The Looney Tunes Show

This series is not to be confused with Cartoon Network's 2001 anthology series of the same name.

The Looney Tunes Show
Genre	Animated sitcom
Created by	Spike Brandt Tony Cervone
Starring	Jeff Bergman Bob Bergen Fred Armisen Kristen Wiig Maurice LaMarche
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52
Running time	22 minutes
Original run	3 May 2011 - 31 August 2014
Networks	Cartoon Network (US) Boomerang (UK (premieres) and US (re-runs))

The Looney Tunes Show is a television series that aired on Cartoon Network and overseas on Boomerang. It was created by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone, who also created the 2003 series Duck Dodgers.

This show debuted 3 May 2011 and ran until 31 August 2014. Tony Cervone stated that the show was cancelled to make room for a new Looney Tunes spin-off show called Wabbit. A Looney Tunes Production (later renamed New Looney Tunes), mostly because the show was not well-received with the executives at Warner Bros.

The show's plots contain less visual gags, and are more adult-oriented and dialogue-driven than has been seen in past Looney Tunes spin-offs. Topics that are explored include dating, love triangles, employment, and rooming. Unlike other spin-offs which were targeted towards children, this show was targeted more towards families, as it carried a TV-PG rating, and is the first Looney Tunes spin-off show to receive a PG rating, as most other Looney Tunes shows received a TV-Y, TV-G, or TV-Y7 rating.

Plot

Bugs and Daffy are living in the suburbs of Los Angeles with "colorful neighbors" including Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Yosemite Sam and Speedy Gonzales. Classic characters such as Lola Bunny, Tina Russo, Porky Pig, Petunia Pig, Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, Gossamer and many others also appear.

Bugs and Daffy live in the same house and they have to solve problems that arise.

Instead of rivals, Bugs and Daffy are roommates. However, Daffy still seems to retain his envious, greedy, egocentric personality he always had. Many of the characters who originally rivaled Bugs and/or Daffy, including Marvin the Martian, Yosemite Sam, Witch Hazel, Gossamer, and Pete Puma now mingle with them. The Tasmanian Devil even serves as Bugs' pet dog, "Poochie" Elmer Fudd was a hunter and a farmer, but now he is a news reporter who has little to no current connection to any of the other characters.

The show also features Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts (Season 1 only) as well as two-minute music videos showcasing classic characters singing original songs. These music videos are called Merrie Melodies in honor of the classic series of Merrie Melodies shorts.

Gallery

Title card

Print logo

Looney Tunes Show characters in Hopi Hari

Teaser poster

Character poster

Australian Season 1 Volume 5 DVD

Australian Complete First Season DVD

Semper Lie scene

Episodes

Fifty-two episodes were produced over the show's two seasons. Each season had twenty-six episodes.

Main article: The Looney Tunes Show Episode Guide and List

A direct-to-video film produced by the same creative team as this series but with an unrelated plot, Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, was released 1 May 2015.

Merrie Melodies

Season 1:

• Grilled Cheese (performed by Elmer J. Fudd)
• I'm a Martian (performed by Marvin the Martian)
• Blow My Stack (performed by Yosemite Sam)
• Chickenhawk (performed by Henery Hawk, and Foghorn Leghorn, ft. Barnyard Dawg)
• Cock of the Walk (performed by Foghorn Leghorn, with Pepé Le Pew and Penelope Pussycat making cameo appearances)
• Queso Bandito (performed by Speedy Gonzales)
• We Are in Love (performed by Lola and Bugs Bunny)
• Be Polite (performed by Mac and Tosh ft. Marvin the Martian)
• Yellow Bird (performed by Holland Greco)
• Tasmanian Meltdown (performed by Damon Jones)
• Skunk Funk (performed by Pepé Le Pew)
• Daffy Duck the Wizard (performed by Damon Jones ft. Daffy Duck)
• Pizzarriba (performed by Speedy Gonzales, Gustavo, and Porky Pig)
• Presidents' Day (performed by Lola Bunny)
• Giant Robot Love (performed by Daffy Duck and Porky Pig)
• You Like / I Like (performed by Mac and Tosh)
• Chintzy (performed by Daffy Duck and Porky Pig)
• Table for One (performed by Speedy Gonzales)

Season 2:

• Laser Beam (by Marvin the Martian)
• Moostache (by Yosemite Sam's Mustache)
• Drifting Apart (by Mac and Tosh ft. Pete Puma)
• Stick to My Guns (by Yosemite Sam)
• I Love to Sing-A (by Gossamer)
• Parade Float (by Daffy Duck)
• Daffy's Legacy (by Daffy Duck)
• Wonderful Bugs (by Walter Bunny)
• Long Eared Drifter (by Damon Jones ft. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck)
• Sit Down (by Pete Puma)
• Season of the Turtle (by Cecil Turtle)

