How to make Cartoon Network Fridays work in the streaming era
Hey all! I’ve been feeling heavy nostalgia for Cartoon Network Fridays lately, particularly the era where Tara Sands was hosting with Tommy.
Tara & Tommy brought a fun sleepover energy that made it feel they were right there watching with you. These live person bumpers are certainly something missing when shows just “drop” in the streaming era.
While Fridays in the format as released between 2003-07 would never work with today’s kids, there are a few small format tweaks that could be made that could capture the spirit of Fridays to fit the streaming era.
1. Make the programming similar to the What a Cartoon Show.
In this era, if we want people to watch certain content, you gotta make sure the content isn’t more easily accessible somewhere else. To win over those not already a fan of the host skits, having brand new cartoon shorts that cannot be seen anywhere else would be the best chance of success. Having host segments between the different cartoon shorts would recapture the magic of Fridays.
2. Release it on HBO Max only (or another streaming service)
Watching live linear TV is not favored by most audiences of today. Having this content packaged in a streaming service is a must. The host segments in between cartoons would be an actual part of the show rather than commercial bumpers.
3. Release one episode per week (but it doesn’t need to be watched immediately after it drops)
This is a nice compromise so that streamers who are used to watching shows on demand can watch whenever they have time to do so.
4. Have the audience vote for their favorite cartoons (keep voting open for 4 days minimum)
As part of the host segments, the hosts should open up a voting line so the audience can vote for their favorite cartoons. Keeping the voting lines open for 4 days minimum will allow streamers who watch it a few days later to still vote from the most recent episode.
5. More interactive segments!
In order for the spirit of Fridays to be recaptured, the audience needs to feel that the host segments are unskippable and are just as part of the fun as the cartoons. Tie ins with social media, opportunities to ask questions to the hosts & fun minigames would keep the audience engaged even when cartoons aren’t playing.
I hope you enjoyed my idea on how to recapture the spirit of Fridays in the streaming era.