Good Cartoons Currently Running.
 

For some reason I've recently been on a nostalgia trip. I've been looking back at episodes of classics like Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles etc, and have been thinking about how much I miss those days. I probably haven't kept up with any [non-adult] animated series since Spider-Man went off the air.

So, for those of you who remember these shows is there anything on today that can even begin to compare?

I'm not trying to turn this into a "Back in my day cartoons used to mean something!" thread. I'm seriously looking for a quality series that may be running today that I don't know about.

I do remember seeing one or two episodes of Spongebob Squarepants, and actually getting a good laugh .

I'm the same way as you with nostalgia. Add Super Mario cartoons, Sonic, Zelda to your list.

But an example of quality now is probably the new TMNT.

Lots of people say Avatar is really good. I haven't seen it myself, though, even though one of my online friends has been wanting me to.

Venture Bros. That's the best animated show on TV right now, until new Futurama episodes come back.

Venture Bros. is over though, at least until the new season.

When do new Futurama episodes start? I must mark my calendar...

I can see some kid musing about Avatar in ten years the same way my generation muses about Gargoyles and David the Gnome today.

I also like My Gym Partner is a Monkey. It remind me of Dexter's Lab, as it takes an absurd concept and just completly runs with it.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. There is very little programming on that is better than this, cartoon or not. Fantastic humor, very odd, always funny. It helps to know people who have personalities similar to those that crop up.

Spongebob is usually good, though I have to watch it sparingly. Johnny Bravo still gets a new episode every once in a while. Although I don't watch it, I will agree TMNT is a good show. I'm not sure about Avatar and Foster's, neither of which made a good impression on me within one episode, but they might be great shows overall.

Family guy is getting better too.

2008. They're half way through the writing process and about to start the animation.


And Family Guy has never been funny.

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is surprisingly enjoyable. Its got a lot of the typical gross humor that many cartoons have, but there are a lot of references to popular culture and sometimes its funny to see how much they get away with.... Any show about the Grim Reaper loosing a limbo contest and becoming the "best friend" to two children.

Wikipedia's Entry for The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

I'd also suggest Invader Zim, another series that seems to get away with quite a bit despite being "made" for children.

Any weekday at 10:30 just turn on Adult Swim. Their humor is really polarizing (with their original shows, anyway) but damn is it funny if that's your kinda laugh. As someone else already said, Venture Bros. is hilarious, as is Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Other than those two, there's Robot Chicken which is hit or miss, and the bunch of licensed shows they use. The best of the bunch is undoubtably Futurama, which is great no matter how many times you've already seen it.

Enjoy!

You have the intelligence of drywall. That show is crap. And don't even bother arguing because this is one of those occasions where it's okay for me to be a dick because I also happen to be completely correct.


Anyhow, the best animated show on television right now is Drawn Together. The writing is a notch above everything else available, and is pretty much equal to Venture Bros. in total awesomeness. Drawn Together is everything Family Guy wishes it could be.

Honestly, no...Most of the cartoons today are so painful to look at and/or are poorly written, I can't even begin to put them in the same category as all of the quality stuff from the 80's/early 90's. I've gotten an occasional laugh out of the random Spongebob episode and new Simpsons, but little more. Family Guy had its' day, now it seems like old hat. The new TMNT had potential, but the voices for the Turtles just grate my nerves to the point I can't watch it (I've read a couple episode summaries that sounded okay at least). Adult Swim's stuff used to be funny and entertaining, now their original shows just smell of lame attempts at DVD sales of low-budget (or in the Boondocks case, low-class) shows that will be forgotten a year from now (and CN's move towards original cartoons has completely over-saturated that entire network in poorly drawn kiddy crap). And the anime selection has completely dwindled, IMO...Naruto's kinda okay, but I'll never follow it with any kind of enthusiasm (I usually forget it comes on...No problem, since they constantly re-show episodes and make things move along seemingly even slower. :cow: ). It's probably been a year or so since I've watched any sort of animation on regular TV and enjoyed it.

