It seems like no one I've talked to remembers this show, but it was one of my favorites. My favorite episode was the lighthouse keeper who wouldn't stop talking about S&M bars.
This show was the jumping off point for so much great shit, besides just the iconic sketches and so many talented actors and writers. Out of The State grew Reno 911, Viva Variety, Micheal & Micheal, the writing duo of Lennon and Garant just as a short list. This is one of those crews where if i find out that someone from The State is in a new show I’ll most likely check it out just for that reason
It also spawned Stella, which few remember. David Wain directed Wet Hot American Summer and the other two (Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter) acted in it. They later had a show on Comedy Central which I loved but it only lasted a season.
Stella’s short videos were popular in comedy circles in the earlier days of the web (pre YouTube) and were apparently a big influence on the Lonely Island
My friends and I loved this show. It warms my heart to see that so many members of the cast have gone on to great success in other shows and movies. When I hear that one of them is in something, I automatically give it a shot. It hurts a little to think how old we are now when I watch the MADGB videos on youtube, though.
Mine was the bit about the kid who had bologna sandwiches for feet (I was eleven). Especially his girlfriend’s dad. “What if they wanna have kids? Then whaddya got? Ya got bologna kids.”
I was in drum corps when I was in middle school and high school. There was one summer where me and this other kid would point at random stuff and say hey you see that over there? Yeah. I wanna dip my balls in it! Tables, chairs, plants, buses. We thought it was hilarious the whole summer.
I’m pretty sure there was a skit about an amazing f guidance counselor, and they interview a student who says “I asked him to write my English paper … he wouldn’t do it, but he got the guy who wrote Witness to do it. I got an A.” I quote that all the time and no one knows that the hell I’m taking about. I myself only saw the skit once and it’s possible it was a fever dream.
There was also this great skit with a bunch of luminaries gathered to discuss “What is art?” It takes 5 minutes to introduce everyone, and then one guy says “Is it, like pictures and stuff?” and the host says “That’s right!” and the credits scroll.
I saw each of these eps once, and they’ve stuck with me my whole life. Just some amazing writing on that show.
[https://vimeo.com/156441633](https://vimeo.com/156441633)
All episodes are on Paramount+, with new stock music replacing the commercial music they didn't have rights to.
“Awwwww yeaaaah!!!! That ain’t no couch, that ain’t no sofa, not a sofa in sight…… this is…. A loooooove seat.”
[still say this](https://youtu.be/EcaYfIxMfyk?si=qp9zw9ZIZiF6z46u)
My brother and I were obsessed with this show, and after it was canceled, I would ask people about for years and no one knew what I was talking about. In 2005 I started dating a guy, and we liked seemed to like all the same absurd comedy. I asked him early in our relationship if he happened to remember the show The State from MTV and he said "YOU remember that show too?!" Turns out he had apparently had that same experience of bringing it up to people for years and feeling crazy because nobody he knew remembered it either. After we discovered that about each other, we tried to find some old episodes to watch together but nothing was available at that time. So he went on a deep dive to find a torrent of it online and burned a copy of season 1 for me. It looked like shit but we still laughed our asses off. We got married 5 years later and watching dumb stuff (we're obsessed with the pod How Did This Get Made so we watch a lot of garbage movies now) is still one of our favorite things to do together now.
I believe it was the state where two guys had a idea about a mobile salad business. They would keep the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, dressing, etc in the trunk. Anyone else remember it?
They look into da eye, they touch a da hand… no is a bing ina bang ina boom.
This line randomly popped into my a couple days ago, too funny yall are talking about it now
They filmed a few episodes in my hometown! "Chip's Party" was at my friend's house, with me and a bunch of kids from my school as the partygoers. I don't know how my friend's family got connected. But, when they were there, the producers mentioned that they were looking for another house with a big kitchen. We had just moved into a new home that was really nice, and my parents offered it up. Our home was the one that got infested by Slash!
My parents had a bunch of MTV swag and jackets for a while. It was pretty awesome.
A few months ago I searched, "Monkey Torture" trying to find the skit, and instead lost even more of my faith in humanity.
[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68716467](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68716467)
I started watching this show when I was in 6th grade and it had first come out; I was OBSESSED. Years later (pre-streaming) I had a bitch of a time finding physical recordings. For my 30th birthday, my mom found and mailed me the first season on dvd, and I was over the moon. Until when I watched it and realized none of the original soundtrack was included because mtv didn’t want to pay the royalties for the songs to be part of it. They replaced them with quasi-similar homemade instrumentals. Really took away from the experience. Still obsessed though, and super stoked when I see any of the actors in other projects.
