By Robert Scucci
| Revealed
The Dana Carvey Present is an interesting watch as a result of it was fearlessly forward of its time, however it’s additionally so topical that it will probably actually solely perform as a relic of the previous. When it debuted in 1996, it was thought-about so unhinged and unwholesome that it couldn’t even end its one-season run earlier than getting pulled from ABC, airing solely eight of its deliberate 10 episodes. Wanting again at it at this time, it performs like fairly normal fare. It’s offensive and edgy, however in that “I can’t imagine they obtained away with this within the 90s” form of manner.
Let me clarify. The Dana Carvey Present aired on Thursday nights at 9:30 pm, proper after one of many biggest household sitcoms of all time, House Enchancment. Sponsors weren’t comfy kicking issues off with a Mature Audiences disclaimer as a result of they apprehensive it will alienate viewers.
What they didn’t anticipate was that the primary sketch of the premiere episode, depicting Invoice Clinton breastfeeding a child doll and a number of other barnyard animals with a chest filled with prosthetic nipples, would do all of the heavy lifting in scaring away potential audiences and sponsors. Mission completed.
Edgy 90s Liberal Boomer Humorous, Not Haha Humorous
Like most sketch reveals that lean arduous into topical humor, The Dana Carvey Present lives and dies by the information cycle. Carvey delivers his takes on Invoice Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Jay Leno, H. Ross Perot, and an extended listing of political and superstar figures. It’s humorous within the second if you happen to’re actively dwelling by means of the information cycle it’s roasting, however it’s additionally the form of humor that doesn’t have a lot endurance. Tuning into The Dana Carvey Present in 2026 particularly for these sketches can really feel underwhelming as a result of topical humor hardly ever transcends generations the way in which extra evergreen materials does.
South Park’s most up-to-date seasons fell into this entice as nicely, pulling in big viewership numbers for headline-driven episodes which might be met with blended critiques later. It’s not that the jokes aren’t humorous, they simply don’t at all times age gracefully as a result of the context of its humor evaporates over time.
The Dana Carvey Present really shines when it leans into its extra absurd and surreal instincts. Sketches like “Grandma the Clown,” “Waiters Who Are Nauseated by Meals,” “Skinheads from Maine,” and “11 O’Clock Information That’s Straightforward to Take” nonetheless work as a result of they stand on their very own. There’s no have to lampoon no matter dominated the headlines that week in these bits, which is why the comedy nonetheless lands a long time later. There’s materials popping out at this time with related sensibilities, and these sketches really feel proper at house alongside it.
My private favourite recurring sketch includes two painfully silly pranksters, portrayed by Dana Carvey and Steve Carell. The pranksters roll as much as a drive-thru or a film ticket counter, pay for or service whereas attempting to not chuckle, then dash away laughing like lunatics as if they simply pulled off the heist of the century.
Because the episodes progress, the bits escalate, culminating within the duo paying a prostitute $300 for a threesome, solely to bolt from the room cackling and congratulating themselves for being comedy geniuses. It’s juvenile and ridiculous, however that’s what makes it so humorous. It’s two grown males taking part in a modified model of ding dong ditch and having the time of their lives, and that’s all it ever must be.
Sponsors And Time Slot Had been The Present’s Undoing
Had The Dana Carvey Present aired at 11:00 pm on a Friday night time as a substitute of closing out ABC’s Thursday primetime lineup, its destiny might need been very totally different. Every episode blatantly named its company sponsor, as in The Mountain Dew Dana Carvey Presentwhich made advertisers understandably nervous given the present’s willingness to push buttons. PepsiCo, Inc. sponsored the primary 5 episodes, however its restaurant associates, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, had been instantly turned off by the sequence premiere’s opening sketch, reportedly pulling out of a deal that may have introduced in roughly $600,000 per episode.
The Dana Carvey Present felt doomed from day one, however I’m glad it nonetheless exists on streaming. It helped put Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert on the map, and it launched Robert Smigel’s Ambiguously Homosexual Duowhich might later discover a everlasting house on SNL as a recurring animated phase. For a present that hardly survived eight episodes, its comedy tree has surprisingly deep roots.
Whereas I’m normally turned off by hyper-topical humor, I’d nonetheless advocate The Dana Carvey Present to any sketch comedy fan with the persistence to attend for the really timeless bits sprinkled all through its run. And if you happen to’re curious in regards to the chaos behind the scenes, 2017’s Too Humorous to Fail is important viewing. Everyone concerned with The Dana Carvey Present speaks fondly about what went into its manufacturing, how the sponsors reacted, and the way ABC ended up airing The Weight-reduction plan Mug Root Beer Dana Carvey Present instantly after a heartwarming House Enchancment episode through which Randy faces a most cancers scare. It’s a type of uncommon cases the place the humor surrounding a sequence’ controversies is extra memorable than the present itself.
The Dana Carvey Present is at present streaming without cost on Tubi.