Although its broadcast prospects aren't quite as precarious, Max Steel is also contending with performance problems. It too has drawn so-so audiences on Kids' WB!, where it has aired in Friday 7:30 a.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. time slots since mid-January, averaging respective ratings of 0.7 and 1.7 with the six to 11 demo. That's down considerably from the latter part of 2000. From mid-September to January, the show grabbed a 2.4 rating in the Saturday 11:30 a.m. slot, and a 1.2 rating on Mondays at 3:30 p.m.

Slumping ratings caused Kids' WB! to consider taking the drastic step of switching the show's style from 3-D CGI to 2-D cel animation. Although it's a moot point now, both the show's producer, Sony Pictures Family Entertainment, and master toy licensee Mattel opposed the change at the time. Recently, SPFE announced that Kids' WB!'s sister net Cartoon Network has picked up the series, ordering nine new episodes that it plans to air as a morning strip starting in September.

SPFE's VP of marketing David Palmer says Cartoon is a better fit for Max Steel because the net has been eager to add a CGI show to complement its current lineup. He says Kids' WB!, on the other hand, is trying to establish a consistent look to its kids programming, which is mostly comprised of 2-D cartoons.

Many of the new Max Steel eps, all of which SPFE plans to produce in the 3-D CGI format, will feature guest voice spots from well-known sports personalities, including L.A. Kings hockey star Luc Robitaille.

That Max will not undergo a style change is likely welcome news to retailers, who weren't optimistic about the effect that switching the show's look would have on toy sales. "The hardest thing to do is to resurrect an action figure line after it's out. It's impossible, because boys-much more so than girls-are affected by peer pressure. If it's deemed to be `over' in a kid's mind or his social circle at school, it's history," says one boys toy buyer.

Source: Kidscreen.com