The Pink Panther (also known as The New Pink Panther Show) is an American animated television series based on the original theatrical cartoons of the same name produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation in association with Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and MGM Television, and distributed through Claster Television (by TV distribution) and Camelot Entertainment Sales (by barter services).
The series centers on the Pink Panther and his co-stars from the original cartoon shorts in a series of brand-new stories. Unlike other animated series in the franchise, this is the only series where he and the Little Man speak numerous lines; prior to this series, the Panther had only briefly spoken in two cartoons in the 1960s.
The Pink Panther was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1994 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. The series also served as the basis for two educational adventure computer games: ', and '.
The Pink Panther stars the Pink Panther in a series of adventures in which he deals with different situations in a manner similar in style to Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Looney Tunes shorts, ranging from modern-day situations such as working as a delivery boy to outlandish situations like living in caveman days. Unlike previous television series and almost the entire theatrical run, the series was produced with the Panther capable of speaking throughout the episodes, to allow more interaction with other characters. Voiced by Matt Frewer, he is given a humorous American accent in order to appeal to younger children, which was in sharp contrast to the sophisticated British accent supplied by impressionist Rich Little, who voiced the Panther briefly in two 1965 cartoon shorts, Sink Pink and Pink Ice.
Alongside the Pink Panther, other characters from theatrical shorts produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises appear in the series, including: the Inspector, whom the Panther assists in the guise of an American police officer; the Ant and the Aardvark, with John Byner reprising the role of both characters; the Dogfather and his two main henchmen Pugg and Louie, who were radically reinterpreted for this series as more original characters; the Muscle Man from the 1968 cartoon Come On In! The Water's Pink; the Witch from the 1969 cartoon Pink-A-Rella; and "the Little Man", who, like the Panther, was also designed to speak in the series, with Wallace Shawn providing his voice. The series also features new characters, including a mask-wearing tribal witch doctor named Voodoo Man, a little red-headed girl named Thelma, and a kindly elderly woman named Mrs. Chubalingo and her pet parrot Jules.
In 1992, MGM/UA decided to produce new Pink Panther cartoons with a twist that he would be able to speak, hoping to bring new life to the panther. That same year, MGM/UA met with its licensees to explain the changes that were made to the character and arm them with essential artwork needed to spring the panther for the brand-new series. This decision was controversial and unpopular.
In 1993, Rich Little, who voiced the character in a few scenes of the original cartoons, was approached to reprise his role as the pink feline. However, Little did not recall voicing the character at all and turned down the offer saying giving the panther a voice would ruin the character. Franchise co-creator David DePatie also felt that giving the panther a voice would "compromise the integrity of the character." But once the producers saw Matt Frewer fill in the lines for the panther, they thought it was fantastic and they accepted it.
On February 21, 2006, MGM Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a DVD set in France (As "La Nouvelle Panthère Rose") and Germany (As "Der rosarote Panther - Die neue Show"). This set contains all forty episodes of the first season. The set was released in the United Kingdom (as "The New Pink Panther Show - Season 1, Vol 1"), but only consisted of the first twenty episodes of the first season. A second volume was never released. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment reissued the sets in February 2009, with the UK getting the same boxset as France and Germany. Season 2 has not seen any DVD releases.
The show is also available on Tubi and on the official YouTube Channel. It was available on Pluto TV, but it has since been taken off the platform. These prints refer to the series as The New Pink Panther Show, as with the DVDs.