VH1 Classic is going to that big TV set in the sky.
MTV has announced that the network will be replaced with MTV Classic on August 1. The rebranded channel will feature MTV shows and music programming, “with a special focus on the 1990s and early 2000s,” a press release states.
“From Beavis & Butt-head to Laguna Beach, MTV’s programming vault is a music and pop culture goldmine with universal resonance,” said Sean Atkins, president of MTV. “MTV Classic gives audiences a modern and artful home for classic MTV programming and—alongside MTV, MTV2, MTV Live and mtvU—rounds out a diverse portfolio with music and youth culture at its core.”
On launch day, MTV will air a T.R.L. retrospective, followed by a marathon of MTV Unplugged episodes, including classics like Nirvana, Erykah Badu, and Bob Dylan. The network will then air episodes of MTV animated classics like Daria and Beavis and Butt-Head
Other shows MTV fans can look forward to include Aeon Flux, Run’s House, Pimp My Ride, Cribs, Jackass, Punk’d, Wonder Showzen, and Clone High. There will also be weekend marathons of The Real World, Road Rules, and, of course, Laguna Beach. (Kristin Cavallari’s unruly high-school days are upon us once more!) MTV has not announced whether The Hills will also be added to the lineup, but it shouldn’t be long before Lauren Conrad’s mascara tear rides again.
Nickelodeon—which, like MTV and VH1, is owned by Viacom—made a similar move last year, re-introducing a late-night, all-90s block of programming called “The Splat.” The move was clearly aimed at reeling in millennials who were raised on shows like All That, Hey Arnold!, Clarissa Explains It All, and more. The launch of MTV Classic has the same strategic ring of millennial nostalgia.
VH1 Classic was the complete opposite of these millennial-bait rebrands; instead, it largely catered to classic-rock fans. The network played long blocks of rock music videos, movies like Purple Rain and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and live concert footage of bands like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Alas, nevermore. One foot’s already on the stairway to TV heaven.
