92 thoughts on “To WB or Not to WB”

  1. How much do you wanna bet that Zaslav’s changing his tune on animation because of the writers strike, and how animation is usually under a different Union (one that is not allowed to strike, no less)

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    1. Yeah, probably. Having endure another writers’ strike sucks, but it’s almost worth it if it gets Warner Bros Discovery to acknowledge it’s animation department. The debut of Max is 2 weeks and WBD has barely talked about it’s animated shows. I’ve seen 3 Max promos with a single cartoon clip in each. Why not make a Max promo that shows the animated content exclusively? It’s possible that the kids and family shows are being advertised on kids’ channels like Cartoon Network and I’ve just been missing them, but I doubt that because I haven’t seen any spots like that on YouTube either. I guess WBD hasn’t learned from its past mistakes and is just doomed to repeat them.

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      1. They’re clearly not bucking their trend of promoting their animated shows horribly. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal premiered last week but I haven’t seen a single on-air promotion for it (or maybe they only run those spots on Cartoon Network). I wouldn’t have known that show debuted this past week if Vailskibum hadn’t mentioned it on YouTube and even he admitted that WBD’s been doing a piss poor job of promoting the show (yet they won’t shut up about American freaking Dad). Again, how are you supposed to attract viewers to your shows if you don’t promote them?

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    2. I’d be surprised if that were to happen, but I’m not holding my breath if he doesn’t acknowledged it.

      Zaslav is gonna have to prove himself really hard in order to convinced the animation fans that animation will be the service’s primary focus. Besides changing their family motif, from what I’ve heard from Max, it didn’t really feel like they promoted their animated content as much as they should’ve, unless its on Cartoon Network or other kids channels. Which, I though it was disappointing because HBO Max’s previous ownership with AT&T had dropped the ball really hard when it comes to their promotion. You would’ve think that Zalsav learn from their mistakes by actually making their animated content their primary focus.

      Now, I could be 100% wrong, and I don’t want to come off as pessimistic, but I am pessimistic about this is because everything that happened during last year’s debacle really fucking pisses me off. While Zaslav’s actions may not be technically illegal (which I think it should be), but it’s still morally wrong, in my eyes.

      Like I said before, if Zaslav really wants animation to be their primary focus for Max, then he has to prove to me that he’s actually is doing it. Actions speaks louder than words, after all. Hell, even if the animation industry wasn’t affected by the writer’s strike(I’m saying it was. Don’t twist my words; it’s sad that the strike happened last week, though), do you really think a reality TV guy like Zaslav really give a shit about animation when his “expertise” is nothing but cheap reality shows (and for what I’ve heard, the writers were non-union BTW)?

      Again, cynical part of me, but I hope to be proven wrong.

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  2. They’re clearly not bucking their trend of promoting their animated shows horribly. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal premiered last week but I haven’t seen a single on-air promotion for it (or maybe they only run those spots on Cartoon Network). I wouldn’t have known that show debuted this past week if Vailskibum hadn’t mentioned it on YouTube and even he admitted that WBD’s been doing a piss poor job of promoting the show. Again, how are you supposed to attract viewers to your shows if you don’t promote them?

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  3. To reply to Silverstar because it won’t let me reply: Adult Swim only really gives a shit about and promotes stuff like the Fox shows because that’s what gets them views. A poor choice IMO because it’s stuff they don’t even own, and it’s a technique whose effectiveness is dwindling fast. (Futurama’s return bombed and they had to move the show to 4 AM; Family Guy left in 2021 and Bob’s Burgers is doing the same this fall; outside of American Dad, the Fox shows on Adult Swim can also be seen on Disney’s own adult animation network FXX).

    And poor marketing aside, the swiped CN shows and the anime on Toonami are the only things people give a shit about on Adult Swim anymore. Rick and Morty’s reputation is rock bottom, Smiling Friends’ 15 minutes of fame have ended, Primal season 2’s been run into the ground so much on Toonami that nobody cares anymore, they dropped the ball on Tuca and Bertie, and when’s the last time you’ve seen anyone talk about Birdgirl or Teenage Euthenasia? And said swiped CN shows go so against the image of Adult Swim (especially Superman) that it’s hard to see any of Adult Swim’s typical viewer base tune in. And there’s barely anything upcoming, either, outside of several Toonami miniseries (including one that’s been held up forever) and a Rick and Morty anime.

    Simply put, Adult Swim’s expansion is essentially stretching itself further and further and I feel that it’s only a matter of time until it breaks completely. I highly doubt it will shut down, but eventually it will lose all relevancy as its former audience is split between FXX and the Internet. And what happens when they LOSE the Fox shows? Half the lineup is just gone! Granted, they could air Adventure Time like they did in 2018, but that would dilute the “adult” part of their brand even further and be horrible for the mothership (CN)…

    Sorry to go off on that tangent for a minute, just had to get it off my chest.

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  4. Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to have Adult Swim start at 7PM (EST) and in September, the block will pivot up to 6PM. It’s sad. We’re watching Cartoon Network slowly transform into the Adult Swim Channel, and I wouldn’t feel so bad about that if AS didn’t rely mostly on FOX reruns.

    We’re almost 5 months into 2023 and there have been ZERO new show premieres on CN, and I’m not counting Unicorn: Warriors Eternal because that’s airing under the AS banner. Right after Michael Owleween assures the public that Cartoon Network isn’t dying, CN proceeds to spam the same 3 shows to death and keeps giving AS more hours.

    Now, it’s possible that WBD does indeed have some new CN projects in the planning, but none of them are ready to air just yet. Obviously, being in the middle of a writer’s strike isn’t helping production. I just wish that WBD would make a bigger deal about their kids and family oriented content if they truly want to attract kids and families to Max.

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    1. You wanna know what’s funny? With the exception of American Dad, ALL of Adult Swim’s Fox shows are on FXX as well, both current (King of the Hill, Futurama, and the soon departing Bob’s Burgers) and former (Family Guy, The Cleveland Show). And that’s all there is to Adult Swim until almost midnight.

