It's the return of a "fecal icon" and more, as six new episodes of South Park began August 19. Episode topics include: an independent film festival comes to South Park; Kenny contracts chicken pox; the kids build rival clubhouses; Mr. Garrison takes his class to the new planetarium; South Park citizens begin spontaneously combusting; and the annual rodeo pulls into town. This series offers the worst that television can spoon out. It is nasty and badly produced. The creators have confused mean-spiritedness and sarcasm for genuine humor, and the acting is amateurish and nearly inarticulate. However, it remains amazingly popular. South Park airs Wednesdays at 10:00-10:30 p.m. and 1:00-1:30 a.m., Saturdays at 10:00-10:30 p.m. and 2:00-2:30 a.m., and Sundays at 12:00-12:30 a.m. (ET/PT).

Celebrity Deathmatch. © MTV.

MTV: Music Television
MTV will continue mixing new and old episodes of Celebrity Deathmatch, Eric Fogel's outrageously violent claymation series where clay figure renderings of today's biggest stars are pitted against each other in a ring. Although the show is meant to comment satirically on the icons of contemporary culture and the claymation is fun to watch, it is difficult to recommend any television that, show after show, constantly bombards the viewer with the idea that conflicts should be solved through aggression and violence. Celebrity Deathmatch airs weeknights at 7:30 and 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

It is hard to believe that such charming and well-written shows as Daria and King of the Hill would have started life as spin-offs of something as awful as Beavis and Butt-head, but it is true. Daria chronicles the experiences of 16-year-old Daria Morgendorffer, who lives in a new town, Lawndale, with her stressed-out, career-fixated parents and her relentlessly cute and popular younger sister. MTV will continue to air repeats of Daria and plans new episodes soon. It airs Monday nights at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Cartoon Sushi, the showcase for acquired animated shorts from the U.S. and abroad, as well as pilots created in MTV's own New York-based animation studio, airs Thursdays, 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Syndicated
There are several syndicated shows returning with new episodes including 3-D computer generated Beast Wars (premieres the week of September 14) from Claster Television and Sachs Family Entertainment's Zorro (premieres the weekend of September 19). New traditionally-animated syndicated shows include Claster Television's The Lionhearts (premieres the weekend of September 19), which revolves around the domestic life of Leo the Lion and his lion family and Sachs Family Entertainment's Monkey Magic (also premieres the weekend of September 19), which is based on one of the most beloved Chinese classic masterpieces.

Another new show from Mainframe Entertainment (Beast Wars) is War Planet which is being syndicated by The Summit Media Group. With a budget of $18 million for 13 new episodes this innovative CGI series looks like a hit and a success with the toy manufacturers as well. Summit is also bringing to U.S. syndication Robocop Alpha Commando, The New Adventures of Voltron: Defender of the Universe, and Japan's popular Pokémon.

Syndication leader Bohbot Kids Network's weekday schedule features a mix of old and new shows: Jumanji, based on the Robin Williams movie; Extreme Dinosaurs, about annoyingly hip dinosaurs; Mummies Alive! where the spirit of an ancient Egyptian resides in an ordinary 12 year-old boy; Pocket Dragon Adventures, "where wizards, magic and mischief abound;" Action Man, centering on an international top secret agent; Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys with super intelligent monkeys battling the evil NEBULA for a second season; Extreme Ghostbusters, the second season of yet another Ghostbusters rip-off; Street Sharks featuring four brothers who have been mutated into half-shark, half-human creatures; Highlander - The Animated Series, based on the original Highlander movie; Mighty Max, the curious 11-year-old boy who has been chosen to rescue the world; The Mask - The Animated Series based on the Jim Carrey movie; and Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog, featuring that hip, irreverent and impetuous creature.

Sundays from 8:00-10:00 a.m., Bohbot Kids Network presents: Princess Gwenevere And The Jewel Riders which returns for a third season; Double Dragon, featuring masked twin super heroes who defend Metro City; Ultraforce, a futuristic, science-fiction series; and Skysurfer Strike Force, another action cartoon that returns for a third season.

Coming soon: Dilbert. © UPN. All Rights Reserved.

The Future
For the first time in 40 years, Mickey Mouse will be animated in new cartoons by Walt Disney Television Animation in a show called Mouse Works. The show will package new cartoons featuring Mickey, Donald Duck, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto, into 13, weekly 22-minute episodes scheduled for release in early 1999. In the development of the show, Roy Disney, currently vice chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Company, has been working closely with Disney TV's L.A.-based senior vice president Barry Blumberg and executive producers Roberts Gannaway and Tony Craig. As in the early Mickey Mouse "Silly Symphony" cartoons, music is established as the driving force to provide reference for character motion and movements. At present Disney has not decided which of its many outlets will air this new show.