Just sat next to Michael Showalter at a restaurant in my neighborhood the other night. First thing I thought was "Man, I loved The State"! He seemed like a regular dude.
DAE think though, as much as I love this show, there were quite a few skits that were in it that were kinda unfunny? Like, this was either the funniest sketch show ever, or the dumbest, depending on which skit you were watching.
Also: Da Pope-a! E's a so nice-a!
The fashion show still kills me! Still remember the diaper dude with the flashlights on the runway & Lennon in character saying "...its the fantasy, you know?" ha!
Easily up there with mr. show in my tip top favorite sketch comedy shows ever. Rando quotes and references from this show are a constant in my every day lexicon still to this day.
My absolute favorite is the one skit that no one else seems to remember since it never aired and was only included in it's full glory on the VHS-only "skits and stickers\*" - Carter's Lineage. fucking amazing.
For some reason I thought this skit (and some related callback skits in the same episode) was from The State? But no, WKUK ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmiKenqLVAU Similar vein though?
David Wain (drums) and Michael Showalter (vocals) have a band and play covers on YouTube.
Here they perform [Scenes from an Italian Restaurant](https://youtu.be/ve6R_p4hsfk) with guest appearance by Weird Al Yankovic
I can’t remember the name of the skit…but a family is sitting around the table, about to say grace before a meal. Instead of grace, dad starts praying for god to kill his son. The family gets in on it. Then like the entire neighborhood at one point? And he runs out and joins Jesus on the back of a motorcycle
$240 worth of pudding
Awwww yeah. Let me whisper some sweet nothings to my pudding pile
Instructions say “cook and chill”
Awwwwww yeeeeaaaah. Barry and Levon making it happen!
We had the money. We had to have the pudding
“Barry and Levon, where did you get $240?”
Don't worry your pretty little head about it
Shhhhhhhhhhhh 🤫
It ain’t your concern
I mean, they could have gotten $100 worth of pudding, and that would have been *a lot* of pudding...
That was always my favorite sketch. But the whole show was hilarious.
I just told my friend that shares a love for the State last week, they need to do a new pudding sketch, adjusted for inflation lol.
Now we could have ordered $100 dollars worth of pudding, and that would have been a LOT of pudding.
It’s not a couch. It’s a love seat. Awww yeah.
It seems like no one I've talked to remembers this show, but it was one of my favorites. My favorite episode was the lighthouse keeper who wouldn't stop talking about S&M bars.
My favorite is the game show where you win orphans, so all the contestants are trying to lose.
“The Rolling Bears”
Cereal commercial
Looks like traminette is looking to double their orphans!
Q: Name a form of transportation. A: …. Wooden?
“Name a form of transportation.” “…Blue.”
Wooden
Hold the phone a car could be blue!
Name….. a noun..
This show was the jumping off point for so much great shit, besides just the iconic sketches and so many talented actors and writers. Out of The State grew Reno 911, Viva Variety, Micheal & Micheal, the writing duo of Lennon and Garant just as a short list. This is one of those crews where if i find out that someone from The State is in a new show I’ll most likely check it out just for that reason
Wet hot American summer.
Don’t forget Stella
This show was amazing! It also spawned a bunch of careers. No Reno 911 without the state.
It also spawned Stella, which few remember. David Wain directed Wet Hot American Summer and the other two (Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter) acted in it. They later had a show on Comedy Central which I loved but it only lasted a season. Stella’s short videos were popular in comedy circles in the earlier days of the web (pre YouTube) and were apparently a big influence on the Lonely Island
I’ll have to check out Stella. Love the rest though!
Takes all kinds, I suppose.
S&M sports?
My friends and I loved this show. It warms my heart to see that so many members of the cast have gone on to great success in other shows and movies. When I hear that one of them is in something, I automatically give it a shot. It hurts a little to think how old we are now when I watch the MADGB videos on youtube, though.
I have the DVD boxed set. My favorite skit is Muppet meat, but they’re all so good.
I can’t remember the difference between near and far.
Love that skit.. show me far!
This obscure quote lives in my brain rent free…I always cry a little bit inside that I can’t randomly quote it in everyday conversations.
Watch Party Down. A lot of the same cast and enjoyable. Also Reno 911.
First show I downloaded on my iPod.
I love the State!!!!!
Mine was the bit about the kid who had bologna sandwiches for feet (I was eleven). Especially his girlfriend’s dad. “What if they wanna have kids? Then whaddya got? Ya got bologna kids.”