The one thing I'm looking forward to is the new season of Futurama that's coming soon (or was announced last time I checked at least). That show's fairly new to me (I saw it for the first time when it premiered on Adult Swim) and for all the ideas that sound lame, it does a great job pulling everything off. Wouldn't break my heart for them to kill off the Simpsons and put in Futurama every Sunday night instead. Unless this new season turns out really awful (and that remains a possibility).

Ugh, Adult Swim, where did you go wrong? I miss Space Ghost, the Brak Show, and Sealab. Of course, Venture Bros. is awesome, but all their other newer stuff is crap. I guess it's still good for old Futuramas on weeknights, though.

As far as regular ol' Cartoon Network goes, they're not in a great state of affairs either, now that they only show Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo once in a blue moon, and Megas XLR is gone. Heck, even Courage was pretty good compared to their current stuff. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends exceeded my expectations, but that's about it for me these days. Alternately, Grim Adventures looked like it had a lot of potential at the start, but I think failed in execution.

Spongebob used to be pretty good, but I think they ran out of ideas a long time ago.

A lot of people rave about Avatar, and I've never understood why. It's not bad or anything, per se, but I've never found it to be particularly interesting in any way, shape or form.

I loved Sealab.

"This I Can't Believe It's Not Debbie Butter is delicious! *smears all over face*"

For the last few years I haven't watched much on TV aside from whatever is really worth the time, which for me translates to Futurama, Venture Bros and Drawn Together. I regretfully do not know any "kids" cartoons that are actually good, so I can't recommend any of those; the last Spongebob episode I watched was in Welsh ;_;.

I recently got into Avatar, as it's pretty good despite being a children's show. The characters manage to be very likeable, which few shows today (to me, anyhow) fail to do. The show has some really cool fight scenes in the second season, although I wasn't very fond with the 'bending' moves and sometimes rigid fighting styles of the earlier episodes. They quickly grew on me, and I'm looking forward to what the show produces next season.

Of course there's also the obligatory Venture Bros' mention, since it's all kinds of awesome in one thirty-minute package. Not much to really say there. It's just kind of unfortunate that it took so long for season two to arrive. Venture Brothers is clearly one of the few shows on Adult Swim that maintains a sense of high-quality entertainment. I'm still a fan of Aqua Teen (in before 'shit sucks'), but I haven't bothered watching the latest episodes. From what I hear they're lacking compared to previous seasons, but I'll wait to see for myself.

'Shit sucks'

No really...I like Aqua Teen, but I don't think its' shelf life is that good. It's a good (and refreshingly bizarre-done-right) show if I have the TV on and nothing else compelling is on (which unfortunately happens quite a bit with a regular cable package), but I would never buy the DVD sets or use up a VHS tape to watch at my leisure. In 2020 or whatever, it'll be synonymous with the the '00 decade's 'bad taste' as opposed to a classic. I think a lot of the bad AS shows that keep popping up try to capture the magic Aqua Teen has.

No love for Metalocalypse? In my opinion, this show is just a notch below the superb Venture Bros, and is a true gem amongst the sea of crappy original content on Adult Swim.

Also, this technically doesn't count since it went off the air last year, but as for recent cartoon excellency, count in Teen Titans.

- WraithTwo -

Try Justice League Unlimited. I find it quite entertaining and it's not fully for kids. I like it because it's not like "good vs evil" on every episode. It shows how the superheroes get along (not very good it seems) and takes the series to a more dark atmosphere.

I hope you're being sarcastic. If not, can I punch you in the face REALLY HARD?

Protip: Transformers, He-Man, and Thundercats don't count as quality cartoons.

The '90s were better off in the cartoon department, what with stuff like Exosquad, Batman and other Timm cartoons, Beast Wars, Gargoyles, Dexter's Laboratory, and Rocko's Modern Life. The '80s don't really compare.

Venture Brothers gets another mention because it's just THAT good.
Seriously, check it out. Every so often when it takes some of the corn ball from the old Hanna Barbara cartoons (Scooby Doo, Johnny Quest, etc.) and recycles them you get a good laugh. I remember the episode where Dr. Venture met up with the grown up Johnny Quest and he was a psychotic shut-in living in an underwater lab. Hilarious.

