Now, Isn’t That Special? Taco Bell Says Hardly

Taco Bell Corp. and the Church Lady are getting a quickie divorce.

Less than 24 hours after the “Taco Bell Dana Carvey Show” made its debut on prime time network television, the fast-food company on Wednesday served notice to ABC-TV that it was pulling the corporate plug on Carvey’s irreverent brand of humor.

Within hours, Pizza Hut, which had signed on as title sponsor for one upcoming show, followed suit. And, in an unusual move, ABC executives on Wednesday issued a statement acknowledging that “portions of the premiere episode went too far. We will be more careful in the future.”

However, Pepsi-Cola Co., which signed on as sponsor for three upcoming shows, is not dropping out.

“Our only comment is that there’s only been one episode, so it’s really too early to know whether or not the show works for our brands,” Pepsi-Cola spokesman Brad Shaw said Wednesday. “So we’ll stay tuned.”

All three companies are units of PepsiCo Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., but each company made an independent decision on sponsorship.

Tuesday night’s show, which won its time slot by attracting viewers in 13.6 million homes--opened with a relatively light-hearted comedy skit that included several playful pokes at Taco Bell’s corporate sponsorship. Carvey cavorted with actors, one dressed as a taco and one as the company’s trademark bell.

In addition to playing its regular commercials, Taco Bell had agreed to let its name and image be used during the show. Sources said Taco Bell wasn’t bothered by being parodied by Carvey as much as it was offended by the content of other skits.

But the half-hour comedy show quickly reverted to the irreverent style that Carvey honed as a featured player in NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live” from 1986 to 1993. And, in the process, Carvey’s humor catapulted ABC and Taco Bell into the growing debate over what’s appropriate fare for the nation’s television airwaves.

At one point, during an impersonation of President Clinton in a skit about campaign promises, Carvey unbuttoned his shirt and exposed three fake sets of breasts, while pretending to suckle two dogs and a cat.

During another segment that ripped GOP presidential candidates, Carvey’s ersatz Pat Buchanan made several derogatory references to Mexican immigrants. And, a “top ten” list of new names that Carvey suggested for England’s Princess Diana included the words “slut” and “whore.”

While the humor wasn’t likely to stun “Saturday Night Live” devotees, it apparently surprised executives at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

“I think the content took everyone by surprise,” Pizza Hut spokesman Chris Romoser said. Maybe it’s a case of what works at 11:30 on Saturday night doesn’t work at 9:30 on a weeknight. The show may very well go on to be a big hit, but we’re no longer comfortable as a title sponsor.”

Similarly, Taco Bell spokeswoman Amy Sherwood wished Carvey well, but quickly added that her company had dropped its remaining three shows. “The format of his show doesn’t work for Taco Bell as title sponsor,” she said, “and we’ve let ABC know that we will not continue as the title sponsor.”

ABC executives said that they fully expect the show to return next Tuesday with a full slate of corporate sponsors. As for the questionable material, ABC’s news release suggested that “there are always risks involved in spontaneous sketch comedy.”

Pepsi-Cola intends to go forward with its three shows, including the “Mug Root Beer Dana Carvey Show” that’s slated to run Tuesday.

The half-hour comedy skit marked another chapter in the career of Carvey, who moved from “Saturday Night Live”--where he drew strong reviews for his Church Lady and Wayne’s World skits--to Hollywood, where he appeared in several feature films.

Ironically, ABC executives had earlier pitched the unusual blend of Carvey’s humor and the corporate sponsorships as a way to satirize the growing trend toward corporate names popping up on televised sports shows.

Carvey also had hinted before the show ran that he intended to stretch the limits: “I’m amazed at the bowl games and events that willfully add the sponsor’s name to the title. Doing it on a satirical sketch show is a ridiculous idea whose time has come.”

USC marketing professor Mike Kamins suggested that the PepsiCo subsidiaries knew full well that Carvey’s brand of humor could be viewed as offensive and that corporate executives at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut “should have known what they were walking into.”

“This kind of stuff is what Carvey does,” Kamins said. “What surprises me is that they’d say they were surprised. . . . Maybe they feel that all of the controversy will serve them well.”

Kamin added that advertising controversies are not new for Pepsi-Cola: “I mean, with Michael Jackson and Madonna, they’ve just about seen it all.”