Which shows should CN resurrect and why?

[Checkerboard]

Cartoon Network has aired literally hundreds of shows over the years. Some of them have become very popular and a success, while some have not. Then there are shows which had potential and for various reasons ended prematurely or have been forgotten.

Thundercats came back, along with Cartoon Planet, and so did Star Wars and Scooby-Doo. There's even a new Tom & Jerry show in the works as we speak.


What shows in your opinion deserve a comeback/remake/second chance and why?


I personally think Cartoon Network should resurrect the following...


SWAT Kats - was a pretty popular series during the 90's, but ended prematurely. It consisted of only 2 seasons and 23 episodes. Opinions why the show got cancelled vary, but one thing's for sure - it ended out of the blue and during its peak. To this day the series has a following online and the community still seems to be interested in it, partially because viewers were left with some unanswered questions and felt there was more to see. Indeed, Kats featured interesting characters and, for its time, very good animation. It was a little cheesy at times, but it was fun to watch nontheless. It definitely also was one of the darker shows Hanna-Barbera has produced. Lately there has been interest in bringing the series back - by various fan movements and petitions. The DVD release has opened up a window of opportunity as well. Even the show creators - the Tremblay brothers - are toying around with this idea. I think SWAT Kats deserves another chance and I can see it getting the same treatment as Thundercats - at least in regards to the anime-esque animation/art style. That would IMHO be appropriate. Studio 4°C more than proved that they know what they're doing and just imagining the sunset in Megakat City with those visuals makes me want it even more. I've heard that Warner Bros. is already looking into this, which would be great, but if not... they better be! There could even be a small toyline - just like during the original run - to go along with it.

The Pirates of Dark Water - was a fantasy series with only 21 episodes that came out during the early 1990's - two years earlier than SWAT Kats. It too was produced by Hanna-Barbera and introduced viewers to the intriguing world of Mer. The show even had its own comic book series and videogame. I could see that happening again. Pirates of Dark Water got cancelled supposedly due to high production costs - it truly did look amazing - but that left fans with an unresolved plot. Not to mention Mer sounds like an interesting place to explore to begin with. Warner Archive released the show recently on DVD, showing some interest, so perhaps a small chance of seeing a remake/sequel exists. I think it still has its charm. By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the show that inspired the Pirates of the Caribbean...

Fish Police - was originally a comic book series that became - thanks to Hanna-Barbera - a cartoon. It sadly lasted only 6 episodes and was already cancelled by the time it got to three. The remaining episodes never aired in the US, but the show gained some popularity in Europe. With a very mature tone (for a cartoon), a unique underwater setting and a star cast, it truly was one of a kind. The show hasn't been released yet on VHS or DVD and although I know there are plans to offer it via Warner Archive's MOD program, it won't be anytime soon. However, I can imagine Fish Police - if brought back - being a lead-in to Adult Swim and airing around 8PM. With a PG rating, I'm sure there are many things it could get away with. It could be pretty cool actually.

I'd say that all 3 shows would fit in nicely and have an actual chance of coming back - in some form. It's not up to me, though, so we'll see. Hopefully at least one of them gets a greenlight. I mean, Warner Bros. owns the rights... so why not use them? It's about time IMHO.

As for other shows, I wouldn't mind also seeing a new Samurai Jack, Felix The Cat, The Addams Family, Captain Planet or even Johnny Quest.

What about you?

[Silverstar]

I'd personally prefer to see Cartoon Network continue to pioneer and come up with decent new ideas and concepts for shows as opposed to resurrecting a bunch of defunct shows from a previous era. While there's nothing wrong with the occasional reboot or relaunch, CN can't and shouldn't cater exclusively to the nostalgia crowd. Ideally, the network should contain a mix of both, with a 75:25 ratio favoring the totally new ideas.

That said, most of the shows mentioned above are Hanna-Barbera productions, and as such it would be Warner Bros., not Turner or CN, who'd have to make the final creative call to greenlight any such revivals, and WB would only be interested in rebooting any franchises if they think a substantial profit could be made off of them. Going by that dictum, the least likely choice on the above list would be Fish Police; I mean, who in this day and age even remembers that show? The Addams Family and Felix the Cat would depend on who currently holds the rights to those franchises.

If it were me, I'd place any and all HB revivals onto a single programming block, something akin to DC Nation, but with HB properties, and not restricted to action. I've elaborated on this idea here.

[King9]

I agree with Silverstar. Having said that though I wish Flapjack could come back with some fresh new episodes. Unfortunately unlikely.

