Beavis and Butt-head (TV program)
"Beavis and Butt-Head" is an animated television series created by Mike Judge that originally debuted on MTV in 1993, following its introduction through a short film called "Frog Baseball." The show features two rude and dim-witted teenage slackers, Beavis and Butt-Head, who spend their days watching television and commenting on music videos, particularly hard rock and metal. The series quickly gained popularity, becoming MTV's highest-rated program and sparking significant controversy due to its crude humor, depictions of violence, and use of profanity. This controversy led to various censorship efforts and sparked broader debates about television content and U.S. pop culture at large.
Despite these challenges, "Beavis and Butt-Head" maintained a strong following and expanded into other media, including comic books, video games, and a feature film titled "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America," released in 1996. The franchise also inspired a spinoff series, "Daria," and contributed to Judge's later success with other projects like "King of the Hill." After a revival season in 2011 and ongoing interest, the series saw a new film, "Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe," released in 2022, along with a new season on Paramount+. The show's unique blend of humor and social commentary continues to resonate with audiences.
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Beavis and Butt-Head (TV program)
Type of work: Television program
First broadcast: 1993
Creator: Mike Judge (1962- )
Significance: This satirical cartoon show became both popular and highly controversial during its original run from 1993 to 1997. Though well received by many critics, it also heightened the debate over violence on television when it was blamed for inciting children to imitate dangerous behaviors that it depicted. Considered an icon of 1990s pop culture, the show spawned multiple films, spinoffs, and revivals.
The characters Beavis and Butt-Head first appeared in a short film called Frog Baseball, created by musician and budding filmmaker Mike Judge for MTV's Liquid Television animation spotlight feature in 1992. That work established many of the signature aspects of the cartoon duo: rude, dim-witted teen slackers who spend most of their time watching television and occasionally engage in violent or otherwise antisocial behavior. MTV subsequently ordered a regular series based on the characters. The show would largely continue the style of Frog Baseball, adding a focus on the duo's commentary on music videos and love of hard rock and metal. Judge voiced both Beavis and Butt-Head as well as many of the other characters to appear in the show.
Beavis and Butt-Head was the highest rated program on MTV almost as soon as it began in 1993. It was also the most controversial. Some critics praised its satire; others reviled its crudeness. Many were shocked by its violence, profanity, and sexual and scatological humor. The show's edgy nature fed into broader debate over television content and even the direction of US pop culture in general, as there was significant conservative backlash against a perceived rise in depictions of violence, profanity, and sexuality. This controversy led to several high-profile censorship efforts.
The first serious attempt to force Beavis and Butt-head off the air began when retired broadcasting engineer and lottery winner Dick Zimmerman attributed the death of a cat that had been killed by a firecracker to the broadcast five days earlier of a Beavis and Butt-Head episode in which the characters had discussed cats and firecrackers. Zimmerman offered a five-thousand-dollar reward for the capture of the cat killers, and he started a letter-writing campaign against the program. MTV pulled the cat episode from the air, along with three other controversial episodes.
Perhaps the best-known incident involving Beavis and Butt-Head was reported in October, 1993, when an Ohio woman said that her five-year-old son set a fire that killed his two-year-old sister after he had watched Beavis and Butt-head set fires on their television show. MTV responded to the controversy by banning references to setting fires from the program. (Although Judge would toy with this rule by having Beavis often yell words sounding similar to "fire.") MTV also moved the show’s broadcast time to late evening and began running disclaimers before each episode.
Despite such scandals, Beavis and Butt-Head remained popular through its initial seven-season run. The lead characters, with their distinctive snickering laughter and lowbrow humor, became staples of American pop culture. The franchise also spread into other media, such as a comic books and video games. The feature-length film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, directed by Judge, was released in theaters in 1996 to positive reviews and major commercial success. The spinoff series Daria, created without Judge's involvement, aired from 1997 to 2002. Judge, meanwhile, went on the co-create another acclaimed animated series, King of the Hill, which debuted in 1997. He also directed live-action films such as Office Space (1999) and Idiocracy (2006) and appeared as an actor in various other projects.
Judge revived Beavis and Butt-Head for an eighth season that aired on MTV in 2011. Rumors of further revivals circulated for years before plans were officially announced in 2020. The film Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe then appeared in 2022, earning strong reviews, and was followed by a ninth season that premiered that same year on the streaming service Paramount+. Another season aired in 2023.
Bibliography
O'Neal, Sean. "Deep In the Heart of Beavis & Butt-Head." Texas Monthly, July 2022, www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/mike-judge-beavis-and-butt-head-return/. Accessed 23 June 2023.
Petski, Denise. "'Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head' Gets Season 2 Premiere Date on Paramount+; Watch Teaser." Deadline, 8 Mar. 2023, deadline.com/2023/03/mike-judges-beavis-and-butt-head-season-2-premiere-date-paramount-plus-teaser-watch-1235282803/. Accessed 23 June 2023.
Ruskell, Nick. "'Beavis and Butt-Head' Were the Greatest Music Critics Who Ever Lived." Vice, 14 Aug. 2020, www.vice.com/en/article/5dzqwx/beavis-and-butt-head-were-the-greatest-music-critics-who-ever-lived. Accessed 23 June 2023.
Slotkin, Jason. "MTV Is Turning 40. Here's How Beavis, Butt-Head and Daria Upended TV Animation." NPR, 30 July 2021, www.npr.org/2021/07/30/1022642071/mtv-beavis-butthead-daria-aeon-flux-liquid-television. Accessed 23 June 2023.
Zinoman, Jason. "The '90s Cartoon That Mattered? 'Beavis and Butt-Head.' (Fight Me.)" The New York Times, 4 Oct. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/10/04/arts/television/beavis-and-butt-head.html. Accessed 23 June 2023.