Top 5 most overrated animated shows

[TriforceBun]

Controversy ahoy! Hopefully fun times are to be had...

5. Scooby-Doo - I don't know how this series stayed so consistently popular for...what, 30, 40 years? The mystery concept and general premise are actually very good, but the execution is just completely flat. The show is repetitive, unfunny, stiff, and just boring. Scooby and Shaggy are the only ones with any charisma, and this show is also responsible for two of the worst characters in cartoon history: Scooby-Dum and Scrappy-Doo.

4. Rugrats - Rugrats started off with clever writing and creative situations, but the art has always been ugly. It's odd though, when the show SHOULD'VE been popular (the first couple seasons were the best), it wasn't, yet when the movie rolled around, you couldn't turn anywhere without seeing Rugrats merchandise. From this point on, the whole thing has just been terrible. Very repetitive plots, even uglier art, and poor writing.

3. Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Here come da controversy. I just can't get this show at all, and I usually find random humor hilarious. I've caught probably 8 or so full episodes of this, and I've laughed about once or twice per show. It's just...not funny at all. Where is the humor? It feels like a bunch of guys got stoned and then recorded themselves making up a script as they went along. Not to mention the animation is cheap-looking, and the ancillary characters go beyond terrible design. I can't stand this show, and have no idea why it's so popular.

2. Dragon Ball Z - Ugh, this show kept me off anime for a good 8 years or so, until I watched Spirited Away and realized not all Japanese animation was like DBZ. This is like the Japanese Scooby-Doo--repetitive, predictable, boring, slow-paced, and talked about by way too many people. The power level thing is absurd, like they arbitrarily start saying how many planets one guy can blow up. Feels like a five year old comes up with the concepts and ideas of each episode.

1. Family Guy - Family Guy can have some good episodes, and some great moments, notably in the first two seasons. But holy cow, EVERYONE is quoting it and talking about it nowadays. I go to class on Monday, and people are laughing and quoting terrible lines from the night before, like "Marco....Marco...." The show is anything but subtle, has characters that completely grate and have no depth, abandons storyline for the sake of long set-ups with weak punchlines, and generally just comes across as sanctimonious. To make matters worse, the new episodes are all this x 10.

So anyway, if you're feeling in a ticked off mood, feel free to prattle off your own top 5 overrated shows. Or blast me for mine, whatever tickles your pickle.

[4 Alarm Chilli]

Spongebob Squarepants by far. Scooby Doo isn't great, but not overated.

[ppoi307]

I'd say Spongebob

[DotheBartman]

TriforceBun, that list is truly spot on....I don't know if I'd order it that way, but otherwise I couldn't say a whole lot you didn't say there.

I would also probably add Flintstones and Jetsons. Both had very repetitive and formulaic writing, and the animation was always really weak. I just never saw the appeal in them.

[PeterGriffin525]

Dragon Ball Z and Rugrats but thats about it

[Patriot]

Family Guy. I'm not a fan of that show but from an unbiased opinion I can say that the entire show is just stupid, unfunny, and with that, overated.

[Joe]

Futurama
Family Guy
South Park
Spongebob Squarepants
Invader Zim

[grissom]

Rugrats. Never appealed to me at all.

And ATHF is hilarious.

[dyln]

Futurama, seriously. I really don't get what everyone loves about it.

[Thats A Paddlin]

Family Guy. I'm not a fan of that show but from an unbiased opinion I can say that the entire show is just stupid, unfunny, and with that, overated.

I will go on record of saying the Family Guy is overated.
People who say its better, as good, or even comes close to OFF are dead wrong in my book.

But, I must admit, this is in my top 5 shows of all time. The plots, originality and social commentary will never match up to OFF, but the humor of this show is to intense to pass up.

[Andy]

as a fan of family guy, i actually will admit it's overrated. still funny, tho.

[lolpenis_taco]

1-5. futurama

there are some moments on the show that i find hilarious, but i don't really get why everyone loves it so much.

[Sacrilicious]

Futurama I have no love for, so any rating makes it overrated in my books. Family Guy I don't mind occasionally, but it's certainly overrrated.

I don't think Spongebob's overrated. If anything I don't think it's appreciated widely enough.

