow: Several examples, all involving hosts who don't even try to pretend they don't have tons of personal issues! |
| 106 | ** Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans) rants about how the white man keeps him down while ostensibly performing as a hired entertainer for kids (which he has to do as part of his parole). |
| 107 | ** Candy Cane (Creator/AlexandraWentworth) is a {{Yandere}} who tries to hook up with a Barney the Dinosaur {{Expy}} because she wants to have kids before her biological clock runs out, but is constantly dumped and threatened to be arrested for her stalkerish ways. |
| 108 | ** The one-shot Season Five sketch "The Scary Larry Show" is hosted by a former Vietnam vet who now works as a [[GoingPostal mailman]] and still has flashbacks of the war, which he spins as trips to Imagination Land. |
| 109 | ** A RealLife example -- Pee-Wee Herman actor/creator Paul Reubens's porno theater arrest in 1991 -- was the basis for a sketch in which Pee-Wee (Carrey) sells a new Pee-Wee Herman doll modeled after Reubens's mugshot. |
| 110 | ** One skit subverts the concept: Mister Rogers (Carrey) goes to a store and hits on female customers before holding up the place, getting away with it because a policeman can't believe he's capable of such a thing, and then picking up a hooker with the money. The subversion is that he isn't the ''real'' Mister Rogers, but an excellent impersonator who gets away with being a pervert and an asshole to everyone because no one would suspect Mister Rogers of being this way. |
| 111 | * DirtyOldMan: Seen on occasion: |
| 112 | ** A "Heaven or Hell" music compilation offer showcases Rev. Jimmy Swaggart as one (even with his choir of females ending up dressing as prostitutes and singing "Me So Horny"). |
| 113 | ** Another skit has ''Mr. Rogers'' portrayed as one as well, though unlike the Swaggart example, this wasn't based on truth, just the rumor that he couldn't have been as nice as a guy as he was seen on his show (although he was). |
| 114 | * DisproportionateRetribution: Homey D. Clown told a story through a slideshow about how he went to a "White restaurant" and assaulted a doorman after being asked to wear a necktie before being allowed inside. The slideshow even suggests that Homey was offered a free necktie meaning the violence was even more unnecessary. |
| 115 | * DisruptingTheTheater: One skit has a movie theater where this behavior is actually encouraged -- the volume is turned down on the film in order for the various conversations to take precedence. The only person to complain is a character played by Creator/JimCarrey [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong who is subsequently kicked out.]] |
| 116 | * DistaffCounterpart: Kelly Coffield played [[Creator/SamKinison Samantha Kinison]] in some early sketches. Culminated in one of the most hilarious sketches ever when Sam himself joined in to play the other half of a very dysfunctional couple! Coffield also played "''Andrea'' 'Dice' Clay", a female version of Andrew "Dice" Clay. |
| 117 | * DodgyToupee: One of the "Reality Check" public service announcements had Creator/DavidAlanGrier mocking a man with one. He compares him to a younger man with a full head of hair and then walks into the bar he's in with a hairdryer blowing it off, causing the patrons to laugh at him and for he to leave in shame. |
| 118 | * DoorstopBaby: The "Three Champs and a Baby" skit sends up ''Film/ThreeMenAndABaby'' by substituting a trio of famous boxers (UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, Sugar Ray Leonard, Creator/MikeTyson) for the film's protagonists. |
| 119 | -->'''Sugar Ray:''' Who ordered a baby?\ |
| 120 | '''Muhammad Ali:''' Does it come with pepperoni? |
| 121 | * DoubleStandard: In "Amy Fisher's Bang For Your Bucks" seminar, after following the steps of the program, a young woman played by T'keyah Crystal Keymah complains that she was sent directly to jail for her crime. After that, Amy and Joey Buttafuoco (played by Alexandra Wentworth and Jim Carrey, respectively) say that the program will only work if you're ''white.'' |
| 122 | * DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: "Career Aid" makes light of Music/LionelRichie being beaten by his wife Brenda Harvey. Somehow, it's hard to imagine the show doing the same for Music/TinaTurner's abuse at the hands of Ike... |
| 123 | * DressesTheSame: One Wanda sketch had her and a random woman at a club wear the same purple party dress. Naturally, she starts to insult her. |
| 124 | * DrivenToSuicide: Several examples and always PlayedForLaughs: |
| 125 | ** The "[[Film/LeanOnMe Lean on Me, Beautiful]]" sketch had one beauty school student, who according to Mr. Clark, was ugly and used chemicals in his hair, ending up jumping out a window. [[UnexplainedRecovery He gets better, though.]] |
| 126 | ** Another sketch had a man being told to escape from his PMS'ing wife by jumping from a five-story window. His fate is never explained, but it's logical to believe that the fall killed him. |
| 127 | ** One Wanda sketch had her be accosted by a vampire, although she was [[ArentYouGoingToRavishMe turned on by his attention.]] Upon seeing her face, he ultimately chose to die by the sunlight of the next morning. |
| 128 | * DrunkDriver: The first Grampa Jack sketch ends with him attempting to drive while intoxicated as his horrified sons and other relatives all try to stop him. According to subsequent sketches, though, he has done it before and since! |
| 129 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: Keenan's take on Music/LittleRichard on ''East Hollywood Squares'' feels this way -- griping how he's been in the business longer than his contemporaries and has yet to receive even a Grammy. |
| 130 | * DuelingShows: An episode of ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' has him expressing annoyance and disappointment in losing his viewers to ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. [[spoiler:The sketch ends with both his entire band save for the drummer leaving fir ''Arsenio'' and the audience whooping like the Dog Pound.]] |