[Kieran Pertnav]

I would also love to see Flapjack resurrected. Even though the ratings trailed off during its final season, it fits very well into the current landscape of cartoons.

Flapjack is at least indirectly responsible for Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gravity Falls, all of which were created by former Flapjack crew members and feature two buddies getting into bizarre misadventures. Flapjack started that whole craze, yet never got to benefit from it, getting cancelled after just 46 episodes. I think that the transition from Thursdays to Mondays and the transition from 22 minutes to 11 minutes hurt the show creatively and in the ratings, and it didn't really get treated fairly. It would be great to have it back.

[magicdog]

I'd personally prefer to see Cartoon Network continue to pioneer and come up with decent new ideas and concepts for shows as opposed to resurrecting a bunch of defunct shows from a previous era. While there's nothing wrong with the occasional reboot or relaunch, CN can't and shouldn't cater exclusively to the nostalgia crowd

I'll be the first to admit there is a dearth of new ideas in the current industry; partly because TPTB want to make money and to do so on a new original property can be too risky. With a rebooted classic series, some of the risk is modified since the property is likely to have been long established (Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, Batman).

Don't count out nostalgia quite yet; many viewers of those old [HB] toons are parents and grandparents now, so they're just as likely to help introduce their families to the toons they knew and at least become curious about a rebooted version. If the reboot is more mature (due to loosening up of old anti-violence rules, solid storylines and a more sophisticated audience) then the property could become a hit all over again.

For classic superhero/action adventure shows getting a reboot at CN, I'd like to see:

Space Ghost - The teaser from BTB&TB was a great tribute to the orignal shorts and at the same time it emphasized that a serious reboot is in order. We could get an origin story, Jan & Jace could be something other than hostage fodder and being set in the future with space colonization could be a great parallel to settling the [American] frontier.

The Herculoids - same as above. Get more firm cannon about Zandor & his family, Amzot, and the Herculoids' role in it. There can also be some family drama and Tara could be a bit more involved in the fighting than in the old show.

The Impossibles - This one could go either way. I'd like a more serious take on it (origin of powers, how the guys met, etc), plus better expand on their abilities and make thier villians as bad as any we've ever seen on BTAS, JL or YJ. If a lighter take were to be used, I'd go with the style seen in Batman, The Brave & The Bold. In fact, I can even see a teaser with them fighting alongside [that] Batman!

Jonny Quest - It's been a long time since the last Quest series was introduced and quite frankly it was left wanting. I'd probably go back to basics and de age Jonny & Hadji and ditch that Quest World stuff. They can aalso get back to good old fashioned fisticuffs and get more insight into this unusual blended family. A live action JQ appears to be on hold so animated adventures would be a better bet anyway.


Wildcard: a "Justice League" type show featuring many of HB's original superheroes teaming up such as SG, Young Samson & Goliath, Blue Falcon, Birdman, etc. . I can totally see rebooted heroes getting a second chance by teaming up to fight foes old and new. Plus, just as much drama and mystery can be added.

An "HB Nation" sort of set up would be just what the doctor ordered!

I totally agree with SWAT Kats & Pirates of Dark Water as resurrection candidates. The latter never even had a resolution.

If Ruby Spears properties are covered under WB's ownership (having been under HB's umbrella corporation, Taft, Inc), I wouldn't mind seeing a sophisticated update of "Goldie Gold & Action Jack" . It could be more of a comedy adventure. A cross between Richie Rich and Moonlighting. Goldie would be a bit of a more realistic rich girl (think Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg rich) who hires Action Jack Travis as either a blogger/journalist, or bodyguard. Or perhaps it could be the two are part of a globe trotting reality show while they blog about their adventures. There's plenty to work with.

[Angilasman]

I want a new Popeye cartoon based off E.C. Segar's original comic strip. The current comic book (which is also primarily Segar-influenced) could be used as a template.

[Toonster]

i dont see why people seem to think that the little kids aren't into cartoons from the past. My 6 year old cousin may watch newer shows, but she also watches Dexters Lab, PowerPuffGirls, Rugrats etc. So does my 9 year old cousin

[Daikun]

I agree that it would be fun to see a revival of Captain Planet. If they do that, though, they'd have to make a lot of changes.

-Tone down on the environmental preachiness. It's fine once in a while, but the original series went overboard with it by constantly having characters interject with "pollution kills X animals" every few minutes.

-Make the morality more grey between the heroes and villains. The "corporations are evil" mentality is overly simplistic and unrealistic.