Another one I like is Metalocalypse.
Funny show, pretty grotesque though so watch out if you're not into that sort of stuff.

Speaking of Brendon Small's stuff, check out Home Movies. It's not on the air but all the seasons are on DVD and its worth a look. It's definitely one of my favorite animated shows.

American Dad is FOX's best animated show on currently.
It's got all of that old Family Guy humor that left the show in lieu of the continuous flashbacks and pop references that bloat that show into a meaningless 30 minutes of stoner humor.
In other words: unlike Family Guy, it's genuinely funny.

You've got to be fucking shitting me. I thought Crash's apporval of Drawn Together was full of hot air but this takes the cake. Family Guy is second tier animation while American Dad is ninth level tier animation which ranks around cave paintings and retarded children using finger paint, and taking seemingly random images putting them in motion and calling it animation. It's nothing more than the creation from the uncreative mind of Seth MacFarlane. The show is not funny, edgey, clever, unique, offensive or anything else. Yeah it's stupid, but not even stupid funny. Watching people get hit in the crotch with a football is funnier.

That's insulting.

You sir, speak the truth. :beer:

At least when Family Guy started airing, the episodes got funnier as the seasons progressed. Although, I have to admit that the newest season and half of the third season was pretty retarded and kept relying very heavily on random flashbacks and sexual innuendos and jokes to pick up some laughs as far as I can tell. The use of wasting time has increased too. Remember the useless time wasters from the episodes when Peter made his own religion up and also the time when Peter and Lois's dad "robbed" the train?

American Dad was never funny to begin with. All of the characters from that show can go fuck off. They piss me off and are not funny at all. Seriously, a fucking Goldfish whose mind was switched with a German Olympic Skiier and a homosexual Alien? I tried giving it a chance, but watching every episode, I cringe at every stupid joke and every annoying pop culture reference that gets shitted out on that show.

I hate Drawn Together. Just like American Dad, the characters in that show are so obnoxious and unfunny. I couldn't stand watching an entire episode of that crap. I had to change the channel after watching 10 minutes of it...

And everyone knows that ten minutes is all it takes to make you an authority upon a show's quality.

Drawn Together tends to be wasted on people who possess an I.Q. below 140, anyhow, so I don't blame you for not understanding how satire works.

Don't worry, Fairly Oddparents! will always be good enough for you.

THANK YOU! It's not every day I hear people agreeing that Drawn Together is a good show because most of the people I know who have seen the show hated it. Not because it wasn't funny but because they just, and I QUOTE, "didn't get what they were making fun of".

WHAT. THE FUCK?

So let me get this straight... Pop culture skewering goes over their heads when they themselves are saturated in pop culture? I guess there is something to be said for the power of denial.

Jess... You may now punch ME in the face.

Double Post:
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I hate Drawn Together because it tries too fucking hard to be offensive and edgey. Simpsons (when it first came out) and South Park have raised the bar considerably in that department. The writing is poor and the characters are unlikeble. Oh I get it, the elf guy is supposed to be Link and we think he's gay! Get it! Hahaha! I do! :rolleyes:

The characters in Drawn Together are plenty likable, in the sense that they're deliberately obnoxious stereotypes. You either have the ability to laugh at the skewering of society's largest demographics, or you don't (live in a cave). Once you move past the initial "LOL FAG" or "HAHA FAT CHICK" part of each character's gimmick, it frees you up to examine how they all interact, which is quite well done, in my opinion.

But yeah, the whole pop culture thing. I'm stumped by the way fanboys praise Family Guy for its hilarious sendups but scratch their heads at Drawn Together. It's a fucking Reality TV show for washed-up cartoon icons. How much more is there to grasp? The entire concept is a satire of a pop-culture phenomenon that is, in itself, a parody of real life.

