The Lasting Legacy of MTV’s ‘Liquid Television,’ The Show That Launched Mike Judge, ‘Aeon Flux,’ & More

In 1991, MTV was a juggernaut of cable television, still firmly in its music video era but beginning to experiment with original content. This was before the rise of reality TV, when shows like The Real World and Road Rules would eventually set the template for what was possible, and eventually take over the network.

At the time, much of MTV’s programming felt experimental. Colin Quinn and Ken Ober had recently concluded their roles as hosts of the network’s first game show, Remote Control, while The Ben Stiller Show had premiered the previous year, featuring a then-emerging cast that included Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo, and Bob Odenkirk. Meanwhile, Liquid Television, an avant-garde animation anthology, was preparing to make its debut.