History Creator / MikeJudge

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of his work tends to hover over either side of the middle of the scale, and whichever side it falls on varies from project to project. ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' is almost entirely cynical, bordering on misanthropic, while ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is almost entirely idealistic, but with its tongue firmly in its cheek for much of its humor. His live action movies such as ''Film/OfficeSpace'' tend to spend most of their runtimes on cynical or even bitter observational humor, but still have with [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy]] (or at least {{bittersweet|ending}}) endings.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: A common topic of his work, though nowhere near as brutal and in-your-face as most examples. Usually, it takes the form of people too wrapped up in their own optimism to know when it isn't working (Mr. Van Driesen from ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'') or well-meaning people who turn out to be no less egotistical as the conservative characters (most of the one-shot characters on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''). It helps that Judge apparently comes from a very liberal family, meaning his opinions on it are clearly well-informed and not just reactionary. On the other hand, it's generally agreed that ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'' largely flopped because it essentially just make fun of fundamentally progressive people for just being progressive.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is a prolific Ecuadoran-born American filmmaker, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, musician and former physicist/engineer, best known for creating the animated shows ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' and ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' as well as the live-action movies ''Film/OfficeSpace'' and ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of his work tends to hover over either side of the middle of the scale, and whichever side it falls on varies from project to project. ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' is almost entirely cynical, bordering on misanthropic, while ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is almost entirely idealistic, but with its tongue firmly in its cheek for much of its humor. His live action movies tend to spend most of their runtimes on cynical or even bitter observational humor, but still have with [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy]] (or at least {{bittersweet|ending}}) endings.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: A common topic of his work, though nowhere near as brutal and in-your-face as most examples. Usually, it takes the form of people too wrapped up in their own optimism to know when it isn't working (Mr. Van Driesen from ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'') or well-meaning people who turn out to be no less egotistical as the conservative characters (most of the one-shot characters on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''). It helps that Judge apparently comes from a very liberal family, meaning his opinions on it are clearly well-informed and not just reactionary. On the other hand, it's generally agreed that ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'' largely flopped because it was this trope in excess.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962 in Guayaquil, Ecuador) is a prolific filmmaker, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, musician and former physicist/engineer, best known for creating the animated shows ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' and ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' as well as the live-action movies ''Film/OfficeSpace'' and ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''.

After ''Hill'' ended, Judge created the SpiritualAntithesis series ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'', basically ''King Of The Hill'', but with liberals instead of conservatives. Critical and audience reception was extremely tepid and the show was canceled before it's first season could finish airing.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962 in Guayaquil, Ecuador) is a prolific filmmaker, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, musician and former physicist, best known for creating the animated shows ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' and ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' as well as the live-action movies ''Film/OfficeSpace'' and ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962 in Guayaquil, Ecuador) is a prolific filmmaker, cartoonist, animator, voice actor and musician, best known for creating the animated shows ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' and ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' as well as the live-action movies ''Film/OfficeSpace'' and ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''.

* GoodOlBoy: Conservative, pot-bellied white Texan men (or "bubbas," as he calls them) tend to pop up a lot in his work. ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is populated almost exclusively by these types of characters. There's also the pro-Hank character Tom Anderson in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead''.