| 131 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first Fire Marshall Bill sketch (the fire safety in school sketch), Fire Marshall Bill has hair[[note]]though this is justified; all of those explosions and fires burn off his hair and hair does not grow back once it's been set on fire down to the skin[[/note]] and in it and a few later skits his demonstrations aren't as destructive (read: he often appears in one piece after the building he's in explodes). |
| 132 | ** Benita Buttrell's gossip is more mean-spirited towards people who didn't deserve it in her first appearance. Her subsequent skits would have her gossip be funnier and aimed at mostly unlikable people. |
| 133 | ** Blaine and Antoine's attire isn't as over-the-top in the early "Men on..." skits. Case in point: the first skit "Men on Film" has the former in pink socks and a matching handkerchief. The following one for "Men on Books" has him decked out in a silk pink pantsuit with a matching ''cape''. |
| 134 | * ElvisLives: One sketch had a reporter encountering Elvis who was spotted in the woods alive, albeit he was more like a Bigfoot-esque character than the sentient human he was in real life. |
| 135 | * EndingFatigue: In-universe, a RunningGag in the Cephus and Reesie skits is their tendency to draw out the endings of the songs they cover, be it "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" or the theme from ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', beyond all reason. |
| 136 | * EnemyMine: A Season Five skit has Rush Limbaugh and Reverend Al Sharpton (played by Jay Leggett and David Alan Grier respectively) team up with each other, despite their opposing worldviews, in a tag-team wrestling match against Howard Stern and Robin Quivers (played by Creator/JimCarrey and T'Keyah "Crystal" Keymah respectively), who offend both men deeply. |
| 137 | * EpicFail: Magenta Thompson was rejected by a commercial for dog food (where her only "appearance" was her hand in the shot stirring the food) because it looked ''too bitter.'' |
| 138 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Discussed in one of Benita Buttrell's skits with her saying that a group of neighborhood children are so bad that even [[Franchise/ChildsPlay Chucky]] wouldn't play with them. |
| 139 | * {{Expy}}: Jim Carrey's character in the "Foundation for Golf Heritage" sketch is basically an impression of Strother Martin's character in ''Film/CoolHandLuke'', even using his famous "...failure to communicate" line from the film. |
| 140 | * FaintInShock: Paul, the "lucky" winner of a blind date with Wanda in her first sketch (on a dating show), eventually faints upon realizing that he is trapped with her. |
| 141 | * FakeHairDrama: |
| 142 | ** One sketch had a DeconstructiveParody of the Rapunzel fairy tale. Unfortunately, the Princess in this story's hair wasn't real, leading to the Prince falling and hurting himself when he tried to climb it and [[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike she getting mad at him for ripping her hair out.]] |
| 143 | ** Some of the Lil Magic sketches has her StageMom's hair weave either being only halfway completed or in a dodgy wig. One home movie she did where she played Helen Keller even had her accidentally knock her Mom's wig off and it to be placed back off-kilter for the rest of the film. |
| 144 | * FellOffTheBackOfATruck: Spoofed with "The Homeboy Shopping Network" with the pair of "hosts" gleefully selling merchandise ''from'' the truck instead of waiting for it to fall off. |
| 145 | * FilmNoir: Spoofed in segments with Kelly Coffield as Velma Mulholland, a stereotypical FemmeFatale who is [[ChromaKey somehow]] DeliberatelyMonochrome while dealing with the full-color real world of TheNineties...much to the confusion of those around her. |
| 146 | * FormerChildStar: One sketch had Sally Struthers (Kelly Coffield) advertising a "Save the Children" hotline to save former child stars who appeared in ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'' and ''Series/ThePartridgeFamily''. |
| 147 | * FreddieMercopy: A possibly unintentional example is Carrey's recurring Environmentalist Activist, a dead ringer for Mercury's 1980s look of short, slicked back hair and a large mustache! |
| 148 | * FreezeFrameBonus: |
| 149 | ** In the skit featuring the wall of women that basketball great Wilt Chamberlain slept with, some names featured on the wall include comedienne/actress Ruth Buzzi (whose surname is misspelled with a "y"), Creator/DrewBarrymore and 1940s singing group The Andrew Sisters. |
| 150 | ** In the first ''Oprah'' skit, there is a brief shot of a audience member wearing a ''Simpsons'' t-shirt[[note]]and considering that this was the Spring of 1990, it probably one of the ''first'' pieces of merchandise in the show's history[[/note]] |
| 151 | * TheFunInFuneral: |
| 152 | ** One Grandpa Jack episode was set at his alcoholic and abusive mother's funeral. Hinjinks include him breaking out into a chorus of "The Ol' Gray Mare" (complete with pelvic thrusts), trying to attack his Black son-in-law and several members attempting to steal the jewelry and gold teeth from her body. [[spoiler:It ends up subverted when she wakes up, owing to another alcoholic coma.]] |
| 153 | ** A Cousin Elsie sketch had her at a distant Uncle's funeral. While there, she constantly forgot his name, faints in [[LargeHam "grief"]], and tries to make out with her "cousins", the Reverend when he is ordered to give her CPR and finally [[ILoveTheDead the Uncle's corpse.]] |
| 154 | ** Downplayed in a Calhoun Tubbs sketch; whereas the man's grieving family and friends take it seriously, he sings a song mocking his womanizing ways and how his gambling habits have left the family broke. |
| 155 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: |
| 156 | ** The "Background Guy" skits with Carrey are based around this. |
| 157 | ** In the Oprah Winfrey skit where she exploded in anger, Damon Wayans' character ends up ''eating'' the chip that fell into his lap. |