Family Guy pays tribute to Stephen King's "Misery": Peter Griffin has a flashback wherein his ankles are broken by Kathy Bates. It invokes the movie in a scene that can be understood by anyone who's heard of the film. Fair enough. Good for a one-shot laugh.

Drawn Together pays tribute to "Misery": One of the characters gets a stuffy nose, making his nose bigger than usual; the propeller on his beanie is broken off, leaving just the black cap; he forgets to buy more razor blades so he is unable to shave his curly sideburns; he finds a sack of money that fell off a passing armored car. So, the white-supremacist character thinks he's a Jew and shoves him into the pool as a means of "baptism" into Christianity. The guy gets hypothermia and the girl is forced to watch over his well-being. She's praised for her diligence in this manner and becomes addicted to the praise, so she purposely keeps the guy sick and injured so that she may remain being viewed as a nurturing caregiver. Not only is "Misery" invoked, but "The Sixth Sense" as well, when she feeds him drain cleaner.

Drawn Together builds up to their pop culture references, often making them into the basis for entire episodes. And they're worked into the script in ways that make sense for each character involved, and rarely as bizarre nonsequiturs that are out of canon.

So yeah, if you've only watched one episode (or less), then sure, Drawn Together probably "sucks" and is "stupidly pointless". Imagine telling someone that you don't like visiting the ocean because you once had some bad clams. How retarded would you sound? So don't sit there and tell me Drawn Together is a waste of time when you haven't even invested that time to know better.

I hear Xiaolin Showdown ratings have slipped. Better hurry back!

No I'm sorry... I didn't quite grasp that. Can you explain that one me again?

And what's this I hear about some character being like Betty Boop? Did I miss something here?

Looks like I struck a nerve.
What gets me laughing at all of this is how you both describe Family Guy more so than American Dad (watch an episode of AD and you'll know how wrong this list is):

• I cringe at every stupid joke and every annoying pop culture reference that gets shitted out on that show. <--- Family Guy flashbacks, aloha!
• ...animation which ranks around cave paintings and retarded children using finger paint, and taking seemingly random images putting them in motion and calling it animation. <--- A typical Family Guy episode's story line.
• It's nothing more than the creation from the uncreative mind of Seth MacFarlane. The show is not funny, edgey, clever, unique, offensive or anything else. Yeah it's stupid, but not even stupid funny. Watching people get hit in the crotch with a football is funnier. <--- Didn't Trey Parker and Matt Stone say the same thing about Family Guy?

Anyway, to save this thread from derailing, I just want to add mention that Avatar seems like it's a good show. I watched an episode earlier and it was pretty interesting.

You miss the point; Family Guy and American Dad are the same exact cartoon. The exact same, except the dad is less fat in one.

You guys are defending your favorite show after a few people said they don't like it and why they don't like it... Ok, are you expecting me to do the same thing if someone said that Rocko's Modern Life is an unfunny, piece of shit cartoon?

Why would you guys give a damn about a few nay-sayers?

If I said Rocko's Modern Life was donkey shit based upon ten minutes of experience with the show, then yes, I'd be surprised if you didn't defend it against the forces of stupid.

But like I said earlier, why would you give a damn about what a few nay-sayers spout out?

I could care less if someone said 24 or Scrubs were the worst TV shows ever created. Yeah, those are two of my favorite TV shows, but I'm not going to care if someone said they hate it.

I watched one episode of Avatar and I found it to be remarkably simple. It's obviously a kids show in that regard. I was able to point out the BIG TWIST a minute into the episode. It's still not an excuse, because if Scooby Doo can manage to keep me mildly surprised at whodunnitt for several of it's episodes, then I'm sure Avatar--which seems to be more serious that Scooby Doo would ever aspire too--could step up their A-Game.

I second Foster's. And I'm interested in seeing what this Oban Star Racer show is. It looks interesting.

I hate to nitpick a post, but honestly, it's a cartoon. On Nickelodeon. And on top of that, it's the cartoon equivalent of a Hong Kong flick.


I think it's time to stop worrying and start loving the bomb.

Well, Rocko was the best cartoon ever, so no one would dare say something bad about it.

