Divia
There are 12 episodes for the second season of MOTU, not including COE parts 1&2

Heh…never said I was ALWAYS right…

Toygeek
A couple of points here…

A) If you want JMS on a GB project, you'd better be prepared to back up the money truck. When he was working on RGB, he was new. Nobody knew who he was. After Babylon 5, Jeremiah, and his continued success as a comic book writer as well…I just can't see it happening. You want my opinion? Call up Simon Furman. He'd do it just because he can, and he'd do a damn fine job of it to boot!

B) He-Man is not Cartoon Network's fault. They gave it the best slot possible, but people just aren't biting like people thought they would. It's big with the nostalgia crowd, but kid's aren't as big on it as Mattel projected. They were strong enough for CN to order a second season, but not a FULL second season. I believe there are nine new episodes. So, CN pulled “Council of Evil” to better pad the second season, and give people the best chance at something new to watch. Let's not forget, that at the end of the day, they're still a business…

A.)Yah, JMS would be VERY expensive if he was hired. Also, I don't think he'd have time because he's writing Amazing Spider-Man and Supreme Power.

B.)He-Man is mostly CN's fault. Sure, kids aren't into action figures and their respective cartoons as much as they were, but that's not the only factor. CN NEVER has commercials for He-Man on and neither does Mattel. Kids can't enjoy something if they don't know it exists. Another thing is the action figures. All you can find on store pegs are some stupid variations of He-Man and Skeletor, noone else to be found.

Divia
So the next question is: How can GB draw the kids in? What can be done to make it kid friendly while still keeping an edge to it so teens and adults will like it as well.

I think they'll be drawn to it because it's Ghostbusters. Look at the average ages of those who are on this messageboard, many of whom weren't even born when the film came out, yet were still attracted to the show. The whole concept of busting ghosts, with cool equipment and vehicles will draw them in. The comics and cartoons will lead to merchandise which will all be aimed directly at the kids market.

The problem, I'd have thought, would be attracting the teens and adults, some of whom still attribute the Ghostbusters to a kids cartoon show. Dr. Riddle brought up a pretty good point, that EGB wasn't very ‘kid friendly’, and yet it still bombed badly. I think that was partly due to the fact that it was a little too PC for many people's tastes, and the original four members weren't included enough, but it still shows that there is a fine line between attracting adults and effectively repelling them from a cartoon show.

Dr. Riddle
And for the millionth time: Cartoon Network was only a SUGGESTION! :p I don't like Cartoon Network, or Anime, or Manga! So please stay on topic guys. Make suggestions for a new network and tell me what you think of my ideas.

I know, the reason I was very passionate about Cartoon Network is due to the fact that I can't think of another network where a GB animated series (if adult) would look comfortable.

Actually, CN promoted the HELL out of the thing when it started…and when the ratings were kinda soft, they did start promoting it less. However, they brought in shows that WERE popular (like Samurai Jack and Armada) to surround it and promoted the hell out of THAT. The idea was to get people to watch it by putting it between two popular shows.

The rest of what you mentioned is Mattel's fault.

XTremeLurker
Dr. Riddle brought up a pretty good point, that EGB wasn't very ‘kid friendly’, and yet it still bombed badly. I think that was partly due to the fact that it was a little too PC for many people's tastes, and the original four members weren't included enough.

Yes another factor of EGB's death was the “let's make this show so ”Extremely“ politically correct that minorities won't be offended” attitude. :p Well that of course, was a big mistake. They were too politically correct. I'm sure any minorities that actually saw EGB were probably offended. And on an unrelated note, what's so “extreme” about a guy in a wheelchair? :p And even if there was a GB in a wheelchair, wouldn't firing a very powerful newly-designed Neutrona Wand send him propelling backwards at an alarming rate?

Chad
I know, the reason I was very passionate about Cartoon Network is due to the fact that I can't think of another network where a GB animated series (if adult) would look comfortable.

Good. I just wanted you guys to know that it was only a suggestion. I don't think it should be on Cartoon Network.