| 158 | * GagNose: One ''Buttmans'' sketch had their daughter dating a boy named Richard, or "Dick" for short, whose nose resembled a...well, yeah. At the end of the segment, instead of the rest of the family lampshading said nose, Mr. Buttman expresses disappointment at his daughter [[ComicallyMissingThePoint dating a White guy.]] |
| 159 | * GagPenis: |
| 160 | ** Implied with the Cosby Condoms commercial, where Bill pulled out an oversized condom from the pack, calling it the [[WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids "Hey-Hey-HEY!"]] |
| 161 | ** Another skit was a spoof of ''Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan'' where Jim Carrey played a man whose penis was made bionic after an accident and he was able to have an erection so strong that it could lift a car up. |
| 162 | --->'''Woman:''' ''(amazed)'' How did you do that?\ |
| 163 | '''Million Dollar Man:''' ...I don't want to talk about it. |
| 164 | * GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Constantly. At the time, a number of pundits viewed the show as a dangerous menace to society, and decades later, a lot of the sketches (the ones that aren't dated due to the march of time) are still shocking. Though there were two blatant examples that were cut from sketches: |
| 165 | ** In a Homey D. Clown sketch where he's acting as a substitute teacher, Homey's alphabet cards are out of order, and the children proceed to mock him for it. Damon Wayans, ad-libbing, proceeds to say something that gets bleeped immediately, and is told point-blank by the directors and producers that it wasn't gonna fly on TV.[[note]]Most likely, since he accidentally pulled out the "D" card, he said, "Suck my dick!"[[/note]] |
| 166 | ** In one of the early "Ugly Wanda" sketches, the titular character is chasing her horrified love interest (Tommy Davison) [[ItMakesSenseInContext around a massage parlor]]. At one point, Jamie Foxx (Wanda) grabs hold of the back of Davidson's underwear, and accidentally pulls them down too far, giving the studio audience full view of Davidson's family jewels. |
| 167 | ** The Thighmaster skit with Kelly Coffield portraying Suzanne Somers ends with her husband coming home with ''a squashed-in head.'' Use your imagination to comprehend how exactly ''that'' slipped by the censors. Even better, there's a clip on [=YouTube=] where Somers is actually lampshading this notion several years after the fact. |
| 168 | ** Much of the dialogue of the "Men on..." skits fell victim to this, to the point where some of it only aired once and the majority of it hasn't been seen since. Examples include the infamous "drop the soap" line and "I never got to see the dick!", both featured in the same "Men on Films" skit, the comments implying that both football legend Joe Namath and Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis were homosexuals from "Men on Football" and the implied "ejaculation" scene from "Men on Exercise".[[note]]though the latter scene has been seen in syndicated airings[[/note]] However, some examples that made it by successfully are the "Two snaps and wipe your mouth" from "Men on Cooking" and Blaine telling Antoine, "Don't swallow" when giving him his water bottle during a fight movie they did and he replying, "I never do." |
| 169 | * GoldDigger: Robin Givens (played by Kim Coles) while on "Love Connection" convinced Mike Tyson (played by Keenan Ivory Wayans) to buy her an emerald, ruby, and sapphire necklace and a car on their first date. |
| 170 | * {{Gonk}}: |
| 171 | ** "Ugly Wanda" Wayne (Jamie Foxx). |
| 172 | ** Cousin Elsie, oh so much (Kim Wayans). |
| 173 | * GossipyHens: Kim Wayans' Benita is one. See Hypocritical Humor below. |
| 174 | * [[GranolaGirl Granola Boy]]: Jim Carrey's Environmental Activist who is an over-the-top spoof of PoliticalOvercorrectness finding "PC violations" in virtually anything, ruining casual events like art galas and kids' birthday parties. |
| 175 | * GreedyTelevangelist: Several skits revolved around televangelism duo Ed Cash and Carl Pathos, who frequently and transparently fleece their followers, be it through blackmail, or straight-up gunpoint robbery. Carl Pathos specifically was based off real-life televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and his many, ''many'' controversies and sexual escapades that occurred during his ministry. |
| 176 | --> '''Ed Cash:''' No, no; we tried to do it the Lord's way, now we gon' do it the good ol' 125th St & 7th Avenue way! ''(brandishes gun)'' Give up the money ''now''! Pay the Lord! |
| 177 | --> '''Carl Pathos:''' ''(pulls out gun)'' You wanted heaven, ''NOW REACH FOR IT!'' |
| 178 | * HairTriggerTemper: Mike Tyson. When he had his own talk show, he not only punched Sinbad for making "unfunny" jokes about big butts on women (which he likes) but also a ''[[BlackComedyAnimalCruelty parrot]]'' for talking and being too "greedy" for a cracker. |
| 179 | * HalfwayPlotSwitch: A parody commercial for "Tester's Choice" coffee (which is a send-up of real coffee brand ''Taster's'' Choice) soon morphs into a ''Film/FatalAttraction'' parody since the female neighbor who the male neighbor borrowed the coffee from ends up being a Alex Forrest-inspired {{Yandere}}. |
| 180 | * HandicappedBadass: Handi-Man. |
| 181 | * HandPuppetMockery: |
| 182 | ** One memorable skit had Creator/JimCarrey portraying Creator/PaulReubens after the latter's 1991 arrest for indecency in a porno theatre. Although he was dressed like Pee-Wee Herman, the puppet itself was modeled after Reubens' mugshot. |
| 183 | ** In the "Three Champs and A Baby" skit, Creator/MikeTyson (Keenan Ivory Wayans) had a puppet of Buster Douglas to entertain the baby claiming that he took a fall in the ring to gain $2 million dollars. |
| 184 | * HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight: Homey D. Clown. |
| 185 | * HaveIMentionedIAmGay[=/=]StraightGay: Parodied with Carrey's "Overly Confident Gay Man" who constantly reminds everybody around him he's gay in one way or another. |