I like Drawn Together. The new episodes are hilarious in the way your describing. They actually put thought into the characters and story without relying on the stereotype the shows portraying to push the jokes.

But the first season was pretty much a gross out comedy realworld/surreal life parody that offered nothing outside of the obvious references and jokes. I could see how it would be easy to get turned off during the first season.

I was never into a lot of Nick cartoons (I always thought Rugrats was downright putrid to look at, despite some clever scenarios), but both Rocko and especially Doug were proof of how good cartoons were "back in the day".

I have seen a little of Drawn Together (mostly promos from waiting for South Park to come on, but also maybe two episodes), but I got the feeling a lot of detractors here have mentioned...It just feels like empty parody/satire and not something with a particularly long shelf life. Dunno if what I saw was Season 1, but I don't feel inclined to go back to it.

Currently running...

Avatar and The Venture Brothers have me hooked.

I don't know what it is exactly about Avatar that has me liking it, but it's just an all-around good cartoon in my opinion. It's got humor, action, a great story, great animation for a (non-Japan?)-produced cartoon, and likeable characters. Some of the fight scenes in this show are so fun too watch (see: fight between Aang and Zuko in the episode with the scent-smelling beast, and the fight between Aang and the earthbending general who wants to force Aang into his avatar state).

And then there's The Venture Bros., which is probably the funniest cartoon I've seen in ages. I think I've said it before, but it's humor for some reason reminds me of the old PC point-and-click adventure game, Day of the Tentacle. Maybe it's the awkward characters, I dunno. It's an awesome cartoon, period.

Both shows have DVDs out for their first seasons. Coincidentally, you can catch both of their second seasons on the Xbox Live Marketplace if you've got a 360. Episodes cost something around 200 points each. Otherwise, wait around for the DVDs of their second seasons to come out hopefully soon.

I'm sad because there are hardly any good cartoons currently running, show now I have to search for old cartoons, old as in the 90s. I used to watch Cartoon Network A LOT. 2 stupid dogs, Johnny Bravo, Power Puff Girls, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Dexter's Laboratory. I think they still show new episodes but the newest ones have lost their "original" appeal. For example, Dexter. Why oh why is he shorter? And his voice is more annoying. Anyways enough with my rant.


As of currently shown shows, I like to watch Spongebob, Oddparents, Billy & Mandy, Fosters for Imaginary Friends, The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, Futurama (they stopped though). There seriously aren't enough good cartoons running lately, but If you don't mind looking up the show or buying the DVD I would recommend Batman Beyond. Some of the lines are a bit cheesy but it has good action and interesting characters.

Yes, after Season 2 (which was the most hilarious season) it just got dull.

After Season 2 seems to be the breaking point for most comedy series.

I don't feel that way so much about Season 3. Season 2 was simply hilarious. Season 3 just was forced and just not funny.


On Adult Swim, the best show on right now would have to be Morel Orel. It just gives a slice of crazed christian life. I'm a Christian and I just can laugh so hard watching it.

Second place is Squidbilies. It's simply redneck comedy.

I think I might be one of the few who will agree with you on Moral Orel. It's really a great show.

Family Guy, Futurama, Simpsons etc. are all good for a laugh, but for people who like totally random humour, I recommend Robot Chicken. The director is Seth Green, it's only 10 minutes on Teletooon on weeknights, and it's some of the funniest shit i've seen. It's not really cartoon though, it's more of an animation...but still prime.

Double Post:
I forgot Dave the Barbarian. Sure it's a kid show, but there are some subtle things that definitely amuse.

I gotta disagree with you there. The shows brand of humor isnt something I enjoy. It seems that alot of shows that involve parody and satire are boring to me. Predictable and unoriginal. Especially in a show that beats you over the head with its references.

It was canceled. :(

About Robot Chicken, sometimes I wonder if Family Guy would be more loved if they did their show in the same format. Since they aren't really incorporating jokes into their actual episode story that much.

People seem to be pissed off at how much they flip to a joke cutscene so would people love the show more if it was just a skit show?

