''120 Minutes'' (formerly ''The Alternative'' and ''VH1 Classic 120 Minutes'') is an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

music video program that debuted in August 2004 on VH1 Classic and currently airs on

MTV Classic MTV Classic may refer to: *MTV Classic (American TV channel), a television channel that replaced VH1 Classic on August 1, 2016 *MTV Classic (Australian TV channel), a television channel previously named VH1 Australia until May 2010, and shut down i ...

. The program follows a similar format to that of ''

120 Minutes ''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, MTV ...

'', which aired on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

from 1986 to 2003. Following VH1 Classic's transition into

on August 1, 2016, ''VH1 Classic 120 Minutes'' was relaunched under the name ''120 Minutes'' on August 8, 2016. It was one of several VH1 Classic original programs to be retained by MTV Classic.

Summary and format

As with the original ''120 Minutes'', the series features videos from

artists, as well as those from several other related genres, including

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

, punk rock, new wave,

college rock College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...

sophisti-pop __NOTOC__ Sophisti-pop is a subgenre of pop music which developed out of the new wave movement in the UK during the mid 1980s. The term has been applied retrospectively to describe acts who blended elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish p ...

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...

, Britpop, jangle pop,

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

and

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

. The VH1 Classic version of the program focused primarily on videos from the 1980s and early 1990s, with occasional videos from late-1970s and mid-1990s artists. The MTV Classic version features videos from largely the same time period, although with a focus on the late 1980s to the late-1990s. Videos dating from the 1970s and early 1980s are de-emphasized, or have been removed from the playlist entirely. Unlike the original MTV version of ''

'' which featured a host introducing videos and occasional interviews and live performances, the VH1 Classic and MTV Classic versions of the program are exclusively music video blocks. The program is broadcast as two back-to-back 60 minute blocks which total the titular 120 minutes, including commercials. ''VH1 Classic 120 Minutes'' was the final program to air on VH1 Classic before its transition to MTV Classic. In addition, the show aired VH1 Classic's final music video " Don't Talk" by

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four album ...

. The show plays a very limited number of artists and videos, often repeating the same songs week after week.

Time slot

''The Alternative'' aired in a two-hour version early Sunday mornings at 11 with a repeat at 11 pm Eastern, with additional one-hour shows at those times on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Beginning the weekend of April 28, 2007, ''The Alternative'' was renamed ''120 Minutes'' in honor of the classic MTV series of the same name. The series aired that weekend from 4-6 am and 1-3 am early Saturday mornings, and Sunday evenings at 9-11 pm and 1-3 am. Until August 2016, ''120 Minutes'' aired from 4-6 am, usually on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Ever since the network re-branded as MTV Classic, it airs on Mondays from 12-2 am and again at 3-5 am.

References

2004 American television series debuts 2000s American music television series 2010s American music television series English-language television shows MTV original programming VH1 music shows {{US-music-tv-prog-stub

Summary and format

Time slot

See also

References