MTV has always been a weird place for experimental television. Remember when they tried to do scripted comedies that weren't just about teenagers in high school? Back in 2016, the network took a massive swing with a show called Mary + Jane. It was produced by Snoop Dogg—who also provided the theme song—and followed two "ganjapreneurs" in Los Angeles. Jordan and Paige were just trying to grow their delivery business while navigating the absurdity of LA hipster culture.
It didn't last.
Honestly, the show was ahead of its time. We’re talking about a period when recreational use was just starting to hit the mainstream legislative agenda in California. The show premiered in September 2016; Proposition 64 passed in November. The timing was eerie, yet the show somehow slipped through the cracks of the cultural zeitgeist despite having a heavy-hitter like Snoop behind it.
The Mary + Jane show on MTV was a weird, hazy snapshot of 2016 Los Angeles
The show centered on two best friends, played by Jessica Rothe and Scout Durwood. They weren't your typical "stoner" archetypes. That’s what made it interesting. They were ambitious. They were broke. They were dealing with "artisanal" everything.
One episode you’ve got them delivering to a celebrity who is clearly a parody of a Kardashian-type figure, and the next they’re trying to get featured in a high-end magazine for "women in weed." It captured that specific era of Silver Lake and Echo Park lifestyle where everything had to be branded, even your illicit substances.
Rothe, who later went on to star in the Happy Death Day franchise, brought a neurotic energy to Paige that balanced out Durwood’s more chaotic, free-spirited Jordan. Their chemistry was the engine. Without it, the show would have just been a series of weed jokes, which, let's be real, gets old after about ten minutes.
Why the critics weren't exactly high on it
The reviews were... mixed. Some critics felt the show leaned too hard into the "pot humor" without enough substance. Variety noted that while the leads were charming, the writing sometimes felt like it was trying too hard to be "hip."
But if you actually watch it now? It feels like a time capsule.
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The satire of influencer culture was actually pretty biting. They mocked the way people in LA use "wellness" as a mask for vanity. They poked fun at the ridiculousness of "exclusive" apps and secret clubs. Maybe the audience wasn't ready to see weed treated as just another boring business commodity yet. Or maybe MTV just didn't know how to market a show that sat somewhere between a broad sitcom and a niche indie comedy.
Breaking down the Snoop Dogg connection
You can't talk about the Mary + Jane show on MTV without talking about Snoop. He wasn't just a name on the credits. He was an executive producer. He appeared in the first season as a "Ganja Godfather" of sorts.
It made sense. Snoop was transitioning from being just a legendary rapper to a legitimate mogul in the cannabis space with his "Leafe by Snoop" brand. The show was a creative extension of that. He brought a sense of authenticity to the project that a bunch of corporate suits at Viacom couldn't have faked.
The theme song "Mary + Jane" is still a low-key banger. It set the vibe perfectly—relaxed, slightly trippy, and very Southern California.
- Executive Producer: Snoop Dogg
- Creators: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (the duo behind Can't Hardly Wait)
- Lead Actors: Jessica Rothe and Scout Durwood
Wait, did I mention the creators? Kaplan and Elfont are legends in the teen movie world. They know how to write dialogue that feels fast and snappy. That’s why the show had a different "zip" than your average cable comedy. It felt cinematic.
The struggle for ratings in a changing MTV landscape
2016 was a transitional year for MTV. They were moving away from the "Look at me, I'm a scripted network" phase and heading back toward reality TV and music-adjacent programming. Teen Wolf was ending. Awkward was over.
The Mary + Jane show on MTV was caught in the crossfire.
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It premiered to about 400,000 viewers. Not great, but not a total disaster for cable at the time. However, the numbers dwindled as the season went on. By the time the finale aired, the writing was on the wall. MTV officially canceled it in 2017.
It’s a shame, really. If this show had landed on a platform like Hulu or Netflix two years later, it probably would have found a massive cult following. It had the same "female-led chaos" energy as Broad City, but with a glossy, neon-lit LA aesthetic.
What really happened with the cancellation?
Speculation always follows a one-season wonder. Was it the content? Was it the cost?
Mostly, it was a change in leadership. Chris McCarthy took over as the head of MTV around that time and he famously pivoted the strategy. He wanted "big, bold, and loud" reality hits like Jersey Shore: Family Vacation and The Challenge. Quirkier scripted shows like Mary + Jane and Loosely Exactly Nicole (Nicole Byer’s show) were axed to make room for the return of the unscripted era.
It wasn't that the show failed. It's that the network changed its identity.
Where can you watch it now?
If you're looking to revisit the Mary + Jane show on MTV, it’s a bit of a scavenger hunt. It pops up on digital storefronts like Amazon Prime or Apple TV for purchase, but it rarely sits on a major streaming service for free.
It’s worth the five bucks to watch the pilot, honestly. Just to see the guest appearances. They had everyone from Seth Green to Missi Pyle showing up. The cameos were a testament to the respect people had for the showrunners.
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Why we need more shows like this
We talk a lot about "stoner comedies," but we rarely see them from a female perspective that isn't just a gender-swapped Pineapple Express. Jordan and Paige felt like real people you’d meet at a pop-up gallery in the Arts District. They were hustlers.
The show tackled things like:
- The difficulty of being a small business owner in a "grey market."
- The performative nature of social media friendships.
- The genuine struggle of paying rent in an over-gentrified city.
It used the weed delivery service as a Trojan horse to talk about 20-something anxiety. That's a classic TV trope, but the execution here was vibrant and colorful. The cinematography used these saturated pinks and greens that made the whole show look like an Instagram filter before that was a tired cliché.
Actionable insights for fans and creators
If you’re a fan of the show or a creator looking to learn from its short-lived run, here is what you should take away from the saga of Mary + Jane.
For the fans:
Check out Jessica Rothe's later work. She is a phenomenal actress who essentially used this show as a springboard for her career. Also, look up Scout Durwood's musical comedy; she’s kept that same irreverent energy alive in her solo projects.
For content creators:
Timing is everything, but platform fit is more important. The Mary + Jane show on MTV was the right show on the wrong network at the wrong time. If you have a niche project, look for a platform where that niche is already thriving rather than trying to be the "first" of your kind on a mainstream channel that might pivot its strategy next Tuesday.
For the curious:
Don't let a "one season and canceled" tag scare you off. Some of the best television in history only lasted a handful of episodes. This show is a perfect "weekend binge" that doesn't require a massive emotional commitment. It’s light, it’s funny, and it perfectly captures the anxiety of 2016.
Watch the episode "Snackers" first. It’s arguably the peak of their satirical look at LA food culture. You won't regret it.
The legacy of the show lives on in the way we now see cannabis portrayed on screen—not as a dangerous drug or a "slacker" hobby, but as a legitimate, if sometimes ridiculous, part of the modern economy. It paved the way for shows like High Maintenance to move into the mainstream. It was a pioneer, even if it didn't get to see the finish line.