-Make the rings' powers have more consequences. You can't expect a ring that shoots fire to not accidentally burn down a forest. You can't expect a ring that shoots water to not cause a tidal wave. Etc... The rings control the environment; they shouldn't be immune to natural disasters. It would flesh out the characters through their flaws and make them more engaging.

-Make the Captain less of a deus ex machina. Once he's summoned, he curb stomps the bad guys way too easily, proving how worthless those kids are without him. Make it harder on him. (Keep those puns rollin', though. )

-Make the power of Heart more interesting. That's a given.

[Getouttamylab!]

I'd like to see a revival of Johnny Bravo and/or FHFIM, but I do like several of CN's newer shows. Also, a show starring the old Hanna Barbera characters (like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, etc.) would be nice.

[cognitofalcon]

I'd like to see a revival of Johnny Bravo and/or FHFIM, but I do like several of CN's newer shows. Also, a show starring the old Hanna Barbera characters (like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, etc.) would be nice.

Well, if we go the hypothetical route, I'd love a Rocky and Bullwinkle revival. It would need CN veterans like Craig, Genndy, and a host of others. (Hah, see what I did there?)

[PC!]

Don't count out nostalgia quite yet; many viewers of those old [HB] toons are parents and grandparents now, so they're just as likely to help introduce their families to the toons they knew and at least become curious about a rebooted version. If the reboot is more mature (due to loosening up of old anti-violence rules, solid storylines and a more sophisticated audience) then the property could become a hit all over again.

For classic superhero/action adventure shows getting a reboot at CN, I'd like to see:

Space Ghost - The teaser from BTB&TB was a great tribute to the orignal shorts and at the same time it emphasized that a serious reboot is in order. We could get an origin story, Jan & Jace could be something other than hostage fodder and being set in the future with space colonization could be a great parallel to settling the [American] frontier.

The Herculoids - same as above. Get more firm cannon about Zandor & his family, Amzot, and the Herculoids' role in it. There can also be some family drama and Tara could be a bit more involved in the fighting than in the old show.

Wildcard: a "Justice League" type show featuring many of HB's original superheroes teaming up such as SG, Young Samson & Goliath, Blue Falcon, Birdman, etc. . I can totally see rebooted heroes getting a second chance by teaming up to fight foes old and new. Plus, just as much drama and mystery can be added.

An "HB Nation" sort of set up would be just what the doctor ordered!

I totally agree with SWAT Kats & Pirates of Dark Water as resurrection candidates. The latter never even had a resolution.

Good sir, you have read my mind. For the past year or so I've been thinking about how much potential there is in old Hanna-Barbera shows like Space Ghost or the Herculoids for new, serial action/adventure series in the vein of similar revivals like Ninja Turtles or ThunderCats. The possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, when it comes to remakes, it looks like the 80's is about as far back as current animation studios are willing to go.

[Bubblegum Girl]

The only show I can think of that CN should revive is Sym-Bionic Titan because I feel they cancelled it too soon. I mean the show was getting really good towards the end of season 1 and it was cancelled leaving lots of unanswered questions.

[Lanmanna]

The two S's. Sym-Bionic Titan and Samurai Jack

Both created by Genndy Tartakovsky and both ended too soon.

[Light Lucario]

The two S's. Sym-Bionic Titan and Samurai Jack

Both created by Genndy Tartakovsky and both ended too soon.

I don't know if I would say Samurai Jack ended too soon. It had fifty-two episodes, which was a good run for any cartoon series all things considered. Though, Sym-Bionic Titan didn't have that much time by comparison. While I wasn't a huge fan of the series, I wouldn't mind if they did revive that series, if only so that they would hopefully do a better job with the characters and make more progression with the storyline than they did in the first season.

[Dusty]

Samurai Jack. since it seems that the movie is on indefinite hold. That show was probably one of CN's greatest ones ever, it was just plain awesome, and there are still so many stories that could be told before actually having Jack defeat Aku in the past.

Justice League. Come on, this show was great. We could always use more JL. But to make it even cooler they could have done better at having different rotating members like BATB. They could also have had more comic story arcs like Infinite Crisis or Identity Crisis, (it could air just before AS.) There were so many more stories they could have done with this show. (JLU was not it for me, JL was better I think because I liked having 5-6 heroes at a time instead of 2-3 like JLU, even though it was supposed to be bigger.)

Unnatural History. (yes, live action... Oh no!) Seriously, this was a very well done TV show for teens/kids. It was fun, had good acting, and was just plain cool, it blew all of the Nick and Disney live action junk out of the water. I was and still am bummed that I never got a second season.

Time Squad. This show was awesome IMO, I loved it and think it died far too young. It was edumacational ... yet entertaining.

