Blog Talkback: Toons of the 2000s: Top 25 Animated Television Series Countdown #5-1

[Urusei Yatsura]

Just because some of the shows we thought should have been ranked higher are more popular, doesn't mean that's all they have going for them.

South Park, Family Guy, and Spongebob have had some damn good episodes made over the past 10 years, it just baffles some of us to see a series like Kim Possible ranked higher than them.

But I do respect the decisions made and it was a fun thing to do. You guys should do lists like these more often!

That's not really what I meant. It's just that you guys originally were talking only about how it's popularity should've made it higher... And yeah, I agree too that KP is too high...

 

[GWOtaku]

In my ideal Spectacular Spider Man and Ghost in the Shell would have found their way in somewhere, but ultimately something has to give. X-Men Evolution probably is the best X-Men series, this is true, and I do like it. Almost everything people wish were on the list was up for debate. I'm not so worked up on the order since frankly, almost any order is inevitably going to be up for debate. Which is just fine by me, that's how it should be. I'd rather have debate than universal agreement.

That said, while I adore Samurai Jack and actually proposed it for #1 at one point (what can I say, for me the entertainment value is very high), I have no problem at all with Avatar winning. I watched the entire thing this year (yeah, I'm late to the party) and it knocked my damn socks off. It had everything. Humor, drama, action, great writing, memorable characters, and one of the best antagonists I've ever seen in Prince Zuko. How great was his character arc? I could watch Avatar anytime at all. It's a great story. I'm also at home with season 3, although 2 was probably the best season. I ended that series completely satisfied.

 

[Peter Paltridge]

The list isn't bad per se, in fact i agree with about... 3 of the top 5...

But where's Clone High? One of the most underrated, funniest, subversive shows in the 2000s and it's not mentioned. I don't usually do this but...

FAIL.

That may be my fault. When they were finalizing this list I was kind of somewhere else, not paying attention. If I had been in the debate, I would have fought for Clone High hard.

 

[Sketch]

No TMNT or Spectacular Spider-Man dissappoints me greatly and I'd personally rank One Piece higher than any of the anime or would simply swap it for FMA's slot on the list.

Robot Chicken being on the list somewhat irks me. Being that high urks me even more. Glad Venture Bros. was the highest rated mature comedy but including RC on this list and overlooking Birdman in partcular really seems wrong to me. I wouldn't even qualify RC or other stop motion as cartoons but I guess we were going with the broader "animated" term here so I suppose that's fair but still doesn't sit quite right with me. RC can be a great show but overall it's been lack-luster and for that it should at least have been lower on the list.

Still a pretty alright list. A good balance of comedy and action and the #1 is a show that combined the two beautifully.

 

[Daxdiv]

Let's see

Venture Bros.- One of the few reasons as to why I still watch Adult Swim, I think it is one of the most clever shows to air on Adult Swim this decade.

Kim Possible- It was OK really, I liked it myself but it isn't something I would put in my top 5, I mostly liked the villains, Rufus, and Ron from this series, never really liked Kim as a character for some reason.

Samurai Jack- While it did have some nice art to it, the plot never really went anywhere. Sure it was great to look at, but I really wanted Jack to kill Aku and go back to the past. hopefully the movie will do that.

Fosters- Pretty good show, I actually love the creativity that went into it. From the imaginary friends, to some of the stories.

Avatar- Truly was a great show, despite the bumpy season 3. Shows that Nickelodeon is capable of doing an action series with some serious moments, balanced out with some comical ones as well. Also the fight scenes rocked.


Collage- Nicely done. It's cute, it's funny, and a good way to close off the list. I really like Fry and Peter drinking together with Hank looking at them, Monarch and Zim yelling at each other, Spongebob and Flapjack laughing together, and Chowder chasing the Robot Chicken.

Really, the only thing I would have added was TMNT, and Spectacular Spider Man.

 

[CaptainHero]

So TZ staff, have you guys thought of doing lists/countdowns similar to this on a regular basis?

Not just the decade, but animation as a whole.

I really enjoyed reading this whole Decade in Review series and loved discussing it. You guys should do similar columns more often.

The AV Club does similar stuff like My Year of Flops or The New Cult Canon where they will dicuss certain films or they'll do columns like 12 Nicolas Cage Movies Nicolas Cage didn't ruin.

