Family TV Roundup: Upcoming Shows for Cartoon Network, The Hub and More

Welcome to the Family TV Roundup, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We'll sum up all the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.

America's family-friendly networks have been busy over the last month with presentations to advertisers on their upcoming shows for the 2011-12 season. First up were the Disney and Nickelodeon family channels. Today we take a look at the new lineups for Cartoon Network and The HUB.

Cartoon Network
After years of trying to compete with the likes of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon for a slice of the live-action pie, Cartoon Network is sticking to what it does best: cartoons. Out of the 14 new series being offered, only one is live action.

There are several new projects in the works for the cable outlet. Included in those is the remake of the classic 1980s cartoon 'ThunderCats,' which we profiled a few weeks ago. In this re-imagined version, the Third Earth kingdom of Thundera is being threatened by Mumm-Ra and his minions. It's up to Lion-O and his friends to defeat the evil sorcerer in order to save his world from the coming darkness.

Another upcoming remake is 'The Looney Tunes Show.' This show is not only about Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck -- everyone from Foghorn Leghorn to Marvin the Martian will be returning in this 21st century update of the Warner Brothers' franchise. 'The Looney Tunes Show' will premiere on Tue., May 3, at 8PM.

The biggest news at the upfronts came from Cartoon Network's continued connection with DC Comics. DC Nation, to be launched in 2012, will be a new on-air and online programming block featuring the company's animation properties as well as behind-the-scenes looks and extended trailers for upcoming movies. Among the shows that could appear on DC Nation are 'Batman: Brave and the Bold,' 'Young Justice' and 'Teen Titans.'

Another show most likely to join the block is 'Green Lantern: The Animated Series.' Set in the far reaches of space, the new CGI-animated series will focus on Green Lantern Hal Jordan's battle against the Red Lantern Corps. No date has been set for the show's premiere; however, it will most likely take place after the theatrical release of the 'Green Lantern' movie this summer.

Among the other highlights of the Cartoon Network upfronts are:

• 'Level Up': The network's only live-action series is about four high school students who open a portal that allows characters from video games to enter the real world.

• 'How to Train Your Dragon': A CGI-animated show based on the DreamWorks Animation movie which featured the adventures of Hiccup and his dragon Toothless.

• 'Total Drama: Revenge of the Island': 13 new animated-reality players return to the island where 'Total Drama' began. Only it's been turned into a toxic waste dump.

• New 'Ben 10' Series: Yet another new installment of the 'Ben 10' franchise. Not much is known about the subject matter or whether Ben and his friends will continue to age.

The HUB
For its 2011-12 run, one of the newest family-friendly cable outlets is continuing to put its focus on Hasbro-related animated and live-action series.

On the animation side, the network is offering four new series. Among them are 'Rescue Bots,' about a group of Autobots too young to work with Optimus Prime who are herded off to assist a family of first responders. Another offering is 'Blythe Loves the Littlest Pet Shop,' about a little girl who discovers that her apartment is the clubhouse for the neighborhood pets.

The network's live-action offerings are heavily related to popular Hasbro board games. Three of the programs are game shows revolving around the board games 'Clue,' 'The Game of Life,' and 'Scrabble.' The fourth competition, 'Majors & Minors' pits 16 young musical performers against each other to win a recording contact. The major difference between this show and one like 'American Idol' is the contestants will not be voted off after each round.

The other live-action program is 'The Aquabats Super Show,' which revolves around the band known as The Aquabats. The show will mix concert footage with live skits and animated sequences where the Aquabats use their superpowers to defeat evildoers.

Programming Schedule Notes and Reminders:

• The '2011 Kids' Choice Awards' airs this Saturday at 8PM on Nickelodeon. The 24th annual program will be hosted by Jack Black.

• Batman and Robin reunite with Scooby-Doo and the gang in a segment of tonight's 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold.' Part of the episode entitled 'Bat-Mite's Strangest Cases,' the Dynamic Duo and the Scooby Gang help Weird Al Yankovic battle the Footlight Phantom. The show airs at 6:30PM on Cartoon Network.

Other News:

• 'The Suite Life Movie' did okay for Disney Channel. Starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse, the made-for-TV movie was the top scripted show with 2.5 million total viewers and top of the night for K6-11 and tweens with an average of 2.3 million.

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