* NeverLearnedToRead: The only formal art training he ever had was a cartooning class at his local YMCA as a teenager. He taught himself how to make animated shorts by reading as many books as he could about it.
* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: A common topic of his work, though nowhere near as mean-spirited as most examples. Usually, it takes the form of people too wrapped up in their own optimism to know when it isn't working (Mr. Van Driesen from ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'') or well-meaning people who turn out to be no less egotistical as the conservative characters (most of the one-shot characters on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''). It helps that Judge apparently comes from a very liberal family, meaning his opinions on it are clearly well-informed and not just reactionary. On the other hand, it's generally agreed that ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'' largely flopped because it was nothing ''but'' this joke.''
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of his work tends to hover over either side of the middle of the scale, and whichever side it falls on varies from project to project. ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' is almost entirely cynical, bordering on misanthropic, while ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is almost entirely idealistic, but with it's tongue firmly in it's cheek for much of it's humor. His live action movies tend to spend most of their runtimes on cynical or even bitter observational humor, but still have with [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy]] (or at least {{bittersweet|ending}}) endings.
* SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic: Mostly realistic. ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' in particular is so restrained that those less savvy to it's type of comic timing, cinematography and overall visual style question why it's even animated to begin with.
* TalkingToHimself: Voiced the title characters and several others whom they interact with on ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', as well as Hank Hill and his drinking buddy Boomhauer in ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Despite being mostly self-taught and, by his own admittance, not all that skilled as an artist, he's a lot closer to technician. All of his work contains great attention to detail in it's look, dialogue and direction. His animated work in particular strictly adheres to anatomical correctness and subtle body language (for example, the style guide for ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' insists that Hank never look anyone directly in the eyes) while involuntary pauses or thinking sounds are written into the scripts of his live-action films.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is a prolific filmmaker, cartoonist, animator, voice actor and musician, best known for creating the animated shows ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' and ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' as well as the live-action movies ''Film/OfficeSpace'' and ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: A common topic of his work, though nowhere near as mean-spirited as most examples. Usually, it takes the form of people too wrapped up in their own optimism to know when it isn't working (Mr. Van Driesen from ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'') or well-meaning people who turn out to be no less egotistical as the conservative characters (most of the one-shot characters on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''). It's also agreed that ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'' flopped because it was nothing ''but'' this joke.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Closer to performer. By his own admittance, he's not a very technically skilled artist, nor did he ever have any formal education in entertainment, and is an entirely self taught animator, writer and actor. That isn't to say that he's completely dismissive of technique, as his scripts and character designs are rather detail-oriented (for example, the style guide for ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' has strict details about anatomical correctness and subtle character tics in the animation, such as Hank never looking anyone in the eye).

Durring ''Hill''s run, Judge made three live-action films, ''Film/OfficeSpace'', ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' and ''Film/{{Extract}}.'' The first two were {{acclaimed flop}}s (the latter even moreso, as Fox got cold feet when they saw just how many real-life corporate brands the film flagrantly skewered and tried to shuffle it off to the DVD rack as fast as they could) and have since developed similar cult followings while the third quickly fizzled out of the public consciousness and seems to have put a damper on his career in live-action features. He would eventually make a return to live-action with the Creator/{{HBO}} series ''Series/SiliconValley'', which he co-created with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, directing several episodes himself.

Born in UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}} but raised in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico, Judge's career in entertainment came somewhat later than most. Rather than going to art school, he studied physics and worked for a few years as an engineer before deciding to break into comedy by creating shorts for ''Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival''. Teaching himself how to animate though books (his only formal art education being a cartooning class at the local YMCA), he created a handful of shorts, including ''Huh?'', ''Milton'' and ''Frog Baseball'', which made their rounds on the festival circuit.

* TheComicallySerious: His comedy style is famously ''very'' dry and largely based on putting caricatures of specific kinds of outlandish people in downright banal situations.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Despite the more cynical humor and observations, a lot of his works tend to have happy endings which keep it on the idealistic side.
* TalkingToHimself: Voiced the title characters and several others whom they interact with on ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', as well as Hank Hill and his drinking buddy Boomhauer in ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''.

Durring ''Hill''s run, Judge made three live-action films, ''Film/OfficeSpace'', ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' and ''Film/{{Extract}}.'' The first two were {{acclaimed flop}}s (the latter even moreso, as Fox got cold feet when they saw just how many real-life corporate brands the film flagrantly skewered and tried to shuffle it off to the DVD rack as fast as they could) and have since developed similar cult followings while the third quickly fizzled out of the public consciousness and seems to have put a damper on his career in live-action features. He would eventually make a return to live-action with the Creator/{{HBO}} series ''Series/SiliconValley'', which he co-created with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' (co-directed with Yvette Kaplan)

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica''

* GoodOlBoy: Conservative, pot-bellied white Texans (or "bubbas," as he calls them) tend to pop up a lot in his work. ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is populated almost exclusively by these types of characters. There's also the pro-Hank character Tom Anderson in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead''.