[Icedragon]

I definitly agree with Family Guy. I love the show, but the hype is too much for what now is below average quality.

[Sloppy Jimbo IV]

3. Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Here come da controversy. I just can't get this show at all, and I usually find random humor hilarious. I've caught probably 8 or so full episodes of this, and I've laughed about once or twice per show. It's just...not funny at all. Where is the humor? It feels like a bunch of guys got stoned and then recorded themselves making up a script as they went along. I can't stand this show, and have no idea why it's so popular.

i have a decent retort to people who say they dislike athf or any humor of that nature. your reason is basically that you don't see how it's funny

meaning

you don't get it. and when you don't get something, that generally means you're not smart enough to understand it

"i don't like this show because the characters are dull and the dialogue is stiff and boring" that's a criticism that holds water. "i don't see why this is supposed to be funny" just means that your brain doesn't function in all the areas it should

haha, god i'm mean

[Curtis]

ATHF is one of my favorite shows because of its unique humor. Its subtle but still funny as hell. They showed my favorite episode last night, the one with the onion monster. classic

[Kamerica]

"i don't see why this is supposed to be funny" just means that your brain doesn't function in all the areas it should
False!

Cartoonists (or any Television for that matter) often make shows with an intended audience in mind. Most people have different perceptions to what's funny and what isn't, and those who "get" the show are usually those who have that style of humor. For example, someone who doesn't like Family Guy could get ever joke and every pop culture reference, but they don't prefer "in your face" obvious fast-paced humor. They could prefer Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show with occasionally subtle, deadpan humor that uses wordplay and uses a continuous plot theme to establish a gag.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about the exact opposite; things explode and people die only to come back in the next twenty seconds. If one doesnt "get" a certain style of humor, does not necessarily mean that they are slow individuals.

[StrideR]

For example, someone who doesn't like Family Guy could get ever joke and every pop culture reference, but they don't prefer "in your face" obvious fast-paced humor. They could prefer Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show with occasionally subtle, deadpan humor that uses wordplay and uses a continuous plot theme to establish a gag.



Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about the exact opposite; things explode and people die only to come back in the next twenty seconds.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the opposite of what, exactly? And further explain this alleged "opposition".

[barts friend]

looney tunes
scooby doo
south park
dragonball z
The Proud Family

Whats with all the hate for Futurama?

[Kamerica]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the opposite of what, exactly? And further explain this alleged "opposition".

what I meant to say is that Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Curb Your Enthusiasm are two completely different shows made for different audiences. It was basically an example of how a person might not "get" a certain type of humor because it's not their style, and that's the reason people might dig a show, and dislike another.

[Sloppy Jimbo IV]

Cartoonists (or any Television for that matter) often make shows with an intended audience in mind.

what. who?

Most people have different perceptions to what's funny and what isn't, and those who "get" the show are usually those who have that style of humor. For example, someone who doesn't like Family Guy could get ever joke and every pop culture reference, but they don't prefer "in your face" obvious fast-paced humor.

well that's my point exactly. triforce more or less admits he doesn't get athf. in the scenario you just presented, the person actually gets family guy, they just don't like it, and they can articulate why

there's a difference between disliking something because you just plain don't understand it (athf) and disliking something because it's not very challenging (family guy)

They could prefer Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show with occasionally subtle, deadpan humor that uses wordplay and uses a continuous plot theme to establish a gag.

aside from the continuous plot thing, athf has all these elements in spades. in fact, i think athf is much more subtle than curb your enthusiasm. at least, it has moments that are more subtle. curb tends to just work on one level - people erratically arguing or acting like pricks while larry gets himself into trouble

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about the exact opposite; things explode and people die only to come back in the next twenty seconds.

athf isn't just about stuff exploding. it has lots of great character interaction too, stuff that flies right by if you're not really paying attention

it's possibly both the most subtle and in your face show ever, and that polar opposite contrast makes it truly fascinating to me, and many others. the fact that the show can switch gears from a giant backyard explosion, to a very obserservational little scene where two characters argue over the control of the remote is just great

If one doesnt "get" a certain style of humor, does not necessarily mean that they are slow individuals

but they're slow when it comes to getting irreverent humor

what I meant to say is that Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Curb Your Enthusiasm are two completely different shows made for different audiences. It was basically an example of how a person might not "get" a certain type of humor because it's not their style, and that's the reason people might dig a show, and dislike another.

yeah, but can the person who doesn't like athf pinpoint the jokes, or is the humor just flying right by their head? if the case is the latter, that means they don't understand the humor, and when you don't understand something, it means that you're not particularly bright or adapt in that particular subject

it's like i said, there's a different between not getting something and not liking something for a reason you can articulate

[rickey]

I dont watch animated shows but...

