To call Mike Judge one of the most talented and influential voices in comedy would not quite be a justified description. In reality, he is the man behind more than a few of the most memorable voices in comedy history, such as both of the titular teen heroes of Beavis and Butt-Head and multiple roles from King of the Hill.
That is only counting the characters he has voiced on TV as there are many other characters he has also played in live action titles, many of which he was also the driving creative force behind. Let’s talk about some of the actor, writer, director, and producer’s greatest hits with our picks for the best Mike Judge movies and TV shows you can stream, buy or rent digitally, and purchase on physical media — starting with, arguably, his most iconic creation.
Beavis And Butt-Head (1993-Present)
A pair of irresponsible and unsupervised teen boys constantly, and unwittingly, get themselves into trouble and, usually, at the fault of their own stupidity.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: Rarely has comedy of such an infantile degree been translated into something so fun and charismatic, which Mike Judge did as the creator and star of Beavis and Butt-Head — an enduringly popular staple of MTV’s best animated TV shows which was recently revived on Paramount+ exclusively.
Stream Beavis and Butt-Head on Paramount+.
Buy Beavis and Butt-Head on DVD on Amazon.
Beavis And Butt-Head Movies (1996, 2022)
The continuing adventures of the dim-witted teens include a cross-country trip to find their missing TV, during which they become wrapped up in an FBI manhunt, and a court-ordered sentencing to space camp, which results in an accidental journey into the future.
Why they are some of Mike Judge’s best: Mike Judge’s iconic duo have starred in two of their own feature-length movies — the theatrically released, star-studded Beavis and Butt-Head Do America in the mid-1990s and the “very, very stupid and very, very funny,” sci-fi infused Paramount+ exclusive, Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, more recently.
Stream the Beavis and Butt-Head Movies on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Beavis and Butt-Head Do America digitally on Amazon.
Buy Beavis and Butt-Head Do America on Blu-ray on Amazon.
King Of The Hill (1997-2010)
A salesman of propane and propane accessories (Mike Judge) tries to do right by his wife (Kathy Najimy), son (Pamela Adlon), and live-in niece (Brittany Murphy) while struggling with the mundanity of life and the eccentricities of his friends and neighbors in a Texas suburb.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: For years rumors have circulated about a possible revival for Judge’s second and longest-running animated series, King of the Hill — a no-holds barred satire on Southern life and its own awkward culture clashes for which Judge also served as co-creator (with Greg Daniels) and the voice of several characters.
Stream King Of The Hill on Hulu.
Buy King Of The Hill on DVD on Amazon.
The Goode Family (2009)
The adventures of a family that is committed to living a lifestyle based entirely on what they believe is right and just, no matter the cost.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: One of the Mike Judge’s more short-lived animated comedy series was The Good Family — an interesting satire released way ahead of its time, which Judge created with fellow King of the Hill producers John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.
Stream The Goode Family on Peacock.
Stream The Goode Family on Tubi.
Buy The Goode Family digitally on Amazon.
Buy The Goode Family on DVD on Amazon.
Idiocracy (2006)
An Army private (Luke Wilson) selected for a human hibernation experiment due to his average IQ suddenly finds himself smarter than anyone else on earth when he wakes up centuries later in a future where intelligence has grossly devolved.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: If you thought that Beavis and Butt-Head was the “dumbest” of Mike Judge’s creations, then you need to see Idiocracy — a criminally underrated, star-studded satire produced and directed by Judge that is profoundly more clever, and alarmingly relevant, than one might initially believe.
Stream Idiocracy on Starz.
Rent/buy Idiocracy digitally on Amazon.
Buy Idiocracy on DVD on Amazon.
Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
A group of lowly, but ambitious, computer engineers (including Silicon Valley cast lead Thomas Middleditch) struggle to navigate the cutthroat world of the modern tech industry and keep their data compression platform afloat.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: Mike Judge has also made things about smart people, such as his next major collaboration with his Goode Family co-creators, Silicon Valley, the Emmy-winning, tremendously sharp, HBO original satire that he is able to bring an authentic perspective to considering his prior experience working at a tech startup, according to the New York Post.
Stream Silicon Valley on HBO Max.
Buy Silicon Valley digitally on Amazon.
Buy Silicon Valley on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Office Space (1999)
After a hypnosis session goes wrong, a hapless computer programmer (Ron Livingston) suddenly adopts a carefree attitude that helps him work his way up on the corporate ladder and later inspires him and his friends to rebel against his corrupt boss.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: The first time that Mike Judge took on the tech industry was when he made his live-action, feature-length directorial debut with the biting workplace satire, Office Space — a now beloved comedy classic that also stars Gary Cole as Bill Lumbergh, the epitome of dreadful movie bosses.
Stream Office Space on Freevee through Amazon.
Buy Office Space on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Extract (2009)
The owner of a dairy extract manufacturing facility (Jason Bateman) must contend with a potentially adulterous wife (Kristen Wiig), an attractive new temp who might be secretly working against the company (Mila Kunis), and dissatisfied employees conspiring a rebellion.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: For his next send-up of the life of an office drone, writer and director Mike Judge took on a whole new workplace environment with Extract — another winning satire with stellar supporting cast, including Academy Award winners J.K. Simmons and Ben Affleck.
Rent/buy Extract digitally on Amazon.
Buy Extract on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Tales From The Tour Bus (2017-2018)
Anecdotes about popular musicians and their craziest moments while on the road are compiled from trusted sources or the subjects themselves and reenacted through animated segments narrated by Mike Judge.
Why it is one of Mike Judge’s best: Both another inside-look at the irreverent goings-on of a certain profession and, easily, Judge’s most inventive animated TV series yet, Tales from the Tour Bus is a captivating and revealing quasi-documentary series profiling country music artists like George Jones in the first season, and funk icons like James Brown in the next.
Buy Tales From The Tour Bus on Apple iTunes.
Honorable Mention: The Spy Kids Movies (2001-2003)
After discovering their parents (Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino) are secret agents and rescuing them from a corrupt children’s media mogul, a girl (Alexa Vega) and her younger brother (Daryl Sabara) become official operatives and take on missions involving an island overrun with strange mutant creatures and a video game that redefines virtual reality.
Why they are some of Mike Judge’s best: One of Mike Judge’s most unique and unexpected acting roles is in Robert Rodriguez’s dazzling, family-friendly espionage franchise as Donnagon Giggles — an OSS agent rescued from being one of Floop’s Fooglies in the first Spy Kids, who becomes the antagonist of Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams before turning good again in Spy Kids 3: Game Over.
Stream the Spy Kids movies on HBO Max.
Rent/buy the Spy Kids movie digitally on Amazon.
Buy the Spy Kids movies on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Which one of these hilarious movies and clever TV comedies is the best of them all? We will let you be the judge.
