Long-Lost Cartoon Network Movie Resurfaces as Franchise Roars Back to Life
Cartoon Network didn’t just define after-school TV—it built a secret film vault. From The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends to Dexter’s Laboratory, Teen Titans, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, the network’s original movies shaped a generation and are finally back in the spotlight.
Cartoon Network is cracking open the vault for a little Regular Show victory lap. If you have cable and a soft spot for Mordecai and Rigby, mark your calendar: the long-missing Regular Show: The Movie is headed back to basic TV right before the new spin-off lands.
How to watch (and when)
- May 6: Cartoon Network is running a Regular Show marathon.
- May 10 at 9:15 AM ET: Regular Show: The Movie returns to Cartoon Network. It has not been available to stream anywhere for years, so this is the first time you can catch it on cable for free since it last aired on April 30, 2016. You can still rent or buy it digitally if that is your thing.
- May 11: Regular Show: The Lost Tapes premieres on Cartoon Network, bringing Mordecai, Rigby, and the rest of the park crew back to TV.
Wait, what exactly is Regular Show: The Movie?
Think of it as a supersized Regular Show episode that jumps between the past, present, and future of Mordecai and Rigby. It originally hit before the show’s sixth season and takes a wild swing: future Mordecai and Rigby are bitter enemies, a universe-level threat is shredding timelines, and somehow the fate of, well, everything ends up with the park employees. It is that classic Regular Show combo of everyday nonsense colliding with apocalyptic stakes.
Why this rerun actually matters
After a brief streaming run, the movie got swept up when HBO Max cleared out a bunch of animated originals. The series itself landed safely on Hulu, but the movie did not make the jump and has been MIA on streaming ever since. Airing it now is a nice olive branch for fans and, optimistically, maybe a sign it could find a proper streaming home again. No promises, but it would make sense.
So what is The Lost Tapes?
It is a new spin-off that reunites the gang for the first time in years, and yes, creator J.G. Quintel is back running the show and voicing Mordecai. Most of the original cast is returning too. The original series finale wrapped things up pretty cleanly, so The Lost Tapes rewinds the clock to earlier, unseen adventures for Mordecai and Rigby. Expect the usual: low-stakes problems that spiral into the bizarre.
Short version: marathon on the 6th, the movie back on the 10th, and the new series on the 11th. Smart way to prime the pump for a comeback, and a rare chance to watch the movie without paying extra.