Happy birthday to the former home of G-Force!

Even though I'm a day late (better late than never), October 1st is Cartoon Network's birthday. It premiered on October 1, 1992 initially as an outlet for Turner's recently acquired (and MASSIVE) library of cartoons. It was the first channel of its kind (24 hours of non-stop cartoons? UNHEARD OF back in 1992!).

As of the beginning of this decade however the old Warner Bros./Hanna-Barbera cartoons that I'm sure some of us grew up with and which also helped CN in its early years were phased out of the network, replaced with the new blood of programming which debuted in 1995 with a much-publicized "World Premiere Toons" project and continues to this day. The old library was spun-off into the nostalgia station "Boomerang", CN's sister station and as most of us remember the temporary home of the returning "Battle of the Planets" which hadn't broadcasted in the US in more than a decade. (It's been more or less exactly a year now since BotP's flawed stint on Boomerang ended and moved to the still-fledgling Anime Network, which to this day NONE of us have received, right?)

CN was (and still is) also the home for acquired shows and obscure shows which were given a second lease on life via the network. One of the more prominent shows early on in CN's life that was given a "second chance" was the obscure,widely-panned,Turner produced dub of Gatchaman known as "G-Force". Given that CN needed as much fresh programming as possible and the show had sat on the shelves for almost a decade unaired it was fated for it to be given another chance. CN saved the show and placed it as one of the headliners of its weekday-afternoon action block back in mid-1995. At the time it was probably the most violent show on the network, and it was either because of this or poor ratings/reception that it was buried in late-night slots, then by March 1997 gone from the network altogether. It made a very short return to CN in early 2000 for about 2 months as filler, then was totally gone.

Last year AN picked up the airing rights for G-Force and aired it on their network for awhile until they replaced it with its predecessor BotP. It's been one year since its been pulled off the air with no end in sight . It is still listed in their programs list however, and the G-Force compilation DVD that was also released a year ago had Anime Network's footprints on it, stating it airs on their network.

So, Happy Birthday to the network that introduced me to my beloved G-Force, and provided a hell of a lot of entertainment and memories throughout my childhood, as I was part of the first generation to grow up with the network.

I know you guys probably won't have much to say about CN..........G-3, I'm sure you might though!

 

oh i miss the old cartoon network, i think i got the channel in my home around 94? wow only one year before G-force was giving its second chance,
i'm glad the cartoon network did give G-force that second chance too, its a show that will always be a part of my life, more then any other show, ever.

i didn't know it was back on CN in 2000, hmm. but i did see it on anime network

heh..off the topic, but my birthday was on friday, and a friend surprised me with a home-made G-force card, as he know's how much i adore the show,

 

Living in NYC, a major Time Warner/Turner stronghold (hell I think the main headquarters are here!) I've been receiving CN ever since day one, and have been watching it almost since then. Yes, I too miss the CN that I grew up with. The current CN is very unbalanced and doesn't have as much variety throughout the day as the old CN did (too many repeats!). Adult Swim is what keeps me coming back. Though if I were in control of CN I'd make some sweeping changes to make it a much better channel. Like package it together with Boomerang because to this day Boomerang hasn't made much inroads across the U.S, and as a result the channel is steadily falling apart. The only show that remains on CN from day one,1992 is Tom & Jerry.

Oh, and you managed to see G-Force on Anime Network? Tell me about it! Did they air the episodes as originally broadcast on CN (no edits for content or time?), were there commercials and do you have any idea how many episodes they managed to air?

G-3, check this AWESOME promo that aired on CN's 10th anniversary. It covers 10 years of CN in 60 seconds. You have to have a quick eye to spot many oldies. Watch out for "Afternoon Adventures" & "Power Zone" as those are the afternoon blocks in which G-Force aired. And if you recognize any promos/commercials that may be in your G-Force tapes let me know!

http://s62.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=24G7F1KBXS2DQ15PUM6MBXMRHV

As far as G-Force's return in early 2000 goes, it was used as a stop-gap until CN managed to find a permanent show for its weekend late-night action block "Toonami Midnight Run". Once again the show was buried in a late timeslot, though moreso than ever (4:15AM!). They kept in on for less than 10 episodes and then it was gone from the network for good. Sadly I didn't manage to catch this return, as at that time G-Force hadn't even slipped my mind.

