Television series comprise a huge chunk of the schedule for San Diego Comic-Con — and every year it seems like they become a larger and larger piece of the pie. The lines for Ballroom 20 are starting to rival even those of Hall H, and they won’t be getting any shorter any time soon.
As the anticipation builds for the official announcements from networks and CCI as to which television shows will be on the panel schedule, we like to take time out earlier in the year to speculate which shows have the best chances of appearing at SDCC. We’ve broken up our picks into three segments, including the Broadcast Networks and Cable Networks, and we’re wrapping up today with the family channels — Cartoon Network, Disney XD/The Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon.
So what do we think you’ll be seeing at Comic-Con this summer? Let’s take a look:
Cartoon Network
We really don’t see Cartoon Network letting Adventure Time go off the air without some final farewell at San Diego Comic-Con for its last round of episodes – so expect a big celebration, like only the Land of Ooo can deliver. Teen Titans Go! won’t be as lucky, as it finishes its run in late June, ahead of the convention, so there’s nothing to promote for them.
Otherwise, expect to see a lot of familiar faces, as all the regular offerings should be there – Steven Universe, The Powerpuff Girls, We Bare Bears, LEGO Ninjago, and LEGO Nexo Knights. We may also see some promotion for Ben 10, which was recently renewed, or Uncle Clarence or Grandpa. There may be a few mash-up panels as well, to fit in more offerings.
The network also has a few things on the horizon they could push, including OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes, based on the web series from Steven Universe‘s Ian Jones-Quartey, which is set to debut this summer. They also have Summer Camp Island, about best friends Oscar the tapir and Hedgehog the, you guessed it, hedgehog who are dropped off at a surreal summer camp.
Disney XD / The Disney Channel
With D23 happening so close to San Diego Comic-Con, we could see some extra push for Disney XD and The Disney Channel series, as most of the voice talent will already be in the area.
We’d be shocked if we didn’t get panels again for Penn Zero: Part Time Hero and Star Vs The Forces of Evil, but we also wouldn’t be surprised to see Disney give a push to Tangled: The Series or the upcoming DuckTales series. We also think we’ll see Pickle and Peanut represented again.
All the Marvel animated series also receive a yearly, joint panel (Marvel Animation Presents, which is actually presented by, y’know, Marvel rather than Disney — but we’re talking about it here because we’re drunk with power). That panel should have a presence of basically all the Marvel animated series, including Avengers Assemble (now called Marvel’s Secret Wars) and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, we maybe haven’t totally forgiven you for not opening the Double Dare to the public, and letting us live out our dream of getting slimed. We’re just saying.
Last year’s Nickelodeon programming was all about the retro 90’s, as they celebrated 25 years of original animation programming. This year, we’re not expecting too much of that as it’s not as big of an anniversary year, but they are still pushing their retro NickSplat programming — so we could see a panel for the upcoming Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie coming out in November, or some other retrospective panels for older programming.
Expect the usual panels for SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and we could also see some appearances from newcomers Welcome to the Wayne and Pinky Malinky (both of which are set to air sometime later this year).
And hey, if you felt like bringing that slime machine back and (this part’s important, Nickelodeon) opening it up to the public — we’ll be there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjTAhSrTrIw
Which shows are you excited about, or what shows do you think will be at the convention that we may have left off? Let us know in the comments.