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  5. Meanwhile Nickelodeon still runs until 9PM. Perhaps it’s not so much that kids are abandoning cable in general (though people are; make no mistake), but they’re avoiding Cartoon Network, and they have no one to blame for that but themselves, since CN hasn’t updated their schedule in years. The only CN originals that are airing currently are Teen Titans GO!, The Amazing World of Gumball, We Baby Bears and Craig of the Creek, and the latter has already been canceled and is just burning through its’ remaining episodes. (Jellystone! and Looney Tunes Cartoons don’t air every week.)

    By contrast, Nickelodeon has been stepping its’ game up lately; sure they still milk their old standbys SpongeBob Squarepants and The Loud House, but they’ve been adding other new shows and IPs as well, yet we’re almost halfway through 2023 and CN has had ZERO new shows premiering or even anything new being announced (Unicorn and My Adventures with Superman are for [adult swim] not Cartoon Network). I haven’t even heard of any new family-friendly cartoons being announced for Max except for Tiny Toons Looniversity, and that’s not happening until autumn.

    *ADDENDUM: Apparently Villainous is premiering on Max the day if its’ launch, May 23rd. I just found out about this and honestly had no idea this was happening until I read it on Vailskibum’s Community post. I’ve never seen the show (this will be its’ American debut) so I don’t know whether it qualifies as for kids or not, but this recalls the question we raised earlier: how in the blue hizell are kids going to come to watch these shows if WBD never announces or promotes them? You would think they’d at least give Villainous a casual mention in their ads for the service, but I guess they figured since it’s not a known IP here in States that no one here would know or care. This level of hubris and lack of awareness could potentially lead to WBD’s downfall.

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  6. Adult Swim getting bigger and bigger and having to rely on Fox shows more and more would be so funny if Disney decided to just pull ALL of their stuff, including American Dad, from AS. They won’t- licensing revenue and all- but if they did, it’d be really bad for Adult Swim.

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    1. Yeah, building their early evening schedule around American Dad is a really stupid idea; after the Disney acquisition they should know that any FOX show they have is there on borrowed time.

      That said, I’m not ready to play taps for CN just yet. My feelings about this ‘new direction’ depend on what WBD does with their platforms and what kind of shows we get. The idea of expanding [adult swim] to more hours than Cartoon Network sticks in my craw, but I also remember that many of the Cartoon-Cartoons, despite being tailored for kids, were watched by adults as well. As long they keep the weird, stoner-y, experimental stuff in the wee hours, we get some new original shows and concepts and not just endless rehashes of the same old IPs and the whole lineup isn’t just action cartoons and Family Guy clones, I won’t complain much.

      I just want some new, good, clean, fun episodic animated comedies that aren’t so young-skewing that you feel embarrassed watching them. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request. Does everything have to be either super-kiddie or super-adult? Surely there’s room for something in between.

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      1. But you see, they’re looking to keep the Family Guy market desperately, as well as the market for their other shows. That’s why they’re keeping American Dad. That’s why they brought back KotH and Futurama (and look how that turned out for the latter). That’s why… Royal Crackers. That’s why FXX is gaining on them fast. Adult Swim knows the “normies” come to Adult Swim for Family Guy and it’s kin, and if they lose that market, they lose.

        Also, animation takes a long time, and if Disney pulls their stuff before AS has enough of their new Family-friendly content to air on weeknights, it might just be a case of too little too late.

        Or they could air some lighter anime on weeknights, but I think outside of Toonami Adult Swim straight up hates anime, so that’s not happening.

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    1. WBD keeps shoving more and more all-ages stuff under the [adult swim] banner; you have to wonder why they’re keeping that distinction at all (aside from guaranteed ratings, of course). Just call the whole channel Cartoon Network again already. ‘Cartoon’ doesn’t mean ‘just for kids’.

      That said, I don’t entirely dislike the idea itself; it smacks of that ‘bridge between CN and [as]’ idea that Goldstar proposed years ago. Plus, if this results in some of the recently removed from Max CN shows back to the platform, I’ll grit my teeth and smile.

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      1. At this point, the only thing that can save CN is something big, something drastic, a major reevaluation of their entire business model. Something that doesn’t involve pandering to nostalgia or giving more hours to Adult Swim. Because as long as they continue to go down this path, CN will continue to be seen as “kids only, no grown ups allowed” while Adult Swim’s brand will continue to become more and more diluted as they continue to lose the Fox shows that the general public actually watched them for.

        Or they can keep giving themselves rope. Just don’t be surprised when they end up hanging themselves.

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    2. I’ve said it before, but here it is one mo’ time: Cartoon Network airing all ages shows under the Adult Swim banner makes the whole “adult” theming seem like a farce. I agree with Silverstar (surprise-surprise!); WBD should drop the labeling and just use the Cartoon Network all day and all night long.

      Regarding the “old school” Cartoon Network block, I do like the idea of devoting on hour to CN past hits, but why call the block “Checkered Past” when the Boomerang name is right there?

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      1. Honestly, if I were restructuring CN, I’d keep AS, but make it for adults ONLY instead of just “anything that appeals to adults”. Meanwhile, young adults will become the primary audience of several other CN day parts and CN as a whole, but with kids in close second as an all-ages animation network. ALL AGES. Not just kids. Not just adults. ALL AGES. Here’s my general, radically changed structure:

        5-8 AM: YA Retro shows. Primarily a rotating block of CN retro originals like Checkered past, but some YA-friendly classics like Looney Tunes or Popeye could also work their way in.

        8 AM-12 PM: Cartoonito. Much like the rest of the network, even the preschool block would gain an adult focus, which isn’t as hard as it sounds. Bluey does astonishingly well with parents, Cartoonito original Batwheels reportedly did well with grown comic fans, and Max has Sesame Street, whose adult fan base is so large that 90% of the main Muppet cast has appeared on late night TV at least five times. Make a deal with PBS and we can put SS here. They can even keep linear premieres, all we need is the ability to air Sesame. Just… get rid of Cocomelon.

