Best MTV Shows of All Time: Music
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged brought iconic acoustic performances from everyone from Nirvana to Mariah Careyto Jay-Z (accompanied by The Roots) and beyond. The format allowed artists a new way to display their talents beyond the traditional music video or live concert format. Often, the reworked versions of their tracks became classics in and of themselves, with many of the recordings (including Carey’s, Tony Bennett’s and Rod Stewart’s, among others) going platinum. In fact, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album became the best-selling live album of all time. Check out some of the best-loved Unplugged renditions below. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0zwkhvOYXvtnBIb5bVTgOijM7H98ATnw
MTV Diary
MTV Diary gave an inside glimpse at the stars defining the period, with its Britney Spears episode resonating especially poignantly in a post-New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spearsera. Premiering in 2000, the documentary series showcased days in the lives of the era’s A-list, including Beyoncé, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Blink-182, Brandy, Kelly Clarkson, Aaliyah, Jay-Z and more, with its most recent editions focusing on intimate looks at Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. The series is known for the opening slogan: “You think you know…but you have no idea.”
Total Request Live (TRL)
Total Request Live (TRL) was basically the first time a lot of us were able to exercise our right to vote…for the top 10 music videos of the day. From stars meeting their fans in and outside of the Times Square studio to live performances and interviews, TRL was a major cultural moment, especially for boy bands, pop girls, hip-hop acts and pop-punk stars of the day.
Best MTV Shows of All Time: Comedy
The State
The State is one of the most underrated comedic gems ever, not just on MTV. Featuring the talents of Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio and Kerri Kenney-Silver, among others, the 1993 sketch show was the birthplace of future projects including Reno 911! and Wet Hot American Summer, and castmembers have gone on to also appear in series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
The Tom Green Show
The Tom Green Show is so iconic that it led TRL to retire videos, because “The Bum Bum Song (Lonely Swedish)” dominated the countdown so dramatically (and because Green himself said it was “unfair to 98 Degrees”). Tom Green was absurdist and shocking in his stunts, but he made fun of himself just as much as he mocked everything else.
The Andy Milonakis Show
The Andy Milonakis Show may have been even more absurd than The Tom Green Show. The titular Andy Milonakis delivered a more PG-version of comedy, featuring man-on-the-street segments in New York City’s Lower East Side (and later Los Angeles), animated shorts and celebrity guests including Lil’ Jon, Snoop Dogg, John Stamos, Sarah Silverman and more. He also had a pretty iconic theme song that’s guaranteed to get stuck in your head.
The Jon Stewart Show
Before The Daily Show, Jon Stewarthosted his own talk show on MTV. (The Jon Stewart Show was produced by The Daily Show co-creator Madeleine Smithberg!) The show was short-lived but memorable: He featured a slew of artists who didn’t typically get televised performances elsewhere (shoutout to the criminally underrated Letters to Cleo and Sunny Day Real Estate!). David Letterman, who rarely does interviews on TV, appeared on the show’s final episode and told Stewart that despite his show being canceled, it didn’t mean he failed. We’re so glad he listened.
Jackass
Listen, no matter how high-brow you think you are, you will have at least laughed at one scene from Jackass at some point. Co-created by its star, Johnny Knoxville, director Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine, Jackass combined hilarious pranks, gross-out stunts and the most brilliantly simple slapstick (remember the shopping carts?) to become a sensation, spawning several spinoffs and movies.
Punk’d
Ashton Kutcher, Dax Shepardand the rest of the Punk’d crew were instantly iconic for making their celebrity pals look absolutely foolish with their pranks. The premiere episode, in which Kutcher and his comrades convinced Justin Timberlake that his property and possessions were being seized due to unpaid income taxes, showed the crooner actually bursting into tears. Other targets included Miley Cyrus, Drake, Kim Kardashianand Taylor Swift.
Wildin’ Out
While Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out produced great insult and improv comedy in general, the series as a whole was worth it if only for this iconic moment, in which his then-wifeMariah Carey threatens to “shut all this s**t down.” Queen!
Best MTV Shows of All Time: Animated
Daria
Daria’s titular, iconic character’s famous phrase was, “I don’t have low self-esteem. It’s a mistake. I have low esteem for everyone else.” A spinoff of Beavis and Butthead, Daria Morgendorffer was every sarcastic, cynical and misanthropic teenage girl’s dream. The show examined suburbia and high school social classism in hilarious ways, and fans are in luck: A reboot based on student body president Jodie is in the works with Tracee Ellis Rossvoicing the titular fellow smartypants, and Daria herself is expected to be in the series. You can currently stream Daria on Hulu.
Beavis and Butthead
Low brow? Yes. Hilarious? Also yes. Beavis and Butthead follows two degenerates as they try to navigate high school (poorly), date (poorly), find jobs (poorly) and generally function (poorly). Aside from Mike Judge’s hysterically funny animation and characters, Beavis and Butthead also had music video segments akin to Mystery Science Theater 3000 thanks to the title characters’ commentary.
