What If: Kids' WB! still existed?

[Nexonius]

Sans the new website, what if Kids' WB had still existed on TV? Ever since Warner Bros. and CBS announced that 4Kids was taking over Kids' WB's spot, my head's been spinning like crazy. What if Kids WB! had a new season? What new shows from Warner Bros. Animation would they cook up this time, aside from the remakes and spinoffs of properties? What will the new acquisitions be? Would Kids' WB! create a new theme? Stuff like that.

Prepare for a semi-long post on The "What If: Kids' WB! still existed?"



First things first (IF Kids' WB! had stayed):


Returning Shows (Again, IF Kids' WB! had stayed):

Tom and Jerry Tales (a new chasing round of 13 episodes, with new Droopy and MGM variety like segments in the middle or end). Produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

Shaggy and Scooby Doo! Get A Clue! (13 new Scooby Snackin' episodes with Fred, Velma and Daphne recurring with Scooby and Shaggy). Scrappy Doo will (would have) make a guest appearance. The last season. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

Legion Of Superheroes (13 Final Superific episodes, including more of Brainiac 5's long path to rejuvenate himself from.....well himself (well, 1.0), with Superman and Superman X and the Legion growing up even more and more cool things this season!) Produced by Warner Bros. Animation.



Skunk Fu! (All new Kungy, Stinky, Fueyfied episodes with the Skunk. Forget Kung Fu Panda, this skunk is all we need for some comedic action!) The last episodes of Skunk Fu!. From Cartoon Saloon.


Johnny Test (13 final lab busting episodes from Scott Fellows with Johnny, Dukey, Susan, and Mary making more crazy adventures, including a final episode, where Johnny must work with his villains (yes, Bling Bling Boy) he encountered to save the world!). This time, Warner Bros. Animation produces the final episodes from Cookie Jar.


Mid-Season (2009)


The Spectacular Spider-Man (26 web slinging episodes featuring your friendly neighborhood hero, with the same villains, new challenges, crossovers, and new characters. It's so much action, that Peter Parker's Spidey Senses are already tingling!) From Culver Entertainment (Sony) and Marvel.


World Of Quest (Get ready for more crazy fun with the Buff Quest, the nerdy Prince Nestor, fangirl of Quest Anna, and the rest of the gang in this new adventurous comedic season). From Cookie Jar Entertainment.




New Shows:


Looney Tuneiverse (Forget the cruddy 2003-2004 LT shorts and semi-crrud Loonatics, Warner Bros. comes back into the LT world with never before seen shorts featuring Bugs, Daffy, Sylvester and Tweety, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, Taz (and his family), Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin The Martian, Pepe Le Pew, and some one shot shorts featuring Pussyfoot, Ralph Phillips, Hubie and Bertie, Cool Cat and many other LT characters (except Bosko and maybe Lola Bunny). From Warner Bros. Animation.


Jonny Quest X (Or Jonny Quest: The Next Generation) (From the world of Jonny Quest where The Real Adventures Of JQ takes off, Jonny grows up to be a father of a son (named Jr.) with Jessie as his wife, Dr. Quest and Race are grandparents and are also retired from the action. Hadji also has a kid (um...2 kids, twins) with a lady of his own. Like what Dr. Quest did with Jonny and Hadji, Jonny, Hadji and Jessie takes their kids on more adventures around the world, with new allies, new gadgets, and a new Questworld). From Warner Bros. Animation.


Pebble's World (Unlike Cave Kids, this show will feature awesome segments featuring Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm Bamm, Dino segments, and possibly a Captain Caveman Jr. segment). From Warner Bros. Animation.


Kids' WB! Playtower (A complication of preschool WB Animated shows, like Firehouse Tales, Baby Looney Tunes and Krypto: The Superdog). From Warner Bros. Animation.


Crash Bandicoot: The Series (From the Video Game Franchise, comes Crash, Coco, Aku and many other friends at Crash's Universe, as they battle foes like Dr. Neo Cortex, Dr. N. Gin, Tiny The Tiger, Dingo, and Aku's evil brother!) From Universal Cartoon Studios.




Mid-Season (2009)


Batman: The Brave And The Bold (Yeah, hang out with The Dark Knight once again, but this time with new allies. A wild, crazy world of Gotham City with just Batman?!?! Please! It's an Extravaganza of action and comedy mixed in!). From Warner Bros. Animation.




Weekday Morning/Afternoon Additions (Had weekdays still be around)


The Mr. Men Show (Renegade Animation, Chorion, Cartoon Network)

The Land Before Time (Amblin Entertainment, Universal Cartoon Studios)



Afternoons


Ben 10 (Cartoon Network Studios)

Bakugan (Hey, it's popular, Nelvana)

Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get A Clue! (Warner Bros. Animation)

Transformers: Animated (Cartoon Network Studios and Hasbro)



Bumpers


Will have the WB lot back, characters running around, and stuff. For the action part, it will be dark city buildings, and thunder and lightning all over.



Schedule




Weekdays:

Mornings: Kids' WB! Jr.

7:00AM The Mr. Men Show
7:30AM The Land Before Time
8:00AM Will and Dewitt
8:30AM Kids' WB! Playtower


Weekdays (except Fridays)

3:00PM Johnny Test
3:30PM Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get A Clue!
4:00PM Ben 10
4:30PM Bakugan


Fraturdays:

3:00PM Johnny Test
3:30PM Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get A Clue!
4:00PM Transformers: Animated
4:30PM The Spectacular Spider-Man







Saturdays: (Fall 2008)


7:00AM Kids' WB! Playtower (New Complication Show)
7:30AM Pebble's World (New Show)
8:00AM Looney TuneIverse (New Show)
8:30AM Tom and Jerry Tales (ALL NEW)
9:00AM Johnny Test (ALL NEW Until March 2009)
9:30AM Skunk Fu! (ALL NEW Until March 2009))
10:00AM Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get A Clue! (ALL NEW Until March 2009)
10:30AM Crash Bandicoot: The Series (New Show)
11:00AM Jonny Quest X (New Show)
11:30AM Legion Of Superheroes (ALL NEW Until March 2009)



