Megas XLR

Did You Know?

• The series was originally delayed from a December 2003 debut.
• Reruns aired in a 3:30am graveyard slot before being removed from the network.
• The entire series is available on Xbox Video.

Overview

In the year 3037, Earth is losing a war against the Glorft, an alien race led by Gorrath. The human resistance steals a prototype mecha from the Glorft, modifies it into a war machine called Megas (Mechanized Earth Guard Attack System), and plans to send it two years into the past to the Battle of the Last Stand with pilot Kiva Andru. Before preparations are complete, a Glorft attack damages Megas' time drive and blows off its head, sending the crippled robot to a 1930s Jersey City junkyard. Around 2004, slacker mechanic Harold "Coop" Cooplowski discovers it, replaces its head with a classic muscle car, adds a flaming paint job, and renames it XLR (eXtra Large Robot). While Coop shows off the robot to his friend Jamie, Kiva travels to the 21st century to retrieve Megas. She finds that only Coop can pilot it due to his modifications, and grudgingly agrees to train him. Gorrath has followed her through time, forcing the trio to defend Earth against the Glorft and other threats.

Production

Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic conceived the idea for an animated series where the main character pilots a giant robot using his video gaming skills. The pilot short, LowBrow, aired in 2002 during Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Weekend Summerfest and was the most popular among viewers, leading to a series greenlight. The animation is inspired by both Japanese mecha anime and Western animation, and the humor often pays homage to or mocks anime conventions.

Future

In late 2012, fans used the hashtag #BringBackMegasXLR on Twitter. Co-creator George Krstic and director Chris Prynoski announced they would bring back the show, but Megas XLR had been written off by Cartoon Network, so Titmouse, Inc. would need to acquire the rights. On April 29, 2013, Krstic tweeted that he and Prynoski were meeting at Titmouse to discuss reviving the show alongside Motorcity. In a 2014 interview, Krstic stated that the show was written off as a tax loss and could not be exploited domestically without tax or legal trouble. As of February 8, 2019, Krstic said the rights had transferred to Warner Brothers, though the show's future remained uncertain. In June 2025, co-creator Jody Schaeffer revealed that the series had made its money back through iTunes and international sales and was greenlit for a reboot a few years prior, but the project was scrapped during the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. In December 2012, Prynoski hinted at a video game with Valve, but no official comment was made; in 2015 he mentioned he could not sort out the licensing.

Reception

Dave Trumbore of Collider described the series as a really funny and well-done series. Roy from Cinemahub.com gave it a 3.5 out of 5 rating, writing that while it remains hilarious and fun, its action scenes fall short compared to present-day animated series. Noah Dominguez of CBR.com noted that the creative team clearly had fun making it, and praised the over-the-top premise, self-aware humor, and dynamic between Coop, Jamie, and Kiva, as well as the theme song "Chicks Dig Giant Robots" by Ragtime Revolutionaries.