I think you guys should do similar columns. I think they'd be pretty well received.

 

[Gold Guy]

Venture Bros-- Never watched.

Kim Possible-- I'm really glad this gem made it.

Samurai Jack-- It was just meh.

Fosters-- WHY? The show is way over-rated.

Avatar-- I saw a few eps, but I don't see what the hypes about.

 

[RSNaco]

Overall i really have no qualms with this list, but just a couple nitpicks: Swap Chowder and Flapjack's spots and swap out FMA for FMA: Brotherhood (even though it's not over yet, it's improved significantly over the original). I'm happy to see Kim Possible in the top 5, Avatar at number 1 and Danny Phantom on the list at all.

 

[Craig Crumpton]

The best thing about this list is Alex D's collage fan art at the end. It's chock full o'gags.

Nah, each list was worked on seperately. So there are going to be a few surprises/inconsistencies.

I'll say.

While Jack and Foster's were consistent both on the CN Top 5 Shows and the Top 25, The Eds (#3 on the CN Top 5) isn't even mentioned in the top 25. And the two shows many fans felt were omitted from the CN Top 5 actually ranked at #25 (Chowder) and #9 (Flapjack).

Otherwise, I largely agree with the list and the ranking order, and I don't say that just because I'm a staff member. The omission of Batman Beyond is surprising, except that it didn't really "hit its stride" during this last decade. It started off fantastically and then ended so abruptly it was anti-climactic, and the last ep (not counting the continuity crossovers later) was a dud.

Some that I'd have included in my own top 25 for the last decade:

- Transformers Animated (2007-09)
As a longtime Transformers fan, this was the kind of show I wish they'd made back in the 80s. And I never thought I'd hear myself say it was actually *better* than the original, but it was on several levels: less "commercial", better writing, more consistent animation (once you get used to the US/Japanish hybrid design), better consistency in characterization, better toys (which actually looked like their animated counterparts), and better action -- the kind of epic battles fans have wished for for 25 years.

Granted, it was at best a kids show, but I think they did a great job adding elements to appeal to the fandom. And while the ending was rushed due to the show's cancellation, overall it was a satisfying conclusion and it I thought was the most entertaining Transformers series produced to date.

But as an animation fan and critic, I still would've ranked it between 20-25.

- Dave The Barbarian (2004-05)
If there had been "honorable mentions" for the list "Reviewed Cartoons You Probably Haven't Seen, But Really Should" I think Dave the Barbarian would have been nominated, except that no one at toonzone ever reviewed it. That's unfortunate, and I take the blame since I wanted to write one. But I was on the road touring when Dave aired and just didn't have the time.

Dave was like Animaniacs meets Rocky & Bullwinkle. It also included many of the cast and crew from the WBA comedies A!, P&TB, Freakazoid, Tiny Toons and etc. It was a fun show and funny too. Those who enjoy the animated comedies I mentioned should give this show a chance.

- Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-05)
Genndy Tartakovsky's vision for Star Wars was better than George Lucas'. There, I said it. I feel better. This show made me wish that Genndy had produced the prequels and the recent computer-animated series. I loved everything about it.

- The Boondocks (2005-?)
Quality production overall and an entertaining show as well. The excessive use of the dreaded n-word and some stereotype-ish elements and the occasional proselytizing are the only things I don't care for about it.

- Time Squad (2001-03)
What can I say... I love satirical pokes at history. Also great performances by the show's lead cast: Rob Paulsen (Buck Tuddrussel), Mark Hamill (Larry 3000) and Pam Adlon (Otto Osworth). It would be a low ranker on my top 25, but nevertheless very entertaining to me.

- Teacher's Pet (2000-02)
Just a great cartoon. Loved the unique design style, and familiar setting yet surreal premise of a talking dog disguising himself as a boy. Great characters and performances too.

And "Batman The Brave and The Bold" has been solid so far that I hope it hasn't hit its stride yet and still keeps getting better into the next decade.

That's it for now. I might add a few others later. Or not, if I forget.

 

[rattis1]

I think people (probably unknowingly) give Avatar just a little too much cred due to it being one of the few Western cartoons that can successfully compete with anime in animes own game. I mean, sure, Avatar has great, epic stories, well rounded characters, a good mixture of comedy and seriousness, beautiful animation and well directed action sequences. But does it really have greater and more epic stories than all animes of this decade? Or more well rounded characters than all animes of this decade? Or a better mixture of comedy and drama than... well, i think you get the drift...