March 2009 Schedule:

Gone:

Johnny Test (Saturdays)
Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get A Clue! (Saturdays)
Skunk Fu! (For good altogether)
Legion Of Superheroes (Saturdays)



7:00AM Kids' WB! Playtower (ALL NEW)
7:30AM Pebble's World (ALL NEW)
8:00AM Tom and Jerry Tales (ALL NEW)
8:30AM Looney TuneIverse (ALL NEW)
9:00AM Crash Bandicoot: The Series (ALL NEW)
9:30AM World Of Quest (ALL NEW)
10:00AM The Spectacular Spider-Man (ALL NEW)
10:30AM The Spectacular Spider-Man (ALL NEW)
11:00AM Jonny Quest X (ALL NEW)
11:30AM Batman: The Brave And The Bold (NEW SHOW)



Fraturdays


3:00PM Tom and Jerry Teles
3:30PM Looney TuneIverse
4:00PM Transformers: Animated
4:30PM The Spectacular Spider-Man



Whew!


I'll make a post on what would have came in the 2009-2010 season.

Later.

[Ykwia]

It would probally be the same as it is.

[Andrew T. Hingson]

Warner was still going to stop production of most of their youth entertainment.

It seems like 4kids may not actually be producing Huntik.

World of Quest might have been cancelled.

Spider-Man would never be taken off even if it's just in reruns but it has 26 episodes to run this year and surely 13 of them will air in Fall.

So this is what I'd figure.

07:00 - Will and Dewit
07:30 - Magi-Nation
08:00 - Tom and Jerry Tales
08:30 - Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue
09:00 - Johnny Test
09:30 - Huntik
10:00 - The Spectacular Spider-Man
10:30 - Batman: The Brave and the Bold
11:00 - Legion of Super Heroes
11:30 - World of Quest

If Spider-Man keeps two slots then Batman and Legion are in 11AM hour again and World of Quest is toast.

[Blackstar]

Johnny Test (13 final lab busting episodes from Scott Fellows with Johnny, Dukey, Susan, and Mary making more crazy adventures, including a final episode, where Johnny must work with his villains (yes, Bling Bling Boy) he encountered to save the world!). This time, Warner Bros. Animation produces the final episodes from Cookie Jar.

Actually, we've already seen that plot. One of the Johnny Test season finales that aired on Kids WB a couple of weeks ago had Johnny (as Johnny X) teaming up with several of his enemies (excluding Bling-Bling Boy, who's really more of an annoyance than a villain) to stop an alien invasion led by Darth Vegan (in this episode, we learn that Vegan's daughter Jessica does indeed have a mother). Hugh (Johnny's dad) was frozen early in the story and the episode ended before he was freed.

My only gripe about this episode was where the heck was Johnny's mom Lila? It seems odd that she would still be at work when the entire planet was facing imminent doom. I smell a plot-hole!

[Jeff Harris]

Vivendi Universal and Universal Animation aren't interested in creating a Crash Bandicoot series. Otherwise, they would have done it back when the character was fresh. Spyro too.

Any new Jonny Quest animated series will likely be based on the live-action movie in the works and continue from that. No second generation mess nor an older Jonny Quest. The basics. Like the Scrappy-Doo era of Scooby-Doo and the Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm marriage/parenthood, Hanna-Barbera are pretending The Real Adventures never happened.

Fraturdays has been a thing of the past since September 2001. Weekdays are no longer an option.

I think this past season is the final season of Johnny Test. That finale did seem kind of final, in the tradition of Last But Not Beast. Same deal with Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get A Clue. Eon Kid . . . well, that's in perpetual oblivion until CW 4Kids airs the final episodes this summer, but the franchise is history unless a new season is made.

That said, if Kids' WB existed beyond this season, here's a more realistic press release of what would have happened, based on what they're doing online (T-Works was going to be a vital part of Warner Bros. Entertainment regardless of the name) and on the network right now:

Action, Comedy, Legends, and Classics Rule Kids' WB On-Air and Online This Fall!

This fall, Kids' WB!, the CW's highly-rated Saturday morning block of programming, enters its 14th season (its third season on The CW Television Network) and relaunches its official website, kidswb.com, into a 24-hour broadband video channel with classic and new animation titles.

Kids' WB! will become a dominant force in children's online entertainment with the introduction of the new Kids' WB.com, a mix of video, interactive activities, and some of the world's best-known franchises under one roof. The broadcast component, Kids' WB! on the CW, will enter its 14th season with returning favorites, Tom and Jerry Tales, Legion of Super Heroes, The World of Quest, and The Spectacular Spider-Man, and five new series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Class of the Titans, Mashup!, Plastic Man, and The Wizard of Oz. In a first for Kids' WB, the latter three shows will make their world debut a day earlier every Friday afternoon on kidswb.com.

Introducing The New Kids' WB.com!

Starting in the fall, Kids' WB.com relaunches as the biggest online animation channel on the planet. Combining the libraries of Warner Bros., DC Comics, and Hanna-Barbera, kidswb.com will present 24/7 access to some of the biggest names and greatest cartoons on the planet, from Looney Tunes, The Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo to classic characters like Yogi Bear, Tom and Jerry, and Huckleberry Hound to comic icons like Batman, Superman, Teen Titans, and Justice League.

The site will be divided in three "zones," Kids' WB!, Kids' WB! Jr., and DC Comics HeroZone. Each zone will also offer interactive sections, games, downloads, and weekly contests.

Kidswb.com brings you the world premiere of three new series right before they air on Saturday mornings. Plastic Man, The Wizard of Oz, and Mashup! will debut every Friday afternoon. New shows exclusive to the site, including a new version of the classic Wacky Races series and new Spy Vs. Spy shorts, will also be debut throughout the year.

