Tara McCauley February 8th, 2021 - 4:29 PM
The official Ghostbusters‘ Twitter page announced last week that they would be re-airing episodes of the fan-favorite 80s cartoon The Real Ghostbusters for free on their YouTube channel each Saturday. In addition to The Real Ghostbusters on Saturdays, the Ghostbusters‘ YouTube channel will also be uploading episodes of the 90s spin-off series Extreme Ghostbusters on Wednesdays.
Get your giant bowl of cereal ready! 🥣 #TheRealGhostbusters are bringing back Saturday morning cartoons. Watch the first episode of the animated series this weekend and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more! https://t.co/QU6KwsSXI3 pic.twitter.com/vjQhbDNEYd
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) February 3, 2021
The Real Ghostbusters was an ABC animated spin-off following the adventures of the characters from 1984’s comedy classic Ghostbusters. The series featured the voice acting talents of Arsenio Hall (Coming to America, The Arsenio Hall Show), Maurice LaMarche (Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain), Dave Coulier (Full House), Frank Welker (What’s New, Scooby Doo?, Curious George) and Lorenzo Music (Garfield and Friends, Adventures of the Gummi Bears). Comic Book Resources adds that many seasoned genre writers such as J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, The Twilight Zone) and Michael Reaves (Batman: The Animated Series, Gargoyles) contributed to the show.
The behind-the-scenes talent contributed to the ABC spin-off becoming a hit with fans of the Ghostbusters’ franchise of all ages. In fact, Nerdist posits that the series “is the most beloved part of the franchise outside of the original film.” The Real Ghostbusters also helped develop the merchandising side of the film franchise, as it inspired a line of toys and comics.
Rise and shine! Kick off your Saturday with the first episode of #TheRealGhostbusters. Subscribe to our YouTube to watch episodes each week! https://t.co/sOU9DG3lQf pic.twitter.com/61GYmbgPWQ
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) February 6, 2021
The original 1986 pilot of The Real Ghostbusters was re-released to fans on YouTube this past Saturday and the first episode of the ’90s Extreme Ghostbusters will drop on the franchises’ official YouTube channel this Wednesday.
You thought only Saturday mornings were getting better? We’ve got you covered for Wednesdays too! Catch episodes of #ExtremeGhostbusters each week and enjoy the classic intro to the series on YouTube now! https://t.co/mfzmAuqnmP pic.twitter.com/4kGvNcF07s
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) February 3, 2021
According to Nerdist, it’s unclear whether the Ghostbusters’ YouTube channel, in an attempt to recapture the magic of Saturday morning cartoons, will continue to dole these episodes out at a once-per-week rate. “It could take a long time before they’re done,” Nerdist asserts, as The Real Ghostbusters ran for 140 episodes. The less-successful 90s cartoon, Extreme Ghostbusters, only ran for 40 episodes.
With Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a sequel to the events of the 1984 film, due for release in June 2021, a Saturday morning cartoon style release of these classic episodes could serve to remerge fans into the beloved slime-covered world of Ghostbusters prior to the sequel. However, Nerdist hopes for a little more, posing that: “maybe this is a warm up to a Real Ghostbusters revival?”
For now, Ghostbusters’ fans can recreate the feeling of Saturday (and Wednesday) morning cartoons on Ghostbusters’ YouTube channel with the re-airing of The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters each week.
