Here’s the first look at the new iteration of “Beavis and Butt-Head,” resurrected by MTV 14 years after the last episode aired. Judging from this clip, the only thing that’s changed is that Beavis and Butt-Head are now reacting to “Jersey Shore” and MTV reality shows instead of videos — a sensible (and very funny) development.

“I felt like TV was getting too smart,” says Mike Judge on the Comic-Con panel when asked why he’s bringing back the show…

Judge then screened the long version of the Beavis preview. It included segments taking on 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom and the Twilight films (where the duo try to find somebody to turn them into vampires to pick up girls). Fans went absolutely nuts over the footage, and it’s like the show had never been away. [EW]

For better or worse, it really does feel like the show hasn’t been away. Although the story segments of this clip — Beavis’s “Bungholio” alter ego is worshiped by a cult — didn’t feel as funny to me, I’m willing to admit that that’s because I’m in my 30s now, and not my teens. Fifteen years ago, the phrase “TP for my bunghole” would send me into fits of laughter. Now I need rape jokes. People change.

MTV officially (officially, officially) announced the return of “Beavis & Butthead” during the channel’s upfront presentation yesterday, relying on the cast of Skins and a tweet from Justin Bieber to spread the news.

“Solid day in NYC,” Canadian pop sensation and “Never Say Never” star Justin Bieber tweeted. “Played hoops and just went to the MTV Upfronts…BEAVIS and BUTTHEAD are coming back!!!”

Fun fact: he says the word “never” almost sixty times in the song “Never Say Never.”

Beavis and Butthead debuted on “Liquid Television” during the animated short “Frog Baseball” in 1992, then made it through 200 episodes of their own generation-defining/killing with fire show.  Justin Bieber debuted from his father’s womb at some point in 1994, then made a highly successful movie wherein he texts folks in 3-D.  Beavis & Butthead was spun off into “Daria,” which ran for six years.  Justin Bieber was spun off into Greyson Chance, who has lived for about six years.

In all seriousness, the return of Beavis and/or Butthead is starting to feel like the Arrested Development movie, where I’m excited for it, but will believe it when it happens.  Mike Judge should be making something I can watch every week again.  Mike Judge should be in charge of everything I watch.

[MTV]

Photo credit to someone’s awful DeviantArt page.

"If I was the last man on Earth I bet we could do it in public."

MTV is reportedly bringing back “Beavis and Butt-Head,” the slacker cartoon that (along with “The Real World”) helped the cable channel move away from playing music videos. Last week, it was reported that Mike Judge, the show’s creator, is working on 30 new episodes, while yesterday the New York Post confirmed MTV’s interest in resurrecting the show.

The new series would keep Beavis and Butt-head in their perpetual high-school state, but it would be updated so that the pals… could lob their snarky comments at more current targets like Lady Gaga. The show’s minimalist animated style is also expected to remain intact.

The return of “Beavis and Butt-head” will be a backdoor means for MTV to return to showing music videos — something the network was founded upon but abandoned in the last decade to make room for popular reality shows like “Laguna Beach,” “The Hills” and “Jersey Shore.”

Whoa whoa whoa… “Beavis and Butt-Head” coming back is pretty big news, but the lede was buried there. The real story is MTV is thinking about playing music videos again. That… that’s crazy. And by “crazy” I mean “sensible and welcome,” but it’s crazy that MTV might be moving away from its policy of making terrible programming decisions. What channel will I use as my whipping boy if not MTV? Oh right, TLC. Carry on then.

In two weeks, Fox ABC will debut a new animated comedy from Mike Judge called “The Goode Family.”  It’s basically “King of the Hill” but with liberal douchebags instead of regular folk.  From the show’s propaganda department:

True to their name, the Goodes are an infuriatingly smug and self-righteous bunch: a nuclear family that’s hell-bent on maintaining the world’s smallest footprint. Gerald and Helen Goode drive a hybrid and live by the tenet WWAGD (“What would Al Gore do?”). They’ve named their adopted African son Ubuntu (in a mix-up, he turned out to be white South African). They feed their pet vegan dog food (he sneaks out at night to eat woodland creatures).

It sounds like a good premise — there’s definitely a wealth of material to work with — but I’m not feeling it.  I don’t know if it’s just the animation I don’t like, or if the humor’s too broad or what, but I’m giving it a thumbs-down.  Hey, I’m a blogger, I get paid to rush to judgment.  Megan Fox sex tape!  Photoshopped!  Simpsons did it!

(thanks to wehavehair for the tip)