Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain. It has been described as a reboot of the original TV series of the same name which aired from 1991 to 2004. The series premiered on May 27, 2021, on Paramount+; it is the second Nickelodeon-based series created for the streaming service. As with previous incarnations of the franchise, the series was produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
On March 28, 2024, the series was removed from Paramount+ as part of a "strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal." Season 2 episode premieres had already moved to the Nicktoons channel on March 14, 2024, where they would continue to air until March 22, 2024. The remaining season 2 episodes would be released on DVD on October 8, 2024.
A third season was produced, but went unaired for reasons unknown. The third season would eventually premiere on Nickelodeon's international feeds on June 1, 2026.
Contents
Premise
Apart from the setting update of the 2020s from the 1990s, the rebooted Rugrats remains the same as the original series, as it still focuses on the experiences of a one-year-old named Tommy Pickles and his group of playmates which includes other infants and toddlers.
Voice cast
The surviving voice actors of the titular "Rugrats" reprise their roles from the original series, though the adult roles from the original series have been recast, including Betty DeVille who was originally voiced by the returning Kath Soucie.
Babies/Children
E. G. Daily as Tommy Pickles
Nancy Cartwright as Chuckie Finster
Cheryl Chase as Angelica Pickles
Kath Soucie as Phil and Lil DeVille
Cree Summer as Susie Carmichael
Tara Strong as Dil Pickles, introduced in season 2.
Charlet Chung as Kimi Watanabe
Anita Kalathara as Darsh Mehta
Kody Kavitha as Nyra Mehta
Adults
Tommy Dewey as Stu Pickles
Ashley Rae Spillers as Didi Pickles
Anna Chlumsky as Charlotte Pickles
Timothy Simons as Drew Pickles
Natalie Morales as Betty DeVille
Matthew Gray Gubler as Howard Tucker
Tony Hale as Chas Finster
Michael McKean as Grandpa Lou Pickles
Nicole Byer as Dr. Lucy Carmichael
Omar Benson Miller as Randy Carmichael
Richa Moorjani as Padam Mehta
Kal Penn as Varun Mehta
Supporting
Henry Winkler as Grandpa Boris Kropotkin
Swoosie Kurtz as Grandma Minka Kropotkin
Hiromi Dames as Kira Watanabe
Alicyn Packard as Josh
Antony Del Rio as Jonathan Kraskell
Fred Tatasciore as Reptar and Spike
Charlie Adler as Graham Prescott
Ashleigh Murray as Eve
John Omohundro as Barry
Josh Brener as Daxton
Telma Hopkins as Celeste
Grey Griffin as Begley
Kimberly Brooks as Pierce
Raini Rodriguez as Gabi
Táta Vega as Tia Esperanza
James Adomian as Mr. Garth
Jenifer Lewis as Ms. Marjorie
Production
In early September 2015, it was announced on Variety that Nickelodeon may "seek to experiment with retooled versions of classics" that could include Rugrats. The following day, The Independent announced that "Rugrats could soon be back on our screens too." In July 2016, it was revealed that Nickelodeon was in talks with Klasky Csupo and Paul Germain about a possible revival of the TV series.
In late July 2016, Arlene Klasky stated that she would be willing to work on a revival of the series, along with co-creators Gabor Csupó and Paul Germain. In October 2016, a Nickelodeon senior vice president stated in response to a fan question that Rugrats was among other shows being considered for revival.
Due to the deaths of Joe Alaskey and Jack Riley in 2016, Grandpa Lou Pickles and Stu Pickles were recast and are now voiced by Michael McKean and Tommy Dewey.
In mid-July 2018, it was announced that Nickelodeon had given a series order to a 26-episode revival of the series, executive produced by Klasky, Csupó, and Germain. In May 2020, it was announced that the revival series was delayed until 2021.
In late February 2021, it was announced that the reboot would premiere on Paramount+ in late spring 2021. A sneak peek was also uploaded to social media platforms. In March, an all-new cast for the parents were revealed.
The reboot premiered on Paramount+ on May 27, 2021 and began airing on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2021. A second batch of episodes was released on October 7, 2021. Regular Nickelodeon airings began on February 25, 2022.
On September 21, 2021, the series was renewed for a 13-episode second season. The series has a holiday episode that was released on December 2, 2021.
On July 21, 2022, it was announced that an additional 13 episodes had been ordered for season two, and that the series was renewed for a 13-episode third season.
Comparisons with original series
As a continuity reboot, the 2021 series has differences to the original 1991 series, some of which was done to accommodate the 30-year difference between the two. The character Betty DeVille was originally portrayed as a strong feminist woman with a "weak" husband in Howard. She is now portrayed as a lesbian, and Howard is Phil and Lil's donor. Betty's voice actress, openly queer actor Natalie Morales, who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, stated about the change that "anyone who watched the original show may have had an inkling Betty was a member of the alphabet mafia ... Betty is a single mom with her own business who has twins and still has time to hang out with her friends and her community ... examples of living your life happily and healthily as an out queer person is just such a beacon for young queer people who may not have examples of that.”"
Susie and the Carmichael family are already established as neighbors (as opposed to the 1991 series, when they debuted during its second season). Susie is also now two years old instead of three and is no longer able to talk to the adults. Charlotte Pickles also is present from the beginning; in the 1991 series, she did not appear until the second season, being an unseen character up until then. Kimi Watanabe is now three and a half years old and has already moved with her mother Kira from Paris to the United States by the time she meets the cast. Kira and Chas meet in "Lucky Smudge", when it is revealed, she won piano lessons he submitted for a raffle at a fair.
Fluffy, the cat already long belonging to Drew, Charlotte, and Angelica by the time of its first appearances in the original series, is adopted in "Fluffy Moves In" during this series.
