MTV stopped living up to the "M" in its name so long ago that the joke, "I remember when MTV used to play music," is itself a relic at this point. For those that remember the network's '90s heyday, it marked the last time that great, original shows were able to coexist with hours of music video blocks. And while YouTube is the new-- and likely permanent-- home for music videos these days, MTV could still reinvent itself as a channel that has cool shows that aren't just about pregnant teenagers.
Full disclosure: A few of the shows on this list have been revived since the '90s, and some are said to have reboots currently in the works. But as long as a show originally existed in that decade and its supposed return has yet to happen, it was eligible for this list. If anything, we'd love for this list to be made obsolete, as that means these shows have already come back!
20 You're Standing On My Neck
Whereas Beavis and Butt-head perfectly captured one facet of '90s teens-- listless, easily-amused, and obsessed with rock music and greasy snacks-- spin-off Daria absolutely nailed the rest. And that show's brand of snarky, over-it angst would resonate just fine with disenfranchised Gen Zers, showing them they have more in common with their parents than they thought.
19 Mr. Show Plus Judd Apatow Equals...
Netflix's Mr. Show spiritual reboot, W/Bob & David, proved that sketch comedy stars from the '90s often still have plenty left to joke about. So the Bob of that show-- one Mr. Odenkirk-- should also reunite with old pals Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, and Andy Dick to revive the other '90s sketch show he was part of, The Ben Stiller Show.
18 Throw Us Another (Love)Line
If there is one thing that today's curious youth have way too easy of access to, it's misinformation about relationships and mental health. While Loveline has helped to fight that good fight on the radio for much of the past two decades, the young people who most need guidance want it in a visual format like MTV provided in the '90s.
17 She Is The Edge
It's a downright tragedy that the last time we entered the brilliant world of Aeon Flux and its titular anti-hero, it was via the disappointing live-action movie. So the planned live-action reboot series that got mentioned last year needs to be canceled before any more damage is done, and instead, we want another batch of animated episodes.
16 White And Nerdy
Every couple of years, comedy music legend "Weird Al" Yankovic would appear to take over MTV's broadcast signal for multi-hour blocks called AL TV, during which time he'd do comedy skits, play his videos, and most famously, conduct fake interviews with celebrities. With Yankovich not only still around but as popular as ever, more AL TV seems like a no-brainer.
15 And In This Claymation Corner...
Originally debuting as a one-off post-Super Bowl special, Celebrity Deathmatch would pit clay versions of celebrities against each other in ridiculous and brutal wrestling matches. It's exactly the kind of thing a lot of YouTube channels do now, meaning there's obviously an audience for this type of thing today. Let's get it on!
14 The Kind Of Show You Watch By Candlelight
For MTV viewers of a certain age, Undressed wasn't just one of those shows that you watched with your bedroom door closed, but it also introduced many people to the idea of different kinds of relationships that were largely absent from television at the time. A reboot was announced in 2018, but has yet to materialize. Fingers crossed.
13 United States Of Whatever
Speaking of TV shows that would later inform the kind of content that kids would flock to YouTube for, the "stars" of the bizarre sock puppet-based comedy series The Sifl and Olly Show have continued to exist in various forms on the internet since the show's 1999 cancellation. But we think they deserve a traditional series again.
12 MTV's Original Jackass
Once again, it's pretty apparent that MTV was way ahead of the curve in terms of the kinds of content that much of YouTube would later be built around, and that's especially true of prankster and provocateur Tom Green. Instead of Rob Dyrdek presenting other people's videos on MTV, The Tom Green Show should be there to make new ones.
11 Doug Needs To Come Back Heeeere
What do Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Reno 911!, Wet Hot American Summer, Party Down, Stella, and Children's Hospital all have in common? They are just a few of the movies and TV shows starring and/or created by the cast of MTV's groundbreaking sketch comedy series The State, which ended way too soon and is way overdue for a comeback.
10 Bring On The Popcorn
Showcasing early appearances by future stars Colin Quinn, Denis Leary, and a pre-SNL Adam Sandler, Remote Control was MTV's hilarious and quirky pop-culture game show the likes of which is seen far too seldom on TV now. We don't know about Sandler (unless it was on Netflix), but we'd bet Quinn and Leary would be down to return.
9 Late Night Animation Goes Gooey
Besides the fact that it brought us the original shorts of Beavis and Butt-head and Aeon Flux, animation anthology Liquid Television was just an awesome collection of cartoons (and some live action) that would help to inspire a generation of cartoons (especially the ones on Adult Swim). It was briefly revived in 2014, but deserves a long-term comeback.
8 Leave It To The Pros
The internet has empowered millions of people into writing, producing, directing, and starring in their own original content. Unfortunately, few are actually good at it. With that, we need a new version of You Wrote It, You Watch It, the Jon Stewart-hosted show where regular people's short-form ideas were brought to life by actual, talented professionals.
7 Read Their Lips
It's fun to watch famous people pretend to sing on The Tonight Show and Lip Sync Battle. But credit needs to be given where it's due: MTV's Lip Service did that exact thing way back in the early '90s (only with "civilians" instead). It's only fair that the originator should come back and get a piece of that pie.
6 Big Brain Academy
For a time, MTV was trying to be Adult Swim before Adult Swim was a thing, a place for prime-time animated series aimed at adults. Part of this endeavor was something called "MTV Oddities," which spawned a few shows, including The Head. The story of a man with an alien living inside his massive cranium, The Head's high-concept weirdness deserves another chance.
5 The Lights Are Much Brighter There
MTV's animated series Clone High is frequently featured on lists of shows canceled too soon, and we couldn't agree more-- though it running from 2002 to 2003 voids it from this list. However, a lesser-known one-season MTV animated wonder from the '90s is Downtown, which is every bit as deserving of a revival after being unfairly overlooked at the time.
4 You Film It, You Watch It
One of the many offshoots of the MTV News brand was UNfiltered, a show that focused on viewer-shot footage of smaller-scale issues and news stories that otherwise wouldn't have gotten the exposure they deserved. Sure, people can just upload that stuff themselves to the internet now, but it wouldn't get the same attention as being on a major cable network.
3 A Man And His Jungle Queen
The only other offspring of "MTV Oddities" to have any staying power was The Maxx, based on the comic series of the same name. While very of-its-time, a new version of The Maxx could still work for modern audiences if done properly. Channing Tatum is supposedly working on a movie adaptation-- consider us cautiously optimistic, heavy on the cautious.
2 Presented In Supermarionation!
In the tradition of campy, marionette-based shows like The Fabulous Thunderbirds-- and beating Team America: World Police to the punch-- the short-lived Super Adventure Team initially came and went without much attention but soon developed a cult following. It might just be weird enough to find a new audience if MTV gave it another chance.
1 Huh Huh, That Would Be Cool
The brilliance of Beavis and Butt-head is that it was equally enjoyed by both the people who were in on the joke and the people who actually identified with the show's titular slackers. The show's 2011 revival was excellent, though strangely short-lived. Creator and star Mike Judge seems more interested in a second movie than more TV episodes, though both would be ideal.