In addition to being an animator, voice actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, and musician, Mike Judge is also a former physicist. While he isn’t calculating complex equations anymore, he continues to be at the helm of various iconic television shows and feature films. From the low brow comedy of Beavis and Butt-Head to the high brow satire of Silicon Valley, Mike Judge’s comedic range is vast.
Judge broke into the animation world after his short film, Frog Baseball, aired on MTV’s show Liquid Television. The popularity of Beavis and Butt-Head, featured in the series, led to the creation of the television show of the same name. Judge hasn’t stopped since. Here are his 10 best works, ranked according to IMDb.
Extract (2009) - 6.1
Judge wrote and directed this comedy starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, and Kristen Wiig. Bateman plays the owner of a flavor extracting company who, through a series of unfortunate events, finds himself down and out.
After one of his employees is involved in a terrible accident, Joel’s company is all over the news, putting it on the radar of a local con artist looking to profit off the exposure. Things get worse from there for Joel, whose marriage is also on the rocks. Extract, despite falling under the radar, received positive reviews.
The Goode Family (2009) - 6.3
Judge wrote, created, and voiced roles in this ABC series about an environmentally conscious family. The show pokes fun at both sides of the political spectrum, highlighting problems for liberals and conservatives. It’s at its best when the relationships between family members are relatable and human.
The Goode Family shines a light on contemporary society, using humor to dig into political correctness. Due to its poor ratings, it was canceled after one season. A 2013 DVD release has allowed the show’s legacy to persist into the present.
Idiocracy (2006) - 6.6
Judge’s silly dystopian comedy divided audiences when it came out, but it’s developed a cult status over time thanks to its ability to foreshadow the political and social landscapes to come. Starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph as two soldiers with average intelligence who take part in a classified hibernation project that propels them 500 years into the future, Idiocracy follows the cultural and intellectual decay of humankind thanks to capitalism and consumer culture.
The movie also includes performances from Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, and Justin Long. Once the soldiers wake up in future America, they realize the nation is run by and full of idiots. Even with their average intelligence, they are able to fix many of the issues plaguing society.
Beavis And Butt-Head Do America (1996) - 6.8
The first full-length film to bring Beavis and Butt-Head to the big screen, this release follows the trials and tribulations of the annoying teenagers after their beloved television is stolen. As they attempt to track down a new one, they become involved in an arms-smuggling scheme that causes them to hit the road, escaping police and criminals alike.
Even with the signature stupidity and classlessness that defines the show, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America turned out to be a theatrical success. As a much more vulgar version of Wayne’s World, the movie was able to transfer the television show’s humor into an entertaining 90-minute feature.
King Of The Hill (1997 - 2010) - 7.3
One of the longest-running animated features on television, King of the Hill is Judge’s populist homage to small-town life. King of the Hill focuses on the Hill family in Arlen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Hank is a propane salesman, Peggy is a substitute teacher, and Bobby is a middle schooler who aspires to be a comic.
Judge developed the show with Greg Daniels, known for his work on The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation, and The Office. Despite being an animated show with absurd humor, King of the Hill is full of characters who garner sympathy from viewers due to how well they expose the quirks, traumas, and idiosyncrasies that define everyone.
The Animation Show (2003) - 7.5
Judge and his animation buddy Don Hertzfeldt, who has his own loyal following as an animator, decided to revive the touring animation festival with this series, which first premiered in 2003. The purpose of the festival was to bring the world of animated shorts out of the Internet and onto the bring screen, giving audiences a chance to connect with aspiring animators IRL.
The shorts featured in each circuit were compiled into a DVD, with the first tour being the most popular. It stopped in over 200 cities and featured Academy Award-nominated shorts. The first three tours were organized by Judge and Hertzfeldt, and it ended after the fourth.
Beavis And Butt-Head (1993 - 1997; 2011) - 7.5
Judge defined an entire generation of sarcastic and pimple-faced teenagers coming of age in the 1990s when he conceived of Beavis and Butt-Head. The title duo is both voiced by Judge, a pair of gross and creepy couch potatoes who lack any and all motivation.
When they aren’t at school, they’re critiquing music videos and blaming society at large for all their woes. They are interested in heavy metal, sex, and the macabre. The show inspired the creation of another famous MTV series, Daria, which Judge was not involved with producing.
Office Space (1999) - 7.5
Office Space originates with one of Judge’s earliest cartoon series, Milton, about an odd office worker. The Milton shorts played on Saturday Night Live during the mid-1990s. While Milton is only a minor character in the movie, Office Space takes place in the universe first brought to life with him.
Ron Livingston stars in Office Space as a computer programmer who works for a company in Houston called Initech. Run like every other bureaucratic company, Initech treats its employees like expendable commodities. Livingston’s character, Peter, decides to fight back, and the results are hilarious.
Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus (2017 - ) 8.5
Judge pays homage to his musical icons in this animated Cinemax series. In each episode, Judge hosts, providing an oral history of different musicians, including Jerry Lee Lewis, George Clinton, and James Brown.
The storytelling is complemented with interviews from people involved with each musician. The series employs both rotoscope and traditional animation styles, as well as archival and newspaper footage associated with each artist. The show has aired for two seasons so far. There’s no word about when a third season will come about.
Silicon Valley (2014 - 2019) - 8.5
Judge’s most acclaimed series was made in conjunction with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. It debuted on HBO in 2014 and had six successful seasons before it ended in 2019.
The show focuses on five men who begin a start-up company in Silicon Valley, California, home to tech giants, innovative entrepreneurs, and social media mavericks. Judge worked in a Silicon Valley startup early in his career, and he used his experiences to develop the plot of the show, hailed as both realistic and humorous.
