"The State" (1993) TV series 1993-1995

Creators:

Kevin Allison
Michael Ian Black
Robert Ben Garant
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Each episode contains 30 minutes of extremely bizarre and funny sketch comedy performed by THE STATE, an 11 member sketch comedy troupe who wrote and starred in various sketches seen throughout the program.

Plot Keywords:

Sketch Comedy | Friendship | Gay Interest | Based On Sketch Comedy | Stereotype

Cast

Kevin Allison	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Ian Black	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Robert Ben Garant	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Todd Holoubek	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Patrick Jann	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Kerri Kenney	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Thomas Lennon	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Joe Lo Truglio	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Ken Marino	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Showalter	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
David Wain	...	Various (27 episodes, 1993-1995)

Series Directed by
Michael Patrick Jann		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
David Wain		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Mark Gentile		(13 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Dimich		(13 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Writing credits
Kevin Allison		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Jonathan K. Bendis		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Ian Black		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Robert Ben Garant		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Todd Holoubek		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Patrick Jann		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Kerri Kenney		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Thomas Lennon		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Joe Lo Truglio		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Ken Marino		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Showalter		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Steven Starr		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
David Wain		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)

Series Produced by
Jonathan K. Bendis	....	co-producer (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Eileen Katz	....	executive producer (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Steven Starr	....	co-producer (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Mark Perez	....	segment producer / supervising producer (26 episodes, 1993-1995)
Jim Sharp	....	producer (26 episodes, 1993-1995)
Shelley Urick	....	assistant segment producer / segment producer (14 episodes, 1994-1995)
Jody O'Neil	....	segment producer (13 episodes, 1995)
Todd Stevens	....	segment producer (7 episodes, 1994)
Darren Wiseman	....	segment producer (7 episodes, 1995)
Carol Eng	....	coordinating producer (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Rich Goldman	....	coordinating producer (6 episodes, 1995)

Series Original Music by
Theodore Shapiro		(27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Craig Wedren		(14 episodes, 1993-1994)

Series Cinematography by
Garry Nardilla		(19 episodes, 1993-1995)
Frankie DeJoseph		(13 episodes, 1995)
Jake Clennell		(7 episodes, 1994)
Stephen Murello		(7 episodes, 1995)
Christian Hoagland		(6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Dan Stoloff		(6 episodes, 1995)
Jeff Muhlstock		(2 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Film Editing by
Robert Mowen		(20 episodes, 1994-1995)
Wayne Hyde		(13 episodes, 1994-1995)
Fred Salkind		(6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Karl Woitach		(6 episodes, 1993-1994)
David Zieff		(6 episodes, 1993-1994)

Series Set Decoration by
Jacqueline Jacobson Scarfo		(5 episodes, 1993-1995)

Series Costume Design by
Jana Rosenblatt		(13 episodes, 1995)
Carolee Fisher		(9 episodes, 1993-1994)

Series Makeup Department
Anastasia Traina	....	makeup artist (19 episodes, 1993-1995)
Carolee Fisher	....	hair stylist (6 episodes, 1993-1994)

Series Production Management
Mark Perez	....	post-production supervisor (14 episodes, 1993-1994)
Rich Goldman	....	production manager / unit manager (13 episodes, 1993-1994)
Jacquelyn French	....	production manager (13 episodes, 1995)
Rosadel Varela	....	post-production supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Wain	....	second unit director (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Phil Alcabes	....	assistant director (7 episodes, 1994)
Martha Yates	....	assistant director (6 episodes, 1995)

Series Art Department
Ruth Ammon	....	set designer (26 episodes, 1993-1995)
Karen Perrine	....	graphics (7 episodes, 1994)
James Clement Cook	....	carpenter (5 episodes, 1993-1995)

Series Sound Department
Susan Pelino	....	post-production audio (26 episodes, 1993-1995)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Rafael Latorre	....	lighting technician (26 episodes, 1993-1995)
Randy Nordstrom	....	lighting director / lighting designer (20 episodes, 1994-1995)
Ken Ferencek	....	lighting designer (7 episodes, 1994)
Alan Adelman	....	lighting designer (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Sid Curtis	....	lighting technician (5 episodes, 1993-1995)
Philip J. Martinez	....	best boy electric / gaffer: second unit / ... (3 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Animation Department
Joe Lo Truglio	....	animator (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carey Bennett	....	assistant costume designer (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Kerrie Karcewski	....	costume buyer (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
David Zieff	....	avid consultant (13 episodes, 1995)
Kenny Attard	....	assistant editor (7 episodes, 1994)
Charlie Eisenhardt	....	assistant editor (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Mike Servedio	....	assistant editor (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Stephen Sekyiamah	....	assistant editor (6 episodes, 1995)

