After the success of the 1984 film, an animated series went into production. Filmation had already used the Ghost Busters name for its own properties, so the Columbia Pictures cartoon was titled The Real Ghostbusters to keep the two apart. That show became the longest-running and best-known Ghostbusters cartoon, and it later spawned a spin-off.

This section collects the animated series tied to the franchise. The main entries are The Real Ghostbusters (1986 to 1991), which followed Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz and Slimer; its retitled later seasons, Slimer! & The Real Ghostbusters (1988); and the sequel series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), in which a retired Egon recruits four college students as a new team.

The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)

The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the hit 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television (now Sony Pictures Television), DiC Entertainment and Coca-Cola. The Real was added to the title over a dispute with Filmation and its Ghost Busters properties. The series continues the adventures of paranormal investigators Dr. Peter Venkman, Dr. Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Dr. Ray Stantz, their secretary Janine Melnitz and their mascot ghost Slimer.

There were also two ongoing Real Ghostbusters comics, one published monthly by Now Comics in the US and the other published weekly by Marvel Comics in the United Kingdom, as well as a popular toy line manufactured by Kenner.

Slimer! & The Real Ghostbusters (1988)

During the final seasons of The Real Ghostbusters, it was retitled Slimer! and The Real Ghostbusters, with shorter 10 minute episodes followed by a mini Tom and Jerry styled Slimer cartoon. The animation style was changed significantly.

Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)

Extreme Ghostbusters was a sequel to The Real Ghostbusters. Egon, now a retired Ghostbuster, works as a college teacher, passing the limited interest of the paranormal to four students in his course. When New York gets re-infested, Egon's new students get recruited to be the new Extreme Ghostbusters. With upgraded Proton Packs and weapons, there's no question, Who ya gonna call, again?

Ghostbusters: Night Shift

A new animated series, Ghostbusters: Night Shift, is in production at Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, executive produced by the Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire filmmakers. It is the first new Ghostbusters cartoon in decades.

Others

Separate from the film-based shows, Filmation produced its own cartoon also titled Ghostbusters, based on the company's earlier live-action property rather than the 1984 movie. It is the reason the Columbia Pictures cartoon adopted the "Real" qualifier.¹

Filmation's Ghostbusters (1986)

Based on the Filmation live action series, Ghostbusters: The Animated Series aired from 09/08/1986 through 12/05/1986 totaling 65 episodes.