The 13th season of Mad TV saw more changes in show format and cast members. Repertory players Ike Barinholtz, Frank Caeti, and Nicole Randall Johnson and feature player Lisa Donovan were let go from the cast. Johnny Sanchez joined the cast as a repertory player, while Dan Oster, Anjelah Johnson, and Daheli Hall were hired as feature players. The show format had also undergone major changes. Brian Fairlee giving an episode preview was phased out and replaced with the return of the cold opening sketches. John Crane and Bruce Leddy -- the series showrunners, head writers, and executive producers — directed most of the episodes. The show itself was relocated to a new studio in order to give the show the feel of a live event, due in part to FOX's extensive budget cuts and competition from Saturday Night Live and its growing popularity from The Lonely Island's "Digital Shorts" on that show. MADtv's pretaped sketches shown this season were very minimal, using little to no elaborate props, settings, or costumes. Between November 24 and February 2, MADtv became one of many scripted, current television shows to be put on hiatus due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Even though the strike did not end until February 12, 2008, three "new" episodes aired on February 2, February 9, and February 16. These "new" episodes were little more than pretaped sketches from canceled episodes and repeats of old sketches from seasons eight to ten. The show returned to its normal format on March 29, 2008. This season was also the first of only two seasons to have "Best of..." clip shows a la Saturday Night Live, four of which aired prior to the show's official season premiere: Mad TV Ruined My Life, Survivor: Mad TV, I Want My Mad TV, and Mad TV's Most Wanted. Notable celebrity appearances this season include: Carlos Mencia, Neil Patrick Harris, Dave Novarro, John Reep, Kathy Griffin, Serena Williams, and former MADtv cast members Debra Wilson and Mo Collins.
Opening montage
The opening title sequence for season thirteen has been dramatically redesigned. Rather than show pictures of the cast, the cast are seen around Los Angeles, similar to how Saturday Night Live has opening sequences featuring its cast members around New York City. The original Mad TV song used for the previous twelve seasons has been completely replaced by an instrumental rock guitar version. The show also has a new announcer.
