It just got a bit harder to watch some of Cartoon Network’s older shows.
As spotted by Gizmodo and various X/Twitter accounts this week, a number of beloved Cartoon Network series have been removed from Max as of October without warning. They include Steven Universe, Ben 10, Chowder, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, We Bare Bears, and the 2016 Powerpuff Girls revival.
Cartoon Network shows that has been removed from Max today:
– Chowder
– Regular Show
– The Amazing World of Gumball
– We Bare Bears
– Steven Universe pic.twitter.com/WUR63HtDgv
— ToonHive (@ToonHive) October 1, 2024
What’s worse, the news comes not long after Warner Bros. Discovery shut down Cartoon Network’s website, which contained clips and full episodes of the shows removed from Max this month, among many others. The Cartoon Network website now redirects to a sign-up page for Max, an irony that was not lost on some on social media this week. Warner Bros. Discovery also shuttered Boomerang, a streaming service dedicated to its throwback cartoons, just a couple of days ago.
Fans were quick to bemoan the sudden disappearances and some even wondered if the shows might’ve been removed in error, especially given the popularity of some of them. IGN has reached out to Max for comment, but a source with knowledge of the situation tells us this was part of a standard content update for the streaming platform.
It’s also worth noting that the image for the Kids and Family hub on Max seems to have changed in the wake of the news. What used to be an image of Bugs Bunny flanked by Steven Universe and Gumball sees the latter two replaced by a Carebear and Fred Flintstone.
Ben 10 (2016) got removed too.
Max has notably updated its artwork for the Kids & Family hub to replace Gumball and Steven with a Care Bear and Fred Flintstone. (Jesus are they actually doing this?) pic.twitter.com/x5ZcHF3yWx
— CN News/Schedules (@CNschedules) October 1, 2024
Luckily, it doesn’t appear to be a sweep of all archival Cartoon Network content; Max like includes other popular shows from the network like Adventure Time, Batwheels, Craig of the Creek, and Teen Titans Go!, and many of the removed series are available on other streaming platforms like Hulu. Still, for many, it’s just another damning sign of how WBD has treated Cartoon Network and its animated library at large.
“Happy 32nd anniversary I guess,” wrote one fan. “Seriously I’ve never seen a whole brand be mistreated as badly as Cartoon Network is right now. It’s disgusting.”
Cartoon Network’s linear TV channel is still active, but fans have long been worried about the channel and its archives, causing #RIPCartoonNetwork to trend earlier this year. Cartoon Network moved out of its famous Burbank, California, studio last year, with staff relocating to a building shared with Warner Bros. Animation workers.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