New Series:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold - The Dark Knight returns in a new series that has him teaming up with legendary DC Comics heroes, including some making their animated debuts. 13 episodes from Warner Bros. Animation.

Class of the Titans - Teenage descendants of Greek warriors unite to stop Chronos from trying to rule the world. 26 episodes from Studio B Productions and Nelvana Entertainment.

Kids' WB! Mashup! - Ever wanted to see Quick Draw McGraw take on Yosemite Sam? Would Tom have better luck trying to catch Tweety? How about Yogi Bear and Bugs Bunny outsmarting by Elmer Fudd? Welcome to the world of Mashup!, where classic and modern characters from the Warner Bros. animated family collide in new comedic adventures as well as found in their original incarnations, many shorts haven't been seen on Saturday mornings in over 20 years. 26 episodes with a new mashup each episode from Warner Bros. Animation. Episodes make their world premiere on kidswb.com every Friday afternoon. Exclusive Mashup! shorts will also be found only on kidswb.com throughout the year.

Plastic Man - From the studio that brought you Batman and Freakazoid comes this new comedic adventure from the pages of DC Comics. Former master thief "Eel" O'Brien becomes a stretchable, changable super hero detective. 13 episodes from Warner Bros. Animation. Episodes make their world premiere on kidswb.com every Friday afternoon.

The Wizard of Oz - Based on the books of L. Frank Baum and 1939 MGM classic musical film, Dorothy, a school-girl from Kansas gets swept away to a magical kingdom called Oz. In order to get back home, she'll travel the Yellow Brick Road to get to Emerald City to find the Wizard and make many friends and foes along the way. 13 episodes from Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. Episodes make their world premiere on kidswb.com every Friday afternoon.

Returning Series:

Legion of Super Heroes - After the shocking events of the last season, Brainiac 5 has left the Legion. Meanwhile, a new threat emerges in the form of Six, created by the darkness within ol' Brainy. The Legion, no longer with Superman nor Kel-El, rebuild with new members, including a quintet of familiar 21st century teenage heroes, familiar joining their ranks. Worlds collide in the third season of Legion. 13 episodes from Warner Bros. Animation.

The Spectacular Spider-Man - The legendary wall-crawler returns for a second season with the arrival of new allies and even newer villains, including Venom and the return of the Green Goblin. Plus, tragedy touches the life of Peter Parker once again, and it may be his fault. 13 episodes from Sony Pictures Family Entertainment and Marvel Studios.

Tom and Jerry Tales - Hollywood's greatest cat and mouse team return for a third season filled with wacky antics and comedic adventures. 13 episodes from Warner Bros. Animation.

The World of Quest - The journey continues as Prince Nestor, his eternal protector Quest, and their odd but loyal allies travel throughout Odyssia in search of action and adventure. 26 episodes from Cookie Jar Entertainment.

The Lineup (all times Eastern):

7 AM: Bed Head (TV-Y E/I): Rotating lineup of E/I programming, including Baby Looney Tunes, Krypto the Superdog, The Mr. Men Show, and Gerald McBoing Boing
7:30 AM: The Wizard of Oz (TV-Y E/I) - NEW!
8 AM: Tom and Jerry Tales (TV-Y)
8:30 AM: Mashup! (TV-Y) - NEW!
9 AM: The World of Quest (TV-Y7)
9:30 AM: Plastic Man (TV-Y7) - NEW!
10 AM: Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV-Y7 FV) - NEW!
10:30 AM: The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV-Y7 FV)
11 AM: Class of the Titans (TV-Y7 FV) - NEW!
11:30 AM: Legion of Super Heroes (TV-Y7 FV)

[Peter Paltridge]

Kids' WB! Mashup! - Ever wanted to see Quick Draw McGraw take on Yosemite Sam? Would Tom have better luck trying to catch Tweety? How about Yogi Bear and Bugs Bunny outsmarting by Elmer Fudd? Welcome to the world of Mashup!, where classic and modern characters from the Warner Bros. animated family collide in new comedic adventures as well as found in their original incarnations, many shorts haven't been seen on Saturday mornings in over 20 years. 26 episodes with a new mashup each episode from Warner Bros. Animation. Episodes make their world premiere on kidswb.com every Friday afternoon. Exclusive Mashup! shorts will also be found only on kidswb.com throughout the year.
Freakin' Wow, that'd be irresistible. That's everything I wanted House of Mouse to be.

[Old Guy]

Had Kids WB gotten a new season it would have just been more of the same. :confused:

Off-topic:

So, whats the deal with Fox? Are they just gonna air news now?

[Jeff Harris]

Freakin' Wow, that'd be irresistible. That's everything I wanted House of Mouse to be.No kidding. I'm interested about how far the real world Kids' WB! site is going to take the real Mashup! concept. Right now, they have coloring pages, wallpaper, and the like with characters from different shows together, including the aforementioned Quick Draw McGraw vs. Yosemite Sam, and the famous animated mice not named Mickey nor Minnie (that'd be Jerry, Speedy Gonzales, and Pixie and Dixie [sorry Hubie and Bertie fans]). That one's on my desktop right now.

But to answer the off-topic notice, Fox is NOT going to air all news on Saturday mornings. Not this fall. Hopefully not next fall either. I can imagine Fox signing a new programming deal before the end of the year with a third-party studio like Cookie Jar or Nelvana. They're making animation a priority, which means they may return to their roots of creating their own programming (it's doubtful, but it'd be interesting if Fox Kids is reborn as a result of the 4Kids exodus). Hell, it wouldn't even surprise me if they went the route of hiring Warner Bros. to produce shows for their lineup. It happened before . . .

[Light Lucario]

Had Kids WB gotten a new season it would have just been more of the same. :confused:

Off-topic:

So, whats the deal with Fox? Are they just gonna air news now?