| 186 | * HiddenDepths: Anton Jackson. While on the outside he is a stereotypical homeless person and comes off as annoying, he's actually seen to be very resourceful (and made a makeshift "mansion" out of cardboard boxes), can do his taxes, has a gift for the arts where he can both sing and act, and can physically defend himself in a fistfight, having been taught the [[{{Malaproper}} "martian arts"]] prior to attempting to enlist in the Army. |
| 187 | * HighHopesZeroTalent: |
| 188 | ** Lil Magic, who's a terrible actress, dancer, and especially singer, is nonetheless sent on countless auditions by her obnoxious StageMom. |
| 189 | ** The Funky Finger Productions creators, Clavell and Howard Tibbs III, are this in addition to being [[ConMan con men.]] They're so bad, a lot of their material comes off as StylisticSuck. |
| 190 | * HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Any skit including Joe Jackson, patriarch of the Jackson family, implies this. Most famously, he and Tito star in an ad for Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots with the latter winning and the former [[SoreLoser deciding to whup him because he lost.]] |
| 191 | * HilarityEnsues |
| 192 | * {{Hobos}}: Anton Jackson. |
| 193 | * HollywoodToneDeaf: A "Reality Check" public service announcement had Creator/DavidAlanGrier compare Music/ArethaFranklin's beautifully sung "Respect" to a man's (Creator/JimCarrey) horrible singing. He then yells at him that he can't sing while driving and scares him out of his car. |
| 194 | * HostileShowTakeover: One sketch had Ross Perot (Jim Carrey), who was running for president at the time, interrupt The Weather Channel, a comedy show, a late night phone sex line, and even DJ Twist's disc jockey station all in a bid to convince viewers to vote for him. |
| 195 | * HypocriticalHumor: Miss Benita "ain't one to gossip", but... |
| 196 | ** Just don't say nothin' bad about Ms. Jenkins near her (though ''that'' doesn't stop her from gossiping about her either). |
| 197 | * IBangedYourMom: Downplayed: in the first ''Love Connection'' skit with Mike Tyson talking about his date with Robin Givens, he at one point saw what he described as a "cute girl with a nice butt", introduces himself and ''shoves his tongue down her throat''. Then a guy comes up to him, screams "Hey, that's my mother!" and he proceeds to get curb stomped by the champion. |
| 198 | * ImprovComedyIsInane: In a sketch of ''HBO's Tired Comedy Nite'', one of the featured comics is named "the stupid improv guy" who isn't too liked by the crowd until [[spoiler: does a "trick" where [[SuicideAsComedy he hangs himself onstage]]]] which earns him a ''standing ovation.'' |
| 199 | * IncrediblyLongNote: One of the contestants on the "Miss Black Person USA" held a ''ten-second'' note while singing a song for her talent portion (and won). |
| 200 | * InsaneProprietor: And how, in the [[ParodyCommercial Crazy Tom's Electronics]] sketch. This guy trades off [[TechnologyMarchesOn a brand new top of the line VCR]][[invoked]] for [[BrickJoke an empty glass liquor bottle]]. After introducing [[BedlamHouse the staff]], he then recalls a regular dialogue he shares with customers: |
| 201 | -->'''Crazy Tom: '''People come up to me, they say 'Crazy Tom?', [[AndThenISaid I say what?]] |
| 202 | -->'''Tom quoting the Customer: ''' Just how can you give away high quality electronics at prices like these and still make a profit?! |
| 203 | -->'''Crazy Tom: '''[[LaughingMad ...I DON'T!!]] [[GlassShatteringSound (breaks the bottle against his head)]] I'M CRAZY!!!!! |
| 204 | * IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney: Parodied during the "Anton at the Recruiter" sketch. |
| 205 | -->'''Recruiting Corporal''': I am in the business of signing up real-life soldiers, maggot!\ |
| 206 | '''Anton''': [[SustainedMisunderstanding Maggot? I ain't no maggot!]] Hey, I ain't never been with another man before! Who told you that? Clarence? He's lying! He's lying! I'm telling you--alright once, I was desperate, I needed the money, I was drunk and dying out! Don't hold it against me... |
| 207 | * {{Jerkass}}: Homey D. Clown as a byproduct of The System. |
| 208 | * KickTheDog: |
| 209 | ** One Lil' Magic sketch where she was rehearsing for a commercial had the stage manager, right before using the clap board for the one take, proclaim to her face, "Damn, you're an ugly kid!" |
| 210 | ** The ending of the first ''Go On, Girl'' sketch had two feminists (Kim Coles, Kim Wayans) who became rivals due to dating the same man had the latter point out to the former, "Didn't you lose on ''Star Search''?", which then prompted a catfight. |
| 211 | * KitschyLocalCommercial: One skit has Creator/JimCarrey playing an attorney specializing in accident settlements named Lony Parker. He is obviously reading off of cue cards and his delivery is stilted, with poor inflection; he even pronounces the "H" in "Me habeas Espanol". |
| 212 | * LadyLooksLikeADude: To the waiter (Carrey) in the skit where a businessman is on a blind date with Grace Jones. |
| 213 | -->'''Waiter:''' May I get you something, monsieur?\ |
| 214 | ''(Grace socks him in the face)''\ |
| 215 | '''Waiter:''' I mean, ''madame''. |
| 216 | * LastDisrespects: |
| 217 | ** The first Calhoun Tubbs sketch had him playing at the funeral of his "dearly departed friend" and proceeds to make fun of him and his family by calling him a womanizer who lost the family's home due to not having life insurance. |
| 218 | ** ''The Dysfunctional Home Show'' had the funeral of Grandpa Jack's mother. He arrived drunk, tried to fight his son-in-law, tried to steal the watch off of her corpse (despite being willed her money) and told people that everyone was better off without her. [[spoiler: Subverted once she woke up, screaming at the family for not recognizing another of her alcoholic comas. This whole business had already happened twice -- just that year!]] |
| 219 | * LesserStar: |
| 220 | ** Of the recurring sketches for the ConjoinedTwins entertainers, Les and Wes, Les is seen as a washed-up UnluckyEveryman in comparison to Wes, a popular and talented action star. |
