Upcoming Garfield Show Can Redeem Chris Pratt's 36% RT Disappointment

3 hours ago 3

Close-up of Chris Pratt at the Madrid photocall of Mercy

Published Mar 9, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT

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Back in 2024, Chris Pratt's animated comedy film was met with a disappointing reception after months of skepticism surrounding the project, but Paramount's upcoming reboot offers a chance at redemption. Given that he is best known for his charismatic humor, casting Chris Pratt as Garfield in The Garfield Movie undoubtedly had potential, especially when looking at his track record.

However, despite his big reputation, Pratt's casting as Garfield sparked outrage and was definitely at least a small factor behind the movie's disappointing critical performance. Still, the movie's box office success has led to a sequel being greenlit, but Paramount's reboot series offers a more appealing alternative that will hopefully make up for this underwhelming theatrical release.

2024's Garfield Movie Was Disappointing, But The TV Show Already Sounds Better

Garfield Smiles and Points a TV Remote in The Garfield Movie 2024

Although it was far from a disaster, The Garfield Movie left a lot to be desired, which makes the announcement of this promising TV show even better. The animated family adventure was far from Chris Pratt's best non-MCU movie, as evidenced by its 36% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, but its impressive box office haul and 78% audience approval do justify a sequel.

Still, for many fans who grew up reading Garfield comics and watching older content associated with the grumpy cat, this modern flick is far from what they were expecting. It failed to live up to the franchise's legacy, making Paramount's new reboot a breath of fresh air as it looks destined to offer a different take on this iconic character.

With Lamorne Morris voicing Garfield in this upcoming animated series, the brand of humor will almost certainly be different. Likewise, the seven-year development should be a sign that a lot of love and care have been put into crafting something more faithful to the franchise's peak, which will hopefully capture the essence of what makes Garfield special.

A TV show also offers the chance to focus on shorter, one-off adventures should it choose to go that route, yet it could just as easily lend itself to a much longer narrative than the modern movie series can. Without specific plot details or a sense of tone, it's still anyone's guess as to how this project will actually perform.

However, the early signs look promising compared to The Garfield Movie, and assuming it does a better job of depicting the beloved feline's sarcastic yet infectious personality, the future should be bright for this show.

Chris Pratt Wasn't The Right Choice For Garfield

Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult) takes kitten Garfield (Chris Pratt) for pizza in The Garfield Movie

While he was undeniably a big part of The Garfield Movie's box office success, Chris Pratt simply wasn't the right choice to play Garfield. Whether you love him or hate him, Pratt brings plenty of charm and charisma to each of his performances and has been part of multi-billion-dollar franchises, which isn't a coincidence.

In the right roles, he's absolutely hilarious and can pull off high-stakes action or emotional drama as well. That said, Garfield didn't feel like a good fit for him. Sure, he managed to convey the cat's sarcasm and greedy nature fairly well, but he came across as overly enthusiastic compared to how Garfield is usually portrayed.

Pratt is used to bringing a lot of energy to his performances, which is almost always a good thing, but here, it didn't quite match the character's traditional personality. He could've arguably thrived more in a different role, and since stars like Nicholas Hoult and Samuel L. Jackson played supporting parts, there is no reason Pratt couldn't have done the same.

Instead, it feels like The Garfield Movie was hellbent on having a big name carry the marketing, and while Pratt helped do so while making the movie profitable, it came at the expense of the overall tone. Perhaps this could still be rectified in the sequel, but the actor will have a tough time completely transforming his performance.