Liquid Television is an animation showcase that appeared on MTV andCartoon Network (later Adult Swim).[2] The first season of Liquid Televisionalso aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV and Cartoon Network. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Hanna-Barbera, Martin Cartoons and Colossal Pictures. It has served as the launching point for several high-profile original cartoons, including Beavis and Butt-head and Æon Flux. The show was eventually succeeded by Cartoon Sushi. The bulk of Liquid Television's material was created by independent animators and artists specially for the show, and some previously produced segments were compiled from festivals such as Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the show's theme music. It was broadcast in New Zealand on TV3 and in Australia on SBS.
There were also a large number of animation pieces adapted from the work ofArt Spiegelman's comic compilation, RAW. RAW featured underground cartoonists such as Mark Beyer, Richard Sala, and Peter Bagge. In particular,Dog-Boy by Charles Burns was based on the artist's series from RAW.[3]
Due to the extensive use of licensed music throughout the series (episodes often began with a contemporary music video being "liquified"), full episodes ofLiquid Television have not been seen in any form since its original run. Selected segments from the series, including the first appearances of Æon Flux, were released on two VHS tapes in the late 1990s as The Best of Liquid Television parts one and two. These tapes are long out-of-print. A collection volume, titled Wet Shorts (The Best of Liquid Television), comprising the two VHS tapes, was released on DVD in 1997, but this, too, is out-of-print.
On October 13, 2011, MTVX, MTV's cross media group, announced the return of Liquid Television.[4] It is now a network that is available on the internet and social media. The first content to debut on the network was "F**KING BEST SONG EVERRR" by Wallpaper, available on the website. Full-length episodes featuring the online content and all-new material were released in 2013.