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 second batch of episodes was released on October 7, 2021. 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. On March 16, 2023, it was announced that season two would premiere on April 14, 2023.
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 absent. 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. ==Episodes==