Top 10 Good Cartoons That Went Bad
#10: “The Ren & Stimpy Show” (1991-95)
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As one of the founding Nicktoons for Nickelodeon, “The Ren & Stimpy Show” managed to entice viewers both young and old with its absurd and risqué humor. However, John Kricfalusi - the creator and voice of Ren - was fired after Season 2 due to creative differences and controversy. Billy West did his best taking over as Ren while also voicing Stimpy, but the show’s writing wasn’t as fortunate. While it tried to emulate the bizarre humor the original seasons had, the series had lost that certain edge that made it truly shine. We’ll say this, though: at least it knew when to restrain itself… unlike the horrendous “Adult Party Cartoon” reboot.
#9: “Doug” (1991-94; 1996-99)
Among the first three Nicktoons, “Doug” brought something simple and unique to the network during its time – a quirky slice of life cartoon. After its Nickelodeon run ended, Disney bought the rights and produced a continuation series. While it did offer SOME welcome changes –like episodes centered on side characters- the bad outweighed the good in the viewers’ eyes. Along with Billy West not returning to voice Doug and Roger, the new era suffered from drastic/unnecessary changes, wasted opportunities, poor characterization moments, and too much buildup to the cinematic flop. Though Disney offered so much for his show, even creator Jim Jinkins agrees that the Nickelodeon run was FAR superior.
#8: “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” (1994-99; 2001-08)
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In the ‘60s, Space Ghost was an animated crime fighter with superpowers who vanquished supervillains. This ‘90s Cartoon Network reboot had good intentions when it decided to bring back Hanna-Barbera’s intergalactic superhero as the host of an adult parody talk show. With an animated host and characters but live action celebrity guests, its comedy was subtle but funny. Earlier seasons kept things interesting by straying from the typical talk show formula. Later seasons tended more towards spoofs, absurd humor and surrealism - that is, until the money dried up and the AOL/Time Warner merger changed things. Despite a move to Adult Swim, the series never seemed able to be as free or as weird as it was in the good ol’ days.
#7: “Superjail!” (2008-14)
One of Adult Swim’s most unique programs offered a demented sense of whimsy. While light on the story, it guaranteed a generous amount of gruesome violence, and crazy, expressive animation. Around Season 2, the madness began to slow down; the violence –while still present- was toned down slightly, most of the characters were given backstories all of a sudden, and they tried to include story arcs that didn’t amount to much. Season 3 tried to combine both previous seasons’ styles –focusing on character development while bringing back the mass murders, but the change in animation didn’t sit well with many. Not every cartoon needs to have depth; sometimes we just want a fast, simple bloodbath.
#6: “Teen Titans” (2003-06)
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The original “Teen Titans” series remains one of Cartoon Network’s biggest milestones – perfectly blending action and character development with comedy. However, Season 3 suffered due to low ratings and a weak story arc. Season 4’s story arc kicked things up a huge notch, which unfortunately left Season 5 feeling underwhelming. While it was still enjoyable, the finale, “Things Change,” left so many cliffhangers that would never be answered –not even in the epilogue movie. The ultimate nail in the coffin was how instead of producing a sixth season to resolve said cliffhangers, Cartoon Network would instead greenlight a comedic reboot of the Titans –which would become the bane of any hardcore fan’s existence.
#5: “Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)
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While by no means family-friendly, Seth MacFarlane’s magnum opus knew how to draw in a crowd with its hilarious parodies and social commentary. Thanks to high ratings and fantastic DVD sales, the show made a triumphant comeback after getting cancelled twice. However, as the series continued, those good old-fashioned values seemed to disappear –the humor suffered greatly due to a heavy reliance on cutaway gags and overly preaching Seth’s personal political views. Worst of all, the characters became unbearable and needlessly cruel –and poor Meg is usually their lightning rod. Seth himself has admitted he wishes the series would end, but no matter the needless shock value, Fox refuses to give it up.
#4: “The Boondocks” (2005-14)
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Based on the comic strips by Aaron McGruder, “The Boondocks” was renowned for satirizing socio-political and racial views through the eyes of a young kid. Four years after the Season 3 finale, a fourth season was produced without McGruder’s involvement… this ended up being a costly mistake. A show once full of hard, thought-provoking messages was reduced to using forced humor with no real insight, stealing the focus away from Huey, and sucking away most of the other characters’ depth. The series finale is ultimately the worst of it all – demonizing two groups over a petty reason… and then just ends. Unsurprisingly, viewers rejoiced when the series’ suffering ceased in 2014. However, just 5 years later, news surfaced that a 2020 TV reboot with McGruder’s input was in the works.
#3: “SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)
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The little square dude won the hearts of both kids and adults with his likable personality and entertaining stories. The 2004 feature film could’ve seen the series end on a high note… but Nickelodeon had other plans. Though Stephen Hillenburg left production, the show pressed on… for better or worse. The writers resorted to rehashing old episode plots, and relied more on mean-spirited humor over the show’s original light-hearted spirit. Added to this was the fact that the cast of fun, relatable characters became one-note imitations –Patrick easily being one of the worst examples. While it can’t return to its golden age, fans claimed that Hillenburg’s return helped Nick’s favorite cash cow to improve - at least it did until the creator’s 2018 death.
#2: “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)
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In its golden days, Butch Hartman’s crowned creation followed the zany adventures of an average kid and his Fairy Godparents. It originally ended in 2006, but Nickelodeon ordered another season… and then things turned ugly. From then on, the characters became less relatable and charming – not to mention the constant addition of bland main characters growing tiresome. Worst of all, the once witty and silly writing –that often knew how to work in a moral- was downgraded to cheap pop culture jokes and potty humor –usually going against the series’ original continuity and mythos. During its 10th season, the show introduced a new character while removing others, changed from traditional to Flash Animation and moved to Nicktoons - but that season was ultimately its last.
#1: “The Simpsons” (1989-)
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In the beginning, “The Simpsons” was beloved by viewers everywhere for its smart humor and relatable situations –not to mention so many quotable catchphrases. There are still debates about when the series’ seasonal rot began after over two decades on the air, but as time moved forward, fans began to notice a dip in the show’s quality. The stories began to feel less real, the celebrity appearances became more frivolous than meaningful, and the humor became less intelligent –often bordering towards mean-spirited, or sucking the charm out of once-identifiable characters. On top of it, they’re often reduced to rehashing old plots –further proving that the family really has done it all… except finally end.
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