Coming This June: MeTV Toons!

 Well, this might be the biggest piece of news I'll share on this blog all year.

In case you've been living under a rock the last couple of days, it was announced this past Thursday (and leaked the day prior) that MeTV, who has built an impressive roster of classic cartoons over the years, will be launching a spin-off network dedicated to classic cartoons. The channel, titled MeTV Toons, premieres on June 25th and will be available through several means, including OTA television, and free ad-supported services (think Tubi). Helping out with the channel are animation historian Jerry Beck and voice actor Bob Bergen. Beck will develop original content (but not new animation), while Bergen fills the role of the network's voice. If you'd like to know more about that original content, check out Cartoon Brew's write-up on the news.

Beck also took to Cartoon Research to dish out further details on the channel. He states it will not be a copy of Boomerang, but more like Cartoon Network in its early years. Here's that Cartoon Research article for those who've yet to read it. You can also check out the channel's official website, which features a teaser and a collage of cartoons that will be featured. They're pulling series from WB, MGM, UPA, Hanna-Barbera, and Fleischer, just to name a few. Probably one of the most exciting details about this channel is that there will be some shows not seen in decades on television appearing here, though Beck remains mum on what those shows will be (gotta have some surprises down the line!). 

So, what shows from the Hanna-Barbera catalog will be featured on the channel? From what marketing material we've seen, expect the following titles.

• Tom and Jerry
• The Flintstones
• The Jetsons
• Top Cat
• Scooby-Doo
• Jonny Quest
• Yogi Bear
• Wally Gator
• Snagglepuss
• Huckleberry Hound
• Touche Turtle
• Secret Squirrel
• Josie and the Pussycats
• Captain Planet
• Magilla Gorilla
• The Smurfs
• Dynomutt
• Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles
• Gobots
• 2 Stupid Dogs
• Atom Ant
• Captain Caveman
• Breezly and Sneezly
• Abbott and Costello 
• Kwicky Koala

And, for added measure, here's every show advertised on the channel's webpage! Credit goes to Hanna-Barbera Screencaps on Twitter for putting it together.

Quite the list if you ask me! As you can see, there are a few shows here that most probably wouldn't label as "classic cartoons", like 2 Stupid Dogs for example, but seeing as these shows aren't really available on cable or streaming, I think it's fine that they're here. Overall, I am ecstatic over this news, and I can't wait to tune in when the 25th of June comes around. An animated counterpart for MeTV has been rumored for quite some time (I believe there were rumblings around a trademark being registered last fall), and it's fantastic to finally see it not only become a reality but look even better than I could have ever imagined! It's also kinda funny this is happening right as Boomerang is, unfortunately, going to their old habits. I'll keep you all informed on the channel in the weeks leading up to its premiere, but for now, that's all of the key details announced thus far. Will you be tuning in to MeTV Toons?