Ren and Stimpy are back. After almost four years since its announcement and several setbacks in its production, the long-awaited (and controversial) reboot of one of Nickelodeon's most iconic animated series from the 90s will finally premiere this July. This news comes shortly after the original series left the programming of Comedy Central's Latin American channel due to a change in operations. Let's briefly review the production chronology of this series.
In August 2020, Comedy Central, owned by Paramount Global and Nickelodeon's sister channel, announced the green light to produce a reboot of "Ren and Stimpy." From the beginning, it was confirmed that John Kricfalusi, original creator of the franchise, would not participate in the new series nor receive financial compensation due to accusations of workplace mistreatment and sexual abuse against two minor women at the time: Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice , who worked at Spümcø, Kricfalusi's animation studio, becoming involved in the production of the original series and Adult Party Cartoon, its canceled successor for a more mature audience. Following the announcement of the reboot, Robyn Byrd started a petition on Change.org to cancel it, although it was apparently unsuccessful and the petition was eventually withdrawn, despite considerable support. Later, it was discovered that Byrd was participating in the production of the reboot. Initially planned as a collaboration between MTV Entertainment Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, with animation handled by the latter, production moved to Awesome Inc. (which made other series such as "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" or "Squidbillies") in October 2021. A month earlier, it had been confirmed that Billy West would reprise his voice roles as Ren and Stimpy.
Throughout much of 2022, there was a dearth of news about the reboot, leading many to speculate that it might have been quietly canceled. However, in September 2022, Snipple Animation Studios ("New Looney Tunes", "Jellystone!") announced its involvement as an animation provider. In turn, Billy West explained that development was significantly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus denying cancellation rumors. And so we arrive at December 2023, the month in which Paramount Global suffered a series of security breaches, leaking fragments of what appears to be the first episode of the reboot. This includes the "Screentime / All About Log" segments. Later, last May, a complete episode, the sixth, was leaked, containing the "Aw Hell No! / Squatters" segments, with clapperboard included and full credits.
Thanks to these episodes, we can confirm that John Kricfalusi is not mentioned in the credits as the creator of the characters, unlike other productions where the creators continue to be credited after facing accusations, such as Chris Savino with "The Loud House" or Justin Roiland with "Rick and Morty." Plus, Vanessa Coffey, the woman behind the ingenious idea of Nicktoons in the early '90s, is back as an executive producer, which is a nice surprise. However, it is unfortunate that much of the series' original team, including Bob Camp (who was initially planned to participate but left the project due to creative differences), is not involved. This means that the reboot has primarily been developed by people with no prior experience with the franchise or the characters. We also do not know if, for the Latin dubbing, Ren and Stimpy will have some of the voices that have given them life over the years (including Alfonso Obregón or Igor Cruz as Ren and José Luis Orozco, Martín Soto or Jorge Ornelas for Stimpy), or if there will be recasting.
But returning to the main topic, Comedy Central Latin America will premiere in its programming the new iteration of "Ren y Stimpy" with the segments "Renhattan / Table for Human / Clear Toilet" this Friday, July 12, around 10:30 p.m. MEX | 22:50hrs BRA | 23:30hrs COL/PER | 00:30hrs CHI/VEN | 01:30 hrs ARG. This date also applies to most of Comedy Central's international signals managed by Paramount Networks EMEAA, including the CIS countries, South Africa (at 10:50 p.m.) and Romania (at 10:00 p.m.). Because the premiere has not yet been officially announced by Paramount Global, it is worth clarifying that the date is subject to last minute modifications. New episodes will continue every Friday, at 10:00 p.m. BRA/MEX | 23:00hrs COL/PER | 00:00hrs CHI/VEN | 01:00 hrs ARG. The titles for Friday, July 19 are "Screentime / All About Log / Milk Pulp", and for Friday the 26th "Bad Stimpy / The Mother of all Yaksmases / Yucky the Mudman" will air. Additionally, starting Friday the 19th, each episode aired the previous week will be repeated right after that night's premiere.
At the moment, there is no set date for its release in the rest of the world, including the United States, its country of origin. Curiously, prior to this long-awaited premiere (except in Romania), Comedy Central will also present on its screens "South Park: The End of Obesity", the most recent Paramount+ original special of the successful adult animation franchise. In the same way, the channel will undergo a new change in its programming for Latin America that will bring back local programs. More details soon. The official synopsis for the reboot reads: "You may have thought you caught them during a misremembered fever dream when you were home sick in first grade, but misfit jester Ren and innocent jester Stimpy are back in an animated series! brand new full of laughter, screams and disturbingly grotesque frames that you can't miss! With new and delicious nightmares to burn into your retinas! In this season, Ren and Stimpy take on human skin, meet a genie, get scurvy, They join a cult, discover the wonders of hair removal, shoot a movie, undergo plastic surgery in a mall, go to hell, discover the true meaning of laquetal, and MUCH MORE! With the return of fan-favorite characters, as well as new characters voiced by actors you probably like."
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