One of Cartoon Network's nostalgic programming blocks Toonami Rewind has been officially canceledmarking the end of its classics showcase on Friday night Toonami successes Sailor Moon, narutoand Dragon Ball Z. Open from 5pm to 7pm ET/PT, Toonami Rewind was beloved for reintroducing viewers to iconic anime series that helped define the original Toonami was. However, the Friday block will now be replaced by Chess pastnew programming focused on old Cartoon Network originals that will air in the same time slot Monday through Thursday, with an additional segment on Friday nights.
Toonami Rewind gave anime fans of the late '90s and early '00s a rare opportunity to revisit formative series that brought Japanese animation into mainstream Western pop culture. Its cancellation leaves a void for those who loved to relive the golden age of Toonamiand newcomers trying the classics for the first time. Yet, Chess past seeks to tap into a similar nostalgia, offering reruns of Cartoon Network classics like Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girlsand Johnny Bravo. The new block aims to celebrate Cartoon Network's legacy with a mix of popular titles and hidden gems that previously dominated television screens.
Toonami Rewind was a huge missed opportunity
Cartoon Network lost sight of what made the original so special
The cancellation of Toonami Rewind Either way, it's not a huge loss for anime lovers or longtime fans of TOM's programming block. Its programming is extremely limited and lacks provocative niche series like The Big O and Ronin Warriors who made the original Toonami so special in the first place. Since the network will not commit to more than repeats of three well-known series one night a week, Rewind fails to offer anything new or noteworthy. Its cancellation is a reminder of the ever-changing landscape of television programming and the ways networks adapt to balance nostalgia with new and evolving content.
While Toonami Rewind beloved anime shows, Chess past offers the opportunity to revisit a different kind of cultural legacy. For many viewers, programs like Ed, Edd and Eddy, and Courage, the cowardly dog evokes as much nostalgia as the anime that defined Toonami. The Cartoon Network pivot highlights the channel's strategy of relying on its original intellectual propertylike the upcoming revivals and spin-offs of Adventure Time and The normal program. If this change will have such profound repercussions Toonamiaudience, or alienate them completely, remains to be seen.
Classic Toonami is still going strong
The lineup is more modern than ever, but still makes room for old favorites
Toonami itself remains safe and continues to air as part of Adult Swim's Saturday night lineup. The main block maintains its focus on debuting new anime episodes and curated series, but sometimes suffers from the same errors as Rewind. While Toonami continues to present new series such as Lazarus and the disappointing Rick and Morty: the animeTOM still devotes a lot of time to reruns of ubiquitous series, like an entire hour of Dragon Ball Z Kai repetitions. Adult Swim assured viewers that the core Toonami is not in danger of disappearingalthough Rewind couldn't understand.
The decision to transition Toonami Rewind to Checkered past It's curious. With Rewind less than a year into its existence, the chain has apparently decided to abandon the concept altogether, instead expanding beyond the minimal nostalgia bait. This shift also reflects a broader trend of networks increasingly repackaging archival content and, as a consequence, becoming obsolete. Toonami Rewind bet everything on your fundamental series like Dragon Ball Z and lost, marking a huge missed opportunity to recapture the magic of a time when anime was shiny and new to Western audiences.