We just noticed that MADtv is off the air.

You probably need an explanation of exactly what MADtv was.

In the mid-1990s, as Saturday Night Live was struggling, Fox launched its own Saturday night comedy sketch show, MADtv. The difference from SNL was that it wasn't live... and it wasn't funny.

For even in its lean years (and oh boy, has SNL had its share of lean years in the past two decades), Saturday Night Live churned out memorable sketches, characters, and performances. MADtv... not so much.

What MADtv did do is come up with one-joke, annoying characters and then repeat them week after week, running that one joke into the ground, and just when you think they got to the end of the rope, they would find a few extra inches to hang themselves on.

Take Miss Swan, the Korean dry cleaner(?)/manicurist(?) played by zaftig Jewish comedienne Alex Borstein. Week after week, same stupid joke, same two tired lines repeated ad nauseum. Did people laugh? Did anyone actually find Miss Swan funny? And if so, could you please explain to us why?

Regardless, MADtv is now gone and it took us a year to notice. Meanwhile, Borstein has actually done pretty well for herself. She now plays Lois Griffin on Family Guy where she can now repeat other people's jokes over and over again.

This is progress?