The Ridiculous History of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Part Two: The Fall of a Grift
Summary
Hosts Ben Bolin and Noel Brown, joined by producer Max Williams, explore the decline of Saturday morning cartoons due to 1990s FCC regulations and the rise of cable networks. They discuss how shows like Pokémon and anime shifted viewing habits to weekdays, forcing broadcast networks to outsource or abandon animation blocks. The episode concludes with the 2014 end of the CW’s Vortexx and the modern resurgence of high-quality reboots driven by nostalgia.
Listen ad-free on Castria