Cartoon Network in 2026 Predictions

[Asa]

• If Total Dramarama reruns do not appear for a full year, it would mark the first time since 2017 that no new Fresh TV cartoons have aired on Cartoon Network.
• The long-awaited confirmation of Teen Titans Go’s tenth season being its last is anticipated, as producers, animators, and voice actors have been notably quiet on the matter.
• Additionally, CN may lose broadcasting rights to the Totally Spies reboot, potentially leading to a move to streaming starting with season 8.
• Toonami airing the remaining two seasons of My Hero Academia (even if it’s a Crunchyroll show and the show has taken breaks before), season 3 of One Punch Man (for the first time since 2020, the show returns to the block to promote season 3), the final arc of Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War new episodes of Blue Exorcist, and season 2 of Dandadan. The block may also feature new anime (possibly My Hero Academia Vigilantes?), and potentially remove Naruto reruns due to Toonami Rewind’s closure in late 2024.

 

[Perla Magica]

For CN USA:

- 10th season of Teen Titans Go being its' last
- New shows that were announced finally getting its' premiere (hopefully)

For CN internationally:

- Better schedule and variety for CN CEE

 

[Daikun]

Honestly, CN has almost nothing of value at this point. All they have right now is TTG while their other shows are in production (and will likely just end up on streaming services since they seem to be allergic to premiering their own shows on their own network) and they only have a few remaining episodes left of WBB and Prince Ivandoe. Their gas tank right now is close to empty.

 

[RandomMe]

Honestly, CN has almost nothing of value at this point. All they have right now is TTG while their other shows are in production (and will likely just end up on streaming services since they seem to be allergic to premiering their own shows on their own network) and they only have a few remaining episodes left of WBB and Prince Ivandoe. Their gas tank right now is close to empty.

And even TT GO! gets redeemed because of streaming. The 9am episode on Saturday rates a lot less than reruns of any show.

I quit my hopes on Cartoon Network as a whole, because the network has been plunged into its new Dark Ages. What happened in the late 2000s is child's play compared to the current situation. Even streaming suffers from a lack of original content. Adult Swim doesn't count.

 

[AnimatedFan01]

Worst-case scenario: the entire channel becomes 24-hour Adult Swim, only the 6AM-5PM feed is "Adult Swim Jr." and airs the usual CN originals, while the 5PM-6AM feed is "regular" Adult Swim. That seems to be the direction things are heading now, given less and less kids are tuning in to premieres on linear TV or even watching it at all. CN has officially lost variety that they refuse to rerun anything other than TTG, Adventure Time, Regular Show, or Gumball now, and won't make any originals that aren't derivative of the former three or any of their other pre-existing properties. And now that most of those shows' cult followers who watched them as kids are adults or late teens now, that just proves my theory.

If Adult Swim became its own channel or otherwise departed in a scenario allowing CN to become a 24-hour channel again, just think of how quickly viewership and ratings would tank, less and less households would keep a cable subscription to CN, leading to their eventual extinction. But the reason I predict AS hasn't departed from CN or gotten its own channel yet is because the transitional aspect of being linked to a kids network late at night was part of the nocturnal experience; seeing the bumpers that separate the channels between day and night and preparing for a big ride from the TV-PG-14 FOX lineup to the hard TV-MA Rick and Morty or Robot Chicken. It wouldn't feel natural having AS as a 24-hour channel, especially if they can't show TV-MA content before 10pm.

Another theory I have as to how nostalgia is the only thing keeping CN alive on linear TV is I still see DVD/Blu-ray ads from time to time on AS, the most recent being for the Rick and Morty anime. I can't think of the last time I saw physical media advertised on the regular CN feed.

 

[TheGreatToon]

For CN USA:

If TTG supposedly ends with it's 10th season, the channel (while still airing acquired shows from time to time) continues it's transition into being a rerun farm, I also see it losing some more time to Adult Swim.