Durring '''Hill'''s run, Judge made three live-action films, ''Film/OfficeSpace'', ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' and ''Film/{{Extract}}.'' The first two were {{acclaimed flop}}s (the latter even moreso, as Fox got cold feet when they saw just how many real-life corporate brands the film flagrantly skewered and tried to shuffle it off to the DVD rack as fast as they could) and have since developed similar cult followings while the third quickly fizzled out of the public consciousness and seems to have put a damper on his career in live-action features. He would eventually make a return to live-action with the Creator/{{HBO}} series ''Series/SiliconValley'', which he co-created with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}-born American cartoonist, filmmaker, animator and musician, raised in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico. He had originally pursued a career in science and mechanical engineering, but quickly grew disinterested in it and decided to focus on filmmaking instead. During this time, he produced a couple of animated shorts featuring a pair of idiotic teenage boys named WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead. The shorts became a hit with audiences and soon evolved into an animated series on Creator/{{MTV}}. Whilst equally acclaimed, the show courted controversy from MoralGuardians for its over-the-top gags, juvenile humor, and its tendency to encourage kids to imitate Beavis and Butthead's destructive antics (such as setting things on fire and huffing paint thinner), and after 4 years on the air the show was cancelled. It also spawned [[TheMovie a film]], ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''.

Judge moved on to a new animated series, ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', which is a show about a propane ([[RunningGag and propane accessories]]) salesman Hank Hill and his friends and family. The show was known for being more realistic than most animated sitcoms (the show was often described by the creators as a live-action show that just happened to be a cartoon and a lot of measures were taken so that way it wouldn't come off as too cartoonish or exaggerated) and was the polar opposite of the wackier animated shows like ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and Judge's own ''Beavis and Butthead''. After [[LongRunner 12 years of being on the air]] and being [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed over by FOX with shifting timeslots and competition from other shows]], ''King of the Hill'' ended in 2009 (though there were four unaired episodes that ended up airing in 2010 on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Creator/AdultSwim line-up and whatever free-to-air TV channel shows the series in syndication).

Another series of his was ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'' on ABC, which was pretty much seen as a liberal, vegan version of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''. Critical and audience reaction was generally [[SoOkayItsAverage "meh"]], and it was canceled after one season.

In each of these shows, Judge himself voiced each of the male leads and several side characters.

Aside from his animated shows he's also directed a few live action comedy films including ''Film/OfficeSpace'' (based on his animated "Milton" shorts that appeared on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during the 19th season [1993-1994]), ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'', and ''Film/{{Extract}}''. None of these films were successful at the box office, but the first two became {{Cult Classic}}s.

''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' got a well-received though short-lived {{revival}} in 2011.

Judge also animated the music video for Music/ZacBrownBand's 2012 single "The Wind".

In 2014, Judge created a {{work com}} show for HBO called ''Series/SiliconValley'', and in 2017 created ''Tales From the Tourbus'' for Creator/{{Cinemax}}.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead''

----

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}-born American cartoonist, filmmaker and animator, raised in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico. He had originally pursued a career in science and mechanical engineering, but quickly grew disinterested in it and decided to focus on filmmaking instead. During this time, he produced a couple of animated shorts featuring a pair of idiotic teenage boys named WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead. The shorts became a hit with audiences and soon evolved into an animated series on Creator/{{MTV}}. Whilst equally acclaimed, the show courted controversy from MoralGuardians for its over-the-top gags, juvenile humor, and its tendency to encourage kids to imitate Beavis and Butthead's destructive antics (such as setting things on fire and huffing paint thinner), and after 4 years on the air the show was cancelled. It also spawned [[TheMovie a film]], ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''.

