2003
January 4: The final four episodes of Zoids: Chaotic Century/Guardian Force, is given the red carpet treatment in a marathon form. Sadly, this is the only time the final episodes aired on Cartoon Network.
January 9: The final installment of Toonami Midnight Run airs leaving behind a lot of memories and fun for all that stayed up. TMR is replaced by Adult Swim's excellent action block the following week, but that's a story for a whole other page.
January 12: AOL Time Warner Chairman Steve Case announces that he will be stepping down from the position starting in May. Days later, the company announced that current CEO Richard Parsons would fill that position.
January 30: Cartoon Network founder and AOL Time Warner Vice Chairman Ted Turner announces his resignation from the company effective in May. People are stunned and scared!
February 1: .hack//SIGN, a part of a major fantasy story that will take form in many media, including comics and video games, premieres on Toonami Super Saturday.
February 9: A pair of Toonami series (Masters of the Universe and Thundercats) were a part of Cartoon Network's NBA All-Star Celebration, the first time Toonami characters were seen in a major network-wide event.
February 10: Toonami.com unveiled that changes will be coming to the block with a new TOM and a new Absolution.
February 19: Turner Broadcasting announces that Jamie Kellner will be removed from his position as President and CEO effective March 10, 2003, with Philip I. Kent assumes the role on that date. Also on March 10, The WB Television Network is no longer under the Turner Broadcasting umbrella, but rather back in the control of Warner Bros. Televison. The long national nightmare is over!
February 20: Cartoon Network announces many acquisitions for the remainder of 2003, including new episodes of popular Toonami fare such as He-Man, Transformers Armada, and Dragonball, and the premiere of a whole lot of shows on the network including Superior Defender (SD Gundam), Kikaider, Rurouni Kenshin, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (which will air throughout Cartoon Network) and others outside of Toonami, including Jackie Chan Adventures, X-Men Evolution, and Low Brow, all of which may or may not air on Toonami.
February 24-28: Mecha invades Toonami in a big way! Giant Robot Week showcased many of ADV Films' finest anime products, including the popular Nadesico, the controversial Evangelion, the fan-favorite Dai-Guard, and the classic Robotech, which showed the final two episodes of the New Generation, a Robotech series that never aired on Cartoon Network. An added attraction was the classic robot series Gigantor and the popular Japanese/pop culture influenced short Low Brow.
February 26: Cartoon Network takes control of the ad sales and promotions department of Kids' WB, primarily because The WB is dedicating all of its energies towards the primetime lineup.
March 1: Cartoon Network premieres Saturday Video Entertainment System (SVES), Cartoon Network's first prime-time lineup completely devoted to action. This is also Cartoon Network's third action franchise and seems like a strange hybrid of successful elements from the network. Zoids/0, .hack//SIGN, G.I. Joe, and Dragonball all move to this block on day one. Oh, and the first look at the "new" Toonami is revealed.
March 3: Toonami once again decreases by an hour, but for some reason, many fans aren't all that upset about it. Yu Yu Hakusho also premieres on this date.
March 10: Toonami.com premieres part one of Endgame, which tells the origin of TOM's new look. Part Two comes three weeks later.
March 11: A day after becoming President and CEO of Turner Broadcasting, Philip Kent completely revamps the company by dividing it into three subunits: Entertainment, News, and the one that surprised everybody, Animation! Cartoon Network is now considered a major part of Turner Broadcasting, no longer governed by the same folks that oversaw TNT and TBS. As a result, former entertainment boss Brad Siegel (i.e. Cartoon Network's boss in the light of Ms. Cohen's firing) resigned from the company. Fans are elated.
March 17: The Next Chapter of Toonami begins. TOM begins the new era by personally introducing shows and bumpers, ala Moltar-era Toonami. Rurouni Kenshin also premieres on the lineup, marking its North American television debut.
April 7: The final episode of Dragon Ball Z airs on Toonami.
June 2: Justice League finally premieres on Toonami for the first time.
June 30: Cyborg 009 premieres on Toonami pretty much unedited and with, unfortunately, little fanfare. It also marks the first Sony-produced series to premiere on Toonami.
September 1: Toonami presents the world premiere of a new Gundam series, the 3D-animated SD Gundam.
September 15: Toonami begins its fourth Total Immersion Event, IGPX, the first TIE not to feature a TOM and Sara adventure and the first to be animated in 2D, courtesy of Production I.G.
2004
January 19: Gundam SEED is acquired by Cartoon Network for an April premiere. Fanboys wondered if it would air on Toonami or SVES. Many believe it will be Saturdays since the network has set aside Saturday nights as the major action period for the network in 2004.
February 25: Cartoon Network cancels and resurrects Toonami on one day. The network announces that weekday Toonami will be canceled, replaced with a tween-oriented comedic action block known as Miguzi (guided by Williams Street but programmed by Cartoon Network) starting on April 19. SVES is canceled and replaced with a new Saturday night-based teen-oriented Toonami block starting on April 17 from 7 PM to Midnight EST/PST. Acquired shows like Rave Master, DuelMasters, and Gundam SEED as well as the long-delayed Cartoon Network original Megas XLR are scheduled to join shows like Dragon Ball GT, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin. The new Saturday night Toonami would be paired off with the new Adult Swim Action lineup, which also premieres that night, but at 12 AM rather than the 11 PM as originally thought.
February 26: The Saturday night Adult Swim is cancelled (well, not cancelled, just placed on Thursday nights) after a creative rift between ad execs and Williams Street. The new Toonami is expanded until 2 AM.
February 27: DuelMasters premieres on Toonami, creating utter disgust and comic hilarity within 30 minutes of its debut. A "Hell yeah!" slips through the editing (loose lips, y'all . . . loose lips).
March 8: Astro Boy makes its Toonami debut after an awkward run on Kids' WB, airing episodes that weren't seen on broadcast television. The last major premiere on weekdays on Toonami.
March 25: About face. Saturday night Adult Swim is back on, now starting at 11 PM EST rather than midnight. Toonami goes back to its 7 PM - 11 PM slot on Saturdays.
April 16: The final weekday Toonami airs, ending a tradition that's been in place since 1997. The last show? Actually the Toonami premiere of a Pokemon movie (*sigh*).
One era ends and a new era begins as Toonami leaves the confines of weekday afternoons and becomes a Saturday-night exclusive block. Enter the third coming of Toonami.
