By By Jim Shea
Forget about “The Simpsons”-MTV helped garner a new age of cartoons geared towards mature audiences. While “The Simpsons” debuted before Mike Judge’s “Beavis & Butthead,” more people targeted “Beavis & Butthead” as one of the shows children should not watch. Once in awhile reruns of the notoriously crude show air on MTV or Comedy Central, but now one can relive the adventures of “Beavis & Butthead” with the new Beavis & Butthead Vol. 1-The Mike Judge Collection DVD.
“Beavis & Butthead” follows the life of two teenage dopes that cause havoc wherever they go. In their spare time, the two boys sit on the couch and share their “feelings” on a wide range of music videos the Rolling Stones to Pantera, Alice Cooper and Michael Bolton.
This three disc set features 40 classic episodes including “Washing the Dog,” “Walkathon,” “Late Night with Butthead” and the ever popular, “Great Cornholio.” Also, 23 of the 40 episodes on the collection are featured as director’s cut versions.
Along with the main feature, there is a 27-minute documentary on the show, holiday segments featuring Beavis and Butthead and plenty of extras to keep you busy.
Probably the most obvious advantage of owning this DVD set for a typical fan of “Beavis & Butthead” is the absence of commercial interruptions. No longer will you have to endure cliffhangers followed by five minutes of commercials.
However, immediately watching all of the episodes is not suggested, as it is easy to quickly burn out on the DVD. This is perhaps because “Beavis & Butthead” pushed the boundaries when the show first came out on MTV, but now it’s somewhat of an afterthought, since cartoons have gotten “raunchier” these past couple of years.
It’s interesting to point out that “Beavis & Butthead” made their debut as a five-minute short on MTV’s “Liquid Television”-a show where “Aeon Flux” and “Celebrity Deathmatch” first debuted. Who knew an animated short by Mike Judge would soon spark into a cult series that would change an entire generation of television comedy?
Judge stopped making new episodes in 1996, but the legacy of “Beavis & Butthead” lives on. A decade later, television viewers are now embracing vulgarity in their cartoons, as seen in “Family Guy,” “South Park” and Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim.”
With this three-disc DVD collection, fans of “Beavis & Butthead” couldn’t ask for more. All of your favorite antics are included in this special DVD set, so don’t miss out on Beavis & Butthead Vol. 1- the Mike Judge Collection.
Just don’t be shocked if you hear Beavis & Butthead’s distinct chuckles wafting through the dorms in the next couple of days.
Final Grade: B