I already said a lot of people would disagree with me. Thanks for proving my point.

Morel Orel is certain to lack a lot of its intended "punch" if you're not overly familiar with the show it's parodying: "Davey & Goliath". The original was so wholesome and saccharine that it often became intolerable for being so unrealistic when superimposed upon everyday life. But its production was funded by the Lutherans during the 60s, so it was a direct attack against the reckless counterculture of the hippie generation.

Morel Orel is a wonderful mockery of Davey & Goliath. Sometimes the humor is subtle; sometimes it's like a ballpeen hammer between the eyes. Either way, it's well done and I rather enjoy the sarcasm employed. There's room for improvement but the show is still in its early stage. If allowed to continue, it will only get better.

(Incidentally, the people who made Davey & Goliath are also the people responsible for Gumby. I always laugh when I hear people talk about how dumb Davey & Goliath was because it was so preachy, but then turn around and rave about Gumby's wholesomeness.)

Foster's is basically the only cartoon I can watch nowadays that doesn't make me wonder how dumb kids are to enjoy the shitty programming around.

Because that series is fabulous, whether you want to admit it or not.

I happen to find this new show called Ruby Gloom is really fun. check it out: http://www.rubygloomtv.com/

I agree with those who have mentioned Foster's. I've been a cartoon fanatic for years, and I weep openly that the state of cartoons has been going downhill since around '97 for various reasons. Foster's is the only cartoon I can really stand to watch now, and it's one of the few that actually usually lasts the full 22 minutes. I can't really get into the cartoons that rely on segments because it seems like there is little time for the characters and stories to develop.

Adult shows like Family Guy and, particularly, Futurama, can be fun, but they tend to lack a certain something that "kiddie" cartoons used to have. IMO, most adult cartoons are just animated sitcoms that half the time could work almost as well in a live-action format. The cartoons I like have a greater sense of fantasy and lack that sense of realism that adult shows usually have. Futurama comes closest to meeting my fantasy needs.

Foster's is a great show that is decently creative. An orphanage for imaginary friends. Bill and Mandy used to be very amusing but then it just got to overdoing it on toilet humor.

"Yes, that's the 3rd time this episode Billy's picked his nose..."

The thing I don't like about these kind of shows are those certain stupid character the animators seem to over do it on. Foster's has that stupid character Cheese and Grim has that green monster thing that always says "YES"

It was funny the first 3 times, but when you start making 30 second to 1 minute commercials with them slatting out their "catch phrases" you have a problem.

For what it's worth, I think "Codename: Kids Next Door" is pretty good. The writers have avoided some of the usual pitfalls of children's programming by not letting trite, moral lessons get in the way of a good story. And the show has progressively canonized itself; past episodes have been known to dictate critical plot elements a year or two later. The universe in KND is self-contained in a clever way.

But really, as an illustrator, I love the artistry. It's so stylized and like nothing else on television (currently).

I've seen like two episodes of KND, and they were pretty shitty. All the characters were unlikeable and bland, I didn't notice anything special about the art style, and the whole premise was kind of dumb (though maybe I'd think it's way cool, if I was nine).

I agree that Foster's is the only recent American cartoon worth watching. Maybe there are some good lesser-known shows as well, but I just mostly watch old episodes of Dexter's Lab (the newer episodes are terrible though), Johnny Bravo and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy on Cartoon Network.

Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy was great in its first few seasons, but its gotten kinda tired after they tried to make episodes that take place in winter, and during school.

Defeats the whole feel and purpose of the show.

Ahh, I really like Avatar. Yes, it's kiddy and cheesy sometimes, but I find the characters rather fun and I do rather like the animation. It has the expressive style that I like about Eastern animation, but it has the fluidity that I like from Western animation. :D

Venture Bros. is also fun, though I fail lots at pop culture. It's messed up, but in many good ways. XD Pity the seasons are so short. It's also fun with the various episodes that are left somewhat... unresolved. I don't like that... but I do! Whut.

I somewhat like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. It's cute and Bloo is such an ass. Why is he lovable?? He's a JERK. Ah-hahaha...

