Beginning in 2017, the series moved to
Boomerang in the U.S.[1] The fourth season was released on February 1, 2021, on Boomerang SVOD and on the Cartoon Network app. The fifth and final season was released on the Cartoon Network app, also on February 1, and on February 2, but the season was completely abandoned from the app and hasn't been added back. The fifth season also aired on Boomerang on February 15, 2021.[2][3]
The series follows the antics of
Tom in his pursuit to catch
Jerry.
Each scenario was introduced, used, or discontinued in each season. The series can follow one of these scenarios:
Tom and Jerry's typical antics in a modern-day urban setting.
Tom and Jerry being pets to two witches named Beatie and Hildie in a medieval setting. (It was used only in the first two seasons)
Tom and Jerry working together as detectives in Tolucaville by operating a detective agency called "The Cat & Mouse Detectives", complete with a narrator.
Jerry living in Dr. Bigby's laboratory with a rat named Napoleon and a very smart hamster, with Tom being an alley cat. (It was used only in the first season)
Tom working as a butler in a Downton Abbey property. (Introduced in the third season)
Tom and Jerry living in a scary Transylvanian environment in a parody of Van Helsing. (It was used only in the third and fourth seasons)
Tom working at a farm run by a farmer named Maude. (Introduced in the fourth season)
Tom and Jerry starring in spoofs of classic fairy tales, narrated by Papa to Rutger, Rolf and Rudy around a campfire. (Introduced in the fifth season)
Tom Cat – A hapless, navy blue
tuxedo cat who is always trying to catch Jerry. However, he seems to be less antagonistic towards Jerry in this series, showing a
love-hate relationship with him.
Jerry Mouse – A clever brown
mouse who always outsmarts with Tom, although they are seen working together sometimes.
Spike Bulldog – An bad-tempered tan
bulldog whom Tom and Jerry are frequently at odds with. However, he and Tom seem to be more friendly to each other this series onwards, and the former is more aware of Jerry's participation in provoking his anger, despite retaining their friendship occasionally.
Tyke Bulldog – A tan bulldog puppy who is Spike's son.
Toots (credited as "Toodles Galore") – A female cat with a blue bow on her head who is Tom's on and off girlfriend. Tom and Butch often compete for her affections.
Chérie – A female mouse with a blue bow around her neck who is Jerry's girlfriend.
Muscles - Who is Jerry's cousin and a mouse with incredible strength.
The Tom and Jerry Show was initially announced to consist of 26 episodes divided into 52 11-minute segments to air on Cartoon Network, with the intention to remain faithful to the original theatrical short series.[12] The show was originally intended to premiere on Cartoon Network in 2013[13] before being pushed back to April 9, 2014.
From the second season onward, the art style of the show was retooled and the series running time for the segments is now 7 minutes to more closely resemble the original MGM shorts.[14] Because of the running time switch, the half-hour episodes contain 3 segments instead of 2.
The series is produced by
Warner Bros. Animation and
Renegade Animation, with Renegade handling the actual production work under the supervision of
Darrell Van Citters and
Ashley Postelwaite, both of whom used to work for Warner Bros. before leaving to form Renegade in 1992. Renegade Animation is also known for producing Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and The Mr. Men Show. It is the second Tom and Jerry television series produced in the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and the first to be animated in
Adobe Flash. It is also the second made-for-television iteration of the cartoons to emulate the
theatrical shorts and the fifth made-for-television Tom and Jerry production.[15] It was also the longest–running Tom and Jerry series, overtaking Tom & Jerry Kids.
Broadcast
The Tom and Jerry Show premiered on March 1, 2014 on
Teletoon in Canada.[16] The series premiered on April 9, 2014 on
Cartoon Network in the United States.[17] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it began airing on April 12, 2014 on
Boomerang,[18] and also on
CITV in 2016 (including all episodes following "Say Uncle"). It premiered on April 21, 2014 on
Cartoon Network in India.[19] In Australia,
Cartoon Network premiered it on May 5, 2014.[20] The series began airing on
Boomerang in the United States on January 5, 2015.[21] In Indonesia, it is currently broadcast on
GTV since February 13, 2017 and on
RCTI since August 13, 2017 (both of these are the sister network of
MNCTV which was premiering the Tom and Jerry series broadcast to Indonesian television screen since 1997). In China, it is broadcast on
China Central Television.[22] In Japan from September 23, 2014
NHK BS Premium broadcast it with the title New Tom and Jerry Show on December 15, 2015. In India, the show retelecasted on 14 November 2020 with new
Hindi dialogues in
Cartoon Network India.
The series has received generally mixed reviews, with criticism primarily directed at the switch from traditional hand-drawn animation to flash animation since the previous Tom and Jerry TV series, Tom and Jerry Tales.