Updated: June 08, 2026

Jonny Quest aired from September 18, 1964, to March 11, 1965, in prime time on the ABC network and was an almost instant success both critically and ratings-wise. However, it was canceled after one season due to its high production costs. According to Iwao Takamoto who worked on the series, William Hanna was willing to do more of the series and presented estimates for a second season to ABC who ultimately declined to order any further episodes as the cost to keep the series at the same level of quality as it's previous season made the network reluctant to commit.

Jonny Quest also aired on CBS Saturday mornings from 1967 to 1970 before switching back to ABC where it aired as part of their Saturday morning block from 1970 to 1972. NBC acquired broadcasting rights to Jonny Quest in 1979 and aired the series as part of their 1979 to 80 Saturday morning television schedule.

Like the original Star Trek television series, the series was profitable in syndication, but this was not as well known when the show was canceled in 1965. Along with another Hanna-Barbera series, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest is one of the few television series to have aired on each of the Big Three television networks in the United States.