Watch The Dana Carvey Show

The Dana Carvey Show was a sketch comedy show that aired for only seven episodes in 1996 on ABC before being cancelled due to low ratings. However, despite its short lifespan, the show has since gained a cult following for its edgy and irreverent humor. The show was created by Dana Carvey, a well-known comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member, and Robert Smigel, a former writer and producer for SNL and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The cast included a mix of established and up-and-coming comedians, including Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Elon Gold, Bill Chott, Peggy Shay, and Heather Morgan.

The Dana Carvey Show was known for its absurdist humor and willingness to push boundaries. One of its most infamous sketches was a fake commercial for "The Ambiguously Gay Duo," a cartoon superhero duo who were clearly in a romantic relationship with each other. The sketch, which was animated by Smigel and voiced by Carvey and Colbert, earned controversy for its homosexual themes and was eventually adapted into a recurring segment on Saturday Night Live.

Other notable sketches included "Waiters Who Are Nauseated by Food," a parody of food shows in which the waitstaff vomit at every course; "Skinheads from Maine," in which a group of racist skinheads turn out to actually be Jewish; and "Lorne and Tom," a sketch in which Carvey and Smigel played Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels and producer Tom Davis as bumbling fools.

Despite its reputation for edgy humor, The Dana Carvey Show was also notable for its more straightforward sketches, which often relied on wordplay and slapstick humor. Carell, in particular, was known for his physical comedy skills, which were on full display in sketches such as "The Diet Mug Root Beer Twins," in which he played a pair of conjoined twins attached at the waist.

The show also featured musical performances by popular bands such as Green Day and Weezer, as well as oddball musical acts like "The Folksmen" (a parody folk trio played by Carvey, Smigel, and guest star Harry Shearer) and "The Dancing Food," in which animated food items danced along to popular songs.

Despite its talented cast, The Dana Carvey Show struggled to find an audience during its brief run. Its controversial humor and odd timeslot (it aired on Tuesday nights at 9:30pm) likely contributed to its low ratings. However, the show's influence can be seen in the work of its cast and crew, many of whom went on to achieve great success in comedy. Carell, Colbert, and Smigel all later worked on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, while Carell went on to star in The Office and Colbert hosted The Colbert Report.

Today, The Dana Carvey Show is remembered as a groundbreaking and ahead-of-its-time comedy program that was both beloved and misunderstood. Despite its small audience, it had a huge impact on the world of comedy and continues to be studied and appreciated by fans of edgy and irreverent humor.

The Dana Carvey Show is a series that ran for 1 seasons (8 episodes) between March 12, 1996 and on Sony