NEW YORK — Streaming service CBS All Access’ new animated variety news series Tooning Out the News will debut in both Canada and the U.S. on Monday, March 16.
Tooning Out the News features a cast of animated characters, led by anchor James Smartwood, mocking the news of the day and interviewing real-world guests, newsmakers and analysts. Daily segments (five to seven minutes in length) will stream evenings Monday through Thursday, and weekly full episodes will drop Fridays after 12 p.m. ET, exclusively on CBS All Access.
The series is executive produced by Stephen Colbert and Christ Licht of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and RJ Fried and Tim Luecke from Showtime’s Our Cartoon President. Among the legal and political commentators confirmed to appear as guests on the show are Dan Abrams, Alan Dershowitz, Thomas Friedman, Nicholas Kristof, Olivia Nuzzi and a number of U.S. congressional representatives.
“After a successful negotiation between my forthright representation and a frankly insulting CBS business affairs department, I’m pleased to report that I am now the lead anchor and chief senior managing director of news and miscellaneous serious stuff at America’s #1 source of news and ‘Star Trek’: CBS All Access,” says anchor Smartwood, in the tongue-in-cheek news release. “Now that I’m on the air, I have a stark warning to every power player in Washington: I will suck up to you for access — that’s a promise. Lastly, for the record, my involuntary sabbatical last year was my choice. Check out Tooning Out the News every weekday. I don’t work weekends. Weekends are for chili and roughhousing.”
Tooning Out the News’ regular segments will include: Big News, Inside the Hill, Hot Take, Virtue Signal and Smart Talk Tonight.
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