''Rugrats'' is an American

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

television series created by

Arlene Klasky Arlene Phyllis Klasky (born May 26, 1949) is an American animator, graphic designer, producer and co-founder of Klasky Csupo with Gábor Csupó. In 1999, she was named one of the "Top 25 Women in Animation" by ''Animation Magazine''. She is most ...

Gábor Csupó Gábor Csupó ( , ; born September 29, 1952) is a Hungarian-American animator, writer, director, producer and graphic designer. He is co-founder of the animation studio Klasky Csupo, which has produced shows like ''Rugrats'', ''Duckman'', ''St ...

, and

Paul Germain Paul Lazarus Germain (born June 6, 1959) is an American writer, director, and producer. Among the shows Germain has written, produced or directed are ''Rugrats'', '' Recess'', "The Big Splash" from ''Even Stevens'', ''Lloyd in Space'', and ''The ...

. It has been described as both a revival and

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

of the original TV series of the same name that ran from 1991 to 2004. The series premiered on May 27, 2021, on

Paramount+ Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

; it is the second

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

-based series created for the streaming service. As with previous incarnations of the franchise, the series is produced by

Klasky Csupo Klasky-Csupo, Inc. (stylized as KLaSKY CSUPO INC., doing business as Klasky Csupo, ) is an American animation studio located in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1982 by producer Arlene Klasky and Hungarian animator Gábor Csupó (he ...

. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Just like the

original series Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...

, ''Rugrats'' focuses on the experiences of a courageous, adventurous one-year-old baby named

Tommy Pickles Thomas Malcolm Pickles is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated children's television series ''Rugrats,'' the reboot, and its spinoff series '' All Grown Up!''. He is also the protagonist of ''The Rugrats Movie'' (1998) and ' ...

and his group of playmates and other

infant An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

s and

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 12 to 36 months old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "to toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, like a child ...

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 Kath or KATH may refer to: * Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm * Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska * KATH (AM) KATH (910 kHz) is an ...

Children

E. G. Daily Elizabeth Ann Guttman, (born September 11, 1961) better known as E. G. Daily and Elizabeth Daily, is an American actress and singer. Daily is best known for her animation voice roles as Tommy Pickles on ''Rugrats'' and its spin-off ''All Grown ...

Nancy Cartwright Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...

Chuckie Finster ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the Ru ...

Phil and Lil DeVille Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root term ...

* Cheryl Chase as

Angelica Pickles ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the 2 ...

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in ''Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and r ...

Susie Carmichael ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the Ru ...

Adults

Tommy Dewey Thomas R. Dewey (born August 3, 1978) is an American actor, producer, and writer. He co-starred with Michaela Watkins in the Hulu original series '' Casual.'' Early life Dewey was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He went to Mountain Brook High Schoo ...

as Stu Pickles * Ashley Rae Spillers as

Didi Pickles ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the 2 ...

Anna Chlumsky Anna Maria Chlumsky (; born December 3, 1980) is an American actress. She began acting as a child, and first became known for playing Vada Sultenfuss in the film '' My Girl'' (1991) and its sequel, ''My Girl 2''. Following her early roles, she we ...

Charlotte Pickles ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the Ru ...

Timothy Simons Timothy Charles Simons (born June 12, 1978) is an American actor and comedian best known for his role as Jonah Ryan on the HBO television series ''Veep'', for which he has received five nominations and one win for the Screen Actors Guild Award f ...

Drew Pickles ''Rugrats'' includes a large array of characters: family, friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and fictional characters. This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series (original), its various movies, and the 2 ...

* Natalie Morales as Betty DeVille *

Tony Hale Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his role in the Fox comedy series ''Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth. Hale played Gary Walsh on the HBO comedy ''Veep'' from 2012 until its ...

as Chas Finster *

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...

as Grandpa Lou Pickles *

Nicole Byer Nicole Byer (born August 29, 1986) is an American comedian, actress, and television host. She is known as the host of the Netflix comedic reality bake-off series ''Nailed It!'' (2018–present), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award no ...

as Dr. Lucy Carmichael *

Omar Benson Miller Omar Benson Miller (born October 7, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for his work as Walter Simmons on '' CSI: Miami'' (2009–2012), as Charles Greane on ''Ballers'' (2015–2019), as the voice of Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urb ...

as Randy Carmichael

Supporting

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

as Boris Kropotkin *

Swoosie Kurtz Swoosie Kurtz ( ; born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. Kurtz made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''Ah, Wilderness''. She has received five Tony ...

as Minka Kropotkin *

Charlet Chung Chihye "Charlet" Takahashi Chung (born February 16, 1983) is an American actress who is best known for her works in voice acting, as well as for her various roles throughout film and television. She voices the fictional character D.Va in the mult ...

as Kimi Watanabe *

Hiromi Dames Hiromi "Romi" Dames (born November 5, 1979) is an American actress. Biography Born to a Japanese mother and Jewish American father, Hiromi (later shortened to Romi), lived in Japan until she turned 13; soon after, her father retired and moved ...

as Kira Watanabe

Production

In early September 2015, it was announced on ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' that

may "seek to experiment with retooled versions of classics" that could include ''Rugrats''. The following day, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' 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. 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

in late spring 2021. A sneak peek was also uploaded to

social media platforms Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social media ...

. 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 notable differences to the original 1991 series; some of which was done to accommodate the 30-year difference between the two. The most notable change came with the character Betty DeVille. Originally portrayed as a strong

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

woman with a "weak" husband in Howard, Betty is now portrayed as a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, and Howard is absent. Betty's voice actress, Natalie Morales, stated about the change that "anyone who watched the original show may have had an inkling Betty was a member of the alphabet mafia." 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 An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and wh ...

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" in this series.

Episodes

Shorts

Home media

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Klasky Csupo Rugrats (franchise) 2020s American animated television series 2021 American television series debuts American computer-animated television series Animated television series reboots Animated television series about children Animated television series about families Paramount+ original programming Paramount+ children's programming Nickelodeon original programming Nicktoons Television shows set in California English-language television shows American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series Television series by Klasky Csupo