| 221 | ** One sketch combined this with a TakeThat to ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' alumni Creator/ChrisRock (Shawn Wayans) and Creator/GarrettMorris (Jamie Foxx), as both men were considered underused and therefore less famous than their White counterparts and overshadowed by one of the most famous alumni (and most popular Black alumni) Creator/EddieMurphy. |
| 222 | * TheLoinsSleepTonight: A commercial for something called the "Ejector Bed" had a woman eject her lover from their bed after he disappoints her sexually. |
| 223 | * LosingAShoeInTheStruggle: In the first Wanda skit that had her on ''The Dating Game'', her date ends up losing both of his shoes when he freaked out and jumped into the host's arms upon first viewing her. |
| 224 | * LosingYourHead: The premise of "The Head Detective". Fire Marshall Bill ends up doing this at the end of most of his sketches -- in the last one, his head is subsequently crushed as part of Gallagher's watermelon smashing act. |
| 225 | * MadLibsCatchPhrase: Blaine and Antoine from the "Men on.." skits had several, where they would always end their program with "Two snaps and..." or a specific type of snap (i.e., Men on Videotapes had "Two snaps and a rewind" and Men on Football had "Two snaps and yo' back's in motion" while both of them shake their asses at the camera on two different ways while Men on Vacation got a special "Around the world and back snap".) |
| 226 | * {{Malaproper}}: |
| 227 | ** Wanda the Ugly Woman. For example, during the Season 5 premiere when she's about to give birth, she says "Look, doctor, this pain is too much. I think you're gonna have to do one of them Caesar salad sections[[note]]caesarean section[[/note]] on me." |
| 228 | ** Deronda and Pookie are another example. |
| 229 | * MeadowRun: In the second Magenta Thompson sketch, she displays a video of her running towards a man like this, only for him to [[BaitAndSwitch push her down, yell "Outta my way, bitch!", and embrace another woman behind her.]] |
| 230 | * MeaningfulName: Fire Marshall Bill '''Burns'''. |
| 231 | ** Both of the Brothers Brothers, who are {{Boomerang Bigot}}s, are named '''Tom''' Brothers -- [[UncleTomfoolery they were named after their uncle!]] |
| 232 | ** Greedy televangelist Reverend Ed '''Cash'''. |
| 233 | * MirrorCrackingUgly: Ugly Wanda used this to her advantage in a skit where ''Dracula'' was trying to escape her clutches -- noticing there's a mirror in her bedroom, he claims he hates them, so she goes up to it and says "Mirror, mirror, on the wall..." and it breaks. |
| 234 | ** A music video parody of Shabba Ranks' "Mr. Lover Man", titled "Mr. Ugly Man", had Shabba looking into a mirror, which of course, had cracked. |
| 235 | * MisplacedRetribution: Mr. [=McAfee=] will often blame someone for violating the rules who is completely innocent, while those who actually ''were'' breaking the rules will be ignored. |
| 236 | * TheMockbuster: Funky Finger Productions looks for backers for productions of this ilk. ''Stank Ho'' was their answer to ''Film/PrettyWoman'', and they had test footage for a fourth ''Penitentiary'' movie on hand in another skit. Many have an JustForFun/XMeetsY twist: ''Theatre/TheWiz'' meets ''Film/{{Flatliners}}'', for instance. |
| 237 | * MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: One skit has a woman holding up a sperm bank at gunpoint in order to find a man and get pregnant. She soon finds a man and eventually blasts away a random cup, [[TakeThat claiming that she stopped a future generation of The New Kids on the Block.]] |
| 238 | * MyCard: Clavell and Howard Tibbs III of Funky Finger Productions use this to get attention -- the former is always "fresh out" of cards for their confused potential investor, and then the latter whips out one with a "BAM!" |
| 239 | * {{Nepotism}}: Most of the producers/actors were related to one another as the show was, essentially, a family business. It's very telling that most of the show's breakout stars were the ones who had no blood connection to the Wayans in any way, shape, or form (Creator/JimCarrey, David Alan Grier, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, and Tommy Davidson). |
| 240 | * NoIndoorVoice: Sinbad (David Alan Grier), by nature. It gets lampshaded on ''You Bet Your Career'' when Bill Cosby (Jamie Foxx) tells him that it's the funny faces that ''he'' makes that make a comedian funny instead of his shouting. |
| 241 | * NoodleIncident: In the "Dating Game" sketch with Wanda, she gets excited about one of her potential partners wanting to make out with her for so long, that her forehead will "cave the hell in", citing how the last time that happened to her was at an Music/LLCoolJ comcert. |
| 242 | * NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted in two different sketches: |
| 243 | ** One commercial had a woman rushing to get to the restroom to use a tampon as her male coworkers make fun of her. She then sports a dress with a tampons fringe, which is more of a fashion statement than a mockery and also came in maxipad headband and wristbands for workouts. |
| 244 | ** Another commercial had a woman use a ''very'' absorbent tampon which was so powerful that it drained all the water out of a swimming pool. |
| 245 | * NoSympathy: In a skit for ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', Jay holds up two newspaper headlines featuring many people killed (which is in contrast to the more light-hearted and goofy headlines of the real show). The first one, which happened at a post office, has him quip that the gunman must've been desperate for the popular and difficult-to-find (at the time) Elvis stamp. The second one, where four security guards were killed in a robbery, he jokes that it was well worth the 3.35 they were earning an hour. |
| 246 | * OffWithHisHead: One ColdOpen has Keenan, in a ShoutOut to ''Film/TheUntouchables'', use a baseball bat to knock off the head of an executive. |
