Is Frank Caliendo funny?

Frank Caliendo—who grew up in Waukesha and attended UW-Milwaukee—is fast becoming one of our nation's most popular impressionists. (Imagine Rich Little having sex with himself and having a baby, and you have the right idea.) After getting his start on MADtv, Caliendo saw his stock rise as the go-to impressionist on FOX's pre-game football show. His ability to make Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long laugh their asses off apparently impressed the people at TBS, who gave Caliendo his own sketch comedy show, Frank TV.

Now that Caliendo is coming back to Wisconsin Sunday for a show at Overture Hall, Decider has to ask: Is this guy actually funny? We honestly don't know. MADtv might be the worst thing to happen to comedy since Larry The Cable Guy's dad forgot to pull out of Larry The Cable Guy's mom, so we never watched him on that show. All we've seen of Frank TV are those awful, ubiquitous "Very Funny!" commercials that air on TBS every 10 seconds. Based on the premise that commercials are intended to sell products by showing us the best they have to offer, we can safely conclude that Frank TV is not, in fact, "Very Funny!" or "Funny!" or "Amusing!" or even "Watchable!" It looks more "So tedious it can't even be enjoyed ironically!"

But commercials alone can't be used to determine whether Caliendo is funny. Nope, you have to go the full Frank. So, here is a clip of Caliendo doing one of his most famous impressions, John Madden.

Accuracy of impression: Startling. It starts off with  "John Madden here,"  which is exactly how the real John Madden introduces himself. Caliendo then references Ace Hardware, being afraid of flying, Madden's popular video game, and "Boom!" just to make the overwhelming John Maddenness of his impression a touch more obvious.

Comedy score (on a five-laugh scale): 2. Caliendo kicks like a Rockette, which is sort of funny, because, you know, John Madden is fat. Also, who doesn't love a good Donald Trump/Rosie O'Donnell joke? Or a a hilarious zinger about Michael Strahan's divorce settlement?

Now we need a control group, which is pretty easy to find after you search for "John Madden impression" on YouTube. Here's Funnyman No. 1.

Accuracy of impression: Poor. Is John Madden from the south? Does he reference George Clinton? Can't we get one "Boom!"?

Comedy score (on a five-laugh scale): 3. Honestly, aren't horrible impressions funnier than good ones?

Here is Funnyman No. 2, Mr. Alessandro Mineo.

Accuracy of impression: Hit and miss. Like the real John Madden, Mineo wears headphones and sketches out football plays. Unlike the real John Madden, Mineo resembles a skinny teenager who desperately needs a haircut.

Comedy score (on a five-laugh scale): 4. This sketch, while a little long, was far more tolerable than an episode of MADtv. Also, ninjas always equal laughs.