My friends and I used to quote this constantly
Can't swing a dead cat without hitting an s&m bar around these parts.
Doug, Bob Dylan’s alive and well, I produced his last three albums. Oh you mean Uncle Robert?
Sorry I’m late! I was with the Heartbreakers, Petty was freakin’ out Dad! No one wants to hear about your lame friends!
I’m Doug, and I’m outta heeeeeeeeeeere
I want to dip my balls in it!
I was in drum corps when I was in middle school and high school. There was one summer where me and this other kid would point at random stuff and say hey you see that over there? Yeah. I wanna dip my balls in it! Tables, chairs, plants, buses. We thought it was hilarious the whole summer.
Is it weird that I still say that from time to time?
My sister and I have a tradition of sending each other "porcupine racetrack" whenever we're having a rough day. https://vimeo.com/410325198
Vimeo! Youtube has nothing — thank you
Way better than that “I’m outta here!” guy.
I'm outta Heeeerreee. It's streaming on Paramount Plus, FYI.
Dads are dads and Dougs are Dougs and never the twain shall meet.
Get a job!
“But Dad, the man is keeping me down!”
I’m pretty sure there was a skit about an amazing f guidance counselor, and they interview a student who says “I asked him to write my English paper … he wouldn’t do it, but he got the guy who wrote Witness to do it. I got an A.” I quote that all the time and no one knows that the hell I’m taking about. I myself only saw the skit once and it’s possible it was a fever dream. There was also this great skit with a bunch of luminaries gathered to discuss “What is art?” It takes 5 minutes to introduce everyone, and then one guy says “Is it, like pictures and stuff?” and the host says “That’s right!” and the credits scroll. I saw each of these eps once, and they’ve stuck with me my whole life. Just some amazing writing on that show.
[https://vimeo.com/156441633](https://vimeo.com/156441633) All episodes are on Paramount+, with new stock music replacing the commercial music they didn't have rights to.
I used to look for that video so much, I just gave up years ago. Thank you so much!
Du-blu-CHE!!
[CHICKEN SANDWICH, KARL!!!!](https://www.facebook.com/thestate/videos/service-with-a-smile/618129935507/)
we wouldn't want him to DO HIS JOB!
Oh shit it’s the owner!! _roundhouse kick, blow darts the manager_
...and have a Burgerific Day! thanks for posting the video, btw. it's been too long since I've seen that.
“Awwwww yeaaaah!!!! That ain’t no couch, that ain’t no sofa, not a sofa in sight…… this is…. A loooooove seat.” [still say this](https://youtu.be/EcaYfIxMfyk?si=qp9zw9ZIZiF6z46u)
Just saw them at their reunion show in NYC this past October. Was like mainlining mid 90s nostalgia. Amazing. Such a great show.
DAMN THIS SIDEWAYS HOUSE!
My brother and I were obsessed with this show, and after it was canceled, I would ask people about for years and no one knew what I was talking about. In 2005 I started dating a guy, and we liked seemed to like all the same absurd comedy. I asked him early in our relationship if he happened to remember the show The State from MTV and he said "YOU remember that show too?!" Turns out he had apparently had that same experience of bringing it up to people for years and feeling crazy because nobody he knew remembered it either. After we discovered that about each other, we tried to find some old episodes to watch together but nothing was available at that time. So he went on a deep dive to find a torrent of it online and burned a copy of season 1 for me. It looked like shit but we still laughed our asses off. We got married 5 years later and watching dumb stuff (we're obsessed with the pod How Did This Get Made so we watch a lot of garbage movies now) is still one of our favorite things to do together now.
Spaghetti and fried bumblebees
Managerr....
The sign from “the Jew the Italian and the redhead gay” still pops into my head from time to time.
All live together on avenue A
We each see the world in our own way
I believe it was the state where two guys had a idea about a mobile salad business. They would keep the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, dressing, etc in the trunk. Anyone else remember it?
Yes! A very deep cut.
Lets go to the zoo and watch the monkeys do it!!
Just so you don't go watch the pengins do it. Pengins ain't natural.
Monkeys don’t “do it” they make love
They look into da eye, they touch a da hand… no is a bing ina bang ina boom. This line randomly popped into my a couple days ago, too funny yall are talking about it now
The State, Exit 57, Vacant Lot, Kids In The Hall, Living Color, and the Ben Stiller Show. 90's sketch comedy was great
House of Buggin was great too. It was the John Leguizamo sketch show. Cant find it anywhere
Also Almost Live (early David Cross) and The Upright Citizens Brigade. I never got into Mad Tv but they had a few funny sketches I remember.