        12-3 PM: All ages classics. Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo… the works. Equally appealing to the Cartoonito crowd, the older kids sick home from school crowd, the YA crowd, and the parent crowd. Timeless toons everyone can enjoy.

        3-6 PM: Kids 6-11. The “least” adult-focused block, this airs primarily some of the stuff CN is airing now- TTG, Gumball, We Baby Bears… maybe reintroduce some action to the lineup as well. Jade Armor, anyone?

        6-8 PM: Family. Aimed primarily for parents watching with their kids, and the portion of the YA crowd that’s a bunch of kids at heart. I actually have an idea for the proper schedule! Craig of the Creek at 6, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who at 6:30, Looney Tunes Cartoons at 7 (being swapped out for My Adventures with Superman twice a week- once for new episodes, and once more for encores), and King of the Hill (yes, really) at 7:30.

        8-10 PM is for teens and young adults. The stuff that will get social media to notice us, primarily. Regular schedule is Adventure Time at 8, Steven Universe at 8:30, classic Total Drama (uncut) at 9, and Naruto Shippuden at 9:30. Twice a week, we actually have a different schedule: The new Fionna and Cake series at 8, the TDI reboot at 8:30, Unicorn at 9, and the depurged Infinity Train at 9:30.

        10 PM-5 AM is Adult Swim, like usual. Adults ONLY, rather than including all ages stuff that happens to appeal to adults. Piece of the schedule: American Dad at 10, uncut Regular Show at 10:30 (because that show is already an AS show in disguise) with the depurged Close Enough replacing it twice a week, Futurama at 11, Rick and Morty at 11:30, Harley Quinn at 12 making its PROPER Adult Swim debut (not counting that one marathon they did before never airing it again), and a rotating slot of current AS originals at 12:30. Also of note is an hour-long DVR theater, with the first half-hour being “weird” shows like Superjail or ESPECIALLY Xavier: Renegade Angel, and the second half-hour being classic “adult” shows such Space Ghost: Coast to Coast or even some old Tex Avery shorts.

        And there we go. Something for all ages, with the precious YA demographic being at the center without making the CN brand “kids stuff”.

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      2. Yeah, I’m not a big fan of the name “Checkered Past”. I thought it was uncreative and boring. Cartoon Planet is a much better name, in my opinion. Heck, your CN PM/CN Prime(time) name is much better name than Checkered Past.

        I don’t know what they are thinking with that name…

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    3. I don’t know how to feel about this. On one hand, it seems like an interesting idea for Adult Swim getting the Cartoon Cartoons since despite the classics geared towards kids when it first launched, but also loved by adults as well.

      But on the other hand, seeing Adult Swim airing the Cartoon Cartoons kinda makes the Adult Swim brand a oxymoron, in my opinion. Yeah, Adult Swim airing Cartoon Network shows is nothing new, I get it, but at the same time, it’s a very odd decision considering that Cartoon Network airing classics on numerous occasions and we already got Boomerang, which is a channel that aired classics. So what was the point of Adult Swim airing classic CN shows when there is other two brands airing classics just fine? It makes the Adult Swim brand seems more and more of a ‘grey area’.

      However, if they mentioned about the purged HBO Max shows like Close Enough and Infinity Train coming to Adult Swim, now that I’m definitely be happy with. Instead of devoted to reruns, how about actually use the timeslots for shows that actually bridges the gap between CN and AS. Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures with Superman is one thing, but what about Close Enough? What about Infinity Train? What about Harley Quinn 2019? Hell, what about Regular Show? Adventure Time aired on Adult Swim a couple of times, so I don’t see why Regular Show can aired on Adult Swim too? It seems like a missed opportunity, now do I think about it.

      Do I hate the idea of AS airing classic CN shows? No, but at the same time, I’m not a big fan of it either. I mean, Cartoon Network has no one to blame but themselves for digging themselves into a deeper hole by airing the same shows over and over again without airing anything new. Now, Adult Swim has begun stepping away from being a “adult” brand, and become a general audience brand. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting, but that kind of experiment will hurt their brand in the long run, and it’s gonna turn off their fanbase sooner than later.

      I don’t know, maybe that’s just me.

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  8. Getting back on topic: They’re holding another joint presentation on June 15.

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  10. When is Zaslav gonna learn? His shareholders are on him to make some quick cash, I get it, but if he truly wants to be the next Jack Warner or big Hollywood power-broker or whatever, slicing up all of your IPs like a Thanksgiving turkey isn’t the way to do it. You’re not going to make friends and influence people in this industry by making more cuts.

    Throwing a big bash celebrating your studio while a writers’ strike is going on just down the street? Not a great plan.

    And now he’s decided to work his ‘magic’ on Turner Classic Movies. Right after appearing at a film festival talking about how much he loooves films and storytelling. Bad idea. Granted, most of the people who pay for that channel live in nursing homes, but still, the last thing you want to do in Hollywood is F with old Hollywood. Classic cinema is like a religion in Tinseltown.

    (Of course I still have an ax to grind with this guy for cancelling Close Enough, killing Final Space and taking Uncle Grandpa and several Cartoon-Cartoons off of HBO Max, so yeah, I’d be lying if I said there’s not a smidgen of schadenfreude lacing my words.)

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    1. I assume you’re talking about the tweet that Tacomaster replied in the ASF comment thread:

      It’s almost like Zaslav is purposely trying to piss people off. Yeah, I get it, the shareholders are breathing down his neck and he’s trying to find ways to put the company back on the black (I mean, other companies has done similar tactics as Zaslav like Disney and Paramount right now), but with all the stupid ass decisions this guy made, I’m surprised he hasn’t fired yet.

      Now, I don’t really watch Turner Classic Movies, but what do you think he’s gonna do with it after he fired most executives from TCM? I sure hope not that he’ll turned TCM into a in-name-only channel that has nothing to do with classic Hollywood cause that would be terrible.

