Adult Swim’s boss says no more reboots: “We’re only doing new things”
In a refreshing break from an industry addicted to nostalgia, Cartoon Network president Michael Ouweleen says fans literally told them to stop rebooting and make original shows. He’s promising 2027 will be a “banger year” for new ideas, with one ironic catch.
In an era where every studio is reviving, rebooting, and remaking anything with a recognizable name, one animation boss is saying the quiet part out loud: knock it off.
Michael Ouweleen, president of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, says his late-night block is done with reboots, because the fans actually asked him to stop. It’s a genuinely refreshing stance, with one funny wrinkle we’ll get to.
What he actually said
The comments came from an interview at the Annecy animation festival, and they’re blunt.
“In media, generally, people have been into reboots,” Ouweleen said. “I’m manifesting the conditions to start new things again. At Adult Swim, we’re only doing new things.”
And his reasoning isn’t a guess. He says it’s backed by research: “We have signals from the fan base, a research study we did in the last year, and they don’t want us to do reboots. They’re like, ‘Keep going. Keep doing the things.’”
So this isn’t one exec’s hunch. He’s saying the audience explicitly told them they’d rather have fresh ideas than another revival.
Why this is a big deal
To understand why that’s notable, look at the rest of the industry.
Right now, Hollywood and TV are flooded with reboots, revivals, legacy sequels, and nostalgia plays. It’s the safe bet, take a name people already know and bank on built-in recognition. New, original ideas are riskier, because audiences have to be convinced to care about something unfamiliar.
For a major brand to say “we’re only doing new things” cuts against that entire trend. Ouweleen is openly betting on originality at a moment when most of the industry is betting on the opposite. For fans tired of seeing the same franchises recycled, that’s a genuinely encouraging thing to hear from someone with the power to greenlight shows.
The “banger year” promise
He’s not just talking philosophy, either. He put numbers to it.
Ouweleen says 2027 is shaping up to be “a banger year for Adult Swim originals. Maybe the most number of half-hour originals that we’ve done in the last decade.” He added that he’s already mapping out 2028, 2029, and 2030, because planning that far ahead is the job.
There’s a real slate behind the talk, too. Adult Swim has a Rick and Morty movie in development, a Rick and Morty spin-off, the new series President Curtis from Dan Harmon, and a fourth season of My Adventures with Superman in the mix. So “only new things” comes with actual projects attached, not just a slogan.
What Adult Swim looks for
Ouweleen also gave a peek at how they pick shows, and it’s interesting.
For Adult Swim, he says, it’s not really about the idea, it’s about the feel. “Have I heard this tone of voice before? Have I seen this feeling before?” he explained. He compared it to “a guitar amp sound more than a concept”, they’re chasing a vibe that doesn’t already exist, not a premise.
That’s a useful tip for any creator hoping to pitch them: originality of tone matters more than a clever logline. They want something that feels new, not just sounds new.
The one ironic catch
Here’s the wrinkle, and it’s a good one.
While Ouweleen is championing all-original Adult Swim, his other network, Cartoon Network, recently announced a Powerpuff Girls reboot is in the works. So the same company preaching “no reboots” on one side is reviving a classic on the other.
To be fair, he’s clear the no-reboot rule is specifically an Adult Swim thing, and that Cartoon Network’s revival decisions run through a different team. The two brands have different audiences and different playbooks. Still, it’s a little funny to hear “we’re only doing new things” from a company that’s simultaneously bringing back the Powerpuff Girls. Even the guy waving the originality flag isn’t fully reboot-proof.
The bottom line
So here’s the honest read.
Ouweleen’s stance is the kind of thing fans love to hear, and there’s real substance behind it: a research-backed reason, a stacked 2027 slate, and a genuine commitment to original tone over recycled names. In an industry that defaults to the familiar, an animation boss saying “the fans want new, so that’s what we’re making” is a breath of fresh air.
The Powerpuff irony keeps it from being a perfect story, and the proof will be in whether those 2027 originals actually land. But betting on new ideas, because the audience asked for them, is a bet worth rooting for. If it pays off, maybe a few other studios will notice that “make something new” is still allowed. Adult Swim’s about to test whether originality still sells. Here’s hoping it does.
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Article compiled and edited by Derek Gibbs (entertainment editor) and the Clownfish TV newsroom.
Hat Tips:
Collider (June 2026), Steve Weintraub’s Annecy interview, which originated the quotes, verified for Ouweleen’s “only doing new things,” “manifesting the conditions,” and “guitar amp sound” comments, the research-study reasoning, and the Powerpuff Girls reboot context
Bleeding Cool (June 2026), verified for the “banger year” 2027 originals quote, the “most half-hour originals in a decade” claim, the Toonami details, and the President Curtis / My Adventures with Superman slate