Which 90’s TV Show Inspired the Super Bowl Halftime Show?

August 24, 2022
12:49 pm

When you think of the Super Bowl halftime show, a favorite musical artist or performance may come to mind. In the past 30 years, we’ve seen some of the biggest names in music, from the most popular genres take the stage at the 50-yard line. However, the halftime show as we know it would not exist in its current format if it wasn’t for one sketch comedy show bold enough to go against the biggest sporting event of the year.

In Living Color – TV Show

With comedic powerhouses like The Wayans brothers, Jamie Foxx, and Jim Carrey, as well as launching the careers of other talents like Tommy Davidson, Rosie Perez, and Jennifer Lopez, it should be no surprise that the hit sketch comedy TV Show In Living Color could tackle such a tall task.

In years prior, the halftime show was reserved for marching bands, non-profit organizations, Disney characters, and even an Elvis impersonator. As seemingly unappealing as the halftime show was, it was considered rating suicide to go up against the biggest TV event of the year. So how did In Living Color pull it off?

A New Trend for the Halftime Show

With every sketch geared towards the big game or the NFL itself, In Living Color maintained a slow game (The then Washington Redskins were winning 17-0 at the half) as the star of the evening. A concept that other networks would follow over the years, such as Saturday Night Live, Glee, Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl, the Lingerie Bowl, and a variety of others. With a clock in the corner of the screen, viewers knew when to tune back into the game, but over 22% of the audience NBC had for the Super Bowl watched the full laugh-filled special on FOX. To cap off the program, chart-topping R&B group Color Me Badd performed. The halftime comedy special drew over 20 million viewers, catching a whole new audience, as well as the NFL itself, which would receive one of the highest-rated telecasts ever with the following year’s performer.

A smart move from the FOX network changed the course of one of the biggest stages an artist can perform on, and for 3 decades, we’ve come to expect each performance to outdo the last. What was your favorite halftime from over the years?

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