My thoughts on the PPG Movie delay.

[Killtacular]

PPG is doomed.

Hear me out on this one, because this has been a long time coming.

First of all, CN's first dumb move was decided to wait until June 2002 to air the 8 remaining episodes of season 4.

I complained at this because I figured this would drain the fanbase. I knew it would help boost the movie premiere, but in the end run, not as many would appreciate the block that much after they've been hammered with reruns(ask any DBZ afficianado, and they'll know what I mean).

But then I figured that WB wasn't stupid. They would treat the movie right. They could even possibly air the PPG on the Kids WB Toonami block.

But then I found out about how WB didn't even want to pay the voice actresses more than McDonalds employees would get in a year. Not funny. Granted, the deal was settled(and ToonZone was there to report it), but it still left nagging thoughts in the back of my head.

And now WB has done it. They've pushed the movie into the DEAD zone. ABC did the same thing with the Clerks cartoon.

And that's when I realized. WARNER BROTHERS DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE POWERPUFF GIRLS.

I don't know what WB is trying to do, but it scares me. The fact is, the 8 unaired PPG episodes could be delayed until SEPTEMBER. That would be a freakin' 10 month hiatus.

What does this mean? It means the ratings will dwindle. And by dwindle, I mean, they'll lower to a point where even a marathon couldn't boost ratings very high.

Look at how much press the Dexter marathon got. It got quite a bit of hype. But still, ask any Dexter fan what they thought of the new episodes, and they'd probably say, "New episodes?"

So with a small fanbase in September, the PPG movie will bomb, TERRIBLY. And what could WB possibly get from this?

Quite frankly, I don't know. Sometimes I will never understand big businesses.

My prediction: The movie will bomb out of theatres in September, and, like Osmosis Jones, will quickly become a DVD. The DVD will sell okay, but the damage will be done. Season 4 still has 3 episodes in production, and when they are complete, I doubt CN will give PPG a 5th season. That's correct, PPG is in danger of cancellation.

What are the fans to do? Writing letters is one thing, but as an MST3K fan at heart, I can tell you sincerely that networks have evolved beyond reading letters. What they listen to is RATINGS. So urge all of your friends to tune into the PPG. Get them to watch the Powerpuff Girls marathon in August/September. And tell everyone you know to watch the PPG movie. It just might make a difference, and save the show from yet another big wig mistake.

[CookieS]

I'm not surprised with any of this. Cartoon Network likes to build up spikes in ratings. They are not looking for a long-term trickle of good ratings. They give the old one-two punch and then leave it be. Take this Dexter marathon for example. They promoted Dexter a little, now it won't get any coverage. Hell, there was new episodes of the Eds, Courage, and Sheep (next month), but people don't even notice. Its usually mentioned as an afterward in the CCF promos.

I think your predictions of the PPG are pretty grim though. How long did Dexter fans wait for new episodes? Hell, a year ago I would have said Dexter was cancelled, and forgot about it, but its like they brought it back from the dead. Here is a possibility of what will happen...

December: Promote sheep episodes...Johnny Bravo xmas special
Janurary-Feburary: reruns.....maybe a Valentine's Day special of sorts.
March-April: Sweeps again....so who knows. What happened to the new Mike, Lu, and Og episodes to air?
May-August: More reruns....but PPG movie in theaters.
September: New PPG episodes and maybe more episodes of another series.

Basically I think they could not make anymore PPG episodes for years, and the fan base won't dwindle down to nothing. Nick brought back Rugrats from cancelation just because of their first movie. They test the waters with the film. If it does well, they invest in more episodes that lead to film #2. At least that's what I think.

[Killtacular]

The Rugrats show came back before the movie, and that was because Nickelodeon got the most merchandising deal out of it.

Also, if you read the PPG movie news, the PPG movie isn't until September, so it wouldn't go in the May-August schedule.

I know that Dexter was brought back, but that was back in Fall 2000, when WB had little influence over the network...

[Narfcake]

Agreed on many points, Matt. Luckily, Craig has posted over on GT that it's just a rumor - no official word on this.

The licensing sheets hint that the DVD will be out in time for the holiday season ... a September release would seem really pathetic.

Somehow, I thought that season 5 has been green lit already, regardless of how the movie turns out. Then again, this is the WB we're talking about ...

-- NC

[Killtacular]

Craig also gets his news from Cartoon Network, apparently.

But Warner Brothers doesn't have to TELL Craig ANYTHING.

Most conglomerates never do.

[Killtacular]

And why wouldn't WB want to have PPG go against Men in Black 2? WB versus Sony! Isn't that what the summer blockbuster was all about?

But wait a minute!

Men in Black 2..

Hm.......and didn't we recently report about WB doing a new animated Men in Black series?

What it seems like to me is that Warner Brothers wants the Men in Black 2 movie to do well so that their new cartoon will do well also, and when Kellner gets to choose between a WB show or a CN show, he usually favors the WB show, wouldn't you agree?

[Jimmy Kustes]

I am missing new eps of everything! They need to promote this stuff! When I catch E, E, and E it usually is a rerun! Show commercials for the new CCs like you do for JL, SJ, and Adult Swim, CN!

The other half says that CN wants to ride the rating-getting JL, SJ, and Adult Swim wave, and then show PPG. CN might not want new PPG to be overshadowed like new Dexter and E,E, & E. I mean Cartoon Network isn't even pumping up their lucrative Toonami block!

[Narfcake]

Originally posted by Matt Wilson
But Warner Brothers doesn't have to TELL Craig ANYTHING.

Good point. Otherwise WBCP would've actually granted his request of having company prototypes trickle pass him before production.

-- Kane ... and that the fans wouldn't have to supply him various merchandise.

[Ed Fan]

i dont really like ppg so it doesnt matter in my opinion...