From 1960 to 1963, Deitch collaborated with Rembrandt to direct "Popeye" cartoons for television with King Features, and from 1961 to 1962 he directed 13 new "Tom and Jerry" shorts for MGM. Being a "UPA man", Deitch had misgivings about the latter property, thinking they were "needlessly violent". However, after being assigned to work on the series, he quickly realized that "nobody took violence seriously", and it was merely "a parody of exaggerated human emotions". He also came to see what he perceived as the "biblical roots" in Tom and Jerry's conflict, similar to David and Goliath, stating "That's where we feel a connection to these cartoons: the little guy can win (or at least survive) to fight another day." Contemporary critics often regarded Deitch's shorts as the worst in the "Tom and Jerry" series; Deitch said some fans wrote positive letters to him, stating that his "Tom and Jerry" shorts were their personal favorites.