"Lowered Expectations" is one of MAD TV's most iconic and enduring recurring sketches that debuted in Season 1, Episode 5. The sketch is a parody of 1990s video dating services, featuring desperate and chronically rejected singles with comically low standards searching for romance. Presented in the style of cheesy dating show commercials complete with a memorable jingle, each installment showcases various hopeless romantics with increasingly bizarre and off-putting personal ads. The sketch format presents numbered "clients" (like #574 Hank, #289 Nestor, etc.) introducing themselves with awkward and often uncomfortable personal descriptions that highlight why they need a service for people with "lowered expectations." The tagline that became synonymous with the sketch is: "Chronically rejected singles: You've tried the rest, now settle for what you can get."
