It took a while, but the execs at WB finally realized something: “we’ve been so focused on HBO Max, we’ve been letting Cartoon Network just run in a loop of endless TTG and Gumball reruns.” Now they’re aiming to juice up the repetitive schedule with Acme Night, a new Sunday night block intended for families to gather ’round the TV set and watch…uh, stuff from HBO Max. Nice gesture, fellas, but it’s kind of obvious where the attention and love is going.
Sometimes Acme Night will feature movies, and yes, they’ll sometimes be live-action — it’s been years since we’ve had to complain about that, but now CN feels like it’s being replaced anyway so why waste one’s breath? Shazam, Man of Steel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which version isn’t specified) and Detective Pikachu are all planned to air.
But Acme Night will also feature the debuts of specials that will not appear on HBO Max until later. Things like Merry Little Batman, a holiday special where six-year-old Damian Wayne is left home alone (AUUUUUUGH) in Wayne Tower and must jerry-rig zany traps to defend himself against the villains of Gotham that are attempting to raid the place.
There’s also the left-field appearance of Did I Do That To The Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story, where the klutzy 90s nerd ruins Christmas thanks to his malfunctioning inventions and must find Santa Claus to fix things. Jaleel White reprises the role. Believe it or not, this will be the THIRD time in two years that Urkel has appeared in a cartoon. There seems to be a serious effort from WB these days to reintroduce him in animated form, an effort that may be futile. It has been so long since he last showed up that an entire generation has no idea who he is, and I have proof:
A Looney Tunes movie is in production that looks to be using the same rubbery style as Looney Tunes Cartoons, and involves Porky and Daffy fending off an alien invasion with bubble gum. Expect lots of buddy comedy antics here as “the two are determined to save their town (and the world!)…if they don’t drive each other crazy in the process.”
Finally, future HBO Max TV shows will be previewing their pilots on Acme Night. The list of premieres includes Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Batman: Caped Crusader, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harry Potter Wizarding World Competition Event Series and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.
[Source: Variety]