Family Guy
Futurama
American Dad
any anime
spongebob (cuz I cant really think of anything else)

.......they all suck. That is all.

[Kamerica]

Jimbo, believe me, I'm a fan of ATHF. I'm just trying to say that when people say they don't "get" things, it's not the jokes that fly over their head, it's the style of humor. I don't think I've ever not "got" a joke before (except for pop culture references and such.) but have hated some shows (ie: The Pitts). When I say I don't "get" a show, I really mean I don't "get" how anybody could actually find it funny.



edit: alright, sorry. I had just skimmed the list before. I see where you're coming from. I don't think I've ever seen someone search for humor and not find it.

[leela24]

Aqua teen
Sponge bob
Ninja turtles...yikes
Rugrats
American Dad

[p2501]

The Simpsons
Family Guy
Home Movies
Spongebob
American Dad

[buh]

I dont watch animated shows but...
then how the hell did you get to this forum?

[EspanolBot]

Futurama, seriously. I really don't get what everyone loves about it.
GASP!

[Toli]

RUGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!
Pokemon (a dumb fad which plagued aussies for about 3 years)
Fairly odd parents
King of the hill
Dragon Ball Z/ Yugioh/ other shitty fighting cartoons (he has power 4000 we are doomed)

[Joe]

The Simpsons
Family Guy
Home Movies
Spongebob
American Dad

How is Home Movies overrated?

Also I don't think anyone really likes American Dad.

[VMike311]

How is Home Movies overrated?.
Yeah, hard to be overrated with only a few seasons, more like under.
Also I don't think anyone really likes American Dad.
Yet it is still on the air :shifty: why??

[Drew]

ATHF, Family Guy, and Futurama are my top 3 favorite cartoons (in that order).

Simpsons (since season 11) - Obviously no explanation needed here. Although some of the newer episodes have been good.

Rugrats- Pretty lame show. Although its intended for kids so who am I to judge?

Any Animae (sp)- Just not for me. Tried watching some of these show. Cant get past the bad animation, or the storylines.

Cant say there is any other cartoons that I find to be overrated (that I can think of).

[Homer Jay]

Also I don't think anyone really likes American Dad.
Some of the episodes this season are actually better than Family Guy's

And people for the most part have it right. Family Scooby Doo, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, and most anime.

[CMQ]

5)Beavis and Butthead
4)Scooby-Doo
3)Futurama
2)Spongebob Squarepants
1)Family Guy

[ItchyScratchy100]

5. Spongebob Squarepants

4. Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (I hate that show. It's badly-animated, badly-scripted and it's also very, VERY animalist)

3. Family Guy

2. All Grown Up

1. SCOOBY-DOO! (I only liked the character design on Scooby and I alos liked the DTV movie "The Witch's Ghost" but besides that, I hate the show so much!)

[Green_Peaness]

Why would anyone think Simpsons "since season 11" (notice how season 10 isn't included) is overrated? I'd say it's underrated as a lot of casual fans find it completely devoid of comedy for the past several years. Same thing for "All Grown Up"...does anyone like this show?

Anyway..

Underrated: Beavis and Butthead - music video commentaries
Overrated: the rest of Beavis and Butthead

[Semaj]

1) Scooby Doo: BORING!
2) Rugrats: Leave well enough alone.
3) Ed, Edd, n' Eddy: Bleah! :barf:
4) Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Eh...
5) Pokemon: Never got into it.

[TriforceBun]

Oh, come on now. Are you suggesting that Aqua Teen is so clever, the humor is completely over my head? This isn't exactly Frasier...it's a goofy, slapsticky cartoon with simplistic stories that are rarely in-depth at all, let alone resolved.

