These days, MTV rarely even plays videos or music related programming at all.  Instead, the station has opted to place their focus on terrible reality shows about knocked-up underprivileged teens and self-involved over-privileged teens.  This downfall started back in 1992 with the premiere of The Real World, which, in turn, helped to spawn the reality show craze that continues to poison television programming and culture at large.  It might be easy to forget now, but 120 Minutes and Liquid Television weren’t the only MTV original programs that were not complete trash throughout the 90s.  In fact, around the same time that The Real World first aired, the music channel was also taking a stab at launching a handful of now-historic comedy programs.  The original version of The Ben Stiller Show began with MTV, but later moved to the FOX network where it grew into a full-blown sketch comedy show, featuring the writing talents of Judd Apatow and future Mr. Show creators, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.  It ran one season before being canceled.  Jon Stewart also hosted a talk show on the network, but it was later syndicated out, replacing the old Arsenio Hall time slot.  That had an even shorter run.  Of all the shows that came out during this time period, however, my favorite was probably the sketch comedy show THE STATE.  The program starred  a comedy troupe of the same name that had found previous work recreating the details of viewer letters in MTV‘s You Wrote It, You Watch It, also hosted by Stewart.  Like the other programs, The State didn’t last very long, but the talent involved went on to create such shows as Viva Variety, Stella Comedy, Reno 911, and Michael & Michael Have Issues, as well as to be involved in Adult Swim programs like Super Jail and Childrens Hospital.  Sure, not all of those subsequent ventures by THE STATE troupe were necessarily “successful” hits either, but that doesn’t make them any less awesome.  Perhaps one of the most simultaneously unsuccessful and awesome attempts by the gang came with the 2001 film, Wet Hot American Summer.  Coincidentally, it’s also one of my favorites. Read the rest of this entry →