TV Guise Fall Preview (Tom Koch) - Mad Special Number Eight - 1972 - 16 pages

This is the third Mad parody of TV Guide (See also Mad #34 and More Trash #6) but it is clearly not as good as the first two.  The tv-size book is an insert of new material for the reprint "Special" except that the back cover is a Kelly Freas drawing ("RGA Victim") from Mad #46.  The Koch parody consists only of synopses of new shows from the three networks and and a two-page "TV Tell-A-Tripe."  Apparently, NBC will have a sit-com with Lassie and Hitler, CBS will try to counter Hawaii Five-Oh with "Alaska Four-Nine," and ABC is banking on the success of "Monday Night Croquet."  Unfortunately, this TV Guise does not include the individual daily listings that are usually the funniest part of the parody.  Mr. Koch is an excellent writer  but he seems to have fallen into a rut of mediocrity with 21 new shows that are not really as odd as the current television fare.  However, it is interesting that Mad presaged Ugly Betty with its "Ugly Face" about "a career girl in the big city."  Methinks the Mad readers of 1972 have become the television writers of the 21st century. [JAM 3/28/2010]