Ren & Stimpy (2020 TV series)

Ren & Stimpy (formerly known as The Ren & Stimpy Show) is an American animated comedy television series developed by Bob Camp for Nickelodeon, and later for the streaming service Paramount+. This reboot is a continuation from the original series that aired from 1991 to 1995 on said network, and Adult Party Cartoon doesn’t count here. Most of the cast and crew who worked on the original returned for this revival. Billy West continued to voice Stimpy and Ren.

Unlike the original series and Adult Party Cartoon, this revival has more satire and meta-humor, but still keeps the dark, edgy humor, adult humor, innuendos, and shock value that the original series was known for.

The reboot premiered on February 8, 2020, and a second season released on July 9, 2021. The series was greenlit for a third season on June 1, 2021, which premiered on Paramount+ on September 9, 2022.

On January 29, 2021, it was announced that the show would be moving to Paramount+ on March 4, where the rest of Season 1, would be streamed, along with a selection of episodes from the original show.

On August 31, 2022, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a fourth season, set to release in 2023. On April 1, 2023, the season's first episode premiered on Nickelodeon and Comedy Central unannounced as an April Fools' prank.

Also, on August 26, 2021, Paramount+ announced that a feature film based on the franchise would be produced for their service. The film, titled Ren & Stimpy: Cosmic Hairball, was released onto the platform on November 17, 2022.

On April 28, it was announced that the fourth season would be its last, and is set to stream this fall. On that same day, it was announced that another Ren & Stimpy movie is in the works.

Premise
Just like the original 1991 series, the show focuses on the adventures of ill-tempered chihuahua Ren Hoek and fat ditzy red cat Stimpson J. Cat (simply known as Stimpy). The show takes place in the 21st century and features modern-day shenanigans. Also, like the original series, the show features wraparounds from the classic "Log" to the "Ask Dr. Stupid" to the "What'd We Do Till Then?" segments.

Cast

 * Billy West as Ren Hoek, Stimpson J. Cat (Stimpy), Mr. Horse, The Salesman, Sven Hoek, and others
 * Clancy Brown as Powdered Toast Man
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Muddy Mudskipper and others
 * Peter Browngardt as Bobby Bill, a character introduced in Season 2.
 * Tom Kenny as Chief Whiskers, the police chief
 * Mr. Lawrence as Doug, Whiskers' partner

Carlos Alazraqui, Frank Welker, and others voice various other characters.

Conception
In July 2017, Nickelodeon was in the early stages of developing a Ren & Stimpy reboot. They announced that it won't be anything its predecessor, Adult Party Cartoon, which received negative reviews from fans of the original series and critics. John Kricfalusi announced that he did not see this coming and is forbidden from being part of the reboot, knowing about his past with Nickelodeon and how incompetent he was with the network during the original show's run.

In March 2018, Kricfalusi had been alleged with sexual abuse and announced his retirement from the animation industry, so he would not be credited in the reboot and not receive any compensation.

Casting
Billy West, who voiced Ren and Stimpy in the original, returned to voice the titular duo in the reboot. Powdered Toast Man reappears in the reboot but is voiced by Clancy Brown instead due to the death of his previous voice actor, Gary Owens, in 2015. Muddy Mudskipper returns as well but is not voiced by Harris Peet due to his retirement in 2007 and is now voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. Season 2 debuted a new character, a big, fat, and dimwitted convenience store owner named Bobby Bill (voiced by Peter Browngardt).

Broadcast
The series premiered on Nickelodeon, on February 8, 2020. A sneak peek of the first episode was shown on the Nickelodeon YouTube channel on December 26, 2019.

The show also airs on YTV in Canada, and premiered on March 28, 2020, and airs new episodes on Saturday mornings ever since.

On January 29, 2021, it was announced that the show would be moving to Paramount+ on March 4, where the rest of Season 1, would be streamed, along with a selection of episodes from the original show. Season 2 was released on the platform on July 9, to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary.

Home media
The series' complete first season was released on August 17, 2021, on DVD. The complete second season was released on August 9, 2022, on DVD.

Cosmic Hairball (2022)
Main article: Ren & Stimpy: Cosmic Hairball

In August 2021, Paramount announced that a feature film based on the franchise will stream on Paramount+. More details were announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 on July 21, 2022, with the title of the film revealed to be Ren & Stimpy: Cosmic Hairball, and the release date of November 17, 2022.

This film was produced during the second season, hence why it was shortened to 20 episodes instead of the normal 26. According to Vincent Waller, the crew was split up into two teams: one team that would work on Season 2 and one that would work on the movie.

Dr. Stupid's Guide to Life (2023)
This series of four shorts, made in collaboration with education platform MasterClass, was released on April 28, 2023.

Reception
The reboot turned out to obtain mixed reviews from critics.