"Mr. Mike's Mondo Video" was originally produced on videotape as an NBC television special that would have aired in place of "Saturday Night Live" during one of its live breaks. Because of the special's vulgar and tasteless content, NBC declared that it did not meet the network's programming standards and shelved it. Shortly thereafter, O'Donoghue met former NBC programming head Paul Klein at a party where the project was discussed; Klein was inspired to make a deal with NBC to pay the network the $300,000 it cost to produce the show in exchange for the rights to release it to movie theaters. The show was transferred from videotape to 35mm film for the release.