Jason Bateman was on Letterman tonight, promoting the new Mike Judge-directed movie “Extract.” Judge’s past projects, of course, include “Office Space” and the TV show “King of the Hill.” But when it came time to set up the inevitable clip from “Extract,” Bateman didn’t do it himself. Oh, no. That task fell to the two characters who first brought Mr. Judge to our attention: Beavis and Butthead.

Letterman, of course, is such a “Beavis and Butthead” fan that he and director Richard Linklater provided the voices of two dim-witted Motley Crue roadies, presumed to be the boys’ absent fathers, in the feature film “Beavis and Butthead Do America.” He once said in an interview that he loved the way the characters were so consistent — always written and performed in a way that was true to their comic sensiblities, or what have you. I know exactly what he meant. I know some people hated them, and they were even held out as an example of the dumbing-down of our nation’s youth. But they really were sharply drawn, in a fearless way that valued humor over anything else.

Even though “King of the Hill” was a gentler humor, it had the same quality — you knew exactly what Hank was, what his priorities were, and part of the humor was your anticipation when something happened that you knew was going to push his buttons. Hank and Bobby and Dale and Peggy and Luann were fixed points, and I mean that in a good way.

Anyway, it was fun to see B&B return, if only for ten seconds.