I would say the first season of the reboot was... pretty good. Not perfect, definitely stuff I think they could improve upon, but there's plenty enough to enjoy for fans old and new alike.
The show's strengths definitely lie with the hillarious animation, the top notch voice acting (Paulsen, Harnell and MacNeille still got it), the orchestral music and for sure, the writing is often more hit than miss. I could understand why some critics might believe the same charm isn't there -- mainly due to the original creators not being invited back -- but no doubt there is still a lot of effort being put into this by people who respect the source material. Nothing about it feels lazy.
That being said, there are a few segments that could have been condensed down and this is especially where the lack of most of the original series' cast (the irreplacable Slappy Squirrel, the Goodfeathers, etc) is sorely felt -- whether this was a creative choice or the studio, one can't be sure. The first season's desire to be timely also runs the serious risk of some episodes and jokes being dated. It's widely agreed Animaniacs is at its best when it's being timeless and when they are here, it's a barrel of laughs. I just hope the writers tilt the scale more towards timeless going forward, and with any luck, maybe we'll see some of the old cast again. I mean, who doesn't miss 'Good Idea, Bad Idea'?
I'm looking forward to Season 2 next year. There is definitely something of worth here and I'm interested in seeing what they do going forward.
