The new animated series MAX STEEL premiered at #1 for its rating slot. The new CGI series scored a 7.6 rating/24 share, finishing #1 with Boys 6-11 against all of its Saturday morning competition. The show also garnered Kids WB! a #1 rating with teens for the first time since May of 1999. The series, set in the fictitious, futuristic city of Del Oro Bay, centers around Max Steel, a young secret agent pitted against the evil plots of the mercenary organization, DREAD.

The new NBC animated series, GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB, received heavenly ratings in spite of the devilish controversy surrounding the sitcom. After being axed or shifted by a total of nine NBC affiliates due to religious concerns, GOD, THE DEVIL AND BOB garnered time slot-winning scores of 14.42 million viewers, a 7.3/19 rating in adults 18-49 and 8.0/23 in adults 18-34. However, the show's premiere, positioned between the network's top shows FRIENDS and FRASIER, lost about 30% of the viewers from its FRIENDS lead-in.

A new television series based on TOY STORY's Buzz Lightyear character will be coming to ABC and UPN in October. Walt Disney Television Animation is producing 65 episodes of BUZZ LIGHTYEAR OF STAR COMMAND -- 52 for UPN's "Disney's One Too" and 13 for ABC's Saturday morning lineup. Pixar will produce the CGI opening, but the series itself will be traditional 2D animation. Taking on voice duties as Buzz will be SEINFELD's Patrick Warburton, who's also starring in the live-action THE TICK series.

Director Kevin Smith is steaming over the treatment ABC has given his new animated series version of his cult-classic film CLERKS. After Disney owned ABC pushed back the premiere of the new series to May 31, 2000, Smith said the summer release date "almost ensures the show's failure" due to the traditionally low TV ratings of the summer months.

"They'll end up being like SOUTH PARK or something like that," said Charles Schulz's son Monte regarding the future of his father's PEANUTS comic strip, in an Associated Press article by Mary Ann Lickteig. Before Schulz's death, he strictly left instructions that nobody else could draw THE PEANUTS strip and the animated shows must end. In regards to honoring their father's wishes, Schulz's children's concern centers around United Media, who holds the copyrights on the PEANUTS characters.

Recently, Gold Zebra Communications launched its new preschool network Hop! The Israeli Nursery Channel. The net airs daily from 6 am to 7 pm catering toward the youngest viewers. The completely non-violent content has been acquired from producers in Europe and the States. Recently, Hop! appeared at the Monte Carlo Television Market to promote and attach new content for the fledgling channel. For more information contact Gold Zebra Communications Ltd. at: 7 Harugei Malchut St. Tel-Aviv 69714 Isreal; Tel.: ++972-3-649-6228; Fax: ++972-3-649-6229; or E-mail: zebracom@internet-zahav.net.

The new NBC animated sitcom, GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB, has been given the ax by five more stations across the U.S. NBC affiliates in Shreveport, Louisiana, Tupelo, Mississippi and Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho have moved the show to a late night time slot, while Pocatello, Idaho has completely pulled the show from its line up. Joining Salt Lake City which last week pulled the show from its schedule, the additional stations are in strict contrast to NBC's grand premiere of the series on Thursday, March 9, 2000. Currently, the show is positioned between the network's top shows FRIENDS and FRASIER.

The promised land of prime time nirvana will escape GOD THE DEVIL & BOB in

Salt Lake City, Utah, whose NBC affiliate has refused to air the network's

upcoming animated comedy. KSL-TV VP and general manager Al Henderson said

the station decided to pre-empt the "not-so-heavenly" toon because it "was

not very funny." "We didn't think it was written well," Henderson said. "We

found some of the humor tasteless." The new series follows the

misadventures of Detroit auto worker Bob Alman (voiced by French Stewart),

Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. announced that it will produce 26 all-CGI

ACTION MAN half-hour television series episodes for Hasbro Properties

Group, a division of Hasbro, Inc. Before the series begins regularly

scheduled broadcasts on Fox Kids in September, a one-hour ACTION MAN

special will air on Fox Kids Network in May 2000. SABAN International N.V.

will handle international distribution for the series. The new TV show is

based on Hasbro's ACTION MAN brand, the number one boy's action brand in

FAT DOG MENDOZA co-produced by Sunbow Entertainment and Cartoon Network

Europe, is set to premiere in the U.K. Animated by TMO-Loonland's Peter

Volkle at his Hungarian studio, the first of the 26 completed episodes will

air on February 28, 2000. The series is based off of Scott Musgrove's cult

comic book. Fat Dog and his boy Little Costumed Buddy live in Neighbourhood

X, which seems normal until one notices that ancient Rome and the Himalayas