Even though 4Kids will have the CW this fall, they're still going to have 4KidsTV on Fox in the fall as well. I don't know if that will be the case for the fall of 2009 since that's when 4Kids' contract with Fox expires, I think. If 4Kids does let the contract expire, then I could see Fox either doing news or infomercials in the fall of 09.

As for the topic at hand, if Kids' WB had gotten another season, I doubt that it would be much different from what they have. I pretty much agree with what Jeff said about the schedule. Most of their shows would have another season and they would also get pretty much all of the shows that Jeff mentioned. As much as I did like Kids' WB, I'm not sure how good and/or helpful it is to keep on wondering "What if..." schedules at this point. I feel a bit sad about it, but at least some of the shows that they did air are either on their website or have already had DVD releases. Okay, not everyone of their shows have been released yet, but still. I just think that focusing on what could have been might not be so helpful at this point, but that's just me.

[Nexonius]

To Jeff:

Heck, Fox already airs Fox News on Sundays.


I could see Fox making a deal with BKN to air some cartoons on Saturdays. Or Fox could team up with Hasbro on putting some of their properties that have just returned.



Anyways, for KidsWB.com:


The New Wacky Races:

Get ready for all new adventures with not just Dick Dastardly, Peter Perfect, and Penelope Pitstop, but with many Warner Bros. Animation stars in the mix, including The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Shaggy and Scooby Doo, Speed Buggy, Wheelie just to name a few. They will not only race through the normal Wacky Races stages, but in different worlds, like Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner's world, Bedrock, in space with Duck Dodgers and Marvin The Martian, driving around the yellow brick road in The Wizard Of Oz, underwater races with Jabberjaw, Fender Bender 500, and more. From Warner Bros. Animation.

[Old Guy]

I can imagine Fox signing a new programming deal before the end of the year with a third-party studio like Cookie Jar or Nelvana. They're making animation a priority, which means they may return to their roots of creating their own programming (it's doubtful, but it'd be interesting if Fox Kids is reborn as a result of the 4Kids exodus). Hell, it wouldn't even surprise me if they went the route of hiring Warner Bros. to produce shows for their lineup. It happened before . . .

Let us pray.


Even though 4Kids will have the CW this fall, they're still going to have 4KidsTV on Fox in the fall as well.

How is that gonna work out?

[Jeff Harris]

I could see Fox making a deal with BKN to air some cartoons on Saturdays. Or Fox could team up with Hasbro on putting some of their properties that have just returned.I seriously doubt you'll be seeing the Hasbro/Sunbow titles on broadcast television any more. In fact, you're more likely to see them on a Hasbro-owned broadband channel than anywhere else. Don't be surprised if an announcement happens in a couple of months on that end. Either that, or they syndicate those titles on Hulu.com.

As for BKN . . . they're a strange outfit that has a massive library but no vision on how to distribute it in the US. They've pretty much stuck to syndication, the video marke, and Toon Disney for some of their recent productions. I'm thinking the new Zorro will be Jetix bound sometime this year, but everything else will remain video-only titles.

There is going to be a new Wacky Races series (it's in the works and may come to Kids' WB! as an online-exclusive), but it's not going to look anything like that.


How is that gonna work out?CW4Kids isn't going to be 100% 4Kids-produced programming. Neither is 4Kids!TV. They could produce shows for both outlets and air shows from other studios, and they will too.

Which is why I'm curious about where all the talk about Spectacular Spider-Man being cancelled is coming from . . .

For that matter, I'm curious about where all the talk about FOX airing a Saturday morning news program is coming from as well. I mean, FOX doesn't have a nationally-produced morning news show unlike ABC, NBC, and CBS, so why would they go out of their way to have a morning news show on Saturday mornings only? FOX isn't going to be Saturday morningless in 2009. I can guarantee that.

[Nexonius]

There is going to be a W.R. series? I think I heard it from Sander Schwartz when he was at WBA.

Ain't there supposed to be a new Thundercats series coming?

[Old Guy]

For that matter, I'm curious about where all the talk about FOX airing a Saturday morning news program is coming from as well. I mean, FOX doesn't have a nationally-produced morning news show unlike ABC, NBC, and CBS

True, but some of the local stations have very popular newscasts. In my market the local Fox newscast is #1. In fact, I'm one of the markets where Fox Kids didn't actually air on the Fox channel back in the `90s. I had to watch Fox Kids on one of the Independent/Syndicated Channels cause Fox was airing news.

[Jeff Harris]

There is going to be a W.R. series? I think I heard it from Sander Schwartz when he was at WBA.Yes, there's going to be a new Wacky Races series. It's still in the works and will contain some of the classic racers and a few new racers NOT BASED ON ANY EXISTING CHARACTERS. WBA are working mostly on newer productions based on pre-existing properties, including Wacky Races and a few others.

Also, what do you mean Sander Schwartz was at Warner Animation? He's still there, but not in an executive role. He's supervising numerous animated projects for non-traditional digital platforms, including broadband outlets like Kids' WB!.com. Sam Register's doing a similar role at the studio as well.


Ain't there supposed to be a new Thundercats series coming?They're doing the animated movie instead. If the movie is successful, then there'll be a new series, and it'll be based on the elements introduced in the film.

[The Nameless]

If Fox were to do something about 'toons in the wake of the 4Kids migration, my advice is to NOT sign a deal with ONE company. At least one saturday morning lineup should NOT be dominated by one company exclusively (by the way, I'm heavily hinting at what caused the "one-company-lineup" thing).

Also, 4Kids is NOT a Fox block, Fox stations have right of first refusal to air it. A lot of Fox stations (mostly the ex-New World stations that switched in the wake of Fox winning the NFC contract in 1994) don't air the block, opting instead to air news (a practice carried over from the Fox Kids days).

[Nexonius]

Yes, there's going to be a new Wacky Races series. It's still in the works and will contain some of the classic racers and a few new racers NOT BASED ON ANY EXISTING CHARACTERS. WBA are working mostly on newer productions based on pre-existing properties, including Wacky Races and a few others.

