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For Sale Apr 16, 2026 at 12:49 AM

I just learned Ted Turner cancelled my favorite cartoon show (SWAT Katz) in 1995 for being too violent

Posted by Patient_Air1765

Wiki to back up my claims: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT\_Kats:\_The\_Radical\_Squadron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT_Kats:_The_Radical_Squadron) Scroll down to the cancellation section on that wiki to see what I’m talking about. SWAT Katz used to be my favorite show growing up. A bunch of humanoid cats, but looked incredibly cool and mature. The two heros used to have their own Fighter Jet and would wreck bad guys but the police hated them. It was such a cool concept I always wondered why it never took off. Then I learned today that it actually DID take off and was the most popular cartoon in 1995 before Ted Turner terminated it for being too violent. Now, very few if any remember it. This show was way ahead of its time and is now lost to time thanks to pearl clutching about violence in cartoons. Just imagine how cool it was back in the day if it was singled out and cancelled for violence!
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LapsedVerneGagKnee Apr 16, 2026 +95
According to the creators of the show, and they’ve said it in interviews, it wasn’t Ted himself. Ted was a fairly amicable if rarely involved boss. However, his lieutenants, who were following a mandate to deal with “realistic” violence even though nothing was realistic about Swat Kats did cancel it. Keep in mind Ted himself launched Monday Nitro that year and said lieutenants powered Cartoon Network to its late 90s/early 2000s renaissance off of violent Japanese anime like Dragon Ball Z and everyone does come off like a hypocrite. Also the show Ted ranted about on Capitol Hill was Beavis and Butthead.
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Lower_Pass_6053 Apr 16, 2026 +15
wcw in those days was incredibly tame. I thought they covered it up well when I was a kid, but looking back, especially compared to WWF/E it was so family friendly. The "bad" guys were often semi-sumpernatural. There was no cursing and no blood. Even after Turner got less and less involved and those standards loosened, it was never like WWE in the late 90s.
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DiarrheaRadio Apr 16, 2026 +8
WcW had a V***** on a pole match when Vince Russo was booking the shows.
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flint_tower Apr 16, 2026 +82
SWAT Kats being “too violent” is hilarious when you remember what kids’ anime dubs were airing. At least most of the series is on YouTube, worth a nostalgia rewatch if you haven’t recently.
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verrius Apr 16, 2026 +11
What little anime made it to US television in 95 was *heavily* censored. 2 years later Goku wasn't allowed to go to "Hell", so they individually censored frames of an episode so that the shirts of the demon residents actually were referring to the "Home For Infinite Losers". Sailor Moon had entire characters genders swapped because 2 guys dating was too scandalous for children's TV. A couple of years later on Yu-Gi-Oh, Pegasus was "sending people to the shadow realm" because of how much violence had to be hastily edited out of episodes when he murdered or maimed them.
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Zarmazarma Apr 18, 2026 +3
They also did finger guns instead of holding real guns on Yu-Gi-Oh. In One Piece, cigarettes were replaced with lollypops. In Pokemon, rice balls were replaced with jelly donuts. Okay, that last one is different, but I wanted to mention it anyway.
3
SmokinBandit28 Apr 16, 2026 +20
It’s getting a comic! And the first extended issue is getting a motion comic adaptation with the original voice actors!
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Comfortable_Bird_340 Apr 16, 2026 +7
They did the same with Gargoyles, maybe people should actually read comics again
7
Theduckisback Apr 16, 2026 +1
Man, kid me would be so happy. I loved this show, always wondered why it never got renewed.
1
SummerMummer Apr 16, 2026 +22
Wait until you hear about colorization.
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lorenza-de-arabia Apr 16, 2026 +2
Why colorization?
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SummerMummer Apr 16, 2026 +8
https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/ted-turner-tbs-classic-movies-colorized
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lorenza-de-arabia Apr 16, 2026 +7
Ohh yes I read about this long ago. What a disaster was. Thanks for sharing it
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Mother-Dog5516 Apr 16, 2026 -19
omg yes SWAT Kats was amazing! I remember watching it when I was little and thinking those jets were so cool. Still can't believe they cancelled something that popular just because of violence concerns - like kids weren't already watching way worse stuff in other shows. Really makes you wonder what other great shows got axed for similar reasons that we'll never know about
-19
Dohi64 Apr 16, 2026 +7
one of my faves too, soundtrack and all, still have the dvds. rewatched it a few years ago and it holds up. might be different seeing it for the first time.
7
Careless-Economics-6 Apr 16, 2026 +14
You misread the Wikipedia page. It does not say that he personally ordered the show to be cancelled. Also, if the show had the ratings to keep going, it would've. Fred Seibert, the president of Hanna-Barbera, has said in interviews that the ratings for the show (and Two Stupid Dogs) were a disappointment.
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Linenoise77 Apr 16, 2026 +13
Why in gods name does Swat Katz have such an extensive wikipedia entry.
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lorenza-de-arabia Apr 16, 2026 +11
Fans of this show are very intense. They really like it
11
NightmareDJK Apr 16, 2026 +1
It was a cool show for the time. Great characters voice acting and visuals. Barry Gordon (original Donatello from TMNT) was Razor and Charlie Adler (Buster Bunny from Tiny Toon Adventures) was T-Bone.