I somewhat like Fairly Oddparents too, but mostly for the random stuff that Cosmo shouts.

grim adventures of billy and mandy,venture brothers,family guy, boondocks...and thats about it for me...oh and futurama. Simpsons is good but i never seem to catch the show anymore.

Codename KND is a mixed bag. A lot of the humor is for younger kids, obviously, and the main characters aren't a strong point. However, it's got some hilarious villains, and has done quite a few good spoofs (many times of movies I would not expect the show's target audience to have seen). Furthermore, as Crash mentioned, it doesn't bother with teaching a moral; it goes as far as teaching kids to be disobedient under the right circumstances, or at least encourages them to think for themselves.

I've been thinking about it, and at least things aren't as bad as they were a handful of years ago - absolute crap like Rocket Power and Mucha Lucha are gone and probably won't be paralleled for years to come, and Cartoon Network doesn't show Scooby Doo for 10 hours a day anymore (which some may have considered a good thing, but I've never been able to stand it).

Rocket Power is possibly the most insulting cartoon from the past decade. Kids, as a group, can be swayed easily enough, but they have to be pushed from behind into believing that something is cool. You can't grab a child's hand and drag him or her headfirst into an idea, else you're only going to be met with kicking and screaming.

That was the big flaw with Rocket Power: the producers tried to cram the "edginess" down kids' throats. Children are smarter than many adults will allow themselves to admit, and children know when they're being condescended to, which is basically what Rocket Power resorted to. Every episode spoon fed the same, tired out stories seen in every other Klasky/Csupo production (Rugrats; Aaaah! Real Monsters; Wild Thornberries), but with a big, ol' EXTREME sticker slapped on it, because "extreme" equals "cool", right? Right?

I suppose the stereotypical characters and weak gimmicks weren't enough though. (their clique was named "The Squids". What the hell is that about?) As each scene faded out, viewers were subjected to short, sudden bursts of "hip" buzzwords screamed by adolescent kids for no explicable reason, accompanied by bright, flashing colors meant to display the serious extremeness going on in Rocket Power. But the stuff that was yelled out was nonsensical at best, insulting at worst. "KICK IT!" "GNARLY!" "GAME OVER, DUDE!" Of course, none of these interludes had any bearing upon the plot whatsoever. They existed simply to reinforce the concept that extreme sports are totally in your face, therefore way awesome. Rebel against non-existent authority, kids!

I honestly never heard any good things about Rocket Power, not from anyone who saw it, had younger siblings who saw it, or even heard about the basic concept. The entire show was basically "Rugrats With Skateboards and Angst."

Nickelodeon never should've been able to recover from that debacle. Damn that Spongebob.

yeah, I agree. I thought rocket power was exceptionally bad. as well as the other one, As Told by Ginger

South Park is consistently hilarious and remains the best animation on air. Aqua Teen Hunger Force, when I'm in the right mood, is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It's a shame Fox kept The Simpsons instead of Futurama...I hope the revival of Futurama doesn't turn out like that of Family Guy.

If I remember correctly, "The Squid" was actually their derogatory nickname for the kid who wasn't as good at sports as the other three.

South Park is still a good watch from time to time, but its becoming very tired. Its the same formula in every episode. Everyone is an overdramatic idiot while the kids are the cornerstone of sensibility. With interchangeable subject matter, your basically watching the same episode over and over again.

It used to be a cartoon with foul mouthed kids in crazy stories. Its now nothing more then a platform for whats current in politics and pop culture.

Now that is something I can definately agree with you on. They got rid of stuff like Rocko's Modern Life and Ren and Stimpy for that crappy ass cartoon. Shameful.

I'm a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Bender (See icon and signature). I personally love the story/story-telling, characters, and animation. There's obviously been a ton of research and dedication into this series, and it really shows. I could see how some people wouldn't like it (the humor usually doesn't make me laugh, but hey, it IS a kid's show), but personally, I think it's arguably the best running cartoon.

