CartoonNetwork-related stories
Posted Nov 17th 2009 11:06AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Chris Elliott is quite possibly the most famous person few people have heard of. His early '90s sitcom
Get A Life is a classic and he's had runs on TV shows like
Late Night With David Letterman and
Everybody Loves Raymond as well as some memorable movie cameos. And now he's in
a new TV show.
It's called
Eagleheart and it's about an over-the-hill action star who uses his television show of the same name "as a soapbox for his right-wing politics and conservative paranoia". He'll likely be more carictaure than character. Is the character based on Chuck Norris, I wonder?
It is produced by Conan O'Brien's production company. Conan actually co-created a pilot with similar themes (an over-the-hill star trying to remain relevant) in the early 90's called
Lookwell starring Adam West.
It's got the right star and the concept certainly sounds amusing. But did it have to be Cartoon Network? Isn't the word "cartoon" in the network's title? Yet another example of
channel drift.
Posted Nov 9th 2009 11:02AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Cartoon Network is getting deeper into the live action series game.
Yes, I know that's like Fox Sports getting into the daytime soap opera business, but you can't get too upset about the network inappropriate name game. Remember when Bravo was the fine arts network? I rest my case.
As for
Cartoon Network's new non-animated shows, a release from the network says
Tower Prep and
Unnatural History are headed our way in January, 2010.
According to the network, Tower Prep is "an action thriller telling the story of rebellious teen, Ian (Drew Van Acker), who wakes up one morning to find himself trapped at a mysterious prep school." In other words, it's a teenage remake of
The Prisoner -- the original 1960s version -- or "Jim Henson's
The Prisoner Babies."
Continue reading Ironically-named Cartoon Network picks up live action shows
Posted Nov 7th 2009 10:00AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Animation, Reality-Free
Cartoon Network's
Star Wars: The Clone Wars just might be the best action/adventure show on television. Come to think of it, it might be the only true action/adventure show on television.
But, as the show ramps up the action content and significantly sweetens its visuals, its increased intensity might be driving away some younger viewers.
As
The Clone Wars moves through its second season, the war is growing -- both in scope and violence. Viewers are seeing more dead Clonetroopers, more crashed vehicles and more beloved characters in deadly jeopardy.
Its ratings continue to cruise in hyperspace (especially for males), but I wonder if the darker tones of season two could drive younger kids and their parents away from the show.
Continue reading New Clone Wars episodes stunning, but less kid friendly
Posted Nov 5th 2009 11:10AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
The Cartoon Network is stepping away from cartoons yet again. This time they're
creating a new reality show in which scrawny teenaged boys ages 13 to 16 will be put through high-tech training an effort to stop them from being bullied or to get back property that has been borrowed and not returned. The series will be called
Going Commando. Insert joke here.
I'm somewhat ambivalent on this show. On one hand, teaching kids problem-solving skills is a great idea. On the other hand, the show should also teach the kids the discipline needed to use their knowledge for good rather than evil (perhaps the show could be sponsored by Google?).
I'm sure many of us nerdy types were bullied in our youth and would have enjoyed the use of "night vision, hydro reconnaissance or rappelling" in an effort to fix the problem or at least make it go away. So what do you think? Is this program a good idea or a disaster waiting to happen?
Posted Sep 30th 2009 2:00PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Industry, Animation, Reality-Free
Lucasfilm's
Star Wars: The Clone Wars might just be the
beat best action and adventure show on television.
Admittedly, there isn't a ton of competition as action shows are few and far between on TV these days. They're expensive to produce in live action, so reality TV, detective shows and "chick-flick" dramas drive network schedules. Since the
Star Wars universe exists only in the imaginations of George Lucas and his team encamped north of the Golden Gate bridge,
The Clone Wars has more room to play affordably.
The second season of
The Clone Wars launches this Friday on Cartoon Network. To build some force behind the premiere, LucasFilm Animation hosted a press event at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. Munching on Wookie-Cookies (as all of the catering was
Star-themed) and rubbing elbows with costumed Clone Troopers and bounty hunters, show creators and cast members mingled with reporters in an enthusiastic, nerd-friendly atmosphere.
