Beavis and Butt-Head is returning for a new season of episodes, and it remains as brilliantly stupid as the classic animated series has always been. Beavis and Butt-Head is one of the most notably adult animated projects to ever hit our screens. The original series debut with MTV was such a monster hit that it quickly sparked all kinds of backlash with the public at large due to how wild the titular duo actually were. It ended up being such a hit that the original animated series has been revived in two entirely different eras, and has somehow evolved with the times in both cases.
Beavis and Butt-Head continues its trend of evolution with Season 3 of its modern era. Now moving to Comedy Central and Paramount+ for its latest season, the animated duo at the center of it all are still up to the same kind of shenanigans that fans of the classic series are going to want to see. But at the same time, there’s an incredible level of intelligence that still is not only going into each of the stories, but in characterizing the duo after all this time. There’s just so much effort put into making it seem as effortlessly stupid as it possibly can be.
Much like seen with the previous two seasons and Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (along with the recent success of King of the Hill‘s own revival), Mike Judge and the creative team behind the animated series clearly understand how to properly navigate a revival. Beavis and Butt-Head is not only able to maintain the same level of slapstick and crude energy that it always has, but Season 3 proves that there’s still plenty of material to mine after all this time. It’s so impressive to see that there are still facets of Beavis and Butt-Head that are still needing to be explored after all this time.
Beavis and Butt-Head Season 3 still finds a way to feel fresh after all this time, and takes things even further with additional callbacks and moments for fans of the classic series. Even more characters from the original series’ run make their return in these new episodes, and we even get to see much older versions of them thanks to a returning split of the older and younger versions of Beavis and Butt-Head in any given episode. The smartest decision of this revival era had been introducing older versions of the duo for more adventures, and if pays off even more here.
Each of the episodes this season are split between one younger story, and one older version story, and it keeps Beavis and Butt-Head fresh as well. Because while they are the same characters still getting up to no good, both eras feel different in their own way. For example, the older Beavis and Butt-Head need to worry about things like rent and poor health and that leads to even new layers of jokes for the duo. But then there are more classic adventures from the duo in their younger days, and they tap into that wild childlike energy that makes them so appealing in the first place.
Beavis and Butt-Head continues to maintain that balance between pushing the duo to their limits, but it never really feels like it’s out of malice. The two will make fun of one another, and even put each other in harm’s way for the laughs, but the show always makes sure to point out that they are the butt of the jokes. They’ll never actively harm someone else, and are usually “punished” in some way due to their own hubris coming back to bite them. It’s a brilliant kind of punching down comedy where they are both doing the punching and being punched.
Beavis and Butt-Head Season 3 finds a way to continue to survive in the modern era, and thrive with its comedy. This especially extends to the interstitials in between the stories as well. Much like previous seasons, the duo often watch various viral or music videos and react to them. But the nuance here is that their older selves react in ways that feel different from how their younger selves would. But it’s also where the two can be a little more intelligent in their joke deliveries as well.
The two are more observant in these segments than they would be in the rest of the show, and it allows Judge and the creative team much more flexibility in how they want to define the duo and their changing personalities. It often leads to some of the best lines of the series on a whole, and three seasons in it’s clear there’s going to be plenty of more material to explore from here on out. The same goes for the rest of the series as it’s starting to further expand its roster for the new era.
More characters from the original series make their return through some fun cameos and story beats, and it really feels like this revival era of the show is now fleshed out to the point where it can further find new ways to incorporate these classic faces again. Beavis and Butt-Head runs the risk of feeling repetitive after all this time, but the creative team has taken that challenge head on. Fans of the classic are rewarded for caring about its timeline after all this time, but it’s not to the point where those watching for the first time will feel left out.
Beavis and Butt-Head continues its trajectory of being a perfect episodic comedy series with Season 3. Each episode tells its stories, and everything is reset for the main duo by the time the next episode starts. They are cartoons in every sense of the word, but there’s a lot of time and attention paid to make sure that they are still fun to watch after all this time. It’s really just incredible in how they have managed to pull that off this many years in. Beavis and Butt-Head is only really getting started from here.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Beavis and Butt-Head Season 3 premieres Wednesday, September 3rd at 10:30PM ET with Comedy Central
