For starters, I know for a fact that MTV is now sitting and taking their time on four different possible animation series. One of them is a series based on Peter Bagge's Hate comic. Another is based on an idea by Shannon Wheeler, but not necessarily based on his Too Much Coffee Man comic. My contact at MTV is mum on what's happening. All they'll say is they'll pull the trigger and make the announcements this October. In the meantime, they do have a new anthology series called Video Sushi. It aired once already and will be back this September. Check it out. The next Beavis & Butt-Head might be on Sushi.

Even better, I just got off the phone with a contact at Mainframe Entertainment. Reboot is back with a third season and it's going to be much more adult than in the past. N-Zo is grown up and life hasn't particularly been kind to him (he sports a false eye for starters). If you think N-Zo's some- thing, wait until you see how Ariana has grown up. She now looks like a green skinned denizen of the East Village, not the ocean. The navel ring is particularly boss. More on that series REAL SOON.

The other good news is mainly coming from Fox. For starters, both King of the Hill and The Simpsons are back for their respective second and ninth seasons. Previews make both series still true must-see-TV (despite what that other network that doesn't do 'toons say). Both are set to launch on Sunday, September 21, 8:00 p.m. eastern.

The Simpsons will start off with America's #1 dysfunctional family taking a bite out of New York City. As most natives will tell you, New York bites back. You'll have to wait to see who gets the bigger slice, Homer or the Big Apple.

On the guest voice front, celebrities making appearances on The Simpsons include Helen Hunt, Janeane Garofalo, Martin Sheen, Rod Steiger, Fyvush Finkel, Joe Namath, Andrea Martin, Jan Hooks, Jim Varney, Bobcat Goldthwaite and Jeopardy's Alex Trebek.

The series debut will also announce who has won a life-size copy of the Simpson's house. It seems Fox struck a deal with Pepsi to have certain prize numbers attached to a number of their beverages. The drinks include Slice, Mug Root Beer, Lipton Iced Teas and Josta. The winning prize number will be flashed in the middle of the show.

The good news is the person with the right number gets the house. The bad news is the house is just outside Las Vegas. I guess you can always go for the cash equivalent.

King of the Hill will start 30 minutes later. The press release I received states the Hill family will have to deal with a tornado. Then it was poorly crossed out, so I'll guess we'll have to wait and see what the new season debut will actually be. On the other hand, among the guest stars doing voice work for Mike Judge's second big hit are Burt Reynolds, John Ritter, Stockard Channing, James Carville, Sally Field, Carl Reiner, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Wallace Shawn, the band Green Day, Chris Rock and Paul Rodriguez.

Throw in The X-Files at 9 p.m. and I guess I know what I'll be doing on Sunday nights. Gee, do you think that maybe the other networks will finally get the idea that animation just isn't for kids any more? Not yet from the looks of things. Let's hope Fox keeps this up. I'm enjoying myself.

I already gave the thumbs up to Fox Kids adding Sam & Max to their Saturday morning line-up. Previews I saw of Marvel's next big series, the Silver Surfer (which won't be previewed until November and then permanently enter the schedule in January) has me anxiously waiting for it. The rest of the Fox Kids schedule is a mixed bag.

"Our goal with this diverse and innovative fall schedule is to remain broadcast television's only appointment for kids," says Fox Kids president Margaret Loesch, "and then grow that lineup through the addition of key new shows throughout the season. Most of our established hits will return in their same time slots, allowing us that much better chance to launch new fall shows, as well as important newcomers Steven Spielberg Presents Toon- sylvania, Silver Surfer and Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book early next year."

The Saturday morning schedule, which debuts on Sept. 6, is as follows:

8 a.m. - Bobby's World
8:30 - Stickin' Around
9.- Casper (thru October)/Ned's Newt (starts Oct. 18)
9:30 - Space Goofs (previously announced as Home To Rent)
10 - Ultimate Goosebumps
10:30 - Eerie, Indiana (thru September)/Sam & Max (stars Oct. 4)
11 - Life With Louie
11:30 - X-Men (to be replaced by Silver Surfer eventually).

The weekday schedule, starting Monday, Sept. 8, will be:

7 a.m. - Bobby's World (Mon-Thur)/C-Bear & Jamal (Fridays)
7:30 - Casper
3 p.m. - Spider-Man
3:30 - Beetleborg Metallix
4 - Power Rangers Turbo
4:30 - Goosebumps (Mon-Thurs)/Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (Fridays)

OK...first and foremost I'll give Loesch her props for a very wide palette here. I won't talk about either Goosebumps, Eerie, Beetleborg, Rangers Turbo or the new Ninja Turtles here. They're all live action and not really part of the column. This way I also won't have to say what I really think of any of them (except to say I'll be sad to see Eerie go).

Also good news as far as I'm concerned is that Spielberg's new thing is not on the schedule (yet). I've yet to meet a Spielberg series that I've liked. As the master himself, Chuck Jones, once put it to me, "he just doesn't get it." Truer words were never spoken about Steven Spielberg and cartooning as far as I'm concerned...and that includes Pinky & The Brain.