For CN international:

A bit more/less variety depending on the feed, Other than that I see it staying as-is.

 

[E-Scope]

My predictions:

• Teen Titans Go! ends after its tenth season.
• 2026 will be the first year since 2017 where no Fresh TV cartoon gets reran if either Total DramaRama or Total Drama Island (2023) aren't rerun (if it's the original Total Drama series, then they could possibly use the current remastered 16:9 HD prints of the first three seasons). Plus Total DramaRama might also leave CN CEE if the rights to the remaining second and third seasons weren't renewed.
• The last remaining Cartoon Network shows leaves HBO Max in the United States and become only available on Hulu from now on.
• We Baby Bears' two remaining story arc episodes finally air in the States.
• Adult Swim gains another hour, starting at 4pm.
• The UK feed of Cartoon Network either closes following HBO Max's UK launch or merges with the Western European feed.
• More CN classics gets added onto HBO Max in Western Europe, as well as the classics being added to said service in Eastern Europe and Turkey.
• Several third-party shows gets added to HBO Max if possible.
• Totally Spies! leaves Cartoon Network for streaming.
• Cartoon Network Canada gets replaced by Teletoon again.

 

[Eurbane]

Here’s my list:
1.the end of cartoonito (yes, I did say that since the block is getting less and less)
2.new Cartoon Network shows (we need more of these)
3.more classic Cartoon Network shows complete series on dvd
4.A third season of the 2020s Total Drama Island.
5.the wonderfully weird world of Gumball gets renewed for another season.

 

[fly]

-Cartoon Network adds more Canadian-European acquisitions to stay afloat, as well as the announcement of more spin-offs/revivals of older shows because why not
-TTG gets renewed for 5 more seasons
-Cartoonito shows will only air for approximately 15 minutes once every Friday (just 15 minutes less than before)
-Adult Swim grabs the 4pm AND 6am hour, as well as getting the rights to The Cleveland Show back

 

[Stumpos]

CN has officially lost variety that they refuse to rerun anything other than TTG, Adventure Time, Regular Show, or Gumball now

They also air a lot of Scooby Doo, The Looney Tunes Show, and The Tom & Jerry Show 2014 also.

• Cartoon Network loses the 6 AM hour to Adult Swim (like how Nickelodeon lost that hour to Nick at Nite gradually starting in 2009 and then fully by 2013)
• Prince Ivandoe's series finale makes its US premiere by the end of January
• We Baby Bears' series finale premieres sometime in spring
• Second half of Totally Spies season 7 premieres in USA
• Cartoonito is just Batwheels making network premieres (in a small 15-minute slot) of season 3 episodes that premiered on Max in December
• Teen Titans Go starts releasing episodes on Max first starting its tenth season in fall, with season 9 finishing premiering the remaining 18 episodes by summer.

 

[RandomMe]

They also air a lot of Scooby Doo, The Looney Tunes Show, and The Tom & Jerry Show 2014 also.

• Cartoon Network loses the 6 AM hour to Adult Swim (like how Nickelodeon lost that hour to Nick at Nite gradually starting in 2009 and then fully by 2013)
• Prince Ivandoe's series finale makes its US premiere by the end of January
• We Baby Bears' series finale premieres sometime in spring
• Second half of Totally Spies season 7 premieres in USA
• Cartoonito is just Batwheels making network premieres (in a small 15-minute slot) of season 3 episodes that premiered on Max in December
• Teen Titans Go starts releasing episodes on Max first starting its tenth season in fall, with season 9 finishing premiering the remaining 18 episodes by summer.

Meaning that you predict CN starting at 7am?

 

[Silver-7]

the best case scenario is some restructuring internally and we can get some new interesting cartoons, along side better schedules and better preservation of old content on both CN and AS, but the real question i have is, how many years does CN have in it? could be a whole other thread topic..

 

[Stumpos]

Additionally, CN may lose broadcasting rights to the Totally Spies reboot, potentially leading to a move to streaming starting with season 8.