      However, on the bright side, at least Michael Owueleen will be taking over TCM alongside with Cartoon Network, so that’s good.

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  11. “CN into “Adult Swim with a daytime block” and Adult Swim into “Anyone Over the Age of 10 Swim”

    Nail on the head, my man. I’m totally using this from now on.

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  12. i’ve realized something horrible

    adventure time, regular show, and teen titans were included in this promo… as “retro” shows

    which means they might be leaving cn in the fall for checkered past

    as did air adventure time before and regular show is nonironically a good fit, but damn… first their newer shows, then their hours, then their retro stuff, now possibly their “newer” originals

    they’re literally giving everything people liked about cn to adult swim

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      2. I would agree with you on that, but Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are a recognizable brand, domestically and internationally for decades. So that idea is a little unlikely, IMO.

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    2. Well, I mean, I guess that’s what their “intention” of going in this direction. I’m personally not a big fan of it because I’m not a big fan of Adult Swim to begin with, but I can at least somewhat understand on what they are trying to do.

      Cartoon Network didn’t have anything else going for it anymore nor didn’t have enough shows to get people interested. Now with Adult Swim taking over, it just kinda left CN only there for the leftovers while Adult Swim only gets the big meal.

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      1. WBD is basically turning [adult swim] into Cartoon Network, since now apparently ‘adult’ for them means anyone older than 10.

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  14. “Checkerboard?”

    Pfft. Too obvious. But here’s a thought: what do adults and kids have in common? They all love cartoons. So why not give the channel a name that reflects that love for animation? Call it a place where animation lovers can watch cartoons for all genres and age groups. A network for cartoons, a ‘cartoon network’, if you will.

    Hmm…needs work.😏

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    1. Nah, it’ll never catch on. Who’d ever heard of a network airing all cartoons all the time, anyway? (wink wink nudge nudge)

      In all honestly, I’d keep the AS brand, but move the teen and youth-skewing stuff to CN (including the stuff MEANT for CN, like Unicorn and Superman, as well as Naruto Shippuden and even King of the Hill, since you can make a case for it being a “family” show), as well as give CN back its primetime hours. CN shouldn’t sign off at 6, or 7, or even 8… I’m not even sure 9 PM is a good signoff time anymore. 10 PM at the latest. In a similar vein, reorient the primary audience of CN into young adults because “kids don’t watch cable anymore”, but still keep the kid-friendly series since there is an audience for that among young adults, and tie the network closer with Max for the kid viewers switching to streaming. Hell, even keep Cartoonito around, since Bluey has proven that adults will watch shows for TODDLERS as long as they’re good. (Cartoonito themselves has had similar success with their own Batwheels, and the former Cartoonito section of Max had Sesame Street as a prominent show. Just… get rid of Cocomelon.) Essentially, make CN a general audience network instead of a kids network.

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    1. Hopefully, this means that Cartoonito will get more hours back in the fall, alongside with the US premieres of Jessica’s Big Little World (premiering on Treehouse in fall as well) and Lu and the Bally Bunch (already premiering on many channels worldwide)

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  16. Looks like any and all Regular Show stuff is being removed from the CN website. Remember when they did the same with Adventure Time when it briefly aired on Adult Swim? I think Regular Show is moving to AS in the fall, either on Checkered Past (as discussed) or, more likely in my eyes, alongside it- maybe even as a backup in case Checkered Past doesn’t do well.

    By the way, as long-ish as the name is, I am NOT abbreviated Checkered Past. I hope you know why…

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    1. I can still watch Regular Show on Max. It hasn’t been removed yet, along with Adventure Time, which I don’t watch at all. I haven’t used the CN website in years, so I don’t need to see Regular Show on Adult Swim. However, Max has since removed Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and Dexter’s Laboratory from it’s platform, which I find annoying.

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      1. Yeah, that was irritating.

        On a semi unrelated note, My Adventures with Superman is set to make its LA debut soon… on Cartoon Network.

        Not AS for Max. CN proper, as intended.

        What is your game here, Warner?

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    2. Ironic, since Regular Show was originally pitched to [adult swim] IIRC…

      My thoughts are the same as before: if WBD is going to keep blurring the line between Cartoon Network and [as], essentially turning the block (or is the channel now?) into 10 and Over Swim, then they need to dissolve the label altogether.

      I’ll be glad when all this WB BS if finally over; the whole studio is becoming a sad joke now, and I’m getting sick of the nonstop chaos.

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      1. Maybe get rid of both AS and Cartoonito, but keep the programming, and have a new Powerhouse-inspired color-coded rebrand. Maybe bring back the CMYK color scheme.

        6 AM-12 PM: Yellow; primarily used for preschool programming- although aiming older than Nick Jr. and Disney Junior. Bugs Bunny Builders, Batwheels, Care Bears, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, and LazyTown (WB owns that, remember?) would be great fits. Thomas, Mecha Builders, and maybe even Sesame Street, maybe. Cocomelon? HELL NO. Maybe before school starts (6-8 AM) we could include general all-ages shows, and focus on all-ages classics on the weekends.

        12-6 PM: Magenta; classic all-ages toons (Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo) until school lets out, kid-oriented shows like TTG, Craig, and Gumball after school and on weekends. Maybe a few action shows like Jade Armor in the mix.

        6 PM-12 AM: Blue; primarily YA, with family programming such as Looney Tunes Cartoons in the earlier hours. Home to most of both CN and AS’s PG shows like Adventure Time, Regular Show, King of the Hill, Naruto Shippuden, Unicorn, and Superman. After 9 PM, lighter TV-14 shows such as Futurama and American Dad are now allowed to join in. If Family Guy we’re still there, it would probably be at 11.

