Moderator: Chief Couch Potato Kylie
THE SPECS:
Who: “Animaniacs,” an American animated comedy-musical streaming television series developed by Wellesley Wild and Steven Spielberg for Hulu that is currently on hiatus.
What: A revival of the original 1993 animated television series of the same name created by Tom Ruegger, “Animaniacs” sees the return of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot (voiced respectively by their original voice actors Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille), and Pinky and the Brain (voiced by their respective original voice actors Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche).
When: Season 1 was released to the Hulu streaming platform on November 20, 2020, while Season 2 was released to the platform on November 5, 2021, each with a total of 13 episodes.
Where: The show is a cartoon. It can be set anywhere and at anytime, and this cartoon particularly exploits that conceit.
Why: Listen to the podcast episodes below for the panelists’ individual stories on how they came to watch Animaniacs.
How – as in How Was It?
The pilot/premiere rating scale:
***** – I HAVE TO WATCH EVERYTHING. HOLY SMOKES!
**** – Well, it certainly seems intriguing. I’m going to keep watching, but I see possible pitfalls in the premise.
*** – I will give it six episodes and see what happens. There are things I like, and things I don’t. We’ll see which “things” are allowed to flourish.
** – I will give it three episodes. Chances are, I’m mainly bored, but there is some intrigue or fascination that could hold it together. No matter how unlikely.
* – Pass on this one, guys. It’s a snoozer/not funny/not interesting/not my cup of tea… there are too many options to waste time on this one.
The Animaniacs (2020) = 3.8, by an average of the podcast panel.
SYNOPSIS
Animaniacs continues to focus on the adventures of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot—three inseparable, irascible kids—as they embark on further adventures after being absent from television for 22 years, bringing with them the usual wackiness and mayhem they create while adapting to the changes and life of the 21st century. Episodes are composed of several shorts, with each episode consisting of segments following the adventures of Yakko, Wakko and Dot; the vast majority of episodes also include a segment featuring fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain—two lab mice, one of whom is intelligent and wants to take over the world, while the other is dim-witted and clumsy, often messing up his friend’s plans. Other recurring segments include “Starbox and Cindy,” which follows a miniature alien who is part of a fleet that wants to destroy the Earth that ends up in the hands of a young girl, and “Math-terpiece Theater,” which involves dramatized math lessons taught by Dot.
THOUGHTS
This is the third episode in our “Animaniacs: Once and Future Namey Series,” which Looks Back to Look Forward at all iterations of programs entitled Animaniacs. In Episode One, we Looked Back at Seasons 1-2 of Animaniacs (1993), and in Episode Two, we Looked Back at Seasons 3-5 of the original series. To listen to the prior episodes, click the links below or find us via our audio feeds at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music:
The Animaniacs “Once and Future Namey” Series, Episode One: The Original Series, Seasons 1-2
The Animaniacs “Once and Future Namey” Series, Episode Two: The Original Series, Seasons 3-5
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our resident and seasoned Couch Potatoes and some of our adjacent and freshly peeled Couch Spuds enthusiastically requested to get zany to the max by talking all iterations of perennial animated favorite Animaniacs. Thus, herein we offer the third episode of CPU!’s “Animaniacs: The Once and Future Show’s Name-Y” Looking Back to Look Forward Series, in which we Look Forward at and discuss Seasons 1 and 2 of the Reboot/Revival Animaniacs released to Hulu in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Nick, Michael (K), Christian, Ryan, and Stephen, along with your very involved moderator, reconvened “Around the Water Cooler” to “Look Forward,” with slacks full of baloney, at this new version of the beloved cartoon from our respective youths, joining the Warner Brothers, their Warner Sister Dot, and every kooky character spawned by this acclaimed animated series in every zany to the max adventure they have ever had – past, present, and future.
This podcast episode was recorded in May 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS (in a cartoon-ish type way), as we cover all of the wacky hilarity presented in the available seasons of the rebooted Animaniacs series. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Call the Midwife panel returns to the CPU! Water Cooler to continue our Catching Up Series reacting, two seasons at a time, to the popular BBC/PBS period drama by discussing Seasons 7 and 8 in Episode 4 of our Series. Stay tuned!
RECOMMENDATION
Animaniacs (2020) is cautiously recommended by tonight’s entire panel to anyone who loves cartoons/animated series in general but also to anyone who enjoys intelligence as well as uncompromising creativity and unflinching willingness to experiment comedically along with their helpings of animated television, similar to the feelings and reactions elicited by the progenitor version of this beloved cartoon with our panelists. Unlike the original, beloved version of this animated classic, the reboot/revival was met with far more mixed reactions from our panel. Some panelists still loved it, seeing it as an evolution and extension of what made the original so influential, unique, and endearing but with the changes that an elapse of 22 years will naturally bring. Some panelists found the new version entertaining but, also, occasionally problematic, in that old characters were scrapped to appeal to younger sensibilities of the current times while introducing new characters that were milquetoast in comparison, and that new jokes were not always introduced confidently, as “not your dad’s ‘Animaniacs'” worked and somewhat struggled to find its modern voice. In addition, some panelists were off-put by the new show’s emphasis on satire and meta-humor that was, by all means, present in the original series but not to the extent – or to the detraction – of the formerly more present qualities of innocence and enthusiasm that appealed to younger viewers as much as older ones when watching the first series. The remaining panelists struggled with this new Animaniacs, finding the pacing choppy, the shorts sometimes boring, and bemoaning the lack of variety of the revival, given that most of the episodes feature a “Warner sibling sandwich with Pinky and the Brain meat” with very few appearances by even the newer, less enjoyed characters and with a strong yearning for the return of classic characters, particularly Slappy and Skippy Squirrel.
All of the panelists still find that this revived Animaniacs is still largely well written, incomparably well-performed/well-voiced, and never panders for the sake of the target audience, but the panelists no longer universally regard this version as the type of ‘toon that would have the broadest appeal, given the acute inclusion of political satire in a larger volume, even, compared to the usual doses of pop culture parody present in this program. Still, all panelists agree that the rebooted Animaniacs is smart, sassy, and full of the good bones that made the original so charming, endearing, and enduring, even if the execution is not as smooth or as impeccable as the predecessor’s 99 episodes were. Thus, though the rebooted Animaniacs might not appeal to everyone, our panel still sees potential and possibility for anyone who loved the original and for anyone looking for a smart, irreverent animated comedy that lives up to the original standards, even if it might never surpass its brilliance – though not for a sincere lack of trying, as we discuss in tonight’s episode.
THE FUTURE OF THE SHOW
Animaniacs (2020) was renewed for Season 3, though a release date has not yet been announced for the new season; keep a weathered eye to CPU! for any details regarding a premiere date announcement. To wit, the CPU! “Animaniacs: Once and Future Namey Seres” will reconvene to discuss Season 3 following its eventual release. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding Animaniacs (2020) as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com 
Reblogged this on Reel Musings.