In the latter part of the ’90s, MTV continued its path set forth earlier in the decade. MTV now had an animation studio putting out new shows and a new anthology show producing new series as Liquid Television had previously done. The second half of MTV’s animation into the ’90s was just as successful and just as groundbreaking as the precious part of the decade had been, taking the generation they had inspired into the new millennium. Here are the best MTV animated shows from late in the decade!
Cartoon Sushi (1997–1998)
The successor to Liquid Television and a show that would launch the 2nd generation of MTV animation is Cartoon Sushi. The show aired from 97-98 for one season with 30-minute episodes. The show had a few notable cartoons that would spin off into series, Celebrity Death Match and Untalkative Bunny, the latter of which was mostly successful outside of the U.S.
Celebrity Deathmatch (1998–2002, 2006)
Throw a celebrity tabloid into a WWE ring and make it out of clay, and you get Celebrity Deathmatch. The show that had Marilyn Manson fight Charles Manson to the death. Created by Eric Fogel it ran for 6 seasons with 93 episodes.
Celebrity Deathmatch would take celebrity feuds and have them settle it in the ring where either celebrity won with the death of the other. Celebrity battles were sometimes modeled after real-life feuds or even took fictional characters into the ring. The series’ stories mostly revolved around the commentators who pushed the narrative of the fights. The commentators would also find themselves fighting in the ring sometimes. The animation was done with clay, and would often use this to be graphic with their kills, though graphic is another word for different colored clay usually.
Daria (1997–2002)
Daria was a character spun off from Beavis and Butt-Head on March 3, 1997, into her own show, Daria. The show ran until January 21, 2002, with 5 seasons and 70 episodes. The show had no involvement from Beavis and Butt-Head creator, and creator of the Daria character, Mike Judge, who signed the character over to MTV.
Not your typical high school girl, Daria is trying to navigate through the stereotypes of the rich town she lives in and the dysfunction of her family life. Daria often seems like the adult in any room, her classmates are juvenile, her sister is obnoxious, and her parents are too self-involved, but through it all, she maintains her cynicism. Thankfully, Daria has her best friend, Jane, to help her cope.