I totally agree with the hugh summary Matthew.

JMS was RGB in my opinion, he created a duo of great stories which tied in the film and cartoon, maybe even a triliogy of great storylines (Citizen Ghost, Take Two, Janine, you've changed)

And if he weren't available, then someone who was very competant. And definately no David Colier, and no intervention via certain share holders, no matter how famous they are! Like Bill Murray sounded like Bill Murray in Take Two!

All sorts of things to comment upon here…

“Kid friendly but adult aware” is how an article in the paper described, well, The Muppet Show of all things, but I think that would be the way to go: the Batman Animated Series example is a better one of course. It can be a balancing act, making things that aren't going to traumatize kids (or, the real problem, making things that aren't gong to get the parent's groups afraid that they'll traumatize kids) while keeping enough intensity, plot, and chacterization to keep the older fans interested.

Imagine something along the lines of EGB, but with the original Ghostbusters. I'm biased by the fact that, for all of it's faults (and oh, Nelly, they were there), I actually liked EGB better than most of the post-JMS RGB. It seemed a little strange that when someone's life force was absorbed or their eyes plucked out they went back to normal as soon as the ghost was sucked into a ghost trap, but EGB went about as far as an “all ages” intended cartoon could go. I think at least half the reason it bombed is not because it was bad, but because the promotion was almost nonexistant and the action figures sucked compared to the Kenners of RGB.

Cartoon Network has it's faults, but I can't label showing anime among them–I've been an anime fan since Voltron and Robotech showed up in the mid Eighties. Not all anime is good, but I'd watch most of it over the products of the Dark Age of American Animation (c.1960-1986) any day. But my favorite show on CN isn't Gundam (though it's darn close) it's Aqua Teen Hunger Force from Williams Street Studios (the guys who also make Brak, Sealab 2021, and Harvey Birdman. So don't try to put me in some sort of either/or dilemma :-)


(I used to use that as my signature picture on GBN…)

Why the new He-Man isn't more embraced is beyond me. I was twelve when the old show came out, and I thought it was so awful it made me hate the toys for years. The new show is it's superior in every way possible.

And J. Micheal Straczynski did, indeed, have to get a lot of credit in making RGB the most successful cartoon-from-movie of all time. It's no coincidence that things slid downhill fast when they essentially forced him off the show.

Kingpin
And definately no David Colier, and no intervention via certain share holders, no matter how famous they are! Like Bill Murray sounded like Bill Murray in Take Two!

As Micheal C. Gross once admitted in an interview, it was none other than Bill Murray that got Lorenzo Music fired…he thought they should get someone who sounded more like him…that was almost as depressing as finding out Ramis was behind the Janine/Louis thing in GB2. What next? We find out Dan created Professor Dweeb?

(Shiver)

I wouldn't mind seeing a new GB cartoon on Comedy Central. Perhaps USA or The Superstation would be good networks for it as well. Just suggestions! I honestly can't think of a good network for a new GB ‘toon - Cartoon Network is the first thing that springs to mind, but I think we’re all agreed that it probably isn't the best place for GB right now (who knows, CN might get its act together by the time the comic becomes popular).

I voted for the teen/mature oriented cartoon, but I agree it should be kid-accessable. Kid-oriented, NO. I love RGB to death, but I wouldn't want to see a rehash of RGB with the new characters. Have a couple episodes that are TV14 (due to scariness, subject matter, language, etc.) but have a vast majority of the episodes maintain a TVPG rating.

well, I can tell you right now if they do make a cartoon, they ain't makin it Teen Oriented for 2 simple reasons: Kids, and Toys.

When did you people fall in love with the GB's when you were kids right? So I think it would be cool if a new generation went ape-shit over the boys in grey again. But this would be hard if you made the show Teen Oriented like Spider-Man (Mtv). Hell, this way we have cool things like Action figures, Animated Movies, and an actual possibility of GB3 since Sony knows that the movie will be big since kids are going insane over the GB's. So I voted for Kid accessable like one of my favorite cartoons ever: Batman: TAS.