While many throwback MTV programs will be brought back to the air thanks to MTV Classic, most of them can be put on the backburner. Because the most important aspect of this new development is that MTV Classic will show Daria—the best program ever put on by MTV. While it began life as a Beavis and Butt-Head spinoff, it’s always been a very different show, much smarter and textually richer. The show followed Daria Morgendorffer, the supremely cynical and sarcastic teenager, in her life at school and at home. She joined up with fellow outcast Jane Lane to deal with shallow and stupid classmates, ineffectual teachers and Daria’ parents Jake and Helen, who are in equal parts absent and overbearing.
Daria’s also one of the best shows ever created about teenagers, and teenaged life. It’s true that it took a little while to get going—the first season is a bit rough around the edges. Eventually, though, it would emerge as a funny, biting show worthy of being honored with a top 10 list such as this one. Unfortunately, you can’t watch many of these with the original music anymore, but all the humor, and the occasional fits of heart, are still there.
10. “Daria!”
Even if you only watched Daria casually, you probably remember the musical episode. It’s mostly successful, in part because it’s always going to be funny to listen to Daria sing. The episode isn’t perfect in its execution, but the idea is fun, and “Daria!” gets big points for ambition and general weirdness. Now, that episode where Daria meets the manifestations of various holidays is an example of a similar weirdness not working. So it probably shouldn’t be discussed any further in this top 10 list.
9. “That Was Then, This Is Dumb”
While Daria is mostly about, well, Daria and other teenagers, her parents are by no means afterthoughts. Both characters have substance to them, and get their own hilarious plotlines, and they are arguably at the center of this episode. Jake and Helen used to be hippies. Now Helen is a workaholic and Jake is one minor setback away from losing his mind at any given moment. So, when their old hippie friends come by to stay with them (while Daria is off with Jane, helping Trent sell records), they try and reconnect to their old lives. Of course, it goes poorly, and it turns out Jake (who angrily kicked the Pentagon back in the day) was never laidback anyway.
8. “Fizz Ed”
Daria always cast a jaundiced eye toward certain aspects of consumerism, and toward authority figures as well. “Fizz Ed” plays into both of these strengths, as Ms. Li, in her ruthless quest to bring recognition and riches to Lawndale High, signs a sponsorship deal with a cola company. It doesn’t take long for the soda company to overtake the school, as Ms. Li desperately tries to hock their sugary wares. Daria is, of course, off on the sidelines, cracking wise at the insanity, but she becomes more than just a passive viewer, actually trying to stop the madness. In spite of her reputation as a quipping observer, she was always willing to step in, even if begrudgingly so, and try to make a difference when necessary.
7. “Jake of Hearts”
Jake is one of the greatest TV characters of all time, because Jake is a high strung nightmare who is always, always yelling. However, it all catches up with him in this episode, as he ends up having an actual heart attack. There are laughs here, but there’s also some pathos, because a man did have a heart attack, after all—not to mention the emotional baggage he and his mother both have to deal with. Meanwhile, two moron radio DJs show up at Lawndale, in a sharp parody of morning show blather. It’s an absolute delight when Daria finally puts them in their place.
6. “Through A Lens Darkly”
Some of the best Daria episodes show Daria struggling with her ideals and her conflicted feelings inherent to being a teenager. For her driving test, Daria gets contacts. Her big, thick glasses have always been a key part of her look. When the contacts don’t work for her, she is reticent about going back to her glasses, and even spends a whole day without wearing either. Why? Because she, Daria, is actually thinking about her looks and her appearance. And for Daria, being image conscious is anathema to the very aura she puts out in the world. It’s a small, but interesting and relatable story that allows our hero some real complexity.
