When MGM-UA’s Pink Panther series debuts next year on CBS – mixing animation and live action – do not expect the quality of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. MGM-UA TV chief David Gerber says that the animation will be several cuts above typical Saturday morning fare, “but I don’t think any TV show could emulate the technique of Roger Rabbit . . . without going bankrupt. We’re going to concentrate on the character.”

The series had been in the planning stages for nearly two years, without a green light. Then Roger Rabbit hit the big screen, said co-producer George Schenck, and its blockbuster success “helped make this possible. Before, no one thought it could be done.”

The comic series about a feline that helps out a young reporter (Charlie Schlatter) could be a late-season replacement.

But first, Gerber said, the producers must find a vocal talent who can provide a sound for the clever cat. After hearing hundreds of taped auditions, they are still waiting for “the voice with the right texture.”