As I said before, I'm giving a big thumbs up to Sam & Max. I did a whole column on it two weeks past, so check out the archive here for further notes on what looks to be one of the best new additions to the Fall '97 schedule. I also won't go into detail on the weekday schedule. When it isn't live action, it's repeats of stuff we've already seen. Why bother?

Stickin' Around has been previewed on Fox this summer. It's geared towards the under-8 audience and is good for what it is. I find the animation, which looks like adults trying to draw children's stick figures, to be an eyesore. So it goes. Hope kids like it.

I haven't received previews of Ned's Newt or Space Goofs. Hope for the best.

Still, I'm left with the impression that I'll be able to sleep late and enjoy a good cup of coffee before I toon in Fox's Saturday schedule. Sam & Max is a sure-fire hit. I really love Life With Louie, which to me is what you should use as an example if you're going to do an under-8 program. X- Men is X-Men, but I'm waiting for Silver Surfer.

That's the Fox schedule for now. On to other stuff.

On the UPN front I'd previously announced they are cutting B.A.D. (which it was) and Mouse & The Monster, which never quite clicked. On the other hand, Sundays will start off with a new season of Jumanji and The Incredible Hulk. The cool news is the first season of Hulk ended with the introduction of the Grey Hulk/Mr. Fixit. Expect a lot more of that Hulk for the next season. If he's anything like the comic, I'll definitely be watching more of that show next season.

The replacement shows are more live-action/teen-oriented shows. Again, not column fodder. I'll leave it for elsewhere.

That's it for UPN. Kinda sad. I liked the idea of Sunday morning 'toons. I hope the network gets the message and realizes there's a lot more people like me out there.

Sad to report but general mismanagement closed Warner Bros. London, UK animation studio. The studio did a lot of the work on the Michael Jordan/ Looney Tunes film Space Jam and had also done work on the upcoming feature Quest For Camelot.

"The studio was created by Feature Animation division president Max Howard to showcase the finest talents in the world of animation," an informed source reports, "singling out the effects crew as the best ever assembled. As the film world scrambles to buy up the artists he attracted, it's sad to think the industry knows so little of their existence.

"It was always intended for the studio to make it's own feature 'in house' and break the Disney stronghold on feature animation. Alas, corporate debts and pressure from American shareholders has forced the closing of a profit making studio admired by the entire industry. Max brought together the most experienced talents in world of animation, and the new 'young bloods' we shall be hearing of in the near future."

For the record, Quest For Camelot, is now slated to hit the big screen next summer. It was originally targeted for this year.

Previous Columns

August 15, 1997 Sam & Max

August 8, 1997 Johnny Bravo!

August 1, 1997 Dexter's Laboratory

July 18, 1997 Plymptoons! Interview with Mr. Plympton.

July 4, 1997 Ralph Bakshi interviewed

June 20, 1997 Hercules.

June 6, 1997 Anime gets organized, and Operation Otaku.

May 16, 1997 Bill Plympton, Little Lulu, and more!

May 2, 1997 Donovan Cook and Nightmare Ned!

April 25, 1997 Spawn : The Animated Series

April 4, 1997 Saturday Morning Lineup

March 28, 1997 Disney's Hercules

previous animated shorts

Animated Shorts, Dec. 19, 1997
Animated Shorts, Dec. 12, 1997
Animated Shorts, Dec. 5, 1997
Animated Shorts, Nov. 26, 1997
Animated Shorts, Nov. 21, 1997
Animated Shorts, Nov. 14, 1997
Animated Shorts, Oct. 31, 1997
Animated Shorts, Oct. 24, 1997
Animated Shorts, Oct. 17, 1997
Animated Shorts, Oct. 10, 1997	Tex Avery, the man and the myth.
Animated Shorts, Oct. 3, 1997
Animated Shorts, Sept. 26, 1997
Animated Shorts, Sept. 19, 1997
Animated Shorts, Sept. 12, 1997
Animated Shorts, Sept. 5, 1997
Animated Shorts, Aug. 29, 1997
Animated Shorts, Aug. 22, 1997	A lot of big names are lining up for guest spots on the new Hercules TV series. Find out who!
Animated Shorts, Aug. 15, 1997	The adventures of Sam and Max, stars of a hilarious CD-ROM, are now coming to TV this fall.
Animated Shorts, Aug. 8, 1997	Hey groovy chick! What's shakin'? Talk to the creator of Cartoon Network's latest sensation - Johnny Bravo, the Last Real Elvis Clone, in this week's Animated Shorts.
Animated Shorts, Aug. 1, 1997
Animated Shorts July 18, 1997	An interview with Bill Plympton, the one-man animation studio.
Animated Shorts, July 4, 1997	Interview with Spicy City Creator Ralph Bakshi
Animated Shorts, June 6, 1997	Anime gets organized in the US
Animated Shorts, May 16, 1997	It seems the world can't wait for award-winning animation director Bill Plympton to put the final touches on his second full-length feature, I Married A Very Strange Person. As such, he's is putting together 25 of some of his best shorts in one neat package and calling it Mondo Plympton. I hope the world is ready for it.
Animated Shorts, May 2, 1997	Donovan Cook and Nightmare Ned!
Animated Shorts, April 25, 1997	Spawn : The Animated Series
Animated Shorts, April 4, 1997	Saturday Morning Lineup