Series Music Department
Craig Wedren	....	composer: theme music (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Eli Janney	....	composer: theme music (26 episodes, 1993-1995)

Series Other crew
Jonathan K. Bendis	....	opening titles (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Michael Patrick Jann	....	opening titles (27 episodes, 1993-1995)
Paul Cox	....	technical manager (26 episodes, 1993-1995)
Deanna Storey	....	script coordinator (26 episodes, 1993-1995)
Jennifer Dowd	....	production coordinator (20 episodes, 1994-1995)
Darren Wiseman	....	location manager (20 episodes, 1994-1995)
Elizabeth Sarkisian	....	senior production coordinator / production coordinator (13 episodes, 1993-1994)
Jeff Baumgardner	....	intern (13 episodes, 1995)
Jeff Mandell	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1994)
Rob Bruce-Baron	....	stage manager (7 episodes, 1995)
Kurt Fitzpatrick	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Kerrie Karcewski	....	stitcher (unknown episodes)

Distributors

• Music Television (MTV) (1994) (USA) (TV)
• Sony Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

The cast was extremely reluctant to write material for recurring characters, but pressure from the network forced them to do so. When the character of Doug and his catch phrase "I'm outta heeeere..." began to catch on, Michael Showalter, who played and created Doug, conceptualized the second season sketch in which Doug gets annoyed by everyone finding his rebellious slogan charming.

Quotes:

Ken:I'm aware of my... pants.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Conan: The Douche Who Lost His Bag (#2.57)" (2012)

Soundtrack:

You Always Give Me a Boner

Much better now that I look back

A few years ago when I offered comments about "Viva Variety" here, I mentioned its connection with the "occasionally hilarious" series "The State." Well, now I realize that "The State" was darn funny more often than just occasionally. The problem was mostly with the first season, really. That was the batch of episodes on which, according to a New York Times article, MTV imposed a dumbing-down to appeal to a supposed audience of sophomoric headbangers. And it showed: the early episodes featured (among a handful of gems) a lot of pointless surrealism-for-its-own-sake and even more running around & screaming to the accompaniment of MTV hits.

But then things started to look up. The eleven-member troupe apparently said "To hell with the network, we're going to do this our way" - which, unfortunately, is probably what led to the show's fairly early cancellation. But while they lasted, the remaining seasons showcased some brilliant stuff. The vacationers who went camping - inside a stranger's house (one camper found a grocery-store package of mushrooms on the kitchen counter, consulted a nature guidebook, and declared, "Good, these aren't poisonous"). The little boy who wrote the school nutrition pageant all by himself, only to face teachers and parents who dismissed his play for its weak characterizations and lack of subtext: "Clearly, you have never read Athol Fugard's 'Dimetos.'" And then there was the blind man who shared his story with a completely uninformed talk-show audience, including a doctor who had written a book called "Coping with Blindness" but neglected to print it in Braille. (The doctor, by the way, was played by Thomas Lennon, and I must give him a special mention as a standout actor; nobody could deliver a marvelously deadpan line quite like Tom.)

That's not to say that the show never reverted to its old screeching obnoxiousness. Overall, though, it often had this great quality going for it: multi-layered sketches. Instead of just coasting on one-joke premises, "The State" included amusing throwaway dialogue ("I have a very Eastern concept of what God is." "You mean, like Connecticut?"), quick allusions (While some students confessed to cheating on tests and the like, Shakespeare popped in and admitted he'd used a ghost writer) and visual gags (in the middle of an impassioned speech, one man dramatically removed his moustache rather than his glasses).

Keeping the laugh quotient high in a sketch comedy can't be an easy thing to do, so "occasionally hilarious" is probably quite an achievement. Watching it again, I see that applying that description to "The State" isn't enough after all.