Or let me put it this way: Avatar mainly stands out due to being an American series that manages to pull of all the things that makes (good) anime so sweet, but i dont think it would have gotten nearly as much attention and prasie as it does if it had actually been made in Japan. If that had been the case, most people would probably just think of it as a good but fairly typical shonen anime.

 

[Kirben]

Overall sounds like the writers don't watch enough animated series, with far too many comedy series in this list. I especially don't understand why Kim Possible was placed fourth, when it is an average series.

I think separate lists for eastern and western animation would have been better. Since anime continues to provide better character development and storylines (especially on-going) compared to western series overall. Only a few anime series are mentioned, while far too many anime series were completely overlooked.

Does ToonZone have something against cartoon series from Jetix? this list and the Disney list completely ignored cartoon series from Jetix. In particular Oban Star-Racers was an excellent cartoon series with good on-going story, and a female lead character.

 

[cohenmarioman]

Although I have disliked some of these list, this part is good.

 

[SpideyFan914]

Like I said, Family Guy doesn't deserve to be so high, all it is is a Liberal show taking advantage of a Liberal Media. If it was released during Reagan's time, it would get boos from the media and beyond.

Wait, what? None of the episodes I've seen were liberal centric at all. I'd call them politically neutral....
And by the way, I am very far left and I despise Family Guy.
(However, I did once hear an argument that Family Guy is actually making fun of its viewers, and is in that way very good. I haven't seen enough of the show on that, but.... all the more reason for me not to join in. )

I just feel if it was to be on the list, it should have been in the 20s. There are much better shows out there from this decade.

And the fact that a lot of its rating fuel is from the bashing of Conservative ideas and figures in Liberal Media seems to be a factor in why it is at a higher spot than say, Futurama, or Libertarian/Conservatism centered South Park.

South Park seems more independent - a lot of the ideas seem a lot more liberal than conservative, like, for example, the movie focuses on censorship.

Must every discussion about “Family Guy” devolve into a debate over ideology? It’s a comedy. If you laugh at it, keep watching, but if it offends you, you’re free to change the channel. You don’t have to keep watching it. However, the people who do keep watching it tend to enjoy it, and obviously, people appreciate it enough to warrant such a high spot on the list.

I don't care about it being offensive - I care about it being outwardly ridiculous with literally no story.


Now onto the Top Five:

ok, i know there are differing opinions on this stuff, but NO Spectacular Spider-Man? No X-Men: Evolution? No Batman Beyond? Kim Possible at 4? I enjoyed it, but only to a point. Samurai Jack was ok, but i don't see it as #3. never seen foster's home, so i can't comment. Avatar is apparently really good, but #1? maybe top 5, maybe. I'm shocked Simpsons isn't on here. I'm not a fan, but i would say it's probably better than futurama.

What would everyone think if the posters of Toonzone created their own top 10 at least? I know that a lot of us seem to differ from the list, so i wonder if people would want to do top 10 cartoons of the decade, similar to what The Cartoon has done with the top 50 shows of all time. It wouldn't be hard to do, just send me a PM with your top 10 shows of the decade. If i get enough people, I will start a countdown around Christmas or New Year's Day. What do you all think?

Agreed on all accounts, except.... if you haven't seen Avatar, you can't judge. And it definitely deserves the Top Five at least.

I'd support such a thread, but I suggest making it a Top Fifty Countdown, and you should make a thread for the nominations.

The list isn't bad per se, in fact i agree with about... 3 of the top 5...

But where's Clone High? One of the most underrated, funniest, subversive shows in the 2000s and it's not mentioned. I don't usually do this but...

FAIL.

Wait, isn't Clone High live-action? 'Cause that would explain it.... Unless I'm wrong....

I enjoyed Fosters and all but ehhh. That's how I feel about the top five. But that's just my opinion. I don't understand what made Kim Possible so popular and while I gave Samurai Jack a shot, the show just drrrrrrraaaaaaaged. There wasn't much to it outside the great animation. I had a suspicion that Avatar was going to be number one. So I really wasn't surprised there.