Well, they're still airing that show in January so they aren't losing the rights yet.

 

[FlipDisk]

I reckon they'll announce a closure for 2027

 

[Checkerboard]

Hmm. I would say that the first half of the year will be pretty normal and similar. I think the main focus will be paper work regarding the merger and setting things in motion. Because of that i font expect many visible or major changes yet.

However, from september 2026 i think things will speed up and we will see the beginning of an overhaul. Globally. Mainly in usa and europe. Followed by la, asia and africa.

I think the expansion of hbo max will play a role in international markets. The uk feed will be the most interesting to watch. I dont expect it to go away yet. But i do expect it to promote the service and based on ratings close down in January 2027.

I would guess that more markets, namely in europe, will get both cn classics and more adult swim content - be it on tv or hbo max. Likewise i wont be surprised to see cn usa rerun the likes of flintstones, jetsons, captain planet, og tom and jerry, og scooby doo and maybe some older cartoon cartoons. As well as adultswim/toonami adding their own classics including og space ghost/birdman/herculoids/thundarr/thundercats/jonny quest and various [as] originals from 2005-2015 that havent aired in a while. Why? With the focus on the merger there wont be new stuff to buy. Content they own works. Cheap/free, library showcase, nostalgia. Warner archive will put out about 3-5 new releases too.

In q2-q4 a few things happening and being announced for 2027. Like a global rebrand and netflix integration. Not just for CN but other WBD channels too.

 

[Theagames10]

small list:

1. Cartoonito ends.
2. 1-2 new original series.
3. more classic shows get reboots.
4. Fosters Home show - IDK if this has a date yet still, but it feels like 2026 is when it'll premiere.
5. I don't remember if the other reboots/revivals have dates yet, so maybe we'll either get dates for them or actual premieres.
6. Gumball - I feel like that'll get renewed past it's current 2 new season order it got. As for the movie tho, that's just dead until they rewrite it or confirm it officially.
7. This is something related to adult swim technically, but... Checkered Past - We all thought they silently killed it off earlier this year, but they surprised us with Dexter's Lab, one of the shows featured from the block, coming back at the blocks original timeslot during the new year, and it's confusing me since there's no promo or anything confirming the block is coming back still. I really would appreciate it if they brought it back fully. All because of Futurama leaving adult swim too.

 

[AnimatedFan01]

This is something related to adult swim technically, but... Checkered Past - We all thought they silently killed it off earlier this year, but they surprised us with Dexter's Lab, one of the shows featured from the block, coming back at the blocks original timeslot during the new year, and it's confusing me since there's no promo or anything confirming the block is coming back still. I really would appreciate it if they brought it back fully. All because of Futurama leaving adult swim too.

Pretty sure it's just there temporarily to promote Primal Season 3.

 

[Camping My TV Set]

considering how it's very likely WB is talking all of CN/[as]'s production houses, libraries, IP, branding, and possibly even copyrights with them, I only see the schedule rot and autopilot for the combined channel only getting worse post-split.

even if the shared channel was spared under WB for some reason (posterity?), it wouldn't exactly fix anything since all of the contractual obligations from when HBO Max was new are close to being fulfilled and it's become quite apparent both brands are transitioning beyond the confines of cable with the Gumball revival premiering on Hulu (as well as all of CN socials promoting things like Fionna and Cake and the Elephant) and adult swim's entire slate essentially being HBO Max originals with extra steps

oh, and boomerang will probably finally kick the bucket in 2026 regardless of what happens

 

[Surreal Kangaroo]

Maybe not so much a prediction as wishful thinking, but I hope older CN shows that have been purged from Max start streaming on Tubi (or Hulu as a second choice).

 

[reddead97]

I wouldn't be so certain Teen Titans Go! Is ending. I remember Mike De Luca (WB's film chief) accidentally spoiling Gunn and Safran had a second theatrical TTGO! movie in development on top of the live-action one.