I don’t really know how I feel about the ’90s nostalgia movement. In one sense, it’s pretty cool to see all the shows/movies/music/other cultural ephemera I enjoyed growing up coming back in 2020. On the other hand, so much new, original content is being ignored for the sake of continually rehashing the past. I’m pretty conflicted, but then I hear things like that Ren & Stimpy has been revived by Comedy Central and suddenly I’m totally sold again.
- Ren & Stimpy was a ’90s classic. Oddly enough, it appeared on Nickelodeon. I say “oddly” because Nick was for kids and Ren & Stimpy kinda not. Yes, it was a cartoon, but much of the dialogue and hidden jokes were rather adult, so it seems a somewhat strange choice in hindsight. Nevertheless, I absolutely loved it as a kid, to the point that one of the first CDs I ever got was the show’s soundtrack. Yes, really.
- The show has been off the air for nearly 25 years. That’s slightly too long in Comedy Central’s eyes, as the network revealed on August 5 that they’re bringing Ren & Stimpy back in a “reimagined” version, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- There’s not much in the way of details so far. We know Ren & Stimpy is coming back and that Comedy Central is bringing in an entirely new creative team for the revival, but that’s about all the info that’s available currently. Nickelodeon Animation Studio will head up the series but no word on writers, how many episodes there will be, or when it will be out.
- This seems to be a trend for the network. Comedy Central already picked up a revival of Beavis and Butt-Head as well as Jodie, which is a spinoff of Daria, so clearly they’re keen to hop on the nostalgia train. If they’re smart, they’ll put all these shows in the same block of programming so they can get all the ’90s kids (now very grown adults) tuned in for them.
- This is an exciting announcement for sure. “We are excited to reinvent this iconic franchise with a new creative team and our partners at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio,” said ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group president Chris McCarthy. “Ren & Stimpy joins our rapidly expanding roster of adult animation including South Park, Beavis and Butt-Head and Clone High as we continue to reimagine our treasure chest of beloved IP for new generations.” Can’t wait!