IMHO, Spongebob, South Park and Family Guy have been the most popular and the most influential mainstream cartoon shows of the past decade. If I was to make my own top 25 list I'd probably put these three shows at the very top, mainly because of how important they've been to pop culture. However, this list seems mostly biased towards action cartoons, which (Batman: TAS aside) never really seem to have much of an impact outside of animation circles.

....
Oooookaaaaaaaaaaay....


Venture Bros.: It really is great. It spoofs just about everything on the face of the earth - comic books, Scooby-Doo, Johnny Quest (apparently, though I've never seen Johnny Quest myself), Frankenstein....
And The Monarch is great! "Search under M for Monarch!" "Nope, not here." "What? Oh, I know - search T for The Monarch!" "Nope, sorry." "What?? But I'm his archenemy!!"
My favorite moment is when he crashes into a building, starts killing everyone, making his greatest entrance ever, and then - they hit the wrong place. "This is your accountant's office."
And then there's Dr. Orpheus, AKA overly dramatic Dr. Strange parody with a perfect voice actor.
To be honest, I thought I remembered this getting ranked earlier.... But 5th? .... Maybe a bit too high, there....
COMEDY.

Kim Possible: Wth? I've seen a few episodes - it was good, but not great. At best, 20-15. At best.
ACTION. COMEDY.

Samurai Jack: Haven't seen it. But I'm guessing:
ACTION. COMEDY.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Can't believe I forgot about this. When I first saw it, I was amazed at how clever and imaginative it was. There's an episode where a new "imaginary friend," a teenager with a clown nose arrives, and everyone thinks he's real except for Frankie. Throughout the episode, she's trying to reveal how his crazy stories about getting lost from his Canadian creator who they can't get in contact with are fake. In the end, she pulls off his nose - and an elephant's nose sprouts out beneath it. Then the creator comes and takes him home.
And of course.... Cheese. 'Nuff said.
But #2? Seriously, that's a bit too much....
COMEDY.

Avatar: What all the supporters said. I wouldn't call it the best show of the decade (that's clearly TSSM), but it should be second, and I'm just fine with it winning.
ACTION.

 

[SpideyFan914]

25: King of the Hill - COMEDY
24: El Tigre- COMEDY/NICKTOON
23: Home Movies - Looks like a COMEDY
22: Chowder- COMEDY
21: Teen Titans- ACTION/SUPERHERO/CN
20: South Park- COMEDY/ADULT SWIM
19: WordGirl- Looks like an ACTION
18: Danny Phantom- COMEDY/ACTION/SUPERHERO/NICKTOON
17: Justice League (Unlimited)- ACTION/SUPERHERO/CN
16: Paranoia Agent- Looks like an ACTION/ANIME
15: Gundam 000- Looks like an ACTION/ANIME
14: Samurai Champloo- ACTION/ANIME
13: Phineas and Ferb- COMEDY/DISNEY
12: Invader Zim- COMEDY/SCI-FI/NICKTOON
11: Full Metal Alchemist- ACTION/ANIME/FANTASY
10: Robot Chicken- COMEDY/ADULT SWIM
9: The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack- COMEDY
8: Futurama- COMEDY/SCI-FI/ADULT SWIM
7: Spongebob Squarepants- COMEDY/NICKTOON
6: Family Guy- COMEDY/ADULT SWIM
5: Venture Bros.- COMEDY/ADULT SWIM
4: Kim Possible- ACTION/COMEDY/DISNEY
3: Samurai Jack- ACTION/COMEDY
2: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends- COMEDY/CN
1: Avatar The Last Airbender- ACTION/FANTASY/NICKTOON

