A short while ago we heard rumor that a potential follow up for G.I. Joe: Renegades is potentially in the early stages, so this should really come as no surprise, since any animated series in the “discussion” phase would be for programming not slated to begin until late 2013…but for the sake of full coverage, The Hub has issued a press release confirming their line up of programming for late 2012 and early 2013.
As expected, no G.I. Joe to be found.
The press release can be found on Discovery’s Corporate Media Page, and I’ve also mirrored it after the jump.
Thanks to CIAD of HissTank.com for the heads up.
The Hub Television Network Unveils 2012-’13 Program Slate With Four New Original Series Joining Eight Returning Original Series
— Scott Wolf, Freddy Rodriguez, John DiMaggio and Phil LaMarr Featured In New Animated Series “Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters” Premiering This Summer —
— Other New Original Series Include Animated “Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot” and “Littlest Pet Shop,” as well as Live-Action Series “Spooksville” Based on Popular Kids’ Book Series from Christopher Pike —
March 1, 2012
(Los Angeles, Ca.) Programs based on iconic names and strong, beloved properties are among the four new original series that will join eight returning popular original series on The Hub TV Network’s 2012-2013 programming lineup. The announcement was made today by Margaret Loesch, President and CEO of The Hub, a TV network for kids and their families. The new series continue the network’s strategy of building a schedule with programs based on well-known brands. The Hub launched October 10, 2010, replacing the former Discovery Kids Network.
Among the new original series coming to The Hub are the animated series “Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot,” “Littlest Pet Shop,” “Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters” and the new live-action series “Spooksville” based on the popular tween book series from Christopher Pike.
In addition, The Hub announced the acquisition of the popular live-action series “The Facts of Life,” “Mork & Mindy” and “Sabrina The Teenage Witch.”
The program announcements were made in advance of The Hub’s advertising upfront events in New York (March 1), Chicago (March 8) and Los Angeles (March 15).
“With the momentum of our successful first year, we’re building a slate of programs for the 2012-’13 season that continues our strategy of presenting series based on well-known names and beloved properties in the kids and family entertainment space,” said Ms. Loesch. “One of our advantages has always been the built-in strength and recognition of our programming. The success of that is evident in our large number of returning original series and in the exciting new original series. We’re confident that this lineup will further define us as the entertainment destination for kids and their families.”
The first of the new series to appear on The Hub will be “Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters” an all-new, action-packed animated series from Hasbro Studios premiering this summer. The series features the voices of popular actors Scott Wolf (“Party of Five”), Freddy Rodriguez (“Ugly Betty”), John DiMaggio (“Futurama” and “Pound Puppies”) and Phil LaMarr (“Mad TV”). “Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters” is an animated action-fantasy series that follows the adventures of a young hero, Ray, who possesses the rare ability to befriend and duel alongside fantastical creatures from a parallel dimension. The series is based on a re-imagination of the wildly successful Duel Masters property in Japan by Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons) and Hasbro, Inc.
The programs expected to debut on The Hub in 2012-2013 are as follows:
New, Hub Original Series (in alphabetical order):
“Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot” (Hub Original Series)
Take one step into Care-a-Lot and prepare for wishes to come true and unbelievable adventures to ensue! Coinciding with the property’s 30th anniversary, a new CGI-animated series “Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot” is set to debut this summer to reconnect with kids and families. Care-a-Lot is the high-above-the-earth home of the Care Bears – the coolest, most caring-est, magical friends around! It’s a whimsical world where the Care Bears help children navigate their feelings through music, love, belly-badge powers and great big Care Bear hugs. Produced by American Greetings Properties, “Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot” will premiere on The Hub in summer 2012.
“Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters” (Hub Original Series)
This animated action-fantasy series follows the adventures of a young hero, Ray, who possesses the rare ability to befriend and duel alongside fantastical creatures from a parallel dimension. Evil forces would have these creatures tamed and enslaved, so Ray and his two best friends must join the ranks of the mysterious Duel Masters to ensure the survival of both races before it’s too late. Produced by Hasbro Studios, the half-hour series premieres all 26 episodes starting this summer on The Hub.
“Littlest Pet Shop” (Hub Original Series)
“Littlest Pet Shop” is an animated half-hour comedy series that centers on the life of fun-loving Blythe and the adventures of the pets that she cares for at the Littlest Pet Shop. Hasbro Studios will produce 26 all-new half-hour episodes of the series, which is expected to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2012.
“Spooksville” (Hub Original Series)
Based on the acclaimed book series by author Christopher Pike, the new kid in town discovers that he holds the key to a battle between good and evil that has been taking place for centuries in a bizarre small town that plays host to a wide array of supernatural and unexplained occurrences; only to learn that his family is right in the center of the mystery. From Producer Jane Startz, the half-hour series is expected to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2012.
New Acquisitions
“The Facts of Life”
A group of girls attending a boarding school experience the joys and the trials of adolescence under the guiding hand of housemother, Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae). Distributed by Sony Pictures Television, the half-hour series is expected to premiere in the second quarter of 2012.
