The Real Ghostbusters premiered on September 13, 1986. The reason for "Real" in the title was to distinguish it from filmation's live action (1975) and then animated reboot (1986) Ghostbusters. The theatrical film the cartoon was based on wasn't even sure they would get permission to use the title, so arranged some scenes to be filmed with an alternate name. The green ghost in the movie was so well received that for the cartoon, he was given the name Slimer and made part of the main cast. The first season was very well received, but ABC thought they could improve it. They made major changes in the characters and stories, including recasting some of the roles, which resulted in a drop in viewership and the leaving of writer J Michael Straczynski. Eventually, they agreed to walk back some of the changes and got Straczynski back. In the first episode, Slimer accidently released 3 ghosts who decided to set up a competing business called Ghosts R Us. ("Ghost R Us" The Real Ghostbusters, TV Event)
