The ’90s were a golden time for animation, with shows like Batman: The Animated Series redefining what was possible in Saturday morning cartoons. MTV also championed independent animators with the anthology Liquid Television which featured the edgy Aeon Flux, as well as Frog Baseball, a 1992 short by Mike Judge that gave the world Beavis and Butt-Head. Along with John Kricafalusi’s The Ren & Stimpy Show, Beavis and Butt-Head took over the rebellious gap left by The Simpsons as it settled into the mainstream. Even shows aimed at kids like Animaniacs tipped a wink at older audiences with some risque jokes that sailed over younger audiences’ heads.
Nostalgia is always ripe for mining, so it was perhaps inevitable that these shows would someday make a return in one form or another, but that’s not the only reason networks are willing to take a chance on them. Recent animated hits have paved the way for their resurrection. The popularity of BoJack Horseman, Archer, and Rick and Morty has proven that audiences are still hungry for whip-smart cartoons, and given how the coronavirus continues to screw up production schedules, animation may be the safest way to create new TV content.
Comedy Central signaled a big change in their programming strategy shifting away from live action sitcoms by ordering a whole slate of revived animated classics from MTV Studios. Not to be outdone, streaming network Hulu is also getting in some of the nostalgia pie with an unexpected revival of their own. Here’s all the returning ’90s (and one from the ’00s) shows announced so far:
Beavis and Butt-Head
The dumbest of all dumb metalheads, Beavis and Butt-Head were MTV fixtures back in their heyday, spawning merchandise, games, a feature film and endless impressions of their signature laugh. Every episode saw the hapless duo get into bouts of cartoon ultra-violence, or attempting and failing to ‘score chicks’ while commentating on music videos between misadventures. Originally running from 1992 to 1997, the show’s 2011 revival was short-lived as MTV had changed focus since the 90s. The upcoming reboot will premiere on Comedy Central, with creator Mike Judge on board again to write and perform both characters. Comedy Central have ordered two seasons of the new Beavis and Butt-Head from MTV Studios along with any potential specials and spinoffs.
Jodie
Daria, the deadpan sarcastic spinoff from Beavis and Butt-Head, will be getting a spinoff of its own with Jodie coming to Comedy Central. Originally planned as a reboot with Daria as co-lead, Jodie will instead be more of a sequel and MTV Studios have plans for more Daria-verse spinoffs in the pipeline. The new series, one of the few animated shows to feature a Black lead, will be following Daria’s old school friend Jodie Landon as she navigates her first post-college job in tech. Insecure’s Grace Nkenge Edwards is showrunner and executive producer, and Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-Ish, Girlfriends) is voicing Jodie herself.
The Ren and Stimpy Show
The surreal and wacky antics of cheerily dumb cat Stimpy and his short-tempered chihuahua friend Ren delighted kids and horrified parents when The Ren and Stimpy Show premiered on Nickelodeon back in 1991. The mix of broad slapstick and edgy humor won a generation of fans and for a hot minute you could barely move without seeing some form of merchandise that had Ren and Stimpy’s faces emblazoned across it. The show wasn’t without controversy though, as creator John Kricafalusi was fired for not delivering episodes on time, as well as other acts of ‘unprofessionalism’. The proposed Comedy Central show will be a reimagining of the characters without any involvement from Kricafalusi after he was accused of grooming and sexual harassment, though voice actor Billy West may be returning to the roles of Ren Höek and Stimpson J. Cat.
Clone High
The most recent show on this list to get the reboot treatment , Clone High was set in a high school populated by clones of historical figures like Abe Lincoln, Cleopatra, the hard partying JFK and, most controversially, Gandhi. Clone High only lasted for one season back in 2002-3 but gained a devoted cult following. Creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller went on to write and direct Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and The Lego Movie. Both will return to work on the new reboot, along with co-creator Bill Lawrence and original series writer Erica Rivinoja serving as showrunner.
Animaniacs
Returning to Hulu exactly 22 years after its last episode is Animaniacs. Animaniacs was an anthology series running from 1993 to 1997 featuring a huge cast of zany characters led by the Warner Brothers Wakko and Yakko along with the Warner Sister, Dot. Lab rats Pinky and the Brain were perhaps the most famous of the bunch, getting a spinoff cartoon of their own. The show won numerous Emmys for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition, which anyone who still knows the words to the show’s earworm of an opening theme song can attest are well-deserved. Steven Spielberg is returning as Executive Producer and the new 13 episodes will be a co-production between Amblin TV and Warner Bros. Animation. Animaniacs has been given a two-season order by the streaming service.
No broadcast dates for the MTV Studios shows have been released yet but are set to premiere on Comedy Central with Animaniacs returning to Hulu on Nov. 20.
