>Opinions | Grow Up, Cartoon Network

Originally Posted by Jeff Harris

After nearly 12 years of existance, Cartoon Network has a lot of growing to do.

This isn't me making my three billionth complaint about the state of Toonami nor me kvetching about the lack of classic animation in real time slots. I've been there many, many times on many, many pages. I'm just making a statement about the constant shifting of certain shows off the lineup. Or at least having doubts about them. Over the years, shows like Lupin III, Case Closed, The Big O, and The Venture Brothers have been a part of Adult Swim with heavy fanfare but very little confidence from the block. The Big O premiered new episodes that were co-produced by Cartoon Network, and the ratings were very satisfactory. Case Closed, the FUNimation-produced adaptation of Detective Conan, has gained massive fanfare within the fan community and decent ratings for a show that had aired in two time periods within its first year of broadcast (after airing at midnight in its first few weeks, Adult Swim moved the series to a later 1 AM slot).

Cartoon Network opted not to pick up and co-produce a new season of The Big O while the powers that be at the block became doubtful about picking up more episodes of Case Closed, putting that series in perpetual rerun mode not unlike Lupin III, which is still in production from the good folks at Geneon. The problem Cartoon Network has with Case Closed is that you have a series which is largely centered around a teenage detective that just happens to be shrunk down into a kid size. The cynical "adult" fans don't like it because there's a kid in the Adult Swim pool. Cartoon Network execs won't put it earlier timeslot because, well, kids will look at Case Closed, and kids' eyes should be averted from scenes of violence, murder, and mayhem, which may explain why Tex Avery cartoons aren't anywhere on the lineup (wait, I did promise I wouldn't go there, blast it all!).

Adult Swim has a slight problem. Comedy is king, but action reigns supreme in the hearts of the viewers. However, action has no real place on the block. Saturdays was supposed to be an all-action night (October is supposed to make that happen, allegedly), but the action properties they have aren't really attracting the core Adult Swim fan, that is the guy that digs old Fox and WB rejects and insults towards the action legacy of Hanna-Barbera. Cartoon Network feels that they have to bury acquisitions like Case Closed, The Big O, Wolf's Rain, InuYasha, Full Metal Alchemist, and Ghost in the Shell in late, late night slots. Cartoon Network, I have two words of advice that you should really listen to.

Grow up.

There is no middle-ground period on Cartoon Network. Teen-and-adult skewering programming are always buried in late-night slots and never in prime-time. There have been two films meeting that criteria airing in the past (The Iron Giant and Osmosis Jones), but nothing regular. Cartoon Network has never put anything higher than TV-PG in daylight or primetime. TV-PG and TV-14 programming is almost always on Adult Swim. Cartoon Network needs to grow up a little in terms of what they broadcast in particular time periods. It's weird that a network that supposed to be aimed towards all animation fans only airs teen-and-adult skewering programs when adults and older teens usually are asleep. Honestly, what kind of adults are up that time of night anyway? Oh, right, most of us.

In this idiotic environment we're living in, Cartoon Network is scared to break barriers, and the current management needs to shove off the belief that animation is just for kids. Yes, I know that Adult Swim is supposed to prove that it isn't just for kids, but it's not. By ghettoizing adult/mature animation in one late-night time period is counterproductive. In fact, some great shows won't ever see the light of day because of the limitations Cartoon Network puts on itself. Because of the in-house rule of not promoting Adult Swim programming before 10 PM, a lot of shows won't ever be promoted. I have never seen ads for Case Closed, InuYasha, Lupin III, nor Wolf's Rain during the 10 PM hour. I don't think I've seen ads for Trigun and Cowboy Bebop in that time period as well. The only reason The Big O II was promoted in that hour is because it was co-financed by Cartoon Network.

I'm not saying that Cartoon Network should move all of their Adult Swim action properties outside the block. Some shows, like Cowboy Bebop, Lupin III, and Wolf's Rain need to be on in later hours. However, shows like Case Closed should be seen in periods where they would be seen, like, say, 9 PM on weeknights or 6 PM on Sundays. Honestly, they could easily air a disclaimer during a show at 6 or 9 PM like they do at a show that airs at 1 AM. Case Closed will probably end up getting junked for no reason because the network doesn't know what to do with it. By limiting the standards of what could and couldn't be seen on the network at a particular time, Cartoon Network remains, in no small terms, a child that needs to grow up. If they continue to see themselves as a kids' network, they will remain a child. Even Nickelodeon realized that they had to grow as a network (Nick @ Nite begins at 9 PM Sundays through Thursdays with their more mature programming airing in later time periods).

Of course, what do I know, I'm just an observer.