Characters

Cast
Bugs Bunny Foghorn Leghorn Daffy Duck Sylvester Tweety	Jeff Bergman
Porky Pig	Bob Bergen
Speedy Gonzales	Fred Armisen
Lola Bunny	Kristen Wiig
Yosemite Sam	Maurice LaMarche
Gossamer	Kwesi Boakye
Witch Hazel	Roz Ryan
Granny	June Foray
Tina Russo	Jennifer Esposito Annie Mumolo
Elmer Fudd	Billy West
Tasmanian Devil Hugo the Abominable Snowman Beaky Buzzard	Jim Cummings
Pete Puma	John Kassir
Marvin the Martian	Eric Bauza
Henery Hawk Barnyard Dawg	Ben Falcone
Pepé Le Pew	Rene Auberjonois (Season 1), Jeff Bergman (Season 2)
Cecil Turtle	Jim Rash
Wile E. Coyote
Road Runner	Paul Julian (archive sound; uncredited)
Slowpoke Rodriguez	Hugh Davidson
Mac and Tosh	Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell	All singing characters	Damon Jones

Reception

Reaction to The Looney Tunes Show have been mixed. Though the voice acting has received praise, the series has been criticized for its infrequent use of slapstick, its lack of cartoon gags, character designs, personality changes and the "sitcom-styled" format that consists of the characters living in a suburban neighborhood.

In a 2010 interview with CBC News, series animator Jessica Borutski said in response to fan criticism of the series' new character designs, that the original designs were intended for adults and that it is a new generation to meet the characters Borutski said, "a new design is the only way to keep characters alive." Cartoon historian Chris Robinson noted also that the mark the original characters have on fans is indelible, and that fans are not receptive to change. "Fans just really become attached to these things," Robinson said. "It's just so strongly in their childhood that they're unable to separate themselves."

Brian Lowry of Variety wrote: "The Looney Tunes Show has to go down as a disappointment — more for adults than kids who aren't as acquainted with the full-strength shorts. Because while puns and wordplay have always had a place in 'Tunes'-ville, building an animated show around sitcom-style one-liners is looney for all the Right reasons."

Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times wrote: "Pity the cartoon character. Unable to speak for himself against those who would redraw or rewrite him, he is the slave and plaything of whomever owns the copyright. The human fan can only watch or not and note that in most cases the better work is not usually the latest, and that theatrical versions of old cartoons are almost invariably superior to their television revivals."

Matthew Hunter of Golden Age Cartoons wrote: "The Looney Tunes Show, Cartoon Network's current series featuring the iconic Warner Bros. characters, is a radical departure from the classic shorts we all know and love. The producers "updated" the characters a bit and placed them in a suburban sitcom setting. The show is popular, but many fans of the classics have been very vocal in their displeasure with it. While the original Looney Tunes are known for physical comedy, slapstick and gags, The Looney Tunes Show relies much more on verbal humor and characters finding themselves in awkward situations. It's an interesting approach.."

Devin D. O'Leary of Alibi wrote: "The Looney Tunes Show attempts to rebrand Bugs Bunny and pals for a new generation—by putting them in a standard TV sitcom format. But it's probably not as bad as you're imagining. In fact, it may be the best thing to happen to these characters in a generation."

Brandon Nowalk of A.V. Club reviewed the show and wrote: "The Looney Tunes Show is the most off-putting version of Looney Tunes I've ever seen. Instead of a universe where anything could happen, here the plots are standard sitcom tropes. Instead of a universe spanning continents As the characters live"

Awards and Nominations

The Looney Tunes Show has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Outcome
2011	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Voice-Over Performance	Bob Bergen For the voice of Porky Pig Episode "Jailbird and Jailbunny"	Nominated
2012	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Voice-Over Performance	Kristen Wiig For the voice of Lola Bunny Episode "Double Date"	Nominated
2013	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Voice-Over Performance	Bob Bergen For the voice of Porky Pig Episode "We're in Big Truffle"	Nominated

Notes

• The CGI Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts were discontinued for Season 2 of the show. Wile E. and Road Runner however still appeared in cameos in the show in 2D animation. This was due to the cost of producing CGI shorts along with the show's 2D animation.
• The show went on hiatus many times during its run, often being pre-empted on Cartoon Network's schedule for Level Up.
• Since 2015, both the Merrie Melodies and Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner CGI shorts from this show sometimes air as interstitial programming on Boomerang.
• The start of the opening sequence with the WB shield zooming in but overshooting its' mark and nearly crashing into the screen before settling back into its' usual position is based on the opening to the 1953 3D Bugs Bunny short Lumber Jack-Rabbit. This gimmick was also referenced at the start of all the 2003 Sander Schwartz/Larry Doyle-produced Looney Tunes shorts and the three CGI "Road Runner" theatrical shorts produced in 2010.
• The teaser promo's theme music was a remix version of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down", but it was changed to a fast-paced, jazzy rendition of the theme for the show.