Yeah, there is some character humor--I'll give it that. But since I find the characters annoying (Master Shake is practically unbearable, like Scully Homer taken to the next level), the humor from the dialogue between the characters usually doesn't work for me. It doesn't mean I'm too "dumb" to understand the show, it just means I don't find it funny. I don't see how that's such a foreign concept for this show--like it or not, it's not subtle, reserved comedy like S2 of The Simpsons (for instance).

[Drew]

Since when was Fraiser hard to understand?

[Eddie]

1) Family Guy
2) Family Guy
3) Family Guy
4) Family Guy
5) Family Guy

[Sloppy Jimbo IV]

Oh, come on now. Are you suggesting that Aqua Teen is so clever, the humor is completely over my head?

yeah

This isn't exactly Frasier...it's a goofy, slapsticky cartoon with simplistic stories that are rarely in-depth at all, let alone resolved.

i have a bone of contention to pick here. not even frasier is frasier. it's not as smart as people make it out to be. just because the characters have snooty british accents doesn't make the humor intellectual. it makes the writers pretentious

and what's this about simplistic, barely resolved stories? athf is like 11 minutes long. that's a single act for most shows. what do you expect?

Yeah, there is some character humor--I'll give it that. But since I find the characters annoying (Master Shake is practically unbearable, like Scully Homer taken to the next level)

i don't see it. shake's really more like an infant to me. his mentality seems to be "if i want something, it's mine". i mean, he's a complete asshole, but also incredibly childish... there's harmless aspect to almost everything he does. like you know if you someone calls him on his bluff, he'll crumble, and if not, his decision ends up fucking him over in the end. he always gets his own

the difference between him and jerkass homer i guess for one thing, when shake's an asshole it isn't bad characterization, because he's supposed to be an asshole. shake is violent, but it's in the context of anything can happen, so you don't take it as seriously as a loving father of three cutting someone's breaks

i think shake acts on real impulses people have when they fly off the handle. jerkass homer is just... well, nearly braindead quite frankly. whereas shake talks and acts like a real person who's gone insane, jerkass homer talks and acts like a badly written 80's cliche ("hit the road, gramps!")

i'd say a more apt comparrison to shake would be cartman from south park

the humor from the dialogue between the characters usually doesn't work for me. It doesn't mean I'm too "dumb" to understand the show, it just means I don't find it funny.

wow. so you don't agree that the rivalry between shake and meatwad perfectly nails the type of twisted older brother/younger brother relationships that exist in real life?

just watching those two interact is hilarious to me. the characters may resemble fast food products, but their behaviour for the most part is more human and observational than most live-action shows on today

I don't see how that's such a foreign concept for this show--like it or not, it's not subtle, reserved comedy like S2 of The Simpsons (for instance).

the tricky claim with subtlety is that sometimes, when you say it's not there, it could just be that you're missing it. at any rate, i agree that athf isn't as subtle or reserved as season 2 simpsons, but who says it has to be?

another thing, just becasue it's not as subtle doesn't mean that some people (like you) aren't still going to have trouble understanding its appeal. athf is far from conventional

[Cartoonnetwork]

I agree with TriforceBun about Rugrats and Scooby-Doo. Rugrats I think they are ok for kids and the first epìsodes were good for adults too, but I never really liked the animation that much. Scooby-Doo original series are decent. The other series with Scrappy Doo are half decent for kids but very boring for me. Everything else is AWFUL. Spongebob, I don't know if it's overrated, but it is overmerchandised. Powerpuff are also overmerchandised, but the show, even with the most stupid premise, was great (it's not that great anymore).

Cow and Chicken is a good but pretty inconsistent show, but it seems kind of a Ren and Stimpy rip-off sometimes and sure, it is often very surreal, but it's not always hilarious. But perhaps it's not overrated because people usually like it but not too many people LOVE it.

The Jetsons is perhaps a little overrated. The designs were very cool and it was a nice show, but much of it was better done in The Flinstones and the characters and jokes were better too. But this is like saying Futurama is overrated because it's not as good as The Simpsons, so I won't continue with it. If anything I would add that I really think Futurama characters are generally a little funnier than Jetsons' ones, if it is possible to make a comparative, which I'm not really sure of.

