"The Effect of Beavis and Butthead Doing America"

One would be surprised what they find on MTV2 throughout the course of the day. Since MTV2 doesn't even play music videos anymore, I usually don't give them more than a second look, but today I noticed something on there that I haven't seen in many years since my youth: "Beavis and Butthead."

Many would say this show was for people as dumb as the two main characters, but it should be credited as what it truly was, a pop culture phenomenon that crossed boundaries and innovated television. "Beavis and Butthead," in its 7 seasons from 1992-1997 paved the way for many coveted shows that followed it on network and cable television. "King of the Hill" was a direct incarnation coming from "Beavis and Butthead" creator Mike Judge. "South Park" pushed these precedents set by "Beavis and Butthead" when it first aired in the summer of 1997, ironically, a few months prior to the final episode of B&B. It could be viewed historically as a torch passing of mockery on pop culture of two groundbreaking cartoons.

A show so massively popular now as "Family Guy" would never have eased its way into American living rooms on Sunday evenings had it not been for B&B. Without the show, there might not even be a place on cable TV today for Beavis and Butthead. Sure, many will argue that a show like "The Simpsons" paved way for "Family Guy," as they both share Fox as a network, but take a closer look.

Think of the "Family Guy" episode from a few years back, "The Thin White Line." The Griffin's martini-loving dog Brian becomes a drug sniffing dog and then develops a cocaine addiction because of his job. Does that sound like anything out of "Simpsons," with the exception of the rarely aired episode where Homer becomes addicted to medicinal marijuana. That "Family Guy" episode sounds more along the lines of a two part "Beavis and Butthead" episode from 1993 titled, "Way Down Mexico Way." The boys cross the border into Mexico, in hopes of getting their hands on illegal fireworks. Chaos ensues, and they are then forced to smuggle drugs back into the country by swallowing them; the subject matter of these two episodes would be taboo in "The Simpsons" universe.

Watching the pair now, over ten years later, makes you appreciate the bits where they watch very dated music videos. I don't know why, but them referring to a musician with a dimple in his chin as a guy God gave two butts to is hilarious; maybe it's just a result of my lack of sleep, who knows.

The animated film, "Beavis and Butthead Do America," from 1996 is probably a more embraceable platform to view these pop culture delinquents, as it has a clever plot, is hilarious, and was actually received well by critics when it was released. That film was also a springboard for the eventual "South Park" film that would come some years later as well.

Mike Judge, along with "King of the Hill," would also go on to write and direct the cult comedy classic "Office Space," and another comedy that fell even deeper into the cracks, "Idiocracy." Starting in 1993, though, while shows like "Full House" and "Family Matters" dominated network television, he innovated what we would come to see in comedic television to this day.