| 247 | * PetTheDog: While most of the other music video parodies are of the TakeThat variety, the parody of "Save the Best for Last" by Music/VanessaWilliams is more this, telling off her detractors since she was able to have a successful career after the Miss America scandal. The spoof of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back", "Baby Got Snacks", sees the singer celebrating overweight women and is mostly played for goofy laughs, but also has the lyrics "So just give her a hug/'Cause there's more to love/Ain't nothing wrong with being big!" |
| 248 | * PhraseCatcher: Magenta Thompson's film roles are all bit parts where characters tell her, "Get out of my way, bitch!". |
| 249 | * PitbullDatesPuppy: |
| 250 | ** The second edition of ''Love Connection'' had [[Creator/AndrewDiceClay Andrea Dice Clay]] (played by Kelly Coffield) go on a date with Creator/PatrickSwayze (portrayed by Jim Carrey) and the latter being a sensitive guy who was increasingly uneasy by the former's crass language and behavior. |
| 251 | ** Anyone who ended up with Kim Wayans' Creator/GraceJones[[note]]which portrayed her as an exaggeration of the tough ActionGirl roles she played in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer'' and ''Film/AViewToAKill''[[/note]] (especially Harvey) ended up as the puppy to her pitbull. |
| 252 | * PretentiousPronunciation: In the "Spike's Joint" sketch, Spike Lee (Tommy Davidson) tells his sister Joie (T'Keyah Crystal Keymah) that now that they're back in Brooklyn, her name is pronounced "Joy", not "Jwah". |
| 253 | --> "It's not Jac-KAY (Jackée), all right? It's JACKIE. It's not Shah-DAY (Sade), all right? It's SADIE! What you gonna call me next, Spi-kay?" |
| 254 | * PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: "Impostor", Creator/JimCarrey's parody of "Informer" by Snow. Also Jim Carrey's Vanilla Ice parody, "White, White Baby". |
| 255 | * PrisonerPerformance: A recurring sketch, the "Prison Cable Network" (or PCN), would feature prison inmates putting on various shows and programs spoofing different media formats. Content includes a prison talent show, a late night talk show, a theatrical show inspired by ''Theatre/AChorusLine'', a ''Series/WinLoseOrDraw''-like gameshow, a stand-up comic on DeathRow, and more. |
| 256 | * ProducePelting: In the first Les and Wes sketch about conjoined twins and during their initial stand-up act, wheras the latter wows the crowd, the former is far less impressive, even earning a few tomatoes chucked at him in response. |
| 257 | * ProductPlacement: In the first "Three Champs and a Baby" skit, thinking the baby has roaches (rashes) Muhammad Ali brings out a can of d-CON spray to endorse onscreen. |
| 258 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: Marc Wilmore, a writer for the show who appeared in a number of sketches, became a cast member in the fifth and final season. |
| 259 | * RaceLift: Most of the sketches that posed the question, "What if [X celebrity] was black?" Also, there was "[[Series/AllInTheFamily All Up in the Family]]" and "[[Series/TheHollywoodSquares East Hollywood Squares]]" from the final season. |
| 260 | ** ''Series/ILoveLucy'' becomes ''I Love '''Laquita'''''. |
| 261 | ** This was the whole point of ''Ted Turner's Really Colorized Classics'', which put famous black performers (and their shticks) in place of white ones in old films. Redd Foxx substitutes for Creator/CharlieChaplin in ''[[Film/TheKid1921 The Kid]]'', and Creator/BillyDeeWilliams gets Creator/HumphreyBogart's role in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''. |
| 262 | * RearrangeTheSong[=/=]ReplacedTheThemeTune: The show's original theme was replaced in Season 3, but returned in a remixed version in Season 5. |
| 263 | * ReReleaseSoundtrack: The DVD releases have a lot of sketches either edited to remove song references or entire music video parodies, which often serve as the show's cold opening, removed. |
| 264 | * RiskyBusinessDance: A BlackComedy version, where the Menendez brothers do the dance while wielding rifles. |
| 265 | * SanitySlippage: The [[Music/BoyzIIMen Boys II Wimps]] video for "End of the Road" had the soloist gradually become more unstable during the song due to a cheating ex-girlfriend. He was already on medication and placed in either a halfway house or a mental institution before he finally [[spoiler:lashes out at his back-up singers for cheating with the woman and ends up arrested again by the end.]] |
| 266 | * ScatterbrainedSenior: Don Cornelius is portrayed as one in the [[Series/SoulTrain "Old Train"]] skit, even at one point calling himself [[Film/TheGodfather Don Corleone]]. |
| 267 | * ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Snow screams like one at the end of the "Imposter" video after he's confronted by the Rastafarians he stole the technique of his rap-reggae from. |
| 268 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Jamie Foxx's take on Creator/BillCosby has him threatening to buy the Fox network after his game show ''You Bet Your Career'' was abruptly canceled midway through the episode. |
| 269 | * SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Averted and parodied with Oswald Bates. See Delusions of Eloquence above. |
| 270 | * ShoutOut: One of Vera de Milo's enemies in a movie of hers is named "Kee-Man of the [[Creator/HannaBarbera Hanna Barberians"]]. |
| 271 | * SillyWalk: Or run, rather: at the end of the "Lock You In The Closet" music video, when Joe Jackson starts to "chase" [=LaToya=], her "running" is more akin to prancing and he just comically shuffles his feet at a slow pace. |
| 272 | * SketchComedy |
| 273 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Magenta Thompson. She's quite proud of her "career" in spite of it being bit parts decades ago where various characters would tell her "Outta my way, bitch!" Most noticeably, her "largest role to date", where she played an unconscious patient in ''Film/MotherJugsAndSpeed'', ended up being deleted from the final product. |