        12-6 AM: Black; essentially traditional Adult Swim without the name. Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen, etc. Just without Eric Andre, since that’s live action. (I’m allowing LazyTown and Sesame because they use puppets, and Sesame’s animated segments) “Graveyard hours”- 3-5 AM- are essentially DVR Theater, with a mix of the traditional weird DVR Theater stuff and classic cartoons aimed for a more adult audience, like old Popeye, Looney Tunes, and Tex Avery shorts, and even getting as recent as stuff like Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The 5 AM hour, before the morning/preschool slots, would be more age appropriate, being either the aforementioned DVR Theater classics or reruns of some of the YA-targeted stuff (KOTH or Regular Show would work).

        A new teen-focused Toonami relaunch on Saturday nights, and Flicks on Sunday. What do you think?

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  17. To Tacomaster

    Eh, I don’t see this as a big deal to me. I haven’t got onto CN website since over a decade, and Regular Show was out of production years ago. So there’s no point of keeping that show around on their website since that show was already over.

    With that being said, I would like to see Regular Show coming to Adult Swim sine that show could easily fit in their lineup perfectly due to its mature themes. If not, then maybe their retro block on AS if they can squeeze them in.

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    1. Adventure Time is older. Uncle Grandpa ended the same year as RS and isn’t even on Max. Both of these shows are still on the website. You can find classic Ben 10 episodes from all the series under the “Classic Ben 10” section, and the PPG section, technically branded as PPG 2016, has multiple classic PPG episodes.

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      1. Okay, fair enough. Like I said, I never got into CN website for over a decade, so I don’t know what’s going on over there, but I’ll take your word for it.

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  18. Uncle Grandpa used to be on HBO Max. It (along with Close Enough , Infinity Train and OK, KO, Let’s Be Heroes!) was removed from the platform late last year shortly after David Zaslav took over.

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  19. From what I’ve heard, reviews of My Adventures with Superman say the show really doesn’t fit Adult Swim.

    I WONDER WHY.

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    1. Gee, it’s almost as if cramming shows made for all-ages under the [adult swim] banner for literally no other reason than [as] gets the highest ratings was a patently stupid idea or something. 🙄

      I mean, WBD could try to make the Cartoon Network side of the channel better so its’ ratings could go up, but I forgot, they “don’t need to program for kids after 6PM because kids aren’t watching TV anymore”, despite the fact that Nickelodeon and Disney Channel are doing well with their programming right now and Nick still signs off at 9PM, where was my head?

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      1. And of COURSE AS premieres new episodes at midnight because God forbid anything get in the way of the precious Fox shows.

        This is like if DreamWorks made SpongeBob but Nickelodeon was still treating it like royalty despite it leaving for Universal Kids this fall…

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      2. Not to mention, CN wasn’t always a kids-only network, and they’ve long since had a massive fan base of adults even outside of Adult Swim. Hell, the wide amount of adult viewers in the 6-8 PM timeslot proves adults will watch even the current CN shows. But what do I know, I’m not an overpaid CN/WB executive

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  20. The Superman show is on the kids and family section of Max, and not branded as Adult Swim. It’s also airing on CN in Latin America and (as far as I recall) Canada

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  21. On Twitter, Brain A. Miller, an executive at Cartoon Network Studios, announced that the CNS building will be officially shutting down by August 1st, and all the people who worked on these projects at CNS will be moved over to Warner Bros Animation.

    You know, I find it kinda funny (not in a “laugh out loud” funny; more like a ‘ironic’ funny) that several months ago, during this whole “Cartoon Network is dead!” fiasco, on their 30th anniversary, WBD announced that CNS and WBA are merging together as production labels for WB TV animation division, and Micheal Ouweleen reassured the public that the network is not dead, and we got new shows coming for 2023, and things will remained the same.

    Well, now we are. We’re in the middle of 2023, what happened since then?

    More people got laid off. Most of the WB/CN produced series were removed off of Max. Half of the classic Looney Tunes shorts and The Flintstones were removed off of Max due to “licensing issues”, despite those two properties being completely owned by Warner Bros. Adult Swim is gaining more hours. Cartoonito is being reduced to 90 minutes and most of their shows have been booted off the schedule and the HBO Max hub. There’s no new shows being released for 2023 on Cartoon Network (yes, Jessica’s Big Little World and Tiny Toons Looniversity is coming this year, but still), and even the shows that were announced for Cartoon Network this year like Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures with Superman has been moving over to Adult Swim. Now, the iconic Cartoon Network Studios building that has been around for over 2 decades is officially dead.

    Yeah, great reassurance, guys!

    In all seriousness, I’m not surprised when I heard this news, given what’s happening at Warner Bros Discovery in recent times, but it’s very unfortunate.

    I thought in the back of my mind that the CN Studios building would close down and move to the Warner Bros Animation Studios lot, similar to Hanna Barbara did back in 2001. And turns out, I was right.

    As royally sucks as CN Studios building will be shutting down by August 1, the reality is that it was inevitable. I know a lot of people don’t want to admit it, but here’s the thing. For the longest time, Cartoon Network has hosted Warner Bros Animation shows and WB has produced content for Cartoon Network for years. It really did become one of the same as two different studios (despite being owned by the same company) produced the same content on the same network. So it makes sense to merge them together.

    Personally, it would be nice if WBD were to keep the CN Studios building as some sort of museum, but knowing how the company is right now, I don’t think that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

    I’m not personally upset about this because from a business’ perspective, it does make sense. At least Cartoon Network Studios label will live on for original production at Warner Bros.

    So to cap off my thoughts. It’s pretty sad to see this historic building will be gone, but its legacy will live on forever throughout the hearts of many fans, including me. I just want to thank the cast and crew at Cartoon Network Studios over the years for working on the best animations on television within the studio, and I’m definitely gonna miss this building.

    R.I.P

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    1. From a business standpoint it makes sense, since both studios have the same parent company and shows from both air on the channel; it’s just annoying how this current regime seems bent on dismantling the Cartoon Network brand altogether when all it really needs is a little attention and some decent shows.

      If it were anyone else besides Discovery I’d say that hopefully a new hybrid brand could emerge from this and lead to a new age of quality, but with this group I’m hopeful but not optimistic.

