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Beavis and Butt-Head aren't acting their age. The undynamic duo, who first took up space on their ratty couch in 1993, are returning to MTV with a few modern touches -- they work at a tech support center and attempt to become werewolves after watching "Twilight"-- but, for the most part, they're still stuck in their same horny, lazy, stupid world.
They really didn't reflect their era much to begin with, said creator Mike Judge, who thought he had retired the characters for good in 1997, shortly after the big-screen movie "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America." "I mean, they were wearing AC/DC and Metallica T-shirts and everyone thought it should be Pearl Jam. Plus, those hairdos weren't really of that particular time, either."
Judge, who also voices both characters, was persuaded to bring back the cackling pair after getting a call last year from MTV President Van Toffler. Judge had just finished a 13-year run with "King of the Hill" and Toffler thought that Beavis and Butt-Head still had something to say, however inane.
"I've seen a lot of animated shows getting developed, and I just started thinking I had a couple of pretty good characters still there," Judge said. "I thought, 'Maybe I should just do it while I still can.' I think it still works."
The show still has the eternal boys hurling sarcastic comments at music videos, including Benny Benassi's "Satisfaction" and T-Baby's "It's So Cold in the D." But this time around, B&B will also poke fun at MTV reality shows like "Jersey Shore" and "16 and Pregnant," a twist suggested by Toffler.
Judge said they tried making fun of "The Real World" in the 1990s, but it just didn't click. This time, he believes, reality shows deserve to be sliced and diced.
One other difference: The temperature of the country. The original series took heat from groups like Morality in Media for its sexual overtones and mindless violence. But in an era of "South Park" and "Family Guy," don't expect Beavis and Butt-Head to represent everything that's wrong with America this time around.
"I think the original show came on right in this pocket of time when it seemed like there was no news. I think the [Berlin] wall had just come down in Europe and all of sudden, people had time to talk about TV being too violent and too whatever," Judge said. "I think those kinds of groups have probably got bigger fish to fry nowadays."
njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431 • Follow Justin on Twitter: @nealjustin
