Kids Blocks Premiere This Weekend
September 14, 2002 marks the premiere of kid-friendly programming on most network and some cable stations. The Kids' WB will kick off the season with a "Scoob-Tacular-Saturday Sweepstakes," which offers kids the chance to win one of thousands of prizes throughout the morning. The network will introduce three new series to the fall schedule: the all-new WHAT'S NEW SCOOBY-DOO?, the buddy-cop comedy OZZY & DRIX and the new Mexican wrestling comedy ¡MUCHA LUCHA!, which had an early sneak-peek debut on Saturday, August 17. Kids' WB! favorites returning to the schedule include JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES, YU-GI-OH!, POKÉMON: MASTER QUEST, X-MEN: EVOLUTION and classic SCOOBY-DOO. Over on Fox, 4Kids has supplied four hours of programming to the network which is branded as the FOX BOX. The action-adventure block features the U.S. premieres of KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!, an animated series based on the Nintendo video game star, as well as the action series ULTRAMAN TIGA, ULTIMATE MUSCLE, FIGHTING FOODONS (formerly known as FOOD FUED) and STARGATE INFINITY. ABC SATURDAY MORNING, now known as ABC Kids, will debut DISNEY'S FILLMORE. This new series, created by Scott M. Gimple (Disney's Pepper Ann), features 7th grader Cornelius Fillmore, a safety patrol officer and modern day Sherlock Homes with attitude, who patrols X Middle School looking for rule-breakers and scofflaws. ABC Kids will also air returning favorites such as DISNEY'S RECESS, THE PROUD FAMILY and girl-power action series DISNEY'S KIM POSSIBLE. CBS will continue to air its block of Nickelodeon shows, including HEY ARNOLD! and THE WILD THORNBERRYS, and NBC will debut its Discovery Kids block, featuring live-action adventure series like CROC FILES. Over on the cable nets, ABC Family will premiere TOKYO PIG, an original anime-style series, along with returning action favorites like GALIDOR: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, MEDABOTS and BEYBLADE. Nickelodeon got the drop on the other cable nets by premiering its new and highly publicized series THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY NEUTRON on Friday, September 6. The show attracted an average of 2.9 million kid viewers aged 2-11, and earned a 9.28 rating among Kids 2-11, making it Nickelodeon's highest rated series premiere ever. Cartoon Network will premiere its new series BABY LOONEY TUNES on September 16, 2002, along with new episodes of popular anime series DRAGONBALL Z.