Men in Black franchise should reboot the 1997 cartoon, Polygon argues

Polygon argues that the best path forward for the struggling Men in Black franchise is a new animated series reboot of the 1997 cartoon, in a piece published Feb. 1, 2026. The article says the theatrical sequels largely failed to recapture the first film’s chemistry: Men in Black II recycled the original’s plot with a weaker villain, and Men in Black 3’s time‑travel premise replaced the central Will Smith–Tommy Lee Jones dynamic.

The author also calls Men in Black: International “its own thing” and views the franchise overall as having faltered after the first movie. By contrast, Polygon highlights Men in Black: The Series (1997–2001) as a closer follow-up to the film. The show continued J and K’s partnership, staged smaller, day‑to‑day alien assignments (from babysitting an alien dignitary’s child to undercover alien conferences), and produced offbeat episodes—Agent J pregnant with an alien baby, merged with a symbiote, or shrunk to Arquillian size.

The piece notes the cartoon’s faithful buddy‑cop dynamic despite different voice actors (Keith Diamond as Agent J; Ed O’Ross and later Gregg Berger as Agent K), occasional film guest spots (Tony Shalhoub reprised Jack Jeebs briefly; Vincent D’Onofrio guest‑starred four times), and a distinctive visual style by comic artist Miguelanxo Prado.

The series ran 53 episodes over four seasons, developed by Duane Capizzi, Jeff Kline and Richard Raynis, and is now streaming for free on Tubi.

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