'Long Live The State': A Look At The MTV Sketch Group's Enduring Legacy In Comedy W/ Ken Marino, David Wain, Joe Lo Truglio & Documentarian Matthew Perniciaro

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View on web New reader? Subscribe SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE. LONG LIVE THE STATE A LOOK AT THE ICONIC SKETCH GROUP'S COMEDY LEGACY In the arts, it’s always fascinating to look at the phenomenon of the "scene" — a cluster of creative talents coming together randomly and inexplicably, before shooting off to success on their own separate trajectories. In 2000s New York alone, you saw multiple examples emerge between music and film. On the music side, you had the convergence of indie artists like The Strokes, Interpol, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, as illustrated in the 2017 book and sequent 2022 documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom. At the same time, on the film side, you saw the rise of artists like Noah Baumbach and Darren Aronofsky who remain some of today’s most prominent. In the world of comedy, there have been many scenes, one of the most interesting being the group of writer-performers emerging from New York University in the late 1980s who would come to be known as The State. This was a sketch group integral to the rise of countless names familiar to any real comedy fan — from David Wain to Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, Joe Lo Truglio, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Michael Ian Black, Thomas Lennon and more. Largely, comedic multi-hyphenates who have gone on to enduring careers in front of and behind the camera. Unusually, this is a group that got their own TV series almost fresh out of college, short-lived though it was, first on MTV and then on CBS. And members of The State have been a part of many of the most iconic comedies that have emerged in the decades since — titles like Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911!, Stella, Children’s Hospital, Search Party, the Night at the Museum franchise, Party Down, and more. Hitting the road for a reunion tour amid the Hollywood strikes of 2023, The State’s story is most comprehensively told in Long Live the State, a documentary from filmmaker Matthew Perniciaro, which is coming off of its premiere at the Tribeca Festival. In the doc, members of The State come together to reflect on the highs and lows of making their cult hit series, as well as their enduring legacy in comedy. With us to unpack this subject on today’s episode of the Comedy Means Business podcast are Wain, Marino, and Lo Truglio — three original members of The State — as well as director Perniciaro. Over the course of the conversation, we get into the experience of the reunion tour, learning lessons “through bumps and bruises” of The State’s journey, the best sketches that never made it to air, and how the group would’ve approached their careers if they were starting out in comedy today. A quick note before we begin: Lo Truglio joined us from a hotel lobby in Ireland, where he was attending a family function, so there was a bit of an audio issue there. Apologies. But with that said, here it is. Check out the pod at the link. The Comedy Means Business podcast airs on Mondays, with a companion newsletter running the same day. Sign up for that here . The main newsletter will be on hiatus next week, with news slowing down between now and then due to the holiday. But we'll be back next week with a pod on Tom Segura and his filmmaking efforts through YMH Studios with Bad Thoughts and El Tigre. The podcast can be found on Apple, YouTube, and Spotify. Have a great 4th, everyone! Got a tip, pitch, comment, or feature idea? Reach out at mattgrobar@deadline.com.   This email was sent to punjabsvera@gmail.com by Deadline. Please add email@email.deadline.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the Preferences Center to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11355 W Olympic Blvd Los Angeles, CA, 90064 View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Rights | Ad Choices | Terms of Use | Unsubscribe