Trademark registrations for MeTV Toons were first filed in March 2023, with originally considered names for the network being "Toon TV" or "Toony TV" (a name likely inspired by the mascot of the MeTV original program Toon In with Me, Toony the Tuna), as well as names of interstitials for the network such as 'Cartoon College' filed in December 2023.[6][7]
On May 1, 2024, Variety and TVLine reported Weigel was partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery on MeTV Toons, which was billed as a 24/7, free-to-air television network dedicated to broadcasting classic animated programming. This was based on a press release from Weigel, but the company failed to send notification that it was to be embargoed; the two outlets pulled the stories upon its request. TheDesk.net, which stated its editorial policy does not honor retroactive embargoes, published its own story later that day which noted that Weigel was also working with Paramount Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios, Universal Pictures and a number of other content studios.[8]
The following day, Weigel officially announced the launch of the channel, which would take place on June 25. The channel launched with a marathon of the pilot episodes of all of its non-compilation shows, with the inaugural program at 6am Eastern/5am Central time being Captain Planet and the Planeteers.[9] The channel follows a similar format to the formative years of Warner Bros. Discovery's Cartoon Network and Boomerang.
Officials at Weigel said MeTV Toons will be distributed in three forms: as a broadcast channel available in many cities through over-the-air television and on cable, and as a streaming channel that will be distributed across subscription-based services. Also planned is a "complimentary offering for ad-supported streaming services".
The network runs original interstitial series which animation historian Jerry Beck helped produce. Bob Bergen, the modern voice actor for Porky Pig, is the promotional announcer for the network.[11]
Sunday Night Cartoon All-Stars: An extended three-hour block airing Sundays from 8:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. ET, a successor to the Sunday Night Cartoons block on sister station MeTV+.[12]
Known Strings Attached: A late night block airing weeknights from 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. ET, featuring Supermarionation programs from Gerry Anderson, including Thunderbirds, Supercar, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, and Fireball XL 5.[13]
Totally Animated 80s: A late night block airing late Saturdays from 2:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. ET, featuring action and comedy cartoons from the 1980s. Initial programs include Police Academy: The Animated Series, The Real Ghostbusters, Challenge of the GoBots, The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, and Mister T.[14]
Scooby-Doo! Sunday Specials: An afternoon block airing Sundays from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. ET, featuring various movies and spin-off series from the Scooby-Doo franchise, that launched with a run of The New Scooby-Doo Movies.[12]
Holiday Special Blocks
Spooktacular Sundays: Debuting in October 2024, this Halloween-themed block ran on Sundays from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. (though sometimes continued until later in the evening). In addition, this would be the first instance of characters from Svengoolie appearing on the channel, often seen doing hosted segments. Some of the cartoons featured on the block included The Frankenstones (a segment on The Flintstone Comedy Show as well as various Scooby-Doo specials and episodes (e.g. Scooby-Doo And The Reluctant Werewolf).
’Tis The Season For Toons: A currently ongoing Christmas themed block debuting in November 2024, presenting Christmas-themed specials of classic cartoons on Saturdays from 4:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Such specials include Christmas and snow themed episodes of Looney Tunes, The Smurfs, and Rocky & Bullwinkle to name a few. This block also airs a large number of Christmas specials. Examples include the likes of Sonic's Christmas Blast, Yogi's First Christmas and Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas.
Rabbits, Ducks and No Turkeys!: A 15 hour marathon of theatrical Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, headlined by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, throughout Thanksgiving Day from 8:00 A.M. - 11:30 P.M. The cartoon block was introduced on Thanksgiving Day in 2024.
Black (and White) Friday: Similar to Rabbits, Ducks and No Turkeys! (as seen above), this was also a 15 hour marathon of theatrical cartoons, this time focusing on Popeye, Betty Boop and black and white Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts (from 1931 to 1943), debuted the day after the Rabbits, Ducks and No Turkeys! marathon, Black Friday, from 8:00 A.M. - 11:30 P.M.
Affiliates
The network is available on the following OTA stations as well as the paid streaming services Frndly TV and Philo.[1][4]Bold is for owned and operated stations.