Venture Bros., from what I've seen, is fucking hilarious. It reminds me a bit of Johnny Quest, only much funnier and disturbing. The Monarch (?) villian is the best~

And South Park will always have a spot in my heart; it's becoming a bit dull, but I still enjoy its quirky and crude humor.

The Venture Brothers is a parody of the late 60's/70's teen adventure genre of books and cartoons, so yes there are parts of it that will resemble Johnny Quest. Did you even watch cartoons before 4 years ago?

KND is ok. I remember there was an episode where they collaborated with GWAR to make Grandmama-stuff'ems themed versions of The Private Pain of Techno Destructo and Gor-Gor. Instant cool points in my book, xInfinity.

=/ Was that question sarcastic? (If not, then yes, I have watched cartoons before 4 years ago)

Anyways, the newest version of Batman seems alright. I haven't watched a lot of episodes, but I like how they portrayed Bruce Wayne and whatnot. It doesn't compare to the '90s Batman cartoon, or Batman Beyond though.

Oh! Courage the Cowardly Dog is AMAZING, though I'm not sure if it's still running.

I don't like the way they've "modernized" the character designs for The Batman's villains, but that aside, The Batman still has some damn good writing. I can't believe they aired the Game Master episode. That shit was gold.

<3 Fairly Oddparents for this.

But OMG: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is crazy ridiculous. My brother just showed me some clips from YouTube, and now I kinda watch the show whenever I get the chance. I enjoy it a lot. "CHEESE!" =p

Hey all, thanks for the suggestions, I'll be sure to check some of them out.

On the subject of cartoons, I've got this old cartoon in my head, maybe someone can help me figure out what it is.

All I remember that it was an 80s cartoon which featured 3 huge monsters. One of them was named Decomposer who had protruding rib cage which he could open and anything he stuck inside would decompose. Another was a huge slimy green thing with tentacles for hands. The last one I don't remember. I actually tried a google search and came up with nothing. If anyone can remember the title it would be great.

(I'm looking in YOUR direction Crash)

I don't think what makes Avatar good involves in the plot twists, and season 2 had alot of good twists that keeps going on and on, and it always occure right at the end of the episodes for cliffhangers sake, and just when you think they saved the day, something crappy happens either right at the end of the episode, or at the beginning of the next one. Let's just say Season 2 isnt exactly a season that was tied up in a neat bow at the end.

You have to remember a fact that new shows always end their season one without a major cliffhanger and that most things tie up well, with somethings that can lead to a 2nd season. Avatar got a 2nd season and it did what most shows will do in its 2nd season by pilling it up with twists and turns that caused everything to fall apart for the characters by the end of it, which Nick almost has to make sure it has a season 3. You start with a postive light on the story, THEN you make things go downhill for the characters after season 2 to keep making people hooked.

And what makes Avatar different from regular cartoons like Spongebob or Scooby is its continuing developing story and most importantly, character development, Avatar has probably one of the strongest character developments I've ever seen in a animated show, its either on par or way beyond what Justice League or Teen Titans has ever done. Just look at Zuko's development, and you can see they created a complex character who is morally ambiguous. You also have characters like Azula who is one of the few competant villains in animated show history.(Justice League had its share of villians who dont think things through) She takes no chances, shes manipulating and persuasive and an amazing deadly fighter.

Avatar is not a show that you can just watch an episode and expected to be blown away (althought my boyfriend was very impressed by the fight scenes in season 2 finale, and its now a recruited fan), its like trying to watch your first 24 episode in mid season. If the show does turn out to be not your cup of tea, then alright we all have different tastes. But basing on an entire solid show with good writing and solid characters with intense developments, choreograph scenes that rival Bebop, great animation and then compare that to of all things, Scooby Doo, its just silly. Its like comparing Ghost in a shell with Naruto or something.

though all the classics were great the few good ones on now are still pretty good. even some of the newer ones such as Dexters laboratory. and family guy was funny for awhile but then they started doing reruns like mad. I am looking forward to the new futurama though. and I don't know if anyone ever watched this show, but Delta State was a pretty good show.