Surprisingly, The Real Ghostbusters remains a children’s show that is rarely discussed these days, given its status as a classic Saturday morning cartoon that still holds up. While the Ghostbusters movies have their ups and downs, the animated series has consistently received positive acclaim. Now, the franchise has an exciting new chapter coming, as Netflix officially greenlit its new animated series that promises to bring the ghost-hunting team back into the spotlight. This development is thrilling, but I have one significant hope for the series: the return of the original animated voice cast.
According to Variety, Netflix has officially ordered the new and not-yet-titled animated series, which marks a significant leap forward for a project that has been in development since 2022. Adding to the excitement is the news that comedian and former head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Elliott Kalan, will serve as the writer and executive producer of this eagerly anticipated series.
The original Ghostbusters cartoon was not only one of the few hit cartoons based on a movie that was known for its consistent quality, but it is easily one of the best animated shows of all time—featuring engaging paranormal action, with producers expaning on the lore established in Ivan Reitman's 1984 blockbuster, and excellent voice acting. Key roles included Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler, Frank Welker as Dr. Raymond Stantz, Lorenzo Music as Dr. Peter Venkman (later replaced by Dave Coulier), and Buster Jones/Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore.
As we fans anticipate this new animated adventure, I truly hope the producers find a way to bring the original cast members back in some capacity. Though the original voice actors for Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore have sadly passed away, their replacements, Dave Coulier and Arsenio Hall, are still active within the pop culture zeitgest, while Maurice LaMarche and Frank "Scooby-Doo" Welker have remained as busy as ever in recent years.
Bringing the old school crew back for the new series could be an excellent opportunity to bridge the three-decade-long gap between Ghostbusters II and the 2021 reboot Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Think about it–what if they gave this new entry the X-Men ‘97 treatment and picked up the storyline from 1991!? It might seem too good to be true, but you never know!
In the 1990s, the franchise saw a revival with the most 90s take on the property you can imagine with an appropriately 90s title: Extreme Ghostbusters. (Seriously, get a load of this intro.) The series did a great job of containing the storyline from the original cartoon, and it went all out in bringing back some of the O.G. voice cast, notably Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler. So there's precedence!
The new series hails from Sony Pictures Animation, with Ghostbusters stalwarts Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan of Ghost Corps, Inc. also on board as executive producers. Reitman and Kenan have revitalized the universe with recent films like Afterlife and the freshly released Frozen Empire. Their involvement in this project hopefully ensures a seamless continuation of the franchise's trademark blend of humor and spectral adventures.
As production progresses, the potential for an all-star voice cast only adds to the anticipation. Whether we see the return of familiar voices or new talent stepping into the roles, one thing is certain: the Ghostbusters are back in action and ready to haunt our screens again, and I’m beyond here for it.
Unfortunately, the animated series isn't currently available to stream. However, Ghostbusters fans can still enjoy the franchise's films. The first two movies are available with an AMC+ subscription; Ghostbusters: Afterlife is accessible through FXNOW, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.
