Read this: An oral history of depraved masterpiece Wonder Showzen

Wonder Showzen aired its final episode in 2006, but the legacy of the MTV2 series that was absolutely, definitely meant to be viewed by actual children lives on in memes, GIFs, and rants by preachers who never thought they’d live to see God commit suicide. Today, in celebration of its 15th anniversary, The Ringer rounded up creators Vernon Chatman and John Lee, as well as a several members of the show’s crew, for an oral history digging into its taboo madness.
Chatman and Lee, who’ve gone on to work on mild-melting shows like Xavier: Renegade Angel and The Shivering Truth, unpack everything from the show’s prank-fueled origins to their battles with MTV’s standards department to the experience of having knives pulled on them, a topic they also discussed with us some years back. It’s also wild to consider what the show would’ve looked like had it been picked up by USA, the first network interested in its premise.
One of the most interesting bits to emerge from the oral history concerns Trevor Heins, the sweet redhead who regularly terrorized oblivious New Yorkers as the host of “Beat Kids.” According to Lee and Chatman, the pair pitched MTV on Trevor Heins 2028, a Boyhood-style movie in which they’d spend 20 years trying to get the kid elected president.