 

Wow, Dirk, quite an impressive review. I hate when channels leave their roots and try and reinvent themselves. Usually that alienates and even pushes away people who were there from the start. Take Nick At Nite for example. Although I wasn't around when these shows aired originally, I loved seeing things like The Donna Reed Show and Leave It To Beaver and Mr. Ed. Now, some of these shows are on TV Land, but Nick At Nite really turned me off when they dumped these classic shows for the like of The Cosby Show and The Facts of Life. Those are good shows, but don't belong there. The same for MTV. Where the heck is the music on Music Television? What happened to videos? What happened to the days of Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, and Martha Quinn? Now MTV is crap! So for us video lovers, they made MTV2. Now, try your luck at finding videos on that station!

I guess I hate change, but I hate when networks try to reinvent themselves and change their roots even more. Cartoon Network did it, and now even Boomerang is doing it. What's next?

 

Well I guess we need to say happy birthday to Gatchaman..It was born on Oct,1 1972 and 1 day later I was born..Pretty cool..

 

Older than me, then

 

Wow, do you guys think I'm the youngest here? No offense.

But as I've (hopefully) shown my mind is beyond my years. Sadly it's a rare commodity to find anyone with their head on straight in my age range. It's all about casual (sometimes unprotected) sex, smoking & drinking, and the like. Sort of feel wrong for wanting a decent, respectable girl to settle with.......


With that out of the way, I'd like to discuss Boomerang (which I'm tuned into as I speak). Ever since BotP left Boomerang the channel's been falling apart. There's no more organization like before, everything's so random. And the channel is expanding into 1990's programming now. It worries me because this might mean that it might soon be the home for the current CN's leftovers from as early as 1996. Some of the older programming is no longer seen either, and the exec's refuse to air the ancient black and white programming which personally I found fascinating when it aired back on late nights in CN. I don't want to see Boomerang stray from its roots, as it is essentially a Cartoon Network nostalgia channel with a new look.

 

Once Boomerang ditched the Superfriends, I stopped watching. That network is as disorganized as The Cartoon Network. It's no wonder they're under the same umbrella.

 

i was lucky enough to catch the marathin they had and i have all but the 1973 series.

 

I still wonder what Anime Network is planning to do with G-Force. BotP is sparingly on its various VOD blocks, and has been ran consistently without fail for over a year now on the linear channel (I think they very well may have ran through the series a couple times by now, something which Boomerang sadly couldn't achieve). And I also am crossing the hell out of my fingers, hoping that one day I randomly tune into Boomerang and catch that cheesy voiceover from the intro. If some outlet ran through the series I'd instantly spring for a DVD recorder, as prices are plummenting.


But for now, I'm just patiently waiting for the call from our neighborhood gatch72 *whistles innocently* No worries though gatch, I'm still sticking to my claim of being a patient man and am really grateful that you've provided me with this wonderful offer in the first place.

 

OMG, I've just realized that I'm one year (and a bit) older than the show is!!

I guess that make me an "old wrinklely"!! LOL!

 

Me to: April 22, 1971

 

Well, let's just say that while I was emerging from my mother's womb you guys were probably more than halfway through High School.


If we as a collective were "G-Force", then I'd be Peewee, the young one who's like a kid brother to everyone else. Meaning I wouldn't have been let near the bird missle button for a second. No offense to your ages though. I just lament that I'm still fumbling in the very first stages of college trying to make my place in today's world and set up the future for myself and my potential family. Pretty intimidating too, the thought of being on your own in the world.


For the record:

January 6, 1987.

 

I judge my oldness by using the Challenger accident as a benchmark. Dirk here wasn't even BORN then, let alone remember it. That was a major day in my life (I was indeed in high school), and people who weren't even born when it happened are now in college.

 

Yeah, well my benchmark is seeing the last of the 2 Twin Towers collapse before my very own eyes at 10:29AM on that fateful day. Not on TV or in the movies, but with my very own eyes. I was 14 at the time. Long story though.


Now then, how about we lighten up the mood a bit?

"G-Force" has been acknowledged in the AWESOME "Retrojunk" site which everyone here should check out seeing as it has something for everyone born before 1990.

Anyways:

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_theme/528/

The ever-popular G-Force intro!

I'm sure BotP is around there somewhere............