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      1. Preach, brother! Preach! I’ve been saying this for a while now.

        Yeah, I agree. In a perfect world, ANYONE that isn’t run by a reality TV mongaloid, could take Cartoon Network into a new direction that kick started to a new resurgence by having new shows, great new quality shows, that’ll make people get excited to watch the network again. I know I would LOVE that!

        Unfortunately, with the way things are running by this dumbass company, that’s probably never going to happen. I’m not being a pessimist, but we shouldn’t be getting our hopes up.

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    2. This doesn’t surprise me. Capitalists are gonna capitalize. What does surprise me is how, upon first hearing the news about the Checkered Past program block, people on the internet were popping open champagne bottles and ripping out party hats saying “Yeah! Cartoon Network is back, baby, and better than before!” What? How? Why? Call me jaded and cynical, but I don’t see the addition of an hour-long block of Cartoon-Cartoons from the 1990s on Adult Swim as a big W for Cartoon Network. To me, this whole thing just reeks of CN trying to fill in the gaps in the schedule left by AS losing the FOX shows to Disney. Family Guy is gone. Bob’s Burgers will be gone in the fall. Sorry, folks, but I just can’t get excited about CN rerunning a bunch of old shows that are (or should be) airing on Boomerang or streaming on Max.

      This Checkered Past block is going to be just like when Viacom (now Paramount) ran The Splat block on Teen Nick; it’ll be all oohs and aahs for a few weeks, but then people will start to get tired of watching repeats and the block will quietly go away with little to no fanfare. This is basically WB strip mining the nostalgia of millennials for some quick cash. If Warner Bros. wants to impress me, then start airing some new and original shows (preferably some more animated comedies rather than action shows), and NOT run them under the Adult Swim banner. If CN does that, then I’ll raise my glass to them, but not before.

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      1. Oh, and let’s not forget the few Fox shows they do have left, like KOTH and Futurama (which, for Futurama specifically, AS only airs at 4 AM on weekends now) being shared with FXX. I mean, they still have American Dad to themselves, but this fall, FXX will have exclusive rerun rights to The Simpsons, Family Guy, AND Bob’s Burgers, Fox’s “big three”. Adult Swim can’t compete with that, especially when most of THEIR Fox toon lineup is being shared with FXX.

        Also, while we’re referencing older failed rerun blocks, remember when CN themselves tried this a decade ago with Cartoon Planet? If it didn’t work for you a decade ago and it didn’t work for your rivals in more recent times, what makes you think it’ll work for you now?

        Also, imagine if FXX counterprograms Checkered Past with King of the Hill, then counterprograms most of AS primetime with their “Big Three”. Imagine:
        6 PM: King of the Hill
        7 PM: Bob’s Burgers
        8 PM: The Simpsons
        9:30 PM: Family Guy
        11 PM: IDK, repeats?

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      2. Yes! Thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying for a while now., and I’m so glad that I’m not the only one.

        I seen a lot of people on social media hyping up Checkered Past as if Cartoon Network coming back from the dead, and I was so confused. Yeah, I get it, kids who grew up watching these shows are now older and want to see the old shows again from their childhood, but why would be the point of Adult Swim airing classic Cartoon Network shows when Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and Max aired the old shows just fine? I find it so jarring to me.

        I said what I said in the past, and I still stand by that, yet people look at me like I’m crazy. Yeah, Cartoon Network doesn’t air shit, but that doesn’t mean an retro block will automatically make things better. You know what make things better? Airing GOOD new original shows for Cartoon Network (NOT Adult Swim). If Warner Bros actually have the guts to do this, I’ve praised them a lot more, but right now, I can’t.

        And you’re right. Adult Swim’s retro block might go down the same path as the 90s are All That block on TeenNick in which it was hyped up for the first couple of weeks, and overtime people will get sick and tired of seeing the same shows over and over again, and people will move on and the block will fade away into obscurity. Hence why I’m in the minority of not really excited for Checkered Past.

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  23. Either Checkered Past will stick to the same old stuff and people will leave because they’re bored, or they’ll pull out the weird unknown stuff and people will leave because it’s they don’t know what it is and have no nostalgia for it

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  24. A Jessica’s Big Little World trailer dropped yesterday… under the CN brand, rather than Cartoonito.

    Personally, I hope it’s a show being shared with CN and Cartoonito, with CN taking precedence. Cartoonito is NOT shutting down. They still have new seasons of Bugs Bunny Builders and Batwheels, they acquired Lu and Silly Sundays back in 2021 and thus legally have to air them, they picked up Barney this year… still, I’m not sure where they’re going with Cartoonito

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    1. This currently strategy of Michael Oweleween’s makes no sense to me. Why air My Adventures with Superman, a general entertainment show under the Adult Swim banner and Jessica’s Big Little World, a preschool show under the Cartoon Network branding instead of under Cartoonito, the block that it was intended for? We know that Cartoonito isn’t finished, nor is it going away. More shows are planned for the block. Unless running Jessica’s Big Little World on CN is meant to be some sort of cross promotion in order to attract the same audience who watched Craig of the Creek, I don’t get it. Or it could simply be that JBLW is the show that’s closest to being ready to air right now and WBD wants it to look like they have something new to air on CN. All I know is that CN US is giving Cartoonito the red-headed stepchild treatment while they’re rolling out the freakin’ red carpet for Adult Swim. AS gets a whole ice cream cake for dessert, while Cartoonito gets a half-eaten Hershey bar from the bottom of Mom’s purse. WBD’s current attitude seems to be “F Cartoonito! Preschoolers don’t have any buying power! We’d make the whole freaking channel into Adult Swim if we could, but we need the Cartoon Network name for legal purposes.

      What does Mr. Owelelween intend to accomplish with all of this? If there’s a method to this madness, then I’m clearly not seeing it.

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      1. And if you really need something new… what about Ivandoe? What about Jade Armor? What about the TDI reboot? All those shows already debuted internationally! And isn’t Tiny Toons coming out the same fall as Jessica? What gives?