So, let's see, that's:
COMEDY- 17
ACTION- 11

NICKTOON- 5
ADULT SWIM- 5
ANIME- 4
CN- 3
DISNEY- 2

SUPERHERO- 3
SCI-FI- 2
FANTASY- 2

If you ask me, that's a serious misrepresentation of "genres". Now of course, I'm incertain on a lot of these series (particularly as to which of the big companies made them), and won't mind if anyone wants to edit the list accordingly, but the fact that comedies were represented so much greater than actions says a lot - in fact, the top ten was almost purely comedies - Avatar is the only straight-up action show in there (and even that can be argued to an extent). Are we to assume that comedies are of naturally higher quality than actions? In fact, usually the opposite is assumed (though I disagree with that statement as well). Both comedies and actions can be of good quality.
Not only that, but animes were given a huge shove aside. Really, shouldn't an entire additional culture create many of the same types of shows as us? So shouldn't they be represented at least almost equally? Now, I'll openly admit that the only one I'd have to add would be Death Note - and in fact, this lack of western culture being familar with Japanese culture makes sense as a reason to have many more American shows, but c'mon, a 21:4 ratio?
And why such a misrepresentation of the superhero cartoons? It makes sense for fantasy and sci-fi - haven't been as many - but there are plenty of superhero shows which well-deserved this list. Spectacular Spider-Man, X-Men Evo, and Batman Beyond, to name a few. (And no, Venture Bros. really isn't a superhero show or even an action show - it's a stragiht-up comedy.)
My gripe isn't even as much with the disappointment of the bizarre rankings and shows which shouldn't have even made the list getting high spots, as much as it is the obvious biases this list displays.

 

[Anthonynotes]

Interesting list. My biggest surprise: "The Simpsons" didn't make the list at all. Guess "the show that's better than 99% of everything else on TV even on an off-episode and is still just as good on its 20th season as its first" isn't anymore...

Not surprised at how high Family Guy ranked, even if I'm apparently one of the few (or *feels* like few ) online who thinks the show sucks (Brian and Stewie were funny, but everything else about it grates hard... surprised it got to make a comeback after getting axed initially, given the reviews online at the time were mixed-at-best). Thought it'd be in the top five, though.

As for Avatar #1, guess I'd disagree with that one----I'd put SpongeBob in the top slot (a show that's easily this decade's most popular cartoon, and a show that even my parents have heard of [definitely not Avatar]). Though granted, if influence is a factor, guess could see why Avatar would get the top ranking, as it seems more typical of a 2000s cartoon (anime / anime-influenced, action-based) than SpongeBob is (being a throwback to slapstick cartoons like Looney Tunes, Yogi Bear, etc. with little or nothing in common with the majority of 2000s cartoons, and oddly, few attempting to rip off its style, awfulness of "Coconut Fred" aside; guess TV producers were too tied to the idea of live-action or "human kid goes to school" genre to even occur to them to take tips from the Sponged One...).

-B.

 

[Sam Hill]

Looking at the list, the only one I really disagree with is Danny Phantom (I don't think it should be on the list at all).

I don't like Family Guy but I grudgingly accept its popularity and recognize its right to be on this list.

 

[Raidon Makoto]

And why such a misrepresentation of the superhero cartoons? It makes sense for fantasy and sci-fi - haven't been as many - but there are plenty of superhero shows which well-deserved this list. Spectacular Spider-Man, X-Men Evo, and Batman Beyond, to name a few. (And no, Venture Bros. really isn't a superhero show or even an action show - it's a stragiht-up comedy.)

Because, while they were good, they weren't THAT good.

I do agree, the amount of American comedies is disturbing, if only because they are mostly child-targeted. Quite honestly, anime should have had much more of a presence, just because the Japanese anime selections are so much larger than those of America, and quite honestly, many are superior to American cartoons. Furthermore, quite honestly, we're all adults here, why is there a lack of animated shows with mature themes?

And El Tigre, WordGirl, and Phineas & Ferb? Seriously? That's what muscled out Death Note, Gurren Lagann, and Moral Orel?

 

[cohenmarioman]

I don't think South Park is Adult Swim. Just comedy central, like Futurama is now.

 

[Dudley]

I gotta say, I like how one person's saying we have too many comedy shows, while someone else says there's too many action cartoons. It really proves my point earlier that you can't please everybody.

Just for the hell of it, here is a list of shows that got multiple support when we compiled the list but didn't make it in the Top 25:

Megas XLR
Jacob Two-Two
Moral Orel
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Batman Beyond
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Ed, Edd n Eddy
X-Men Evolution
The Penguins of Madagascar
American Dad!

Also of note:
American Dad was going to tie with Family Guy.
Morel Orel was originally going to take the 16th spot, but was taken out near the last minute since none of the participating mods could write an article for it.

And to put it out here, in case people didn't scroll down low enough to see it:

 

[cradleman]

well it's nice to know TSSM, X-Men: Evo, and BB got support, but it sucks they didn't make the list.