The State (TV series)

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The State
Image:TheStateTVlogo.gif
The State title card.
Genre Sketch comedy
Starring Kevin Allison
Michael Ian Black
Ben Garant
Todd Holoubek
Michael Patrick Jann
Kerri Kenney
Thomas Lennon
Joe Lo Truglio
Ken Marino
Michael Showalter
David Wain
Opening theme "Boys and Girls – Action" by Craig Wedren
Country of origin USA
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 26
Production
Producer(s) Michael Patrick Jann
Mark Perez
Jim Sharp
David Wain
Running time approx. 30 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel MTV
Picture format 4:3
Original run 1994 – 1995
Chronology
Related shows Viva Variety
Reno 911!
Stella
Links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The State was a half hour long sketch comedy television show, broadcast on MTV from 1993 to 1995. The show combined kooky characters and bizarre scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target twenty-something audience. The cast consisted of 11 twenty-something comedians who created, acted, wrote, directed, and edited the show. Several memorable characters were created for the show, and for a short time their catch-phrases entered into popular lingo (see below). Often, the cast would appear as themselves and address the audience to promote fake "contests" or to deliver mock public service announcements. Much like Monty Python, The State's sketches were sometimes "linked" to each other in some way. A punchline or image that ended one sketch often provided a lead-in to the next. As with many MTV shows, each episode featured clips of popular alternative music of the time, used as background music to various sketches.

Contents

[edit] About the show

Contrary to popular belief, the show was never canceled. For a variety of reasons, including network television politics, The State decided to pursue other interests and leave MTV. However, CBS optioned to buy the show after its second year on MTV. The show switched networks and CBS intended to test the water with "The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special" and possibly increase a younger demographic. The special received generally good reviews (including some from critics that gave them harsh ones earlier), but due to little promotion, it received bad ratings. The show was not continued after that.

"The State" also refers to the comedy troupe that made up the cast of the show, as they have continued to successfully work together on film, television and in the world of journalism (in various groupings.) A book, State by State With the State (ISBN 0-7868-8213-1) was a best-seller. An album titled Comedy for Gracious Living was recorded for Warner Bros. but was shelved for unknown reasons. The show has been heavily promoted by devoted fans of the series for possible DVD release, though problems involving the rights to the show and MTV's own general apathy towards releasing their older shows onto DVD have stalled any release.

The first season of The State was digitally re-mastered and a new musical score was recorded for the episodes ("The State" was produced during a period when MTV had deals with various record labels, where MTV could use freely any song that had a video aired on the network in their original programming without having to pay royalties to the labels; hence having to rescore the series, as "The State" heavily used popular music as the background music for countless sketches) and was made available on Apple’s iTunes store on September 26, 2006. Each of the five episodes was priced at the standard $1.99 with the entire season available for $9.95. Several episodes have recently been made available on Amazon Unbox as well as the Xbox Live Marketplace. The State themselves said that MTV will be watching sales closely and releasing further seasons if the demand warrants it, with a DVD set possible following the release of the third season.

On March 10, 2007, David Wain announced at a screening of The Ten at SXSW that a DVD of the State is currently in production.

A new skit was produced for promotion of the new release.

[edit] Cast list

The 11 members of the cast from 1994.
The 11 members of the cast from 1994.

[edit] Theme song

The opening sequence was set to "Boys and Girls – Action" by Craig Wedren of Shudder To Think and Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys. The song is built around a sample of the Nation of Ulysses song "The Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm".

[edit] Recurring characters and memorable sketches

The cast (most notably David Wain) have repeatedly said that they were not really interested in creating recurring characters, but were repeatedly pressured by the network to emulate Saturday Night Live in this manner. Ironically, these characters are probably what their fans remember most.