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  25. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if CN airs Jessica’s Big Little Word exclusively just to say they aired something new. That’d be quite damned lazy.

    And yes, FXX has all the potential in the world to kill Adult Swim, all they gotta do is realise it.

    And with Hulu’s Animayhem coming and looking to have anime included……………

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  26. “At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if CN airs Jessica’s Big Little World exclusively just to say they aired something new. That’d be quite damned lazy.”

    I’m not going to pretend that I know how these people think, so I have no idea why they’ve seemingly decided to switch JBLW from Cartoonito to Cartoon Network…it could simply be brand recognition by association (since its’ parent show, Craig of the Creek , was a CN show), I don’t know; who’s to say? I do know that WBD has some upcoming animated projects planned for CN, but none of them are set to debut in 2023; animation in general takes time to produce, and I’m sure these recent strikes are only delaying things further*. No, I’m not excusing all the crappy things WBD and other studios have been making lately, just stating the facts.

    *Speaking of which, the day after the actors announced they were going to strike and joining the writers on the picket lines, our guy Zaslav attended a “summer camp for billionaires” and is reportedly declining employees’ Venmo requests. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

    “And yes, FXX has all the potential in the world to kill Adult Swim, all they gotta do is realise it.”

    If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say the slow, lingering death of linear TV is more likely to kill [as] than anything FXX might put out. What admittedly little I’ve seen of FXX’s animated output so far, they haven’t greenlit anything that would turn me into a convert yet.

    Side bar: Say, WB, FOX and Paramount, here’s a thought: when it comes to making adult cartoons, how about instead of just trying to out-shock one another, you tried, I don’t know…making good, entertaining, high-quality shows with fun, engaging, compelling stories and likeable characters who aren’t ugly as sin? Not all adult animation fans are stoners, hipsters, edge-lords or teenage boys; it’s high time these networks and studios realized that. End Side Bar.

    “And with Hulu’s Animayhem coming and looking to have anime included……………”

    This is assuming that a bunch of people are going to be willing to subscribe to Hulu just to watch the same shows they used to (or in some cases, still can) watch on FOX for free or have been running on basic cable ad nauseum for years. I personally don’t really care for or about most of those shows (Granted, Archer and Bob's Burgers have/had their moments, but the rest of them I’ve either lost interest in or never were interested in to begin with), but then, I haven’t watched anything on [adult swim] in a long time either, so I know I’m not the ‘average TV viewer’.

    Regarding the latter point: I think you’re overestimating the popularity of anime in general; the anime boom was quite a while ago, it’s more of a niche thing now, despite what you might read on Tumblr or the YouTube comments section. (I should probably point out that I’ve never been a big anime guy either, so my opinions on the genre probably don’t carry the weight of sunlight.) Anyways, unless things have changed, [adult swim} still airs Toonami, so I don’t think WBD has anything to worry about in that regard. Also, when I think of a company that could potentially deliver, cutting-edge, balls-to-the-wall anime entertainment, Disney ain’t the first company that pops into my head. I could be proven wrong about all this, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

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  27. I do think FXX could overtake Adult Swim, solely on the Fox reruns that AS built its popularity on, and now FXX is doing the same. As for originals, Rick and Morty is one gigantic PR disaster after another, Robot Chicken, Eric Andre, and Aqua Teen are practically growing cobwebs, Superman and Unicorn are just stolen CN goods, and outside of Smiling Friends, nothing else has really popped into the semi-mainstream. When’s the last time you heard somebody say anything, let alone anything positive, about Royal Crackers?

    I do think that FXX could use some anime, mainly because it’s a semi big draw for AS and this could drive viewers away. Not saying it’s the MAIN draw or anything, but a Jetix revival to counter Toonami would be nice. Also having the Hulu originals and first-runs, both anime (such as Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War) and not, on the network. Solar Opposites could be an equivalent to R&M with a lot less baggage, Koala Man could be the Smiling Friends equivalent, maybe Little Demon could be brought out of mothballs and be reran as the “better” Teenage Euthanasia, they could air the upcoming revival of Futurama and label themselves as the DEFINITIVE home of Futurama… hell, they could counter the more family friendly action shows like Superman and Unicorn by airing reruns of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch!

    Also, go all in on adult animation. Move Always Sunny and Dave to the main FX (Always Sunny started on FX anyway, and FX isn’t strictly drama focused anymore), put the edgier movies on FX as well, and the family movies on Disney Channel. (You’d think Disney Channel would take advantage of FX’s family movie library more…) And remember how CN snuck ads for their programs onto Nickelodeon using local cable ad space? FXX should do that on Adult Swim, maybe even in the style of AS while taking the piss out of them. If they can do all that, and maybe even pull their shows they’re STILL airing on AS and make THEM exclusive to FXX, they can win for sure! Not saying they won’t if they just keep on doing what they’re doing, but still…

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  28. I’m all for adult animation…provided we can finally start getting something different from what we’ve been getting up to this point. Adult cartoons in general have become very samey and equally unappealing to me; the most recent adult toons that I truly enjoyed were Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and early Aqua Teen Hunger Force , just to give you an idea where I’m at here.

    I don’t think I’m asking for too much when I say I’d like to see some adult cartoons which don’t all possess the exact same art and animation style, which have actual jokes and not just pop-culture spewing line-o-ramas, whose characters aren’t fiercely ugly and are genuine appealing characters and shows which are genuinely funny or action-packed or entertaining or at least interesting, rather than just being more shock-jock locker room stuff screaming “Look how nasty and outrageous and naughty and mean-spirited and not-for-kids we’re being!” In short, something that’s designed to appeal to more than just 14-year-olds and doesn’t look like it was made by one.

    (Shows like Rocko’s Modern Life, Freakazoid! or Looney Tunes Cartoons could equally work as adult toons, just sayin’.)

