It might be hard to believe for those who weren’t around during the early years of the Super Bowl, but the popular halftime show used to be a pretty boring affair back in the day. Prior to 1993, we were usually treated to a mixture of marching bands, nostalgia acts, and drill teams. Leading up to the previous year’s Super Bowl, In Living Color star Keenen Ivory Wayans was quoted as saying, “I don’t know anyone who likes halftime except for the parents of the children marching on the field.” The reason Wayans was discussing the show was that he was preparing to take part in a broadcast that was about to go head-to-head with what CBS and the NFL had to offer that year.
You see, at some point, a marketing impresario by the name of Jay Coleman convinced the people at Fox to air a special episode of In Living Color—then in its third season—to compete with the annual halftime show on CBS. George Schweitzer, the former Chief Marketing Officer at CBS, found the idea “cute,” and believed that it would only appeal to people who watched In Living Color. However, with In Living Color offering a more exciting production and cut-rate prices for advertisers, Schweitzer was severely underestimating what the hit sketch comedy series was capable of. The show might not have drawn as many viewers as the NFL on previous occasions, but that was all about to change.
‘In Living Color’ Once Went Head-to-Head With the Super Bowl Halftime Show and Won Big
Jim Carrey kicked off the special broadcast by revealing a countdown clock at the bottom of the screen, promising viewers that they wouldn’t “miss any of the senseless brutality” once the game resumed. A series of football-themed sketches followed, including an appearance from Carrey’s Fire Marshal Bill character, as did a musical performance by Color Me Badd. In the end, a reported 22 million people switched over from CBS to Fox to catch In Living Color. Needless to say, the folks at CBS and the NFL were not thrilled with how things played out.
“This isn’t going to ever happen again,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Special Events Jim Steeg in response to the news. By March of that year, Steeg was meeting with Michael Jackson about performing in 1993. A record 133 million viewers tuned in to see him, changing the course of the Super Bowl halftime show forever. Just like that, with the addition of pop superstars at each year’s game, a segment that was once viewed as nothing more than filler suddenly became must-see TV.
You can check out the full In Living Color halftime special below.
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