Extreme Ghostbusters: A Hidden Gem

 

While I anticipate seeing the new Ghostbusters movie Frozen Empire this weekend, I went down a Ghostbusters content rabbit hole. Which led me to revisit the 90's cartoon Extreme Ghostbusters, which honestly is a underrated and worthy addition to the Ghostbusters mythos.

Released in the fall of 1997, the cartoon followed original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler who recruits a new generation to defend the city against new paranormal threats. The new recruits were a very diverse crew, far different than the original crew. There was a female member Kylie, a Hispanic member Eduardo, a Black member Roland, and a paraplegic member Garrett (which I believe was the first depiction of a paraplegic in a cartoon). With Janine and Slimer by their side they set out to make their own legacy while saving the city.

Being the late 90's the cartoon took a bit more of a edge. The classic theme song had a rock inspired version. The series creators also worked on the Men In Black  and Godzilla cartoons. The styling of Extreme Ghostbusters matched those cartoons and  the tone was slightly darker with the creatures looking a bit more terrifying. And there seemed to be real life stakes in play throughout the series.

But what really makes the cartoon a hidden gem was the character development. All four members of the team were fleshed out and had their own reasons for joining the team. They were relatable and provided reasons for the audience to care about them.

The cartoon also gave fans a very satisfying moment years before Ghostbusters Afterlife did. The original Ghostbusters teamed up with the new Ghostbusters to take down the villain in the series Finale. A true Holy Shit moment back when that wasn't common in media.

The cartoon deserves another look as it truly may have just been ahead of its time. It's not available to stream anywhere, but YouTube will satisfy your appetite. If you don't remember the gem or never seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out.