The cast consisted of comedy troupe The State, who were 11 comedians who created, acted, wrote, directed and edited the show.

In various combinations, the former members of The State have continued to collaborate over the years, with alumni playing major creative, directing and acting roles in a number of notable projects including Reno 911!

A State film featuring all of the original troupe members was planned, but faced delays due to the 2007–2008 screenwriters strike, and the project never came to fruition.

"[3] However, CBS optioned to buy the show after its second year on MTV in hopes of increasing viewership among younger demographics and potentially providing competition against NBC's Saturday Night Live.

CBS intended to test the waters with The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special, which aired in prime time in 1995.

The cast (notably David Wain) have said that they were not interested in creating recurring characters, but were repeatedly pressured by the network to emulate Saturday Night Live in this manner.