| 274 | * SoapBoxSadie: A male example with Jim Carrey's Environmental Activist who is an over-the-top spoof of PoliticalOvercorrectness finding PC "violations" in virtually anything, ruining casual events like art galas and kids' birthdays. |
| 275 | * SockItToThem: Homey is probably one of the most popular examples, using his trademark sock club at least once an episode (which is a tennis ball inside of a black sock). |
| 276 | * SoundEffectBleep: In the ''[[Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos America's Funniest Security Camera Videos]]'' segment, the clerk's PreAsskickingOneLiner to the armed robber gets bleeped out due to being broadcast on a nationally televised "family" show: |
| 277 | -->'''Clerk:''' [[FunnyForeigner Meddy Christmas,]] mother--''*beep-beep*!'' |
| 278 | * SpinOff: "All Up in the Family" (a take-off on ''All in the Family'', where the Bunkers are black) was spun off from an installment of the "What if [X celebrity] was black?" series of sketches. |
| 279 | * SpitefulSpit: Vera gives rival Kee-Man a brutal one after he captures her and ties her up. He simply wipes it off of his face and laughs. |
| 280 | * StalkerWithACrush: A commercial for "Tester's Choice" coffee features [[Film/FatalAttraction Alex Forrest]] as a woman who was angry with her neighbor ignoring her and her coffee after he borrowed some for a party. She eventually grows obsessed with him and he drowns her in his bathtub. |
| 281 | * StageMom: Li'l Magic's mother played by David Alan Grier. |
| 282 | * SuddenlyShouting: "LEMME SHOW YA SOMETHIN'". |
| 283 | * SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Invoked in the "Reality Check" public service announcements from season four. The most memorable of the bunch was one where Jim Carrey plays a man who is poorly singing Music/ArethaFranklin's "Respect" as he's then told "Reality check: ''[[HollywoodToneDeaf you can't sing!"]]'' |
| 284 | * TakeThat: |
| 285 | ** The show made fun of everything under the sun, but it was particularly cutting in a skit that mocked NBC's ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for underusing its own African-American cast members (such as Tim Meadows[[note]]though he would go on to be one of the most memorable cast members from 1995 to 2000[[/note]] and Creator/ChrisRock[[note]]who left ''SNL'' '''because''' of how underused he was -- and went on to do some ''In Living Color'' guest spots in Season 5[[/note]]). |
| 286 | ** Any reference to Music/VanillaIce, Music/MilliVanilli or Arsenio Hall was going to be a negative one. Even in one Fire Marshall Bill skit when an alien species is in his stomach, he's not worried, saying that he's "had more parasites living off of him than Creator/EddieMurphy!" |
| 287 | ** The Ed Cash and Carl Pathos sketches were aimed directly at televangelism, depicting televangelists as walking examples of the SevenDeadlySins. Pathos in particular is ''heavily'' based on Jimmy Swaggart and his sex scandals. |
| 288 | -->'''Pathos:''' I am spiritual scum! |
| 289 | ** In the "Spike's Joint" skit, customers repeatedly reject a free copy of Lee's 1988 film ''School Daze''. |
| 290 | ** The "Driving Miss Shott" skit was this towards the then-Cincinati Reds owner Marge Schott, who made the news for her racist, antisemitic and xenophobic views. It ends with her Black driver jumping out the vehicle after too many of her nasty barbs and leaving her to fall down an embankment. |
| 291 | * TapOnTheHead: Happens to Blaine in the first half of the famous "Men on Television" two-parter when a mysterious sand bag fell on him that [[spoiler: apparently turned him ''straight.'' One sucker punch from Antoine in the second half turned him back.]] |
| 292 | * ThemeTuneRap: By Music/HeavyD (who also did the theme to ''Series/{{MADtv}}''). |
| 293 | * TheTwelveSpoofsOfChristmas: For the Christmas edition of ''The Dysfunctional Home Show'', Grandpa Jack and his mother gather around to sing to the grandchildren/great-grandchildren his own [[BlackComedy special version of the song:]] "Eight restraining orders, seven pills a-poppin', six packs of beer, five dry heaves (and then does one himself!), four counts of battery, three black eyes, two-timin' wives and a can of pork and beans...[[SuddenlyShouting PORK AND BEANS!"]] |
| 294 | * ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: |
| 295 | ** The Magenta Thompson sketches: "Outta my way, bitch!" |
| 296 | ** An Equity Express credit card commercial where a black man is forced to jump through hoops to use his card: "Kiss my butt, bitch! Approve my credit!" |
| 297 | ** One of Anton's sketches, when he accidentally became part of a performance of ''Romeo & Juliet'' and the actress kept hitting him in the head with plates and finally departs: "Yeah, you better part, bitch!" |
| 298 | * ThoseTwoGuys: A ton: Clavell & Howard Tibbs III of Funky Finger Productions, The Brothers Brothers, Reverends Ed Cash & Dr. Carl Pathos and Whiz & Ice from the Homeboyz Shopping Network. |
| 299 | * TokenMinority: Steve Park in Season 3 was the show's only Asian cast member. |
| 300 | * TokenWhite: Creator/JimCarrey (the most popular of the five), Kelly Coffield, Alexandra Wentworth, Carol Rosenthal, and Jay Leggett. Also, a couple of the Fly Girls. |
| 301 | * TookALevelInJerkass: The later sketches of the Funky Finger Productions has Clavelle and Howard Tibbs III as being less jovial and more confrontational. |
| 302 | * TooSpicyForYogSothoth: During her role in one of the ''Friday the 13th'' films, Magenta Thompson was apparently so uninteresting that not even Jason wished to kill her, saying [[PhraseCatcher "Outta my way, bitch!"]] while he went and savagely murdered ''another'' woman. |
| 303 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: ''The Dysfunctional Home Show'' has [[SuddenlyShouting PORK AND BEANS!]] for host Grandpa Jack [=McGee=]. As he notes in the debut segment, "In a dysfunctional home, you gotta have 'em!" |
| 304 | * TrustMeImAnX: Fire Marshall Bill, played by Jim Carrey, is insane, masochistic, and [[NightmareFace Nightmare Faced]]. It's no surprise that when he says some variation of "Don't worry, I'm a fire marshal", it's of no reassurance...and it doesn't help that he has a tendency to say that right before blowing up the building that he's currently in. |