Johnny Bravo. I really liked the seasons with the Carl and Pops characters, I thought those episodes really made this show hilarious. The other seasons were good, but not as funny or entertaining IMO.

A new version of PPG. As adults or teens or something, I feel there was so much more they could have done with these characters.

Courage The Cowardly Dog. Need I explain why?

Chowder. OMGosh! This show was so great, I feel it was definitely cancelled or died to soon. I loved Schnitzel and Mung the best, they were hilarious.

Symbionic Titan. I want to know what ever happened to Princess Ilana! Plus the visuals/designs/backgrounds for this show were probably some of the best I have ever seen in a kids animated program. I sometimes would just get lost in how cool it looked.

Billy and Mandy. One of the funniest shows on CN ever! More episodes Please!

Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. This was also another extremely funny show, but I felt it did have it's run, I guess I just miss it.

Camp Lazlo. I think more crazy funny stories could have come out of this show, but *sigh CN being who they are...

Juniper Lee. I just really enjoyed this show, despite the fact I did not like her little brother. But I would love to see this show come back.

I want to list a ton more of the classic shows from CN, but that would take up ten pages, lol. Anyways, yeah the shows I listed are ones I definitely would love to see more episodes/stories from. I really think they could have gone on longer, but I suppose ratings are all the rage these days, lol.


D.

[Animationerd]

If theres one show that needs a good revival, its Animaniacs. That show re-defined childrens programming with its adult humor and massive fanbase that still exits today.

The original writers and directors should come back as well as the VAs. But if were going to revive this, we need to update it. It should have the same animation style as The Looney Tunes Show and new characters to freshen things up. Thats not to say the Warners should take a backseat to them, no they carry the show.

What i do not want to see, is toilet humor (unless if its done right, like the potty emergency episode). Burping should be enough. Also, the writing needs to be fresh and funny, not boring or sitcomy like the looney tunes show. I also dont want to see an overuse of pandering to the fanbase. Little references to old episodes are ok, but overdoing it would hurt the show.

Thats all i got so far, any thoughts?

[EJLD4Ever]

Not sure if this counts, but what I think would be interesting is:

CN Babies--A Muppet Babies-type show featuring the major characters from all CN original series from Dexter's Lab on (even some of the short-lived shows) all brought together into a single nursery.

I came up with a list of nearly 30 or so characters who could be babyfied (yes, I am aware that babyfication is an overused cliche, but this is entirely a "What-if" scenario). I still need to whittle it down to a core group and "guests." As for a Nanny-type character, I think Johnny Bravo's mother, Muriel from Courage or even Madame Foster would work nicely.

[Graywulf76]

The only show I can think of that CN should revive is Sym-Bionic Titan because I feel they cancelled it too soon. I mean the show was getting really good towards the end of season 1 and it was cancelled leaving lots of unanswered questions.

This.

Also, Megas XLR. It was funny, action packed, had lots of neat references, and basically ran on pure,constrained Crazy Awesomeness. Even if it was just reruns, I'd be happy to see it on the air again.

[Cartoon_Kid]

hm, lets see.. Code Lyoko .. Power-puff girls, Grim adventures.. I never really finished any of these series, and I'd love too see some of the older shows played. I honestly think, if they brought back older shows.. they'd increase their audience.. instead of re-playing the same episodes and making the newer shows boring. MY Opinion!

[Silverstar]

hm, lets see.. Code Lyoko .. Power-puff girls, Grim adventures.. I never really finished any of these series, and I'd love too see some of the older shows played. I honestly think, if they brought back older shows.. they'd increase their audience.. instead of re-playing the same episodes and making the newer shows boring. MY Opinion!

The thread is talking about relaunching former shows, as in making all-new episodes of said shows, not simply re-running the older shows on CN proper. CN already does the latter in increments, but it doesn't need to do so full time since they already have a sister channel for rebroadcasting their former shows. (They're not doing all they could with that channel either, but still...)

I honestly don't understand the rationale behind the statement in bold. Why do so many people think Cartoon Network should just run the old Hanna-Barbera shows, the 90's Cartoon-Cartoons and 90's Toonami/Miguzi forever? Sure, that would make the adult CN viewers happy, but outside of Adult Swim, they're not specifically trying to attract adults. A little nostalgia is fine once in a while, but there's no way that CN can expect to stay on top and/or regain their former glory if they're stuck in the past. Most of the folks hankering to see the shows from that era are well outside the target audience that CN is trying to attract, so how exactly would perpetually looping their 90's schedule prove beneficial to CN?