Yesterday, loyal fans of Young Justice received an awesome surprise to start off their week. Warner Brothers restarted production on the beloved animated TV series! I honestly thought the series wouldn’t be back after it got canceled in 2013. However, I was beyond happy to be proven wrong. Join us as we look back at Young Justice‘s broadcast history — as well as the three years that it spent out of production — to see how that might influence its future.
The Missing Years
When Young Justice released its second season, fans had to get used to the fact that five years had passed between seasons one and two. The series and its tie-in game, Young Justice: Legacy, have since filled in some of the gaps by detailing the major events during those five years. Nevertheless, fans had a palpable sense of uncertainty about what else happened during those missing five years.
By contrast, the real-world time skip between Young Justice‘s second and (upcoming) third seasons was marred with even more uncertainty. At this point, the show has spent over three years off the air. After Warner Brothers canceled Young Justice in 2013, fans resorted to different tactics to revive the beloved series. Yet, a crowdfunding campaign failed to gain traction, and you’ll notice that the campaign’s sponsor, smgo.tv, is no longer around save for a Facebook page.
Still, it seems like one of the main causes for Young Justice‘s renewal was its dedicated fandom. After the series came to Netflix earlier this year, an unofficial #KeepBingingYJ and #RenewYoungJustice campaign gained a substantial following on Twitter. Series co-creator Greg Weisman and voice actor Khary Payton (Aqualad) encouraged fans to rewatch the series on Netflix, to prove there was a clear demand for the series’ renewal.
After the news broke of Young Justice‘s renewal yesterday, cast and crew credited fans for the series’ triumphant return. Weisman and co-creator Brandon Vietti spoke to ComicBook.com, while character designer Phil Bourassa posted on Facebook, and Payton and other voice actors took to Twitter, all to thank fans for their tireless support of the series. It’s an important reminder that fans’ voices do matter, even when it seems like they don’t.
I’ll admit to being quick to dismiss Young Justice‘s return as a lost cause. However, I can’t express how grateful I am that I turned out to be wrong — very, happily wrong. There’s never been a more appropriate time to invoke the Atlantean translation for “together”: Symbiosi.
Will Young Justice Return to Cartoon Network?
When Warner Brothers announced yesterday that Young Justice would be returning for a third season, the press release didn’t specify a premiere date or a network partner. Realistically, since the show is only re-entering production now, season three probably won’t premiere for another year or two. Animation takes time, as does scripting, storyboarding, voice acting, character design, and the multitude of other components that go into an animated series.
Perhaps it’s too early to worry about this, but I’m rather concerned about how Young Justice will get released this time around. Cartoon Network aired the series’ first two seasons, but its broadcast schedule was anything but consistent. Thanks to our friends over at the Young Justice Wiki, we have a handy infographic that shows the series spent more time on hiatus than it did airing its episodes. That’s pretty irregular, even for an animated show.
It took Cartoon Network over two years to air Young Justice’s 46 episodes. Part of the problem was that Cartoon Network put the series on hiatus on four separate occasions. Each time it was abrupt and unexplained. Those hiatuses undoubtedly hurt the series’ viewership, and they were also a disservice to dedicated fans.
Other options.
It’s possible that this time, Young Justice might end up on Netflix or another streaming service. In that case, the series wouldn’t have to rely on conventional TV broadcasting. Regardless of what happens with its release, I have high hopes for Young Justice‘s new season. Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti are back at the helm. Weisman returns to work at Warner Brothers this Monday, Nov 14. That means that he and Vietti will go straight to work planning Young Justice‘s triumphant return.
No word yet on whether other cast and crew will return to the series. Many of them have previously expressed interest in doing so, though. In any case, it’s back to business as usual for the Team. Stay tuned to Fandom as we bring you more news and explore the possibilities for Young Justice‘s new season!