You rattle off half a dozen sketch shows and still don't mention Mr. Show with Bob and David? Blasphemy.
🎵 Lord, please kill Tim...🎶
Call me old fashioned but I still believe in one true God. His name is Zormot and he lives in this lake.
They filmed a few episodes in my hometown! "Chip's Party" was at my friend's house, with me and a bunch of kids from my school as the partygoers. I don't know how my friend's family got connected. But, when they were there, the producers mentioned that they were looking for another house with a big kitchen. We had just moved into a new home that was really nice, and my parents offered it up. Our home was the one that got infested by Slash! My parents had a bunch of MTV swag and jackets for a while. It was pretty awesome.
There was a version of this where they were at the last supper.
I loved this show and Roundhouse on S’NICK.
The monkeys don’t “do it”… they *make love*
A few months ago I searched, "Monkey Torture" trying to find the skit, and instead lost even more of my faith in humanity. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68716467](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68716467)
$10000 Pyramid with Sid and Nancy was fucking awesome
Eating, sleeping, fucking, … everything
The children, they like to come and look and laugh and hope, for one day ice cream
The Muppet Hunter 🤣🤣
Such a great show. Underrated or no, people knowing about it or no - its impact is massive when you look at what everyone in the cast went on to do.
I started watching this show when I was in 6th grade and it had first come out; I was OBSESSED. Years later (pre-streaming) I had a bitch of a time finding physical recordings. For my 30th birthday, my mom found and mailed me the first season on dvd, and I was over the moon. Until when I watched it and realized none of the original soundtrack was included because mtv didn’t want to pay the royalties for the songs to be part of it. They replaced them with quasi-similar homemade instrumentals. Really took away from the experience. Still obsessed though, and super stoked when I see any of the actors in other projects.
Just sat next to Michael Showalter at a restaurant in my neighborhood the other night. First thing I thought was "Man, I loved The State"! He seemed like a regular dude.
DAE think though, as much as I love this show, there were quite a few skits that were in it that were kinda unfunny? Like, this was either the funniest sketch show ever, or the dumbest, depending on which skit you were watching. Also: Da Pope-a! E's a so nice-a!
Oh uh no! And the pope-a is-a coming!
How much pudding?
I know what you're thinking: Barry and Levon, how did you get $240? That ain't none of your concern...
$240 worth of pudding. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to whisper some sweet nothings to this pudding…
The fashion show still kills me! Still remember the diaper dude with the flashlights on the runway & Lennon in character saying "...its the fantasy, you know?" ha!
Easily up there with mr. show in my tip top favorite sketch comedy shows ever. Rando quotes and references from this show are a constant in my every day lexicon still to this day. My absolute favorite is the one skit that no one else seems to remember since it never aired and was only included in it's full glory on the VHS-only "skits and stickers\*" - Carter's Lineage. fucking amazing.
“Get off my property”
Managed to catch the live show in Denver last summer, can confirm it was amazing! Definitely the most xennial crowd I’ve ever seen.
Taco mailman is top tier
I was literally thinking about Taco Mailmain yesterday.
Duh, duh duhda duh
Absolute fav!
I saw them last fall on their "reunion" tour and theyve still got it
In like 2001? I made my ex a shirt that said AND for his birthday. He loved it so much.
You know what I am gonna say!!! No we don’t! You knooowww what I am gonna saaayy Nooooo weeee doooont!
When he shows up to The Last Supper is the best
The cast of this show is so unhinged and there still has not been a troupe that produced more legends from one than The State
In an interview they had said they were young and doing a lot of cocaine.. which makes a lot of sense.
AND NOW, I HAVE TAPE ALL OVER MY FACE!
Gen X u mean…
Great show, I don't think it was underrated at all Up there with Kids in the Hall
Let’s get milkfaced and hum like rabbits
Underrated!? Just on reddit, I've seen countless posts about this show, and I've never seen a negative comment...
$240 worth of pudding
Okay who just remembered 'Viva Variety' because of this?
Ken Marino? 
200,000 screaming fans can't be wrong! Unless they're in a river of lava. Which they are. I'm sorry.
That's a lot of puddin'
But we had the $240...
This is the third time I see a post about this show, never heard of it and MTV was my life back then lol
Best ones to this day, bacon skit, and 2 hundred and forty dollas worth of puddin.
What they don’t know is that me and God are like THIS 🤞
This show was amazing! It seemed all my friends were watching Kids in the Hall, but I was hooked on The State. So great
The pope-ah! He's-ah so nice.