1
KennyShowers Apr 16, 2026 +5
Because it’s f****** badass
5
Sir_Myshkin Apr 16, 2026 +8
I’m a firm believer that every cancelled show should have its entire lore book uploaded for fans.
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Galenia Apr 16, 2026 +2
Hell yeah
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thewilldog Apr 16, 2026 +10
Season 2 intro was so bad assed https://youtu.be/GI8ZDzMCjMI?si=EnshnSBJYJ_G2sU-
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NightmareDJK Apr 16, 2026 +1
Both intros were bangers.
1
Ethos_Logos Apr 16, 2026 +5
I vaguely remember this. Wiki says there’s a show in the works as of 2025
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Comfortable_Bird_340 Apr 16, 2026 +3
The creators have been saying they’re been working on a reboot/revivial for the last 30 years, there was even a kickstarter
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dedwards024 Apr 16, 2026 +5
I remember liking this show a lot
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OnePride Apr 16, 2026 +11
Does anyone remember Eek! The Cat? I loved that show. Thunderlizards rule!
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Hollow_Rant Apr 16, 2026 +5
When. Does. The hurting. STOP!?!
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Environmental_Mine65 2 days ago +1
I used to watch Eek The Cat and Bobby’s World
1
ChiefofthePaducahs Apr 16, 2026 +4
Bro, one of the bad guys DID IN FACT have eyes in the back of his head. Great show
4
JimmyB_52 Apr 16, 2026 +4
The Turbo-Kat is still the coolest cartoon vehicle. I can’t think of anything that tops it, though some of the cartoon Batmobiles come close.
4
sessilefielder Apr 16, 2026 +3
The Radical Squadron
3
Tandom Apr 16, 2026 +2
They are making a small comeback https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roditeli/swat-kats-comic-book They got the voice actors on board too.
2
Sir_Myshkin Apr 16, 2026 +2
I was convinced this show would teach me how to fly an F-15 when I was younger.
2
Dirka-Dirka Apr 16, 2026 +2
What a chode, swat cats was sick as hell.
2
rikashiku Apr 16, 2026 +2
I loved that show. It was rare for an action cartoon to have so much violence and implied death. I don't care what anyone says. There were definitely people in those crushed tanks. Granted, I can understand why it got cancelled in the mid-90's. That show got away with a lot of mature moments and violence. At the time, other shows existed and aired that were far more violent and suggestive. Digimon has a massive bodycount, and very few scenes are blurred out or replaced. Leomon had a full freakin arm through his chest at one point. Puppetmon, on screen, murders so many other Digimon and burns them while he laughs. Wargreymon shredded Metal Seadramon from the inside-out. I will never forget that one. Dragon BAll Z released in 2000 in New Zealand, and I don't think anyone told the channels how violent it was going to be.
2
pqueiro1 Apr 16, 2026 +2
That intro song was awesome!
2
wagymaniac Apr 16, 2026 +2
I just saw a short about all the censorship involved with the animated series of spiderman (like spidey never punch anyone) and just remembered this show and it's cancelation. The "think about the children" trend was very strong that time, i still remember how my parents panicked with dragon ball z.
2
TrineoDeMuerto Apr 16, 2026 +2
Might Max was also a lot of fun during the same era I believe.
2
welcometotheoverlook Apr 16, 2026 +2
Swat Cats was ahead of its time and f****** awesome. We always tried to compare it to other shows, it stood out. Like Gargoyles!
2
Comfortable_Bird_340 Apr 16, 2026 +2
Keep circulating the tapes
2
hiptones Apr 16, 2026 +1
CAPTAIN PLANET!!!!  *boot to the balls*
1
Galenia Apr 16, 2026 +1
That b******!
1
Agilgar Apr 16, 2026 +1
It's not lost! It's still there in our hearts, urging us to be radical!  I saw a Swat Katz shirt at a con and got it IMMEDIATELY and love it. 
1
rnhf Apr 17, 2026 +1
yeah Rob Reiner was much better for hollywood
1
RTCsFinest Apr 16, 2026 +1
Wow I didn’t know that, such a bummer. I loved swat kats as well. No one ever knows what it is when I mention it. Such a shame to hear that
1
broganisms Apr 16, 2026 +1
The reason Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was so dark is because it was repurposed from an unused SWAT Kats script.
1
Comfortable_Bird_340 Apr 16, 2026 +2
It was a Johnny Quest script
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broganisms Apr 16, 2026 +1
Glenn Leopold worked on The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest between SWAT Kats and Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, where did turn that same unproduced SWAT Kats script into the RAoJQ episode Eclipse. But it was a SWAT Kats script before it had anything to do with Jonny Quest.
1
zowietremendously Apr 16, 2026 +1
Sure, the 1 sentence Wikipedia claims that. But there so much more to it than just "it's voilent."
1
perrin68 Apr 16, 2026 +1
Jane fonda told him to cancel it.
1
gideon513 Apr 16, 2026
Man, animation used to look so good and be an art form. Now most of it, especially on tv, looks so lifeless and low effort. Not saying there aren’t still good examples, but they are the minority now.
0
ChickenInASuit Apr 16, 2026 +7
There was plenty of c****, shitty animation around back then as well. You only remember the good ones.
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LimerickJim Apr 16, 2026 -6
Meh less copaganda is always good
-6
MobileFart Apr 16, 2026 +2
They were vigilantes, kicked off the force for being too badass. If anything the cops on the show are mostly shown as assholes.
2
afghamistam Apr 16, 2026 +2
>This cartoon about two anthropomorphised cats fighting sci-fi supervillains in an F-14 they cobbled together in their workshop (they are car mechanics as a day job btw) is "copaganda" (despite the fact they are vigilantes that the in-universe police absolutely do not approve of). Thanks for the biggest laugh of the day.
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