Continue reading Set Visit: Clone Wars returns with better visuals, darker stories
Posted Sep 12th 2009 10:14AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Celebrities, Reality-Free
It was mentioned a few months ago that some of the folks behind
Robot Chicken (including Seth Green)
are making a new Adult Swim series called
Titan Maximum, which is basically a
Voltron parody. I didn't realize when I first heard of this project that there was also a little
Thunderbirds in the mix as well. And quite probably some
Team America: World Police.
It's too early to tell, but based on the preview, the show certainly looks funny. Unlike
Robot Chicken, this show will likely have things like plots and regular characters (the nerd kid from
Robot Chicken doesn't count). In that sense, it's more a parody in the vein of
The Venture Brothers.
Continue reading We got your Titan Maximum right here
Posted Aug 30th 2009 8:04AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, Animation, Celebrities, Children, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Being a big fan of Cartoon Network's goofy
Batman: The Brave and the Bold, I'm really looking forward to the debut of Marvel's
Super Hero Squad. The show premieres Sept. 19 on Cartoon Network, and Marvel has already launched a
teaser site featuring a fun video preview that could turn out to be the show's opening montage.
Super Hero Squad is based on the toy line and video game of the same name. It features cute and cuddly versions of Marvel heroes, like Wolverine, Iron Man, and the Hulk, protecting Super Hero City from a pint-sized Dr. Doom and other baby baddies. Judging by the preview video, the show will even make room for kid-sized versions of more obscure characters like Fing Fang Foom and MODOK.
Continue reading Marvel's Super Hero Squad teaser site now live
Posted Aug 25th 2009 1:06PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Animation, Reality-Free
Lucasfilms told us at Comic-Con that the new season of
Star Wars: The Clone Wars promised more sophisticated storylines and higher stakes. It is war, after all. And they promised us bounty hunters. One of the most popular classes of characters in the franchise was conspicuously absent during the first season.
To drive this point home, they've even added a snazzy subtitle to the title of the show for this season, as well as giving it a premiere date. The action starts
Friday, October 2 with the one-hour premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Rise of the Bounty Hunters.
That follows the pattern of the films, if you think about it. While the first film was technically
Episode IV: A New Hope, it was only branded as
Star Wars. The stakes were raised and things got much better with the next installment, complete with official subtitle.
Rise of the Bounty Hunters even sounds like an episode in the film franchise.
Continue reading Star Wars: The Clone Wars gets a subtitle and a premiere date
Posted Aug 20th 2009 10:02AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Video, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Adult Swim has put a three and a half minute promotional video for
The Venture Bros. Season 4 on their site. To save you folks a click, I've embedded it here at the end of the article.
The intro goes immediately into silliness, noting various significances of the number four, most of which are completely ludicrous. In the preview, Hank is sporting a different haircut, and I have no idea what's happening with Dean. He seems to be bonding with his father, among other strange misfortunes.
Brock is only in a quick clip with a shaven head without a clue as to what's happened to him since he quit his bodyguard position. The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend only appear in a brief segment, as well. It's weird to see 21 without his henchman outfit.
Continue reading The Venture Bros. Season four promo
Posted Aug 18th 2009 9:07PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Cable/Satellite, Animation, Adult Swim
It seems that all of television is slowly losing its identity. The History Channel doesn't cover history. TV Land clogs their airwaves with run-of-the-mill reality shows. Comedy Central gives Carlos Mencia his own show.
It must be hard to draw in the kind of ratings the average television executive expects (average=viewers who are willing to commit mass suicide if they miss a rerun of
Chico and the Man) when you're anchored to one theme or genre. But it's not impossible.
One network that seems very close to giving up entirely is the Cartoon Network. According to the
Los Angeles Times,
CN's new lineup of live-action, reality-based programming is tanking in the ratings and
rumors are swirling that the CN may drop the "C" in its name. Does the head of
Radio Shack now work for the Cartoon Network?