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    1. also nickelodeon airs its new “aftertoons” block of new cartoon episodes weekdays at 5. If they put new episodes of SpongeBob to counterprogram Checkered Past…

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    2. Are you kidding me? I thought the retro block was gonna start at 6pm? Now, they’re starting a 5?! Okay, maybe it’s just my theory, but it could be possible that Checkered Past will be a two hour block instead of an hour block. Maybe, I don’t know, but we’ll find out sooner.

      Okay, at this point of Adult Swim overtaking CN’s primetime hours and slowly their daytime hours, they have gone past the point of being a modern day version of Noggin and The N. It’s the Toon Disney and Jetix situation all over again, and we all know how well THAT channel certainly went over.

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  30. Eh, whatever. It’s all a big joke now. JM and you guys are right: Zaslav and his crew really don’t know what they’re doing. This will pass, because everything passes eventually, but right now this company’s just a walking punch line.

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    1. Yeah, pretty much. Although, I’ll give credit for one thing: the Checkered Past logo does look pretty cool. They brought back Cartoon Network Studios skull logo (the one for Adult Swim produced series from the 2000’s), and the classic Eagle font. It was a nice touch.

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  32. Liked by 2 people

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    1. I have seen My Adventures with Superman recently, and I thought it was pretty nice. It does give me that Avatar TLA feel. Not to say I love it since I’m not a superhero fan even though I like superheroes nor was a big fan of action cartoons, but it was cool.

      With that said, it is very weird that they have to put Superman on Adult Swim despite that show didn’t have any edgy content, but then again, this is Warner Bros were talking about. They always making shit up on the fly (no pun intended).

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    1. Despite being given “fall” release dates earlier, and Tiny Toons’ date being all but confirmed to be September 9th at this point, Tiny Toons and Jessica are still nowhere to be found. And TDI continues to be MIA

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  35. IMO, if AS really wants to expand to 5 PM and not get crushed by the competition, they shouldn’t air old CN shows that would get bodied by both Nickelodeon’s AfterToons and FXX’s Simpsons, but rather counterprogram those comedic shows with a return to weekday Toonami. Younger skewing shows, of course, with shows that are mainly TV-14 only airing after 6 PM.

    5 PM: One Piece
    5:30 PM: Naruto Shippuden
    6 PM: My Hero Academia (Mon-Thurs)/My Adventures with Superman (Fri)
    6:30 PM: Young Justice (Mon-Thurs)/Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (Fri)

    Of course they won’t do this, but a guy can dream

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  37. New CN schedule dropped

    CARTOON NETWORK
    6:00am-7:30am: The Amazing World of Gumball

    CARTOONITO
    7:30am: Cocomelon
    7:45am: Batwheels
    8:00am: Cocomelon
    8:15am: Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go
    8:30am: Cocomelon
    8:45am: Bugs Bunny Builders

    CARTOON NETWORK
    9:00am-10:00am: The Looney Tunes Show
    10:00am-11:00am: Craig of the Creek
    11:00am-12:00pm: The Amazing World of Gumball
    12:00pm: Summer Camp Island
    12:30pm-1:30pm: Clarence
    1:30pm: Craig of the Creek
    2:00pm-3:00pm: Teen Titans Go!
    3:00pm-5:00pm: The Amazing World of Gumball

    CHECKERED PAST
    5:00pm: Dexter’s Laboratory
    5:30pm: Ed, Edd n Eddy
    6:00pm: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
    6:30pm: Courage the Cowardly Dog

    ADULT SWIM
    7:00pm-9:30pm (or 9:00 pm): King of the Hill
    9:30pm (or 9:00pm)-10:30pm: Bob’s Burgers
    10:30pm-11:30pm: American Dad!
    11:30pm-12:30am: Rick and Morty
    12:30am: Royal Crackers
    1:00am: The Boondocks
    1:30am-3:00am: American Dad!
    3:00am-4:00am: Rick and Morty
    4:00am: Royal Crackers
    4:30am: Aqua Teen Hunger Force
    5:00am-6:00am: Bob’s Burgers

    Boy, I’d hate to be a fan of any current CN show not named Gumball right about now. Hell, Gumball is my favorite of the major modern CN shows and even I think this is ridiculous. And I pity anyone who lives in the central time zone…

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  39. Updates:
    – Not once has anything from Checkered Past ever hit the top 200 cable reruns. WBD said ratings are twice as good as they were previously, but I’d take that with a grain of salt- PR is meant to make companies look good. Plus, just for example, 2 * 20,000 is still only 40,000 people- not much even in this tiny cable space.
    – Unicorn did ehhh in terms of ratings. Superman did much better in the same time slot (Thursdays at midnight, with repeats on Toonami- higher rated, of course) and has actually popped off on social media, though given the butt load of advertising, popular IP, and actual quality of this series, this probably would have happened even if it went to CN as intended. Give them SOMETHING of note.
    – Outside of that, though, Adult Swim somehow hit the fucking jackpot. FXX got wiped from Spectrum, decimating its ratings and bringing people back to Adult Swim for lack of any other option. Meanwhile, possibly because of this (and maybe the rights to Star Wars that FX has gotten a year or two before they were planned to), Bob’s Burgers has not only stayed on AS, but has gotten new-to-AS episodes.
    – Adult Swim also got a bunch of new shows announced, while CN just has Invincible Fight Girl, a TOTALLY NECESSARY Gumball revival, and a bunch of acquisitions that may or may not be dumped onto Max whenever WBD realizes they are contractually obligated to show these series somewhere. (The Total Drama reboot has even had its second season premiere internationally before the first one ever came to the US!) Also, Discovery Family has been getting pretty active lately. FUCKING DISCOVERY FAMILY has been getting more love than CN.
    – Jessica’s Big Little World is thankfully under Cartoonito. However, it’s been confirmed it’s only getting the one 20-episode season, and it’s also been confirmed that Zaslav doesn’t give a shit about preschool and likely neither does Ouwleen. Let’s hope they remember that they still have Thomas content signed on through November 2024. And they can’t dump it to Max, cause Netflix has the streaming rights.
    – The whole Coyote vs. Acme fiasco.

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