OK, I’ll save you from looking it up or razzing me in the comments section below: Yes, the first time I reviewed The State — whose 1993-95 entire run is out today on a chock-full DVD boxed set — I gave it a grade of C-. Yes, I was wrong. Sometimes a critic just has to own his own lack of perception; I failed you back then. I don’t know why I didn’t find the sketch below funny at the time; I do now:
Have I grovelled enough? OK. Now I can say I recently watched a lot of the hours and hours of State sketches and the astute/hilarious DVD commentaries, and I had a good time. Hardcore fans are complaining that the new The State: The Complete Series doesn’t have the original music — impossibly complicated and expensive music-permission problems prevented it — but chances are, you can get past the lack of songs by the Breeders and Marvin Gaye and still enjoy The State‘s acerbic humor. Plus, it’s fun to see Reno 911! stars like Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney in various character roles here, as well as the striking deadpan humor of Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter.
Which leads me to my next plug: Black and Showalter have a new Comedy Central series premiering tomorrow night called Michael and Michael Have Issues. The two play exaggerated (I hope) versions of themselves as petty egomaniacs, shown behind the scenes of the show we’re watching. It’s not as confusing as it sounds:
And for the record, I like Michael & Michael a lot. Their cranky attitude is impeccable, and their mock fights have the intensity of the way friends really fight, especially friends who are strained by having to work together: The show operates well as both comedy and as truth.
So: Were you a fan of The State? Does the DVD release interest you? Do you think you’ll check out Michael & Michael Have Issues?
YES, YES, and YES!!!!! I have been waiting for The State to come out on DVD for years. Easily one of the best things that MTV has ever put on the air!!!
I love the State. I can’t wait to watch the DVDs, they’ve taken so long to get here. BTW, I’m gonna stick my balls in it!
Where is Viva Variety? This is the sketch show that needs to be released on DVD.
The instructions say “Cook and chill.” And that’s what I do every night – I cook, then I chill. Awww yeah!
I’m very excited about this DVD FINALLY being available. It’s been a long time.
I still remember watching my bootleg tape over and over desperately hoping it would be released on dvd one day. My set came two weeks ago-i’ve been enjoying it ever since!
michael ian black is the guest on the daily adam carolla podcast today. of course hilarious, but alos pretty insightful. they talk about auditioning to replace craig kilborn, the state, michael and michael have issues, and of course, general absurdities.
I am so excited to finally be able to buy The State on DVD – i.e. one of the greatest sketch shows of all time – that I’m going to celebrate by also buying $250 worth of pudding… worth of pudding. Awwww yeah.
It’s great that we have the State on dvd finally but hey MTV where’s my Sifl and Olly? Sifl and Olly was one of the most creative shows to ever grace the small screen and we are long overdue for a dvd release of the show including the never aired third season. Come on MTV release it so I can once again be crescent fresh.
I remember watching a bunch of sketches on an old “Best of” tape one day in Econ class back in High School. “Tenement” was my favorite back then.
MTV can suck it. While this release gets fans closer to a true release… it’s still not the original!
I’ve been waiting for this day since it was first announced and mtv’s been playing re-runs that make me even more excited for this. The State is genius!!
I can’t wait for MAMHI, I love these guys. I hope it lasts longer than Stella.
http://www.joeonthetube.com
Funniest show ever! Every false set of plans MTV made to release it on DVD had me seriously battling an urge tohead to the corporate offices and go on a homicidal spree but…they finally made me the happiest girl on Earth by releasing it for real this time! The only problem is dogs have been howling for hrs and the yard is filled with dead birds due to the super sonic shriek I let loose when my copy arrived in the mail! Ooops!
The State was such a unique cult niche…it’s nice to see it back. TBTS wrote about the phenomenon too:
http://thebrowntweedsociety.com/2009/07/15/the-cult-of-the-state/
Is anything being done to resolve the issue of music replacement in future DVD releases? I HATE that the music is replaced on my season one DVD of “Life.”