Liquid Television / Aeon Flux
Liquid Television was a series of oft-deranged animated shorts, the most famous of which was Aeon Flux, which spawned a movie spinoff starring Charlize Theron. The show also launched Beavis and Butthead and Office Space from animator and creator Mike Judge.
Celebrity Deathmatch
The ultra-violent Claymation of Celebrity Deathmatch could at times be hard to watch, but the absurdity trumped the gore and the result was simply great low-brow fun. A sendup of both celebrity culture and professional wrestling, one of the show’s highlights was its referee: Mills Lane, the legendary boxing referee turned judge, voiced himself for the series’ first-run from 1998 to 2002. Celebrity guests often voiced themselves, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Debbie Matenopoulos.
Best MTV Shows of All Time: Reality
Real World/Road Rules/The Challenge
The original reality show was MTV’s The Real World, and Road Rules and The Challenge spawned from it. Throwing strangers together in an often-tense living situation, whether in a cushy pad or an RV, has provided endless drama for decades. From early LGBTQIA+ representation to confronting harsh realities of systemic racism, MTV’s original reality series were constantly at the forefront of social issues on air. The added competition elements of Road Rules and The Challenge only upped the dramatic ante and still makes for great TV today.
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs was a look at how and where the other half lives. The series explored celebrity homes in all of their splendor, from pools to pantries to their car collections, and created a slew of viral moments (like Mariah Carey in her home gym and everywhere else) and taught us that rapper Nellyuses Charmin. Fan favorite moments were often glimpses inside stars’ refrigerators (especially 50 Cent’s, which was, of course, full of Vitamin Water).
True Life
True Life is one of the best documentary series of its time. Its harrowing and real depictions of everything from living below the poverty line to the dramas of owning a Jersey Shore timeshare to pets gone wild (check out Hamsome the pig!) were simultaneously entertaining, moving, infuriating and at times hilarious.
Jersey Shore
From grenades, T-shirt time, chicken cutlets, the rarest of roses and Sunday sauce, the meatballs and guidettes of Jersey Shore will never, ever die. Snooki, DJ Pauly D, The Situation, Vinny and the rest of the gang’s drunken hookups, duck phone arguments and general ridiculousness were a cultural moment, the likes of which we may never see again…except on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.
Teen Mom
Teen Mom and its spinoffs are part cautionary tales about the difficulties of teen parenting and importance of safe sex, part inspiration (those girls have been through the wringer and are still going!) and 100 percent guilty pleasure viewing.
Loveline
Sex education meets comedy with Loveline’s Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla. The show explored sexual health, domestic violence, addiction, consent and relationships at a time when most of those topics were still considered taboo. The original lineup was Pinsky and MTV VJ Riki Rachtman, but the viewership skyrocketed once comedian Carolla signed on to co-host with Pinsky, and the show was considered at its peak during that period.
The Osbournes
Ozzy Osbourne introduced the world to his family on The Osbournes, which put Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Jack Osbourne in the spotlight. The rocker’s domestic life was just as chaotic as his bat-biting onstage antics, and Ozzy later admitted he was stoned for the entire duration of the series. The family members also said some of the scenarios on The Osbournes were scripted (for example, the visit from a dog therapist), but that their reactions to those scenarios (usually in the form of screaming profanities) were genuine.
My Super Sweet 16
My Super Sweet 16 portrayed some seriously spoiled brats and proved that money really can’t buy happiness. Seeing whining, screaming teenagers lash out over the color of their brand new convertibles was a rare peek at how “the other half” live, and it was almost never flattering. Some stars, including Teyana Taylor, Bow Wow and Sean Kingston, had their own birthday parties featured on the show, which Black Mirrorcreator Charlie Brooker jokingly called “a stonehearted exposé of everything that’s wrong with our faltering so-called civilization.”
Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life
Kesha gives an inside look at her creative process, as well as at her personal life, in Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life. The singer covers everything from drinking her own pee (yes, really) to confronting Perez Hilton for bullying her and posting private photos of her on his blog. Like her music, the docuseries is raw, real and joyous, even in its darker moments.
Laguna Beach
If you’re anything like us, you’re hoping that Kristin Cavallariand Stephen Colletti will work it out. Laguna Beach brought Lauren Conrad and Cavallari to our lives, and the inside look at rich kids in California was addictive. Cavallari later said many of the storylines in the series were fabricated by producers to make her look meaner than she was, but that she had a genuine dislike for Conrad at the time. But she shared with Parade.com that she’d be open to a Laguna Beach revival!
The Hills
Conrad went on to star in Laguna Beach spinoff The Hills, which followed her move to Los Angeles to work in the fashion world. The show chronicled more drama and introduced the world to Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, which, well…may or may not have been for the best for everyone involved. The series was recently revived, showing the cast all grown up and starting families—with the exception of Conrad, who didn’t want to participate. Next, all hail the Queen of Pop with our ranking of the 100 best Madonna songs of all time!