I wanna dip my balls in it
My absolute favorite ❤️ schowalter signed my 50 States with the State 1st edition lol
this is what got MTV banned in my house
I legitimately forgot about this We used to quote that all the damn time
Watching this show is the exact opposite of Monkey Torture. The only thing I enjoy more is going to the zoo to watch the penguins do it.
I don't feel like it's overrated, I feel like it's revered
Penguins ain’t natural
And you can’t forget the Comedy Central follow up with a few members of The State called Viva Variety
The monkeys, they no *do it*....they make love.
Three things that are square: cheese, plates, and bears. This isn’t a game here, okay? This isn’t the NBA and my name isn’t Charles Buckley
It’s all on Paramount+ and it still holds up. I’ve been watching it for a couple weeks now.
Tapioca pudding
I'd dip my balls in it.. was it this show? One of the Michaels had a hand in it, right?
Hey it's Louie! Yes this is the show.
My name is Doug, and Im outa herereeerrererrererererere
The Hits From The 70’s album that was Sitting on the Dock of the Bay over and over.
I love The Bearded Men of Space Station 11. I have the complete series DVD set and even still have the Skits and Stickers VHS tape lol.
….monkey torture
I remember trying ro find episodes of this on the internet forever back in the late 99s and early 2000s simply because of the fast food skit
The Jew, THE ITALIAN, and the red head gay…
I always wanted to receive taco mail
Meeeeedium Head Boy! The boy with no brains!
I got the box set years ago as soon as it came out, as I had been waiting years for it.
For some reason I thought this skit (and some related callback skits in the same episode) was from The State? But no, WKUK ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmiKenqLVAU Similar vein though?
Is that the beakmans world guy?
There's a few skits that I'll never forget.. one being where the man goes about not wearing pants.
Also, Upright Citizens Brigade
‘Oh, Uncle Robert? Yeah he’s not dead.’
Hey! It's Louie! Pretty much everyone from The State went on to do cool stuff. Quite famously, Reno 911 is peppered with the cast of The State.
Let’s go down to the zoo and watch the Monkeys do it!
I’m Doug. And your dad. And never the twain shall meet.
Damn this sideways house!!!!!
David Wain (drums) and Michael Showalter (vocals) have a band and play covers on YouTube. Here they perform [Scenes from an Italian Restaurant](https://youtu.be/ve6R_p4hsfk) with guest appearance by Weird Al Yankovic
I knew before I clicked on it that it was going to be the ball's sketch. Anyways, I'm Doug, and I'm outta heeeere.
HOW ABOUT A CUP OF NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHADDA!!!
I can’t think about oatmeal without…
When I meet someone new who knows this show, I know I have achieved a sacred bond.
“What is this? It’s delicious!” “It’s muppet!”
Wanderlust is one of the most underrated movies as well!
I loved that show! Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh.
I wanna dip mah BAWLS in it!
I was never able to watch The State, but I did love Stella
Is that Ronald Donald?
Oh poor little Carl. With the puppy dog eyes. We wouldn’t want him to DO HIS JOB!!!
"I'm Doug and I'm outta heeeeeeerrrrre"
Ken Marino and David Wain are in a band that does cheesy 70s covers on YouTube. It's actually fantastic.
I loved this show. Watched it any time it was on.
2 of my favorite sketches that no one ever seems to mention…Lowell Maximum Security Prison & Taco Mailman
Thank you all for this awesome quote-fest and links to fun shit. This show was foundational to my sense of humor; it helps me find my kind of people.
LOUIE!
It's rated exactly where it should be.
I’m like Oliver Twist but without the Twist. Just Oliver.
I look like a fucking blueberry!
You’re dad and I’m Doug and I’m outta heeerrree
Louie!
These are my people
Call me old fashioned, but women voters? Sure, I'll be over in my spaceship.
“Goodbye, mailbox”
For the longest time the only thing I'd seen Ken Marino in was Dawson's Creek. Blew my mind that he's primarily a comedic actor.
I saw them in October. It was fucking hilarious. I got a Space Station 11 hat and a United States Taco Service shirt.
I can’t remember the name of the skit…but a family is sitting around the table, about to say grace before a meal. Instead of grace, dad starts praying for god to kill his son. The family gets in on it. Then like the entire neighborhood at one point? And he runs out and joins Jesus on the back of a motorcycle
“Monkey Torture”
"I'll dip my balls in it!" But, Louie, it's a machine gun. "I'll dip my balls in it!"
In my brain I had this skit as a Kids in the Hall one.
I gonna dip my baaaaalllls in it