“Mork & Mindy”
Mork (Robin Williams) is a wacky alien who comes to Earth to study its residents, and the life of the human woman with whom he boards is never the same. Distributed by CBS Television Distribution, the half-hour series is expected to premiere in the second quarter of 2012.
“Sabrina The Teenage Witch”
Sabrina Sellman (Melissa Joan Hart) is a teenager with magical powers living with her two aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick) and their magical talking cat, Salem. After discovering at age 16 that she’s a witch, Sabrina is counseled by her aunts and even the cat in growing up magical. Distributed by CBS Television Distribution, the half-hour series is expected to premiere in the second quarter of 2012.
Returning Hub Original Series/Specials with new episodes (in alphabetical order):
- “The Aquabats! Super Show!” (Premiering March 3 on The Hub; produced by FremantleMedia Enterprises and The Magic Store)
- “Dan Vs.” (Produced by Film Roman in association with The Hatchery, LLC)
- “Family Game Night” (Produced by Hasbro Studios)
- “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic” (Produced by Hasbro Studios)
- “Pound Puppies” (Produced by Hasbro Studios)
- “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series” (Front Street Pictures in association with The Hatchery, LLC)
- “Secret Millionaires Club” (A Hub Original Special produced by A Squared Entertainment)
- “Transformers Prime” (Produced by Hasbro Studios)
- “Transformers Rescue Bots” (Produced by Hasbro Studios)
That’s a really good promotional plan on Hasbro’s part – just like waiting months after the cartoon ends to market the toys that are based on the program. Why follow up a film with a cartoon on a cable network? Why “strike when the iron is hot”? They should push the Retaliation toy line back as well, maybe wait a few months after the film is released on DVD and Blu-Ray just to make sure. Having a cartoon that came out around the same time as the film would only confuse consumers. They’d walk into the store looking for toys for one and find toys for the other, then just give up and buy some Bakugan.
By God, I should work in Hasbro’s marketing department.
By the way, those “Facts of Life” re-runs are going to bring in the advertisers big time!! Great acquisition Hub!
Bummer! Are those animated versions of Mork and Mindy and the rest or the original series? I can’t believe there will be no Joe but Care Bears instead.
I don’t really know how the business / creative structure works over at Hasbro, but at the risk of making no sense, can we get some of the people in charge of Transformers put in charge of G.I. Joe? They seem to be killing it on the TF side of things, but G.I. Joe is still struggling in some ways. Or, at least, not doing as well as TF.
For a while it sounded like there would be a new cartoon that would tie in better with the new movie. Maybe they could make things vague enough in some cases to sort of allow for a show that was a Renegades sequel, but also resembled the next movie for new viewers.
Well, in all fairness, the only reason Transformers is where they are now is because of the three blockbuster films that grossed billions of dollars. I’m sure if G.I. Joe had that pedigree, we’d all be very happy with the state of things.
It’s unfair to compare the two, simply by the nature of their concept. Huge transforming robots doing battle on Earth is, by its very nature, going to be more desirable to fringe movie goers that a more traditional sci-fi/military film ever will be.
Even with that in mind, though, we have a chance for something great with Retaliation, let’s just hope that the American viewing public agrees.
And to be fair, I wasn’t really factoring in the international aspect of TF, either. Aside from the idea that Joe is mostly seen as an American thing, the transforming robots thing has been huge in a country like Japan since before TF — which of course started out as repackaged, existing Japanese toys.
But, yes, a lot of it has to do with the movies. While, honestly, I don’t really like the TF movies, the people in charge did figure out how to make them a success. They didn’t really figure out G.I. Joe.
Very good point. For all of the complaining fans do online, they found a good formula with Michael Bay and the whole larger than life Transformers concept. They successfully took a fringe toy brand and brought it hugely mainstream. We can only hope the people in charge of Retaliation have a similar rabbit’s foot in their pocket.
I don’t know if I would categorize TF as a fringe toy brand. I think JMM has a good point about the mass appeal of robots especially in a lot of asian cultures which really started the big robot craze.
Unfortunately due to the politics of the time I don’t know if Joe can get as big as TF. You might try the more multi-national angle but that would be heresy to a lot of American joe fans. I would just like to see an awesome movie that feels like Joe to me. Then we can reap the benefits of cool toys and hopefully a new animated series.
Even if they started on writing scripts today, there’d be nothing to show by mid-2013 at the earliest, and likely not until fall of 2013 in a practical sense.
It sounds like there is incentive to start from scratch, rather than use Renegades materials or designs. That would mean designing could be under way right now to work through the process of deciding the look they want. Even if they stick with the Clement Sauve designs, they still need to sign up artists that can ape his style effectively.
They’d need a couple of months lead-time for the scripts, then storyboarding takes about a month or two, voice tracks, slugging, then layouts, then animation itself…….yeah, it’d be late 2013 before first delivery on a show like this.
(Sarcasm) Wow… I’m shocked to hear to this… I really, really am… (Sarcasm)