Growing up, Tom and Jerry would be on TV right when I got home from school and I loved it. I Looked forward to the zany humour. Then this iteration started playing instead. And it was truly awful. I don't know what that says about me, as I grew up to be a non-violent person, but the disappointment I felt when I came home and discovered this "friends" version was airing, caused urges inside of me that could almost be described as violent. Throughout elementary school, Tom and Jerry would continue to play in the same time slot, rotating between the great pre-70's shorts, the not so great 80's version and the absolutely terrible 70's version. Whether I was in grade 2 or grade 6, I found this 70's version unwatchable. So really young me and pre-teen me felt the same way about this dreck. Without the violence, it relied on the lamest of plot situations. The same message over and over again - they had to work as friends to resolve a problem. And it was about as funny as Christian after school specials dealing with teenage pregnancy or parental alcoholism. I know because I would get exposed to them when I had to channel surf in the vain hope of finding something else to watch. Half star for forcing me to go outside and play, and another half star for influencing the episode of the Simpsons when Marge tries to make Itchy and Scratchy cartoons non-violent.

Having heard people calling it an abomination, I was hesitant. But when I watched The New Tom and Jerry Show it was better than I expected. It is not as good as the classic MGM cartoons, but it is much better than the Gene Dietch cartoons(now there's the meaning of abomination), and I prefer this show over Tom and Jerry Tales and Tom and Jerry Kids. I admit I did miss the violence and chases, which at its best were amusing and lively while never feeling sadistic. However, this is a beautifully drawn show and the theme tune is wonderful as is the background music. The stories are sweet and funny, and Tom and Jerry, whether they are friends or against one another are still likable. All in all, I think while inferior this show is more than decent. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This incarnation of Tom & Jerry debuted when I was 7 and ran in reruns through the early 1980s. So for me it wasn't gone when it wrapped in 1977. Needless to say i hadn't seen the original MGM's at the time (1975-76) so this was the only Tom and jerry I knew for awhile. So,them being friends in this version was simply how the show was and how they were introduced to me. It had nothing to do with toned down cartoon violence (which I hadn't much of yet). it was just a funny show where sometimes T & J team up to help someone out trouble they're in. Like one show where a baby mammoth has been found and just wants to go home to it's mother. While being pursued by the resident villain who wants to cage it and make a fortune. Similar show where they find a new baby eagle hatching out of a misplaced egg and they try to raise it. Turning their lives upside down. There were shows where Tom & Jerry competed against each-other and "surprise" Tom tries to cheat (like in running a track race). Tom hooks up a motor to his back but then he can't shut it of. He gets loose of it and it chases after him. What also has stuck with me to this day is it's catchy theme song:"Set the dial for awhile have a laugh and smile, it's the Tom and jerry Show!"You'll be skimmed with a grin when you first tune us in, it's the Tom and jerry Show!" (Announcer introduces T & J,music plays)"Lot's of zing,lots to sing. Everything's gonna swing, so get ready here we go-o-o-o!" "Big or tall,short or small...we'll all have a ball, on the Tom - and - Jer-r-ry show!~"Whoever said kids who watched this were wusses,you were wrong. it has nothing to do with non-violence at all.We just liked the show and watched it with all the rest of what Saturday morning in the '70s offered. More simply,we just liked to laugh. 10 stars,because nothing beats a good child-hood memory...that's something no one can change.Oh..and if you want lame Tom & Jerry cartoons,try the ones made in Europe,in the 1960s,they're boring and flat out annoying.

Okay, so some of the edge of Tom & Jerry playing literal Cat and Mouse games has been lost, but that's not altogether that bad a thing! Most of the old Tom and Jerry cartoons were hilarious, but let's not forget the instances when Tom was blown up or beaten with mallets by white mice or even other cats!As a child I loved both incarnations of the duo, but somehow this later version was more likeable with Tom and Jerry as best friends. This was handled in such a way that the characters' mannerisms were still intact and recognisable, but the one-gag stories of "I'm gonna get you because you're a mouse and I'm a cat, and that's the way it is!" were eliminated, along with much of the violence! Luckily it was handled so well, that this series opened the door to some really funny adventures with wacky sports episodes ("What a disastah!"), and the rescue of dying, but still witty desert drifters ("Please give me a drink! Anything! Oh, Cherry Lime? I'm not so crazy about Cherry Lime! You got Grape?")All in all this is a better series and definitely not a kinder-gentler sellout! Spike's still there! The action's still there, but you can let your kids watch without worrying about them spanking your cat with a hammer when you're not looking! In short, a Tom & Jerry without the Itchy and Scratchy in them!