90’s kids rejoice as The Ren & Stimpy Show is coming back to TV. With Comedy Central‘s go signal, the crazy and gruesome duo are all set and ready to get their reboot. According to the cable channel’s press release, they will put in a new set of artists to reimagine the cartoon for the new generation.
So wait, will that mean that Ren Höek and Stimpson J. Cat will look different? Like how Cartoon Network revived Power Puff Girls and made it shinier and “rounder”? Well, there are no leads yet as to what they will look like but Comedy Central is partnering with Nick Animation.
We are excited to reinvent this iconic franchise with a new creative team and our partners at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio, – Chris McCarthy, President of ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group
In addition, the classic Nickelodeon series will retain its dark humor and vivid animation as it will join the channel’s roster of adult animation. Ren & Stimpy will complement other classics such as Beavis and Butt-head and Daria‘s spin-off, Jodie.
Information is rather scarce when it comes to the number of episodes or when it will premier. But one thing’s for sure, its original creator, John Kricfalusi, will not financially profit from the reboot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVM1nUmDHHc
The Ren & Stimpy Show first aired in 1991 in Nickelodeon together with Rugrats and Doug. It has five seasons with 52 episodes. The story revolves around an emotionally unstable chihuahua dog, Marland T. “Ren” Höek, and his dim-witted Manx cat sidekick, Stimpson J. “Stimpy” Cat. Their adventures range from outer space exploration, old west shows, or just their usual “normal” present day.
With its dark humor, sexual innuendos, and adult jokes, Nickolodeon received a lot of criticism from parent groups. The episodes aired are already cut and shortened to remove violent and gruesome scenes. One episode called “Man’s Best Friend” didn’t make the cut as it is chock full of aggressive content. With this, a spin-off called Ren and Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon or Ren and Stimpy: The Lost Episodes was created to include the banned episode and make the show more vulgar. Sadly, it only aired three episodes as it received a negative reception.
With an incoming reboot, Comedy Central did say that it is reimaging the show in partnership with Nick Animation. As of now, all we can do is wait and hope for the best.