MeTV Toons, the American broadcast television network owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery has now been operating for a full year. As most viewers know, its programming consists of mainly older cartoons, ranging from classic animated shorts from Fleischer, MGM Studios, Walter Lantz and of course, Warner Bros, to other animated shows ranging from the 60s to the 90s. A few modern toons from the 2000s onwards have made it to the channel as well, which might seem a bit of a random choice but the shows picked fit in well enough with the rest of the programming.
Remember this pre-launch promotional spot?
From the beginning the channel seemed to be taking its cues from previous projects like the Cartoon Network, or Boomerang in their formative years. The difference here is that MeTV Toons has no plans to introduce new, original animation as the aforementioned networks started developing throughout the decades. So do not expect a new wave of “What A Cartoons!” or whatever they may be called, from this channel.
That’s not to say there isn’t any original content on the network… MeTV Toons has some fun promos and commercials, bumpers and the like that air in-between the cartoons. Of note, their series of “Cartoon College” entries feature clips from cartoons but also offer neat trivia and behind the scenes details, or just similarities and whatever else that might be interesting for the audience. Again comparing it with what came before, this is done in a way reminiscent of the ToonHeads Trivia segments the Cartoon Network had years ago. Likewise, and perhaps even more noteworthy, is the inclusion of Toon In With Me, a similar anthology series hosted by a live-action presenter and a puppet, that originally aired on the “parent network” MeTV before the launch of this channel.
As for programming, MeTV Toons has quite a selection of cartoons that can appeal to viewers of all ages. From Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry, and other (mostly) theatrical animated shorts, usually grouped into hour long blocks. Also present is a line-up of so-called “Cartoon All-Stars”, which is a mix of toons from just about all of the studios they have access to. The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo are also prominent in the schedules, in fact, they have the rights to air most of the various spin-off series these latter franchises have turned out over the decades. Scooby also has the distinction of providing the most recent animated series, Mystery Inc., to have aired on the channel at this point. Then there’s a plethora of other Hanna-Barbera projects like Huckleberry Hound, the Smurfs, and various other cartoon shorts produced by the studio. Action and adventure cartoons like Super Friends, Jonny Quest, SilverHwaks, Speed Racer and a few other “Supermarionation” series from Gerry Anderson, have also been on the channel. Other 80s cartoons like Police Academy or 90s cartoons like The Mask, or Histeria! are also present. Modern toons include Duck Dodgers and Baby Looney Tunes (they’re still Looney Tunes related projects, so they fit in), and more recently, The Wacky World of Tex Avery has been added to late night line-up.
It’s only been one year so the amount of special events is rather limited, but the channel still delivered a pretty big Bugs Bunny birthday bash; a last-minute addition to the schedule with a marathon of Beetlejuice episodes to tie-in with the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice; prime-time sneak peek marathons for both Super Friends and the House of Hanna-Barbera block; a full day of Looney Tunes for Thanksgiving, and a day of classic cartoons presented in glorious black & white, for the following day, a.k.a. “Black Friday”. To top it all off, there were obviously special line-ups and events for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter earlier this year, where animated specials aired, some related to cartoons that are not even present in the regular line-up, as of the time of this writing (i.e., the 70s Addams Family animated series, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Caillou).
The channel has been doing pretty well so far, and the re-runs have been entertaining enough. There are still places they could improve, presumably many viewers or animation fans might have their own suggestions or show recommendations they would like to see airing. There have been rumors and reports and whatever else, that the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series from the ’80s will be coming to the channel, so that is something to look forward to. Similarly, other titles like Quick Draw McGraw, or Linus the Lionhearted. There are plenty of “old-school” cartoons left out there the channel could potentially get a chance to air, in due time.
Other “improvements” could include more wacky marathons, for various reasons like the Cartoon Network used to do at times. Admittedly, it doesn’t have to do this, it is not supposed to follow in the same exact footsteps, and instead forge its own path or whatever you want to call it. Or, airing more classic animated movies, perhaps related to the shows they already have in their catalogue. A few of the Scooby-Doo TV movies have aired before around Halloween, but there were other titles in that Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 line. Or, some of the Looney Tunes compilation movies. The action-y cartoons or old-school anime selection could also use a bit of a shuffle (this reporter feels like G-Force: Guardians of Space or Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs would be nice additions), though at the same time, the focus should remain on “general animation”, which is more often than not, comedic in nature. It’s all about keeping things in balance.
Last but not least, the channel should also become available in more areas so it’s viewership will increase. All things considered, MeTV Toons is off to a good start. Judging by this first year on-air. Hopefully things will only get better from here on out.
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