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Jul 13, 2023

Beavis and Butt

Paramount+'s revival of everyone's favorite '90s-era slackers has completed its initial two-season order. Will we see more of Beavis and Butt-Head? Uh-huh huh huh. Paramount. Everyone's favorite

Paramount+'s revival of everyone's favorite '90s-era slackers has completed its initial two-season order. Will we see more of Beavis and Butt-Head?

Uh-huh huh huh. Paramount. Everyone's favorite teenage slackers from the '90s are back on our screens once again. But for how much longer? Beavis and Butt-Head originally ran on MTV from 1993 to 1997. Viewers' love of the boys' lowbrow humor, obsession with "scoring," and critique of popular '90s music videos helped propel it to one of the defining shows of the era. That success led to their first big screen adventure, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, in 1996.

Over a decade later, MTV revisited the Highland, Texas teenagers with a one-season revival in 2011. While still popular, it couldn't recapture the success of the original run and quietly ended after just a few months. Fast-forward to 2022, and the new movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe on Paramount+. That movie kicked off the show's second revival, which has currently aired for two seasons. But how much more could we get?

Both seasons were ordered as part of the original pickup in 2020, which was set to air on Comedy Central before its move to Paramount+. Currently, there's been no news about a potential third season. The show seems to be a hit with viewers all over again, so ordering more episodes seems like a sure bet. But if we've learned anything about the world of streaming TV in recent years, it's that nothing is ever that simple.

When Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe debuted on Paramount+, we could instantly tell it was something different. The movie brought sci-fi to the normally pretty grounded world of B and B-H. Obviously, the show has always stretched realism, but by "grounded," we mean that stories rarely took the boys out of Highland.

Their scoring pursuits were tied to some mundane activity around town. They never traveled through a wormhole that transported them 25 years into the future. But Do the Universe gave us a new twist on the franchise, which continued in the new series. Believe it or not, Beavis and Butt-Head's latest revival even explains what almost no other animated show has attempted: the floating timeline where animated characters never age.

Related: Best Beavis and Butt-Head Episodes, Ranked

In the revival, we still have the original, teenaged Beavis and Butt-Head. Here, it's explained that they're the same age in 2022 as in 1997 due to their jump through the wormhole from the '90s to today. This also effectively retcons the 2011 revival. Certain episodes are set in a parallel world where the boys did not go through the wormhole and are now middle-aged in present day.

Additionally, "Smart" Beavis and Butt-Head, alternate alien versions of the two who also came through the wormhole, receive their own episodes. Beyond that new sci-fi twist, most plotlines remain similar to the original, where all versions of Beavis and Butt-Head want to score and find what's cool while commenting on modern music and YouTube videos.

This decision was a great way to keep the series fresh while not feeling like a retread of what came before. It's clear the fanbase is still there, so will we see more adventures from the titular duo and their alternate universe variations?

Since streamers rarely release viewer numbers, it's difficult to say exactly how many people watch the show. Do the Universe was released to critical and audience acclaim, as were both the new seasons. However, viewer satisfaction alone does not translate to a renewal in the world of streaming TV. If the show's popular enough to bring in cold, hard cash, then Paramount+ may be more inclined to keep it around.

Related: Daria Returns in Beavis and Butt-Head Season 2 Finale

Currently, there's no news on a third-season renewal. The first two seasons aired in their entirety in under a year, a rather fast run in today's media landscape. Fans who watched in 2011 are likely still a little shell-shocked by how that revival ended. After the initial batch of episodes concluded, there were rumblings about if it'd be renewed, if MTV still wanted it, etc.

This continued sporadically for a few years, with no renewal or cancellation, until the show eventually faded away. Official confirmation on its status didn't come until 2020 when the second revival was confirmed. It's possible that this show could fade into obscurity in the same way. However, given the extensive marketing campaign we've seen thus far, that seems unlikely in this case.

If we do earn a third season, creator Mike Judge would have his hands full. Next year, Hulu is set to launch the revival of his other prestigious hit show, King of the Hill. Both shows running alongside each other have not been seen since 1997, with the first season of King of the Hill and the then-final season of Beavis and Butt-Head.

A third season would be a chance to expand this new Beavis and Butt-Head cinematic universe, or BBCU if you're so inclined. It's clear the fanbase is still there, and the creative team cares about taking risks and making something new out of this 30-year-old property. So let's keep it going.