Also, what do you mean Sander Schwartz was at Warner Animation? He's still there, but not in an executive role. He's supervising numerous animated projects for non-traditional digital platforms, including broadband outlets like Kids' WB!.com. Sam Register's doing a similar role at the studio as well.

They're doing the animated movie instead. If the movie is successful, then there'll be a new series, and it'll be based on the elements introduced in the film.



I thought he came back to Sony. :confused:

[Jeff Harris]

I thought he came back to Sony. :confused:He did.

But he also has a production deal with Warners to develop new outlets and oversee animated productions for new media. The most recent project that came from Sander Schwartz is, in fact, the new Kids' WB! website, which he began under the Toon Works Project after he left the presidency of WBA last year . . . ironically around this time frame. All that is his inception. The new shows exclusively for the site was his doing as well. At Sony, he's just the president of the international television distribution unit for the American products.

[DELETED]

2009 series:
The alien world of Mer is STILL being devoured by Dark Water. Only Ren, a young prince, can stop it, by finding the lost Thirteen Treasures
of Rule. At his side is an unlikely but loyal crew of misfits; at his
back, the evil pirate lord Bloth, who would stop at nothing to get
the Treasures for himself.

High adventure with The Pirates of Dark Water continues!


(C'mon, you know you'd watch!)

[Nexonius]

^^^ Truthfully, it needs work.

[Infusions]

Is it me, or is that a lot of action and revival shows.

[Zen Man]

Kinda off-topic, but have they started showing the World's Shortest Shorts on the website yet? I can't find any.

[Nexonius]

It was supposed to debut on May 14, but nothing happened. Yet.

[Zen Man]

It was supposed to debut on May 14, but nothing happened. Yet.

Oh well guess we'll have to wait for it. I'm having a blast with the games though.

[DELETED]

^^^ Truthfully, it needs work.

Not nearly enough work as Jonny Quest X...;)

[Jeff Harris]

Is it me, or is that a lot of action and revival shows.You look at Kids' WB over the years, and you'll see it's always been about action and revivals, though comedic shows did have a place on the lineup.

You had a revival of Sylvester and Tweety and comedic action in the form of Freakazoid! and Earthworm Jim in year one. You had a revival of Superman a year later and comedic action in the form of Road Rovers the following year.

Over the duration of the block, Kids' WB had three versions of Batman, new versions of X-Men and Spider-Man, other revisions of the Superman mythos on Legion of Super Heroes and Krypto the Superdog, two revisions of Scooby-Doo, and a terrible revision of the Looney Tunes characters with Loonatics Unleashed.

Action also had a place on the block, whether it had staying power like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Men in Black, Static Shock, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Xiaolin Showdown, or short-lived like Card Captors, Calamity Jane, Brats of the Lost Nebula, The Mummy, The Zeta Project, Cubix, and the ill-fated Toonami block on Kids' WB.

The success of Pokemon seemed to have blinded the management of The WB to develop fewer pure comedic programs. The ones that seemed to have succeeded were those inspired by the classic Looney Tunes mold of shorts (Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain stick out) and the comedic adventure shows like Mucha Lucha. The shows that seemed to have a youth-oriented cast like Detention, Waynehead, The Nightmare Room, and Generation O! (Johnny Test is the very rare exception) as well as shows that were supposed to educational like Channel Umptee-3 and Histeria (sadly, it was a well-written and performed show from the minds behind Animaniacs but didn't really click with the viewers) and truly moronic shows like Coconut Fred didn't last long nor found success on the block.

The last big show on Kids' WB is Tom and Jerry Tales. Why? Because it brought the block full circle. It's a revival comedic series based on a classic animation duo in shorts-form having wacky misadventures. No searching for Sanrioesque creatures for battle. No grown folks in spandex suits with superpowers. No snarky kids making crude comments. It was genius. The last great show of Kids' WB.

Had the powers that be continued with the block, I believe they would have returned in that direction. They would have brought back Tom and Jerry Tales for another season and explore what they could do with their other library characters, particularly the Hanna-Barbera (aside from Scooby-Doo)and Looney Tunes characters in their traditional environment.

They had a minor success with Bah! Humduck a few years ago, and it would have been interesting if they considered bringing those characters back in their traditional, unaltered forms. There's a bit of revivalism in the Hanna-Barbera characters market thanks to the recent McFarlane Toys sets, the Hanna-Barbera Super Adventures comics, and the recent DVD releases, so it wouldn't have been surprising that Warner Bros. would have been preparing to revive those characters in some capacity. The announcement of T-Works (now Kids' WB!) made it a priority that Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters would be a prominent part of the site, and they are. The whole Mashup! concept they introduced at the site, which crossed over characters from separate brands and studios, could be one step in creating new programming featuring those characters.

In fact, many of Warner Bros' current productions ARE revivals of older properties. Whether its based on comic franchises (see the DC Universe animated movies and the upcoming Plastic-Man series on Kids' WB dot com), popular franchises (see Tom and Jerry and Scooby-Doo DTV movies and the upcoming Wizard of Oz series on Kids' WB dot com), or titles being developed as feature films (it's not that unfantomable to see a new animated versions of Jonny Quest [like the early 90s Flintstones movies, Warner Bros. is pretending Real Adventures never existed], Thundercats, and The Jetsons to tie in with the theatrical versions), Warner Bros. are developing new projects based on older properties. Some are known, most are not.

If Kids' WB did continue on-air, I would not be surprised if they continued the whole "action shows and revivals" mode they've been doing for quite a while now.

I still hope they reconsider totally dismantling the brand on-air. Kids' WB would be a fine digital subchannel for The CW.

[Zen Man]

You look at Kids' WB over the years, and you'll see it's always been about action and revivals, though comedic shows did have a place on the lineup.

You had a revival of Sylvester and Tweety and comedic action in the form of Freakazoid! and Earthworm Jim in year one. You had a revival of Superman a year later and comedic action in the form of Road Rovers the following year.

