9 'Liquid Television' Shows To Remind You Of How Much Cooler MTV Was In The 90s

Way before giving drama-loving teen moms a platform for fame, MTV was home to some compelling and game-changing content.

In the early 90s, a time when animated television shows and films were mostly marketed to children, MTV made sure that it stood out from the rest by offering one of the best late-night programming to ever grace our small screens, Liquid Television.

The weird, slightly psychedelic, uncensored animation and puppet variety show gave us gems like AEon Flux and Beavis and Butt-Head. All of the original cartoons shown on Liquid Television were created by independent artists and animators, which made it all the more awesome.

The show also featured lots of licensed music so after it ended in 1994, full episodes of the show were not available until 2011, when the network decided to release all the contents of the show online. In 2013, MTV announced the return of the show, featuring full-length episodes of all-new material, all made available online.

But if you've missed the original show, here are 10 of the best segments that will transport you back to the time when MTV was nothing short of brilliant:

1. AEon Flux

AEon Flux was one of the most popular animations to stem from Liquid Television. It premiered in 1991, and follows the bloody missions of Aeon, a secret agent from the fictional country of Monica who offs everyone that opposes her.

The animation has since inspired a film, video games, and comic book adaptations.

2. Beavis and Butt-Head

Mike Judge is the brain behind this show, which deals with two heavy metal-loving teenagers, Beavis and Butt-Head, who spend their days doing absolutely nothing useful because everything "sucks." Occasionally, when they get bored, they attempt to do something "cool."

The show eventually gave way to a spin-off, Daria, which was based on a recurring character that attended the same school as the boys.

3. The Head

Jim is regarded as a freak for his abnormally large head (in which lives a friendly, but terrifying-looking alien), however when the world is under the threat of an alien invasion, it is up to him and his team of "freaks" to stop the extra-terrestrials.

Eric Fogel's animation was really well-written, but in true Liquid Television fashion, the drawings were nowhere near the best.

4. Winter Steele

What's not to like about a badass biker chick confidently searching for her long-lost one true love? Although Winter Steele never made any progress in her search, there's still so much action and hilarity that ensued in every episode. Some fans even say that this short was better than Aeon Flux, but that's still up for discussion.

5. Invisible Hands

The animated series was "written as a toungue-in-cheek version of old-time mystery thrillers." It aired in six-parts during the early days of Liquid Television and was based on comic book visuals and stories written by Richard Sala.

You can watch the first part in the video below:

6. Was (Not Was)

The story of how Was (Not Was) ended up on Liquid Television is an interesting one. See, Was (Not Was) was actually a pop group formed from Detroit, who gained popularity in the 80s and 90s. They were known for their strange, nightmare-inducing animated music videos, which later appeared on the late-night program.

7. The Brothers Grunt

From the creators of Ed, Edd n Eddy comes this odd cartoon, which revolved around five zombie-like brothers (except they were pale, instead of the stereotypical green) who wandered around in their underwear searching for their brother, Perry.

8. Psycho-Gram

This short was so ahead of its time. Way before stock photos got turned into memes, Psycho-Gram was already using them in a PowerPoint presentation-like animation coupled with a voice over. Some may call it weird, but many saw it as art.

9. The Specialists

The plot is based on three detectives, Mastermind, Kittka, and Samson, who are on a mission to bring down their enemies, which included an evil genius and an evil crime clown.

Do you remember watching these animations on TV?