  • Louie, played by Ken Marino, was one of the more ironic characters on the show, parodying sketch comedy characters who rely on stupid catchphrases for cheap laughs. Louie was a genial fellow with a strong desire to dip his "balls" (actual golf balls, not testicles, although the innuendo was certainly intentional) in various things. His catchphrase, naturally, is a very enthusiastic "I wanna dip my balls in it!"
  • Doug and his Dad, a wannabe rebel and his surprisingly allowing father, played by Michael Showalter and Thomas Lennon, respectively. Doug's catchphrase is a wan "I'm outta heeeerrre."
  • The Jew, the Italian and the Redhead Gay, good-naturedly broad stereotypes (first roommates, later Charlie's Angels-styled crime fighters), played by David Wain, Ken Marino and Kevin Allison, respectively.
  • Barry and Levon, suave swingers of ambiguous sexual orientation, played by Thomas Lennon and Michael Ian Black, respectively. They were well-known for their obsession with "Two Hundred and Forty Dollars worth of pudding."
  • Capt. Monterey Jack, a nonsense-spewing motivational speaker (a parody of similar anti-drug or alcohol abuse spots aired on MTV at the time) played by Michael Ian Black. "And remember, bbbbring, bbbring... Hello, cheese? NO! Cheese can't dial a phone."
  • James Dixon, a conniving, hard-driving ex-Hollywood agent who lands himself very unlikely careers (high school guidance counselor, Catholic priest, Jedi talent agent) and applies his showbiz tactics to his new positions (Thomas Lennon). "You can't bargain with God. But you can bargain with me, and I can bargain with God."
  • Old-Fashioned Guy, a country man (Thomas Lennon) who clings to antiquated, sometimes primitive beliefs, which seem absurd in modern society. "Call me old fashioned ... but I think we should worship the sun and moon as powerful gods, and fear them."

Some memorable one-off sketches include:

  • The Bearded Men of Space Station 11, in which the titular men attempt to convince their commanding officer that men can grow beards in space, and that they are thus not aliens.
  • Porcupine Racetrack, a short musical in which the slowest porcupine in town attempts to win a race and thereby save an orphanage. During the introduction, the cast claims that MTV specifically asked them not to perform this sketch.
  • Monkey Torture, in which scientist Thomas Lennon describes his experiments involving the (mostly psychological) torture of monkeys to interviewer Michael Ian Black, saying that he has proven that "They hate it."
  • Kabuki Doug, an adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s The Love Suicides at Sonezaki (Sonezaki Shinjū 曾根崎心中) for many of the show’s recurring characters, performed entirely in Japanese with English subtitles.
  • Mean Ass Sal and Frankie the Pig, a pair of old ex-gangsters who like to sit by the freeway and watch cars drive by, but they sit too close to the highway.
  • Barry Toink and Gil Noonan, a young high-school jock on a quest to find the word for "one who loves books" and his dysfunctional guidance counselor. "Have you tried Bibliophile?"
  • Grandma's Potato Chowder, a high schooler states that he doesn't like the school's potato chowder as mush as his grandma's. Two bullies tease him about "grandma's potato chowder" insinuating double entendres . The sketch ends with him saying, "Yes, I go to my Grandma's and eat soup, and yes- then I have sex with her. I mean, if that's what you're insinuating, then I'll just have to admit it because it's true. I have sex with my Grandma. " The bullies have no idea what to make of it and are noticeably flustered.

[edit] Popular catch-phrases

  • "I wanna dip my balls in it!"
  • "Awwwwww yeah!"
  • "Two hundred and forty dollars...worth of pudding."
  • "I'm Doug and I'm outta heeere."
  • "People really live this way!"
  • "Toothbrush! You've come back to me!"
  • "The monkeys, they do not do it. They make love."
  • "The directions say 'Cook and Chill'. And baby that's what I do every night, I cook, and then I chill!"
  • "What am I doin'?"
  • "Get a monkey, and torture the hell out of it."
  • "If you want to meet women, you should try wearing pants."
  • "The 31st President wasn't Herbert Hoover, but Merbert Moover. Muah, Muah, Muah!"

[edit] Other shows featuring the cast

  • Viva Variety (Kenney, Lennon, Black)
  • Reno 911! (Kenney, Lennon, Garant, Jann)
  • Random Play (Black, Showalter, Wain)
  • Stella (Black, Showalter, Wain)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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