Over the duration of the block, Kids' WB had three versions of Batman, new versions of X-Men and Spider-Man, other revisions of the Superman mythos on Legion of Super Heroes and Krypto the Superdog, two revisions of Scooby-Doo, and a terrible revision of the Looney Tunes characters with Loonatics Unleashed.

Action also had a place on the block, whether it had staying power like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Men in Black, Static Shock, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Xiaolin Showdown, or short-lived like Card Captors, Calamity Jane, Brats of the Lost Nebula, The Mummy, The Zeta Project, Cubix, and the ill-fated Toonami block on Kids' WB.

The success of Pokemon seemed to have blinded the management of The WB to develop fewer pure comedic programs. The ones that seemed to have succeeded were those inspired by the classic Looney Tunes mold of shorts (Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain stick out) and the comedic adventure shows like Mucha Lucha. The shows that seemed to have a youth-oriented cast like Detention, Waynehead, The Nightmare Room, and Generation O! (Johnny Test is the very rare exception) as well as shows that were supposed to educational like Channel Umptee-3 and Histeria (sadly, it was a well-written and performed show from the minds behind Animaniacs but didn't really click with the viewers) and truly moronic shows like Coconut Fred didn't last long nor found success on the block.

The last big show on Kids' WB is Tom and Jerry Tales. Why? Because it brought the block full circle. It's a revival comedic series based on a classic animation duo in shorts-form having wacky misadventures. No searching for Sanrioesque creatures for battle. No grown folks in spandex suits with superpowers. No snarky kids making crude comments. It was genius. The last great show of Kids' WB.

Had the powers that be continued with the block, I believe they would have returned in that direction. They would have brought back Tom and Jerry Tales for another season and explore what they could do with their other library characters, particularly the Hanna-Barbera (aside from Scooby-Doo)and Looney Tunes characters in their traditional environment.

They had a minor success with Bah! Humduck a few years ago, and it would have been interesting if they considered bringing those characters back in their traditional, unaltered forms. There's a bit of revivalism in the Hanna-Barbera characters market thanks to the recent McFarlane Toys sets, the Hanna-Barbera Super Adventures comics, and the recent DVD releases, so it wouldn't have been surprising that Warner Bros. would have been preparing to revive those characters in some capacity. The announcement of T-Works (now Kids' WB!) made it a priority that Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters would be a prominent part of the site, and they are. The whole Mashup! concept they introduced at the site, which crossed over characters from separate brands and studios, could be one step in creating new programming featuring those characters.

In fact, many of Warner Bros' current productions ARE revivals of older properties. Whether its based on comic franchises (see the DC Universe animated movies and the upcoming Plastic-Man series on Kids' WB dot com), popular franchises (see Tom and Jerry and Scooby-Doo DTV movies and the upcoming Wizard of Oz series on Kids' WB dot com), or titles being developed as feature films (it's not that unfantomable to see a new animated versions of Jonny Quest [like the early 90s Flintstones movies, Warner Bros. is pretending Real Adventures never existed], Thundercats, and The Jetsons to tie in with the theatrical versions), Warner Bros. are developing new projects based on older properties. Some are known, most are not.

If Kids' WB did continue on-air, I would not be surprised if they continued the whole "action shows and revivals" mode they've been doing for quite a while now.

I still hope they reconsider totally dismantling the brand on-air. Kids' WB would be a fine digital subchannel for The CW.

I've seen the new Hanna-Barbera figurine sets at the mall but never knew about the Super Adventures comics. What are they about?

[dth1971]

IF KIDS WB STILL EXISTED...
There could be added to the schedule:
* A revival of Tiny Toons and Animaniacs in a hybrid.
* A new Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series.

By the way, regarding the Wizard of Oz cartoon series: Wasn't there a Wizard of Oz cartoon series made by DIC in 1990 and aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1990-1991?

[Silverstar]

IF KIDS WB STILL EXISTED...
There could be added to the schedule:
* A revival of Tiny Toons and Animaniacs in a hybrid.

No. That was never going to happen, Kids' WB or not.


* A new Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series.Again, no chance, not unless Sonic were to finally get a decent, highly popular game which would in turn warrant a demand for a new show.


By the way, regarding the Wizard of Oz cartoon series: Wasn't there a Wizard of Oz cartoon series made by DIC in 1990 and aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1990-1991?Yes, there was. It was later syndicated in 1992 as part of Amazin' Adventures.

[Wolf Boy2]

WHAT THE FLIPPIN' DEVIL???

Kids WB is gone?!?!?:eek:

How did I not know about this. When did it go? I was watching Spider-Man on it just a month ago.

If they're switching to online, I think its going to hurt them. Parents have more control over what their kids watch online, and a lot of afternoon cartoons snuck by the parental radar because the parents were not aware of what their kids were seeing. I wouldn't have been allowed to watch half of what I watched as a kid (BTAS, Gargoyles, Digimon, Beast Wars, Power Rangers) if my mother knew about it.

I don't think an online Kids WB! will work too well. Though I hope they will put Calamity Jane on there, as I've wanted to see this series for 10 years. I've heard good things about it from its French airing, but to my knowledge it never aired stateside nor got a DVD release.

[Nexonius]

They won't put Calamity Jane on KidsWB.com. It's not WB owned.

[D Dubbs]

WHAT THE FLIPPIN' DEVIL???

Kids WB is gone?!?!?:eek:

No. It still exists...in Australia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaJ0QqDKl4g).

[Anthonynotes]

Had the powers that be continued with the block, I believe they would have returned in that direction. They would have brought back Tom and Jerry Tales for another season and explore what they could do with their other library characters, particularly the Hanna-Barbera (aside from Scooby-Doo)and Looney Tunes characters in their traditional environment.

