AI "upgraded" versions of the 1989 Super Mario Bros. cartoon are airing now on MeTV, and the results aren't pretty

The Super Mario Bros. Show — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Ahead of the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, MeTV announced that it would air all 65 episodes of The Super Mario Bros. cartoon. What they didn't disclose, however, is that they would be "upgraded" with AI.

Per Kotaku, the results are just about as bad as you'd expect. In a video shared by a fan, the once sharp, crisp, and lively animation looks like overly smooth, lifeless AI slop. You can check it out below. Given that MeTV is a hub for classic TV shows and movies... you think they would've left the animation alone and simply used tech to upgrade the quality a touch... not change it completely.

The short-lived animated series premiered in 1989, with WWE Hall of Fame wrestler "Captain" Lou Albano and Danny Wells providing the voices of Mario and Luigi, respectively... and also playing them in campy live-action segments. There was also a plethora of live-action guest stars, including Cyndi Lauper, Ernie Hudson, Magic Johnson, and even "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. The Legend of Zelda also had their own special animated segments (which have also been retouched with AI).

Latest Videos From

The Super Mario Super Show has started airing on MEtv using some kind of AI upscaling ,and the results are as good as you'd expect pic.twitter.com/WrdFbOe2iWMarch 31, 2026

There are also several other animated Mario shows, including The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, and Super Mario World. If these start streaming, we hope the original, grainy 90s quality is retained. Fingers crossed.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie releases in theaters on April 1. For everything else coming soon, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.