Judge moved on to a new animated series, ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', which is a show about a propane ([[RunningGag and propane accessories]]) salesman Hank Hill and his friends and family. The show was known for being more realistic than most animated sitcoms (the show was often described by the creators as a live-action show that just happened to be a cartoon and a lot of measures were taken so that way it wouldn't come off as too cartoonish or exaggerated) and was the polar opposite of the wackier animated shows like ''TheSimpsons'' and Judge's own ''Beavis and Butthead''. After [[LongRunner 12 years of being on the air]] and being [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed over by FOX with shifting timeslots and competition from other shows]], ''King of the Hill'' ended in 2009 (though there were four unaired episodes that ended up airing in 2010 on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Creator/AdultSwim line-up and whatever free-to-air TV channel shows the series in syndication).

Judge moved on to a new animated series, ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', which is a show about a propane ([[RunningGag and propane accessories]]) salesman Hank Hill and his friends and family. The show was known for being more realistic than most animated sitcoms (the show was often described by the creators as a live-action show that just happened to be a cartoon and a lot of measures were taken so that way it wouldn't come off as too cartoonish or exaggerated) and was the polar opposite of the wackier animated shows like ''TheSimpsons'' and Judge's own ''Beavis and Butthead''. After [[LongRunner 12 years of being on the air]] and being [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed over by FOX with shifting timeslots and competition from other shows]], ''King of the Hill'' ended in 2009 (though there are four unaired episodes that ended up airing in 2010 on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Creator/AdultSwim line-up and whatever free-to-air TV channel shows the series in syndication).

Another series of his was ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodeFamily'' on ABC, which was pretty much seen as a liberal, vegan version of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''. Critical and audience reaction was generally [[SoOkayItsAverage "meh,"]] and it was canceled after one season.

In 2014, Judge created a {{work com}} show for HBO called ''Series/SiliconValley'', and in 2017 created ''Tales From the Tourbus'' for Creator/{{Cinemax}}

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}-born American cartoonist, filmmaker and animator, raised in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico. He had originally pursued a career in science and mechanical engineering, but quickly grew disinterested in it and decided to focus on filmmaking instead. During this time, he produced a couple of animated shorts featuring a pair of idiotic teenage boys named WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead. The shorts became a hit with audiences and soon evolved into an animated series on Creator/{{MTV}}. Whilst equally acclaimed, the show courted controversy from MoralGuardians for its' over-the-top gags, juvenile humor, and its' tendency to encourage kids to imitate Beavis and Butthead's destructive antics (such as setting things on fire and huffing paint thinner), and after 4 years on the air the show was cancelled. It also spawned [[TheMovie a film]], ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}-born American cartoonist, filmmaker and animator, raised in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico. He had originally pursued a career in science and mechanical engineering, but quickly grew disinterested in it and decided to focus on filmmaking instead. During this time, he produced a couple of animated shorts featuring a pair of idiotic teenage boys named WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead. The shorts became a hit with audiences and soon evolved into an animated series on Creator/{{MTV}}. The show was known for its over-the-top gags, juvenile humor, and controversy over encouraging kids to imitate Beavis and Butthead's destructive antics (such as setting things on fire and huffing paint thinner), and after 4 years on the air the show was cancelled. It also spawned [[TheMovie a film]], ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''.

Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}}-born American cartoonist, filmmaker and animator, raised in UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}, UsefulNotes/NewMexico. He had originally pursued a career in science and mechanical engineering, but quickly grew disinterested in it and decided to focus on filmmaking instead. During this time, he did a couple of animated shorts featuring a pair of idiotic teenage boys named WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead. The shorts became a hit with audiences and soon evolved into an animated series on Creator/{{MTV}}. The show was known for its over-the-top gags, juvenile humor, and controversy over encouraging kids to imitate Beavis and Butthead's destructive antics (such as setting things on fire and huffing paint thinner), and after 4 years on the air the show was cancelled. It also spawned [[TheMovie a film]], ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''.