They had a minor success with Bah! Humduck a few years ago, and it would have been interesting if they considered bringing those characters back in their traditional, unaltered forms. There's a bit of revivalism in the Hanna-Barbera characters market thanks to the recent McFarlane Toys sets, the Hanna-Barbera Super Adventures comics, and the recent DVD releases, so it wouldn't have been surprising that Warner Bros. would have been preparing to revive those characters in some capacity. The announcement of T-Works (now Kids' WB!) made it a priority that Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters would be a prominent part of the site, and they are. The whole Mashup! concept they introduced at the site, which crossed over characters from separate brands and studios, could be one step in creating new programming featuring those characters.


Hmm... if they did decide to actually bring back another Hanna-Barbera property besides Scooby, I'm wondering which one it would be? I suspect Jonny Quest or one of the other action-oriented titles would be more strongly considered than their humor ones (marketing guys: "we can peddle tons of Jonny Quest/Herculoids/etc. action figures!")... though if they did go for one of the humor ones, wonder which one they'd revive?

Yogi Bear would be my first guess, except wonder if his being a thief (of picnic baskets) would turn off today's network S&P types.

The next choice would probably be the Flintstones, given kids would have *some* familiarity with them (even if I suspect today's kids think of the Flintstones as "those weirdly-dressed guys who fight over cereal and use alligators as chainsaws for some reason"), though no idea what format the show would have (throwback to the classic setting? Another spinoff taking place at some other point in the Flintstones' lives---as grandparents, kids, parents of teenagers, etc.?).



I still hope they reconsider totally dismantling the brand on-air. Kids' WB would be a fine digital subchannel for The CW.

Guess that'd be taking a cue from PBS offering PBS Kids as a 24-hour digital subchannel feed to its various affiliates... except given the CW 's *primetime* lineup apparently has problems (problems enough that they've sold off its Sunday night programming duties this fall to some third-party to program, a la the 4Kids deal), guessing the idea of what would essentially be a Cartoon Network/Boomerang-for-broadcast-TV is probably too "exotic"/"outside the box" for their current execs...

-B.

[Jeff Harris]

They won't put Calamity Jane on KidsWB.com. It's not WB owned.The Legend of Calamity Jane wasn't WB-owned, but Warner Bros. Television Animation was a producer in the series and paid for the series to be made. Warner Bros. also has distribution rights to the series in the United States, including video and syndication rights. New media distribution wasn't even a factor when they got those rights.

A shame really since I've only seen three of the 13 episodes. I really miss that show.


Hmm... if they did decide to actually bring back another Hanna-Barbera property besides Scooby, I'm wondering which one it would be? I suspect Jonny Quest or one of the other action-oriented titles would be more strongly considered than their humor ones (marketing guys: "we can peddle tons of Jonny Quest/Herculoids/etc. action figures!")Well, Jonny Quest is about to be revisited courtesy of a major live-action motion picture in a couple of years, and perhaps, not unlike what they did with The Batman and Batman begins, they could relaunch the characters in a new animated series. Heck, get Jeff Matsuda and Paul Dini on that show, and that could be the best non-superheroic show in a long, long time.


though if they did go for one of the humor ones, wonder which one they'd revive? Yogi Bear would be my first guess, except wonder if his being a thief (of picnic baskets) would turn off today's network S&P types.I think Yogi Bear could be reworked into a trickster character, an amalgamation of the characterization of Bugs and Daffy before Chuck Jones turned the former into Mr. Perfect and the latter into Mr. Greedyguts. Yogi did have a few shorts when he wasn't stealing picnic baskets and was essentially a trickster scheming plans to thwart Ranger Smith.

If I had my way, I'd revive Huckleberry Hound. An everyman character that could be written and formated into any story type. That's what Hanna-Barbera did. That's what I'd do.


The next choice would probably be the Flintstones, given kids would have *some* familiarity with them (even if I suspect today's kids think of the Flintstones as "those weirdly-dressed guys who fight over cereal and use alligators as chainsaws for some reason"), though no idea what format the show would have (throwback to the classic setting? Another spinoff taking place at some other point in the Flintstones' lives---as grandparents, kids, parents of teenagers, etc.?).Cartoon Network had a great special years ago that essentially threw the characters back in the pre-Pebbles era, and, if I had my way, that's the format I'd do. But I wouldn't do that for Saturday morning.

I'd do that for prime-time.

The modern stone age family belongs in prime-time. No babies. No magical aliens. No endless flashback episodes. The Flintstones back to basics in the modern era. That would work on The CW if they actually were serious about making a real broadcast channel instead of a vessel for programming centered around vapid rich kids aimed towards the current MTV generation that made arrogant rich nobodies into celebutarts. A new version of The Flintstones and a new Star Trek series centered around the revamped continuity to be introduced in the upcoming movie would save The CW from itself.

Nobody was craving a new 90210. People want a new Star Trek, especially considering how Enterprise didn't have an adequate ending.


Guess that'd be taking a cue from PBS offering PBS Kids as a 24-hour digital subchannel feed to its various affiliates... except given the CW 's *primetime* lineup apparently has problems (problems enough that they've sold off its Sunday night programming duties this fall to some third-party to program, a la the 4Kids deal), guessing the idea of what would essentially be a Cartoon Network/Boomerang-for-broadcast-TV is probably too "exotic"/"outside the box" for their current execs...Which is why they should do totally it.

Broadcasters have no plan on what to do with the additional digital space. Affiliates have to figure that out for themselves, unfortunately. We'll be seeing a lot of weather and news subchannels than outlets that really entertain the masses (though LATV, RTN, dot2, MeTV, and FUNimation are trying to break through). I'm still frustrated that broadcasters don't have a plan other than continuing to push the whole broadband agenda. More people will have access to the new digital era of television than broadband internet, and yet, they're not taking advantage of that. They'll create all these broadband channel, but the potential for new channel varieties is present for the digital age.

