More than 200 episodes of “Beavis and Butt-head” ran on MTV between 1992 and 1997. This is like “Star Trek” coming back. And we may owe it all to ABC’s speedy cancellation of “The Goode Family” and the failure of “Extract” to significantly outperform “Office Space.”
Does this mean one day soon we’ll see Joel Hodgson or Mike Nelson cranking out fresh episodes of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” for Comedy Central?
It's strange to consider how much TV has changed since the arrival of the first incarnation of "Beavis" which hit MTV the same year "The Real World" did. When "Beavis" ceased production, reality TV was still a cable-confined novelty; "Survivor," "Big Brother," "American Idol," "The Bachelor," "Biggest Loser" and their ilk were still years in the future.
... whether they're causing headaches for others or just themselves, the two - and the show - remain very funny. It turns out that their brand of blunt but unexpectedly wise snark translates just as well to trashy reality shows as it did to trashy hair metal videos back in the day. ...
... The first segment is by John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, former executive producers of “King of the Hill,” and the second is by D J Javerbaum, formerly a writer for “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.” The first aims higher, with the duo mistaking a homeless man for a werewolf, and asking him to bite them so they too can be werewolves, and score dates. The second sketch is conceptually thinner but funnier, with Butt-Head mercilessly teasing Beavis for crying. ...
... this is a kind of American classic that goes right against the grain of what cartoons are supposed to be. Handmade and homely, slow and awkward, it evokes the awesome inertia of the bored teenager for whom life seems not endlessly promising, but merely endless....
... Having Beavis and Butt-Head tackle 21st century topics isn’t all bad. The premiere includes a pretty humorous story line that plays off pop culture’s obsession with vampires and werewolves. But I wouldn’t be surprised if, this time around, the line “This sucks, change it!” gets uttered more often by viewers than by the nose-picking, grunting characters who made it famous almost 20 years ago. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... may play around with the same type of bathroom humor but does it in a smarter, more satirical way. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... We laugh when the boys point out that all the people in the real-life teenage pregnancy shows seem to have their mouths agape all the time, but if you want to make fun of Snooki, just run a clip from "Jersey Shore." ... It definitely has its moments, but will its audience be restricted to just those who watched the show in the '90s or can it appeal to younger viewers? My money's tentatively on Judge making it work. He's proved himself a savvy filmmaker who builds his audiences by not pandering to them.
... Is the show still funny? Sure. But it now seems about as cutting edge and relevant as “Alf” or “Suddenly Susan.” ...
… works just OK. The problem is, there actually isn’t much of a need for the two dopes and their anti-wisdom anymore. Reality TV, not including all the contests shows, is a largely self-ironic genre. Everything from “The Real Housewives’’ franchise to “The Bachelor’’ has parody built into its core being, so that all the characters and situations are heightened to the point of spoofery. Most viewers are laughing at reality cast members like Snooki and the Situation - heh, heh - while simultaneously following them. …
... still a rowdy, guilty hoot … Judge's mumbling, "heh heh"-ing goofballs once again steal the show. …
10 p.m. Thursday. MTV.
