This week, MTV premiered its new show “Nikki & Sara LIVE.” A fun skewering of pop culture, the show continues in the tradition of razor-sharp wit and disarming charm from buddy-outings that has brought some of the most fun moment of original programming for almost the channel's entire existence. Being that we at the Weekly always want our MTV, we decided now would be a great time to look back at some of our all time favorite MTV duos!
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5. Ken Ober and Colin Quinn of “Remote Control” 1987
MTV's first attempted venturing outside of standard music programming with its inventive game show “Remote Control.” Fitting with the network's rebellious spirit, “Remote Control” rewarded contestants and viewers at home for possessing a level of pop culture knowledge that most would discard as “Trivial.” Keeping things on track were announcer Colin Quinn and late host Ken Ober. Their natural chemistry maintained a strong aura for the show, which also launched the careers of Denis Leary and Adam Sandler.
4. Beavis and Butthead of “Beavis and Butthead” 1992
One of the most controversial shows ever aired, MTV's “Beavis and Butthead” gained quite the legacy during its five year run. While it offended parents and earned a fair amount of political ire, it also found fans worldwide including David Letterman and eventually snowballed into a franchise that could support a feature-length motion picture. Whether you think it's the best smart-dumb show or the best dumb-smart show, it was the right skewering of a generation at the perfect time.
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3.The Maxx and Julie of “The Maxx” 1995
Following the success of “Beavis and Butthead,” MTV began to branch out into further animated territory with their “Liquid Television” and “Oddities” programming blocks. The most memorable of which was “The Maxx.” The surreal multi-styled animated series based on the cult favorite Image comic (somewhat) told the story of homeless psychopath anti-anti-hero The Maxx and his well-intentioned companion Julie who would always keep coming back to help him find his way. As bizarre as the show often was, their genuine bond at the center allowed a memorable core for the show to decorate with its weirdness.
2. Sifl and Olly of “The Sifl and Olly Show” 1998
Before Liam Lynch became a cult hero in his own right, he was the visionary behind sock puppet talk show “The Sifl and Olly Show.” In one of those odd moments that make it ever-so-hard to explain the late-90s, Sifl and Olly were two sock puppet co-hosts who interviewed other puppets of note, took calls from the public, and shilled dangerous merchandise on the Precious Roy Shopping Network. The show would also contain some of the most infectious and out-there musical numbers of all genres, still successfully stuck in viewers' heads some 15 years later.
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1.Jason Winder and Kara McNamera of “The Blame Game” 1999
The “Itchy and Scratchy” of public break-up shows, Jason and Kara of MTV's “The Blame Game” played counselors who would try to get to the bottom of which contestant messed up their relationships. With so much come and go between the guilty parties, Jason and Kara's love-hate chemistry made for an always entertaining tension that helped the show maintain a strong following. Along with the joys of seeing couples' dirty laundry brought out, the two fake-attorneys kept the accusatory tone of the show light and fun.
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