Today’s the big day for HBO Max which officially dropped the HBO tocomplete its rebrand to Max. Sadly, that change didn’t come without casualties. Followingthe removal of the Adult Swim classicMetalocalypsefrom the platform yesterday, the animation cuts kept coming as the comedic talk showSpace Ghost Coast to Coastwas axed from the platform. Created byMike Lazzobased on the original Hanna-Barbera character Space Ghost, it marked Cartoon Network’s first original foray into adult animated programming, paving the way for the Adult Swim brand known today.
The move apparently came in the hours just before the rebrand took place today. UnderDavid Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery has been no stranger to axing content,especially of the animated variety, from their streaming platform following the merger. Much of the changes likely come down to licensing issues as HBO Max had been planning to gut its catalog of content from Cartoon Network with the name change, though the Zaslav regime has universally shown no mercy to animation in an effort to save on residuals. Acclaimed series likeInfinity Trainhave been especially left in the dust by the cuts, leaving viewers with few options to keep watching them.
Thankfully, Adult Swim knew this move was coming with bothSpace GhostandMetalocalypseand has migrated all episodes to their official website. This is far from the end of content removal though as the troubling trend continues to grow throughout the industry. While Warner Bros. Discover has garnered the lion’s share of flack among creatives, Disney recently turned heads witha content purge on Disney+ and Hulu, taking downWillowjust six months after the finale alongside other hits likeThe Mysterious Benedict SocietyandBig Shot.
RELATED:‘Willow’ Creator Jonathan Kasdan Isn’t Bothered By Removal of Series From Disney+
What’s the Premise ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coast?
Space Ghost Coast to Coastwas a chaotic take on the late-night talk show format with the titular washed-up hero Space Ghost (George Lowe) interacting with live-action celebrity guests. Episodes would often get derailed by his bandleader Zorak and director-producer Moltar, both voiced byC. Martin Croker, who were forced to work on the show as punishment for all of their evil deeds in the original Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Starting in 1994, the series was initially canceled in 1999 before being revived to join the newly-created Adult Swim brand. Although it didn’t begin its run with Adult Swim, it essentially created the brand as the people behind it would go on to create the classics that putthe slate of adult serieson the map likeAqua Teen Hunger ForceandHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
All episodes ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coastare still available to stream through the Adult Swim website. Check out the first-ever episode from the series via Adult Swim’s UK channel below.