With the massive libraries they have on hand, NBC and CBS could easily launch classic versions of their networks on their subchannels. NBC could have their Snake logo for a retro NBC subchannel and have a home for the library titles they have on hand. They're already airing those titles on their broadband channels. I'd think with PBS Kids and ion's qubo that the other networks would want to compete against them, especially on weekdays that their traditional outlets have given up on. The new digital era could give them that chance.

A CW-branded children's subchannel could give both Time Warner and CBS a broadcast outlet where they could utilize children's programming from both companies, something not really seen on Kids' WB nor CW 4Kids. They could air The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show and Histeria alongside stuff like Mighty Mouse, Storybreak, and Captain Kangaroo. It could fill the E/I quota as well as provide an alternative, especially for households without cable.

The turnover ads are promising new channels, and I'd really like to see them fulfill that.

[Anthonynotes]

Well, Jonny Quest is about to be revisited courtesy of a major live-action motion picture in a couple of years, and perhaps, not unlike what they did with The Batman and Batman begins, they could relaunch the characters in a new animated series. Heck, get Jeff Matsuda and Paul Dini on that show, and that could be the best non-superheroic show in a long, long time.


Wasn't aware they were making a live-action Jonny Quest film, though guess I shouldn't be surprised (they've stripped-mined every other possible TV show for a movie, short of "My Mother the Car" at this point ;-) ). But yeah, a new Quest series (faithful to the old one) would be cool...



I think Yogi Bear could be reworked into a trickster character, an amalgamation of the characterization of Bugs and Daffy before Chuck Jones turned the former into Mr. Perfect and the latter into Mr. Greedyguts. Yogi did have a few shorts when he wasn't stealing picnic baskets and was essentially a trickster scheming plans to thwart Ranger Smith.


Hmm... guess there's also "Yogi's Treasure Hunt"'s take, maybe? Depending on whether the tone of a new Yogi series, per my remark on a Flintstones revival, would be traditionalist---back in Jellystone involved with various hijinks---or in some sort of different setting...



Cartoon Network had a great special years ago that essentially threw the characters back in the pre-Pebbles era, and, if I had my way, that's the format I'd do. But I wouldn't do that for Saturday morning.

I'd do that for prime-time.

The modern stone age family belongs in prime-time. No babies. No magical aliens. No endless flashback episodes. The Flintstones back to basics in the modern era. That would work on The CW if they actually were serious about making a real broadcast channel instead of a vessel for programming centered around vapid rich kids aimed towards the current MTV generation that made arrogant rich nobodies into celebutarts. A new version of The Flintstones and a new Star Trek series centered around the revamped continuity to be introduced in the upcoming movie would save The CW from itself.

Nobody was craving a new 90210. People want a new Star Trek, especially considering how Enterprise didn't have an adequate ending.


Enterprise's ending was more a mercy-killing, but that's another subject. ;-)

Not sure if they'd ever consider the Flintstones in prime-time again... if they did, imagine it'd meet the same fate as "Pinky and the Brain" and "Batman:TAS"'s forays into prime-time (in some death timeslot vs. 60 Minutes and quickly yanked back to weekday afternoons/Saturday mornings). That, and putting it in primetime would probably make the execs think it'd have to be "edgier" to meet the standards for current prime-time cartoons (i.e. the Fox shows... and IMO it'd be a sad day to see the Flintstones involved in "Family Guy"-type "humor").

I'd also assume any Flintstones revival would be expected to have the kids in it (the kid viewers probably are familiar with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm from the various cereal ads, including the most recent ones centering around them specifically)... though I'd rather they were at least preschool aged (i.e. old enough to do something besides look cute and babble :-p ).



Which is why they should do totally it.

Broadcasters have no plan on what to do with the additional digital space. Affiliates have to figure that out for themselves, unfortunately. We'll be seeing a lot of weather and news subchannels than outlets that really entertain the masses (though LATV, RTN, dot2, MeTV, and FUNimation are trying to break through). I'm still frustrated that broadcasters don't have a plan other than continuing to push the whole broadband agenda. More people will have access to the new digital era of television than broadband internet, and yet, they're not taking advantage of that. They'll create all these broadband channel, but the potential for new channel varieties is present for the digital age.

With the massive libraries they have on hand, NBC and CBS could easily launch classic versions of their networks on their subchannels. NBC could have their Snake logo for a retro NBC subchannel and have a home for the library titles they have on hand. They're already airing those titles on their broadband channels. I'd think with PBS Kids and ion's qubo that the other networks would want to compete against them, especially on weekdays that their traditional outlets have given up on. The new digital era could give them that chance.

A CW-branded children's subchannel could give both Time Warner and CBS a broadcast outlet where they could utilize children's programming from both companies, something not really seen on Kids' WB nor CW 4Kids. They could air The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show and Histeria alongside stuff like Mighty Mouse, Storybreak, and Captain Kangaroo. It could fill the E/I quota as well as provide an alternative, especially for households without cable.

The turnover ads are promising new channels, and I'd really like to see them fulfill that.

Imagine (as my local newspaper columnist noted) there'll be pressure to put some sort of original programming by local affiliates on at least one subchannel, as a way to generate more ad revenue. Of course, the whole subchannel nature should be a boon (and maybe revival of) first-run syndicated programming; however if it's just reruns of the usual judge and talk shows and infomercials, meh.

Yes, the networks are sitting on big libraries that could be perfect material for such subchannels, but for whatever reason, not sure how keen they are on airing it (see: the same "geniuses" who think reviving American Gladiators was a good idea, plus the general grudge against airing older shows on broadcast TV these days---the networks probably view the online venues for such shows as an easy way to air them without sacrificing valuable TV channel space that could go to newer or newly-made ventures like, um, more reality shows/newsmagazines). Imagine NBC, CBS, ABC, etc. don't view PBS as "competition", since it's noncommercial TV (and always lower-rated than the usual commercial TV shows), plus as it is now, they're only airing kids shows to meet E/I requirements (ceding to cable for kids' programming.... plus probably looser children's advertising regulation there...).


-B.