14 Masterpiece Cartoons That Never Got the Recognition They Deserved
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The critically lauded Gargoyles featured a compelling story and a serious tone that was missing from many cartoons. The series followed a group of medieval gargoyles who defend modern-day New York City from ancient evils. Despite its loyal fanbase, the show didn't make record ratings for Disney and seemed out of place in its otherwise upbeat cartoon line-up. Gargoyles was canceled after three seasons, though it continues to crop up in comic book form.
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The Nicktoons of the 1990s offered a lot of entertainment for kids in the form of Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Doug, but Rocko's Modern Life was often overlooked. The slice-of-life adventures of the wallaby Rocko and his gluttonous buddy Heffer featured surreal animation, offbeat hilarity, and even snuck some dirty jokes past the censors.
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- Dig Deeper...Which Rocko's Modern Life Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign
- #107 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #117 of 424 onThe 385 Popular Children Cartoons
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This 1994 oddity might have inspired the creation of the entire Adult Swim brand. Space Ghost: Coast to Coast featured a little-known superhero from the 1960s, and repurposed his bygone show's animation to create a bizarre talk show. Space Ghost's show, featuring his band leader Zorak and director Moltar, aired sporadically on Cartoon Network - new episodes appeared months or even years apart. Guest stars included Björk, Jim Carrey, and Conan O'Brien.
Despite being on for 10 seasons, the show was considered niche and out of place among the mostly kid-friendly programming Cartoon Network was showcasing at the time. However, it inspired the network to pursue more grown-up animated shows and even develop a late-night block that would become Adult Swim.
- #282 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #180 of 424 onThe 385 Popular Children Cartoons
- #230 of 287 onThe 260+ Best SciFi Shows Of All Time
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This parody of superheroes and their day-to-day lives was cult favorite on Fox Kids. The nigh-invulnerable Tick's goofy crime fighting adventures made fans scream out "SPOON!" in victory. After the cartoon was canceled, it would inspire not one, but two attempts at a live action version.
More The Tick- #211 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #173 of 424 onThe 385 Popular Children Cartoons
- #117 of 193 on190+ Saturday Morning Cartoons From The '80s And '90s
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Ever rooted for a villainous alien to take over the world? If you watched Invader Zim, you most certainly did. Equal parts hilarious and disturbing, Zim's quest to conquer Earth alongside his trusty-yet-malfunctioning robot GIR received critical acclaim and won an Emmy, an Annie, and other awards for its writing and stylistic look. However, the show's ratings made Nickelodeon pull the plug on this cult hit.
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A cult favorite cartoon from the Kids' WB programming block, Freakazoid featured comedic superhero antics and goofy parody. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by other WB shows such as Animaniacs and Pinky & The Brain. The show would only last two seasons, but has been fondly remembered by those that appreciated the show's random references, off-beat humor, and its questions about the movie Congo.
More Freakazoid!- #257 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #291 of 424 onThe 385 Popular Children Cartoons
- #124 of 193 on190+ Saturday Morning Cartoons From The '80s And '90s
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The animated black comedy featured Will Ferrell as the voice of the limbless Bob Oblong, the patriarch of a family of freaks. Despite the show's witty yet gross humor, The Oblongs was canceled after its first season on The WB. Luckily, fans got to see the series in its entirety on Adult Swim.
More The Oblongs- #421 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #66 of 308 onThe Best Shows Canceled After a Single Season
- #66 of 135 onThe 100+ Best Adult Animated Shows
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This action cartoon got lost in the shuffle during the '90s, and aired in syndication on TBS. SWAT Kats saw vigilante pilots T-Bone and Razor fight evil and monsters with their highly weaponized jet. The show was reportedly pushed under the rug after Ted Turner, owner of TBS, expressed displeasure at the level of violence featured in the cartoon.
- #457 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #152 of 193 on190+ Saturday Morning Cartoons From The '80s And '90s
- #89 of 102 onThe Best Cartoons From The '90s, Ranked
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Earthworm Jim
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Based off the video game character of the same name, Earthworm Jim followed the hero and his sidekick, Peter Puppy, on various space adventures and missions. The show's oddball humor and creativity entertained fans of the video game and quirky cartoons alike. Sadly, it only lasted two seasons.
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- #95 of 102 onThe Best Cartoons From The '90s, Ranked
- #45 of 54 onThe Best '90s Cartoon Theme Songs
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Duckman was an adult-aiming cartoon that has been largely overlooked. The struggle of high-strung Duckman (voiced by Jason Alexander) to balance his life as a private detective and a family man provided hours of entertaining, surreal animation. It's a series that hasn't been given its proper due until recently - IGN named it one of the top 100 animated series of all time.
More Duckman- #482 of 542 onThe 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
- #109 of 135 onThe 100+ Best Adult Animated Shows
- #474 of 586 onThe 500+ Best Animated TV Shows Ever Made
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How does a live-action cult comedy featuring foul-mouthed scenes like this one become a primetime animated show on a typically family-friendly network like ABC? The very idea of Clerks: The Animated Series seems outlandish. Network executives agreed, as they only aired two out-of-order episodes before cancelling the show. It wasn't until the series was released on DVD and on Comedy Central that it gained an appreciative audience for its wacky humor and pop culture references.
- #189 of 308 onThe Best Shows Canceled After a Single Season
- #125 of 135 onThe 100+ Best Adult Animated Shows
- #330 of 357 onTV Shows Canceled Before Their Time
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The brainchild of longtime Simpsons producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, Mission Hill provided colorful characters and humorous social commentary. However, the show's initial run on The WB was stopped after only two episodes aired. The show in its entirety didn't air until years later on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.
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This MTV comedy was your typical high school show - except that all of the students were teenage clones of historical figures such as Mahatma Ghandi, Joan of Arc, and John F. Kennedy. It certainly had its fair share of fans. After all, what other cartoon has Abraham Lincoln crushing on Cleopatra? Controversy with international audiences and low ratings forced MTV to pull the series after a single season, despite a vocal following who demanded new episodes.
More Clone High- Dig Deeper...18 Reasons Clone High Was Too Brilliant For Its Time
- #257 of 308 onThe Best Shows Canceled After a Single Season
- #356 of 357 onTV Shows Canceled Before Their Time
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Histeria!
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In the midst of the Kids' WB programming block was Histeria!, an educational cartoon that aimed to be actually funny. This cartoon covered historic events and figures with skits and entertaining songs. But while the cartoon is fondly remembered by fans, the show's impact was overshadowed by other, more successful Warner Bros. cartoons such as Animaniacs and Pinky & The Brain.
