120 Minutes is a television program in the United States dedicated to the alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After its cancellation, MTV2 premiered a replacement program called Subterranean. A similar but separate MTV Classic program, also titled 120 Minutes, plays many classic alternative videos that were regularly seen on 120 Minutes in its heyday. 120 Minutes returned as a monthly program on MTV2 on July 30, 2011, with Matt Pinfield as host. In March 2023, former 120 Minutes host Lewis Largent died at the age of 58.

History

The early years

120 Minutes debuted on March 10, 1986, at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time. For the first ten years of 120 Minutes, viewers could see artists as varied as Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, Nina Hagen, The Cramps, X, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bronski Beat, New Order, Cocteau Twins, The Replacements, The Verve, James, Slowdive, Weezer, Robyn Hitchcock, The Stone Roses, Oasis, 10,000 Maniacs, Blur, Butthole Surfers, Radiohead, KMFDM, Kate Bush, Ramones, Sonic Youth, XTC, Morrissey, The Smashing Pumpkins, Kitchens of Distinction, Sarah McLachlan, They Might Be Giants, Dinosaur Jr., Rage Against the Machine, Hüsker Dü, The Offspring, Sparklehorse, and Bad Religion. Nirvana's music video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" received a world premiere on 120 Minutes, but soon proved so popular that the channel began to air it during its regular daytime rotation. For a time in the mid-1990s, a companion program called Alternative Nation aired every weeknight on MTV.

From MTV to MTV2

The show began featuring more mainstream artists in the late 1990s, playing the likes of Staind and later Sum 41. In 2000, the show was sometimes preempted for reruns of The Real World, Loveline, and Undressed, before being taken off the airwaves altogether in the summer of 2000. In 2001, it returned on MTV2, where it returned to the style of music it was known for.

Cancellation

Having been gradually relegated to a late night time slot since 2002, the show was canceled with no formal announcement from MTV2 on May 4, 2003. In the final episode, the then host Jim Shearer shared the screen with the show's creator Dave Kendall, as well as Matt Pinfield. The two "classic era" hosts shared their favorite videos from over the years, finally ending with the selection of Siouxsie and the Banshees's "Kiss Them for Me" as the final video aired.

120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield

120 Minutes made its return to MTV2 on July 31, 2011, at 1 a.m. ET. Matt Pinfield reprised his role as the host and the program was formally called 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield. The revived program initially aired on a monthly basis, but returned to a weekly format in late November 2011. It aired Fridays 6 a.m.–8 a.m. on MTV2. In addition to videos and interviews from alternative rock and indie rock artists, the program also featured music from underground hip hop, alternative hip hop, electronica, turntablism, and dubstep artists. In the revival, viewers could see artists as varied as Beady Eye, The Kills, Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, Death Cab for Cutie, Lupe Fiasco and Grouplove. 120 Minutes also aired as a two-minute clip in a series called 120 Seconds which can be seen on MTVhive.com. 120 Minutes was removed from the MTV2 schedule without announcement. The last airing was February 1, 2013. A two-hour indie block called Artists to Watch took its slot during the same Friday 7 a.m.–9 a.m. ET block. However, that program stopped airing. , MTV's sister channel MTV Classic (formerly called VH1 Classic) airs a similar program with the name 120 Minutes (formerly called "The Alternative") on its Saturday/Sunday and Sunday/Monday midnight time slot (on which the original show aired). This version of the show, however, has no host and highlights more well established alternative artists of the 1980s and 1990s; mostly replaying videos that originally aired on MTV.

List of 120 Minutes hosts

The following MTV VJs hosted 120 Minutes on a regular basis.

120 Minutes albums

Never Mind the Mainstream

In 1991, two CDs were released entitled "Never Mind the Mainstream: The Best of MTV's 120 Minutes" volumes 1 and 2 and featured many songs featured on the program. Artists included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Echo & the Bunnymen, Julian Cope, R.E.M., Sinéad O'Connor, Ministry, Depeche Mode, Sonic Youth, and Violent Femmes. The title referenced the Sex Pistols' landmark album Never Mind the Bollocks, but fortuitously recalled the title of Nirvana's Nevermind album which was released near-simultaneously. Volume One: Volume Two:

120 Minutes Live

In 1998, an album was released by Atlantic Records featuring 14 of the best and most memorable live performances on 120 Minutes from the 1990s.