| 305 | * TwoDecadesBehind: |
| 306 | ** Quite a few sketches reference '70s trends and pop culture, especially in Season Five. Sweet Tooth Jones is a [[InsistentTerminology fight choreographer]] (as opposed to karate master) with a {{Blaxploitation}} motif and theme music. Some of the RaceLift sketches spoof '70s TV shows like ''All in the Family'' and ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow''. "East Hollywood Squares" sketches feature a number of '70s celebrities (both guest stars and ones portrayed by the cast members) as panelists. Even parodies of recent pop culture could get a '70s twist -- the 1992 Creator/MelGibson film ''Forever Young'' was parodied as "Forever Silky", about a cryogenically-frozen pimp from 1971. |
| 307 | ** Justified in the Magenta Thompson sketches: in addition to her "biggest hits" (which were little more than bit parts) being roles from the 1970s, her first skit has her in a studio set befitting the decade, complete with a title card colored in orange, yellow, green, and purple backsplash. |
| 308 | * TypeCasting: [[invoked]] One character named Magenta Thompson was an actress who always had roles where she is always pushed aside and told by the pusher to "get out of my way, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch!]]" This happens even when she is a playing a coma patient, or a potential victim in the latest ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' film. |
| 309 | * UncleTomfoolery: |
| 310 | ** ''Black Like Me with Tom and Tom'' which pits the two titular black Smothers Brothers parodies usually against an {{Angry Black Man|Stereotype}}. |
| 311 | ** "Creator/RichardPryor Is ''Scared for No Reason''" is a RealTrailerFakeMovie mocking this trope as it applied to Pryor's movie career and the many "wacky panicking" scenes he played in them. "Richard Pryor is back, and he's more scared than ever!" |
| 312 | * VarietyShow |
| 313 | * VerbalTic: In Amy Fisher's "Band For Your Bucks" seminar, the phrase "Over here!" (in a thick Long Island accent) is said by every featured character, including the prison guard. |
| 314 | * VocalDissonance: The series ruthlessly mocks professional boxer and heavyweight champion Mike Tyson for this, exaggerating his soft-spoken and higher-pitched than average real-life voice to sounding like a squeaky SimpletonVoice. |
| 315 | * WalkingDisasterArea: The protagonist in ''The Exxxon Family'' is portrayed as this; he can't even get a simple cup of coffee without causing a huge mess in his own home. The ending of the segment then shows why: his "lunch" is a bottle of wine. |
| 316 | * WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: The tribal men in the "New Republic of Naganawanaland" skit are eager to have their way with appointed ambassador Margaret Linsford Hall. Thanks to her [[TrollingTranslator interpreter Mr. Mobutu]] teaching her a phrase to close her speech with. |
| 317 | -->"I am really turned on by black men who wear beads. You may all come to my quarters for a coconut oil party." |
| 318 | * WhereNoParodyHasGoneBefore: Jim Carrey plays Captain Kirk in two ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' parody sketches. "The Wrath of [Louis] Farrakhan" has them come up against the leader of the Nation of Islam, and the other skit has a now-geriatric Kirk and company trying to recapture old glories before the attendants from their nursing home catch up with them. |
| 319 | * WhosYourDaddy: In "Three Champs and a Baby", the baby belonged to a woman named Judy, whom they met at a New Year's party (and each slept with her at different times). So they decided to take turns raising the baby. |
| 320 | -->'''Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray:''' Ohhhhh, Juuuuudy. |
| 321 | -->'''Sugar Ray:'''Well, I suppose we should take turns with the baby, too. |
| 322 | * AWildRapperAppears: |
| 323 | ** Tommy Davidson plays one named Shawn in Snow's "Imposter" (and is quite angry over how he got famous for stealing from Rastafarians and says he's only there because "you need a black man to increase your credibility"). |
| 324 | ** Jamie Foxx portrays one in the spoof of Music/BobbyBrown's "Humpin' Around" featuring UsefulNotes/BillClinton. |
| 325 | * WorldOfHam: This is very much the spirit of the series and its performers, justified considering the [[VarietyShow environment they're in]]. Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier and Tommy Davidson were most likely to engage in this to the point of becoming HamToHamCombat. |
| 326 | * WorstWeddingEver: One ''Dysfunctional Home Show'' episode has Grandpa Jack's daughter getting married. In addition to him being drunk, he hates her [[MalignedMixedMarriage black husband-to-be and tries to attack him]], her own grandmother makes fun of [[ReallyGetsAround her wearing a white dress]], she's heavily pregnant ''and'' she gives birth to a ''[[ChocolateBaby white]]'' baby at the altar, prompting several men, including the reverend, to run out of the wedding after her husband angrily asks why the baby is white. |
| 327 | * YouAreFat: While appearing on ''You Bet Your Career'', Sinbad proceeds to make fun of Delta Burke for this, even making a joke of "What's the difference between Delta Burke and Delta Airlines, man? 20 pounds!" |
| 328 | * YourHeadAsplode: At the end of the "When A Man Needs A Big Hit" music video, when Music/MichaelBolton (played by Jim Carrey) hits an incredibly high note, his head explodes into several pieces. Even better is how some fans [[BlackComedy fight over a piece of his skullcap that landed in the audience.]] |
| 329 | * [[YourMom Yo Mama]]: The recurring game show sketch ''The Dirty Dozens'', where contestants use "Yo Mama" jokes against each other for cash and prizes. |
| 330 | ---- |
| 331 | -->''[[{{BrickJoke}} AAAAAAAAAH HAAAAAAAAA! Thank you very much!]]'' |
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