Continue reading Will Cartoon Network become "The Network"?
Posted Aug 14th 2009 12:01PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Industry, Programming, Animation, Adult Swim, Reality-Free
Cartoon Network picked Thursday to announce a lineup of new, green-lit shows and the return of a couple successful 2008 outings.
The two new original comedy animated series include
Regular Show and the intriguingly entitled
Horrorbots. The former was developed by the network's sort of "animator in training" developmental system, Cartoonstitute.
Regular Show is created by J. G. Quintel and was developed as a short for the development program. In each episode, "two bored groundskeepers, Mordecai (a six-foot-tall blue jay) and Rigby (a hyperactive raccoon) are best friends who spend their days trying to entertain themselves by any means necessary, much to the displeasure of Benson (their boss, who is a gumball machine) and to the delight of Pops (an older, lollipop-headed gentleman)."
Continue reading Cartoon Network gets animated with new series announcements
Posted Aug 9th 2009 7:02PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Reality-Free
Cartoon Network and Warner Horizon Television fired up the cameras in Toronto recently on the
new live-action pilot, Unnatural History.
While it's easy to ask why another live action show is proceeding on the
Cartoon Network,
Unnatural History could be fun enough to delay your need for that explanation.
According to a network press release, we're dealing with an "action-packed blend of mystery and martial arts" here. Fortunately, there's no sign of
Power Rangers masks or rubber monsters stalking
Unnatural History.
Continue reading Unnatural History a natural choice for Cartoon Network
Posted Aug 5th 2009 6:30PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Animation, Casting, Reality-Free
I'm sure some of you would like to forget about the campy '60s
Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward as corny comic book crime fighters. Me? I love it.
I grew up watching reruns of the show, and its goofy blend of cartoon-y action, aw-shucks charm and over-the-top acting still makes me smile. Cartoon Network's great
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is heavily influenced by the '60s series, and some episodes even feature unabashed references to the old show.
Continue reading Adam West returns to the Batman franchise
Posted Jul 26th 2009 8:25AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Animation, Children, Reality-Free, Comic-Con
If you've been reading Marvel Comics, you've probably seen the little gag strips they've put in the back of a lot of them.
Super Hero Squad takes all the Marvel heroes and villains and makes them basically parodies of themselves.
Now they're taking that same style to the masses.
Hero Up! The Super Hero Squad Show is the new cartoon headed to Saturday mornings. The premise is simple. The heroes hang out in Hero City. The mayor is voiced by Stan "The Man" Lee, who created most of the Marvel Universe ("Excelsior!"). That's right up there with Mayor West on
Family Guy in sheer coolness.
Meanwhile, over in Villainville, Dr. Doom and the Lethal Legion are plotting to take over the world. To give you an idea of what kinds of villainy we're dealing with, they did a special cast reading at the convention. It's plot: Dr. Doom's quest to acquire an exclusive
My Little Pony collectible. The series kicks off with a four-episode marathon on Cartoon Network September 19, and I'm strangely very excited about it.
Posted Jul 25th 2009 2:28AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Animation, Reality-Free, Comic-Con
As an old-school
Star Wars fan, I've been a little disenchanted with the many little ways George Lucas has slowly turned his rich tapestry into a children's fable. In the
Star Wars I loved, there were moments of real terror, a sinister menace and true danger. The "Ooh, we can sell toys!" started with the ewoks and hit critical mass with Jar-Jar Binks.
But there were some moves in the right direction.
Episodes II and
III were improvements over
The Phantom Menace, so I held out hope that new projects might keep what I felt was the proper maturity of
Star Wars in perspective. And so, like a good little drone, I tuned into Cartoon Network's
The Clone Wars animated series, and it was ... cute.
For years and years, this was the era we knew so little about. In the novels and comics, which took all of this pretty seriously, thank you very much, we covered from thousands of years before Darth Vader to spans after Han and Leia get married. But not the Clone Wars. That era was special. So we waited. And we got cute.
Continue reading Star Wars: Clone Wars season two promises a more sophisticated galaxy
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