It's easier for me to talk about underrated shows like Ren and Stimpy (I know they are very famous in USA, but they should be much more famous in the whole world), Ren and Stimpy APC (I know it was disgusting but there were some superb animation there and they should have gave them a chance) Beavis and Butthead (which is not perfect but it is more clever than it seems), Futurama (ok, it had some problems here and there and it was not as great as classic Simpsons, but reading some of the previous posts there are a lot of people that doesn't like it and it was a superb show), Reccess (not a superb-but decent-show for adults, excellent show for kids)...

[Jolly Bengali]

I'd agree that, ideally, a show can only be deemed "overrated" if you fully understand the motives and methods of the writers,

At the same time, though, that ideal is ridiculously restrictive, and basically means that only a few of the most deeply focused and experienced viewers can be fit to judge anything. While this may be true, it takes away a heck of a lot in terms of involving other opinions. The people who most deeply understand things like this would probably welcome other opinions, however ignorant or siimplistic, rather than just dismissing anyone who hasn't fully wrapped their head around a series as "stupid". I think you're a rung or two below there.

A great aspect of many series is their ability to give back as much as you put in, and not requiring you to met a threshold of intense focus to get any real value out of the experience. Compare Wallace Stevens poetry to a classic movie comedy. A weakness of Stevens' work could very well be that it is cutting out a substantial amount of potential debaters and criticizers, and thereby contributing less to culture or applicability. Intellectual niche works have their place, but a great many smart people would rather involve themselves in or even create works of art that aren't so sequestered from mass culture. Think QT, or even Dante for that matter.

[TriforceBun]

If Aqua Teen is really as involved as you say, perhaps I'll need to give it another shot. But when the first thing I see is stilted animation, ugly character designs, and people's skin being ripped off, looking for subtlety isn't really something I'm attempting at this point.

Nevertheless, you seem determined to prove that it isn't as mindless as I think, so I'll try watching again from a different viewpoint.

[The General]

andy was the correctest. Family Guy is really overrated, but still a very good show. I liked it better when it was first being aired, and not every single retarded teenager walked around the halls of high school quoting every single fucking line in the show and laughing like they thought of it themselves. Besically, it was better when it was a cult show.

Oh, and the new seasons of The Simpsons are overrated, especially on this board...

[the claw]

King of the Hill
The Venture Brothers
The Flintstones
The Jetsons
Beavis and Butthead

[StrideR]

I dont watch animated shows but...
any anime

.......they all suck. That is all.
Wow... this is the kind of shit that pisses me off. I swear, I would take your post and beat you with it if I could.

The Venture Brothers

Now, how in God's green earth is Venture Bros overrated?

[Orange-Neck]

Family Guy (liked it before fucktards discovered it)
South Park
any Adult Swin original programs
Anime
Spongbob (Rocko's Modern Life was 1000 times better than this piece of trash

[StrideR]

For the love of all that is holy, please explain what's so overrated about anime... and how many adult swim originals have you actually seen... and understood?

And, if I get you correctly, the fact that fucktards discovered Family Guy is what made you dislike it? What kind of fucktard are you?

[TerrorK]

5) Any new Transformers series
4) The Powerpuff Girls
3) Al Jean era Simpsons
2) South Park
1) Family Guy

[The General]

For the love of all that is holy, please explain what's so overrated about anime... and how many adult swim originals have you actually seen... and understood?

I'm totally with you brother. I'm not a fan of anime, and I personaly don't see the appeal, but I know other people do so I wont say it's bad. But as far as I know, there is no overrated anime, as most of it is cult stuff that they show at 11:00pm on YTV. Maybe people are confusing it with Manga, as there are some very shitty overrated anime (Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Sailor Moon etc...). People who just say anime as a whole is overrated, are stupid...

[TriforceBun]

The thing about anime is that it's not a genre, it's a medium. As far as I know, anime is simply animation from Japan, and some have wildly different styles in storytelling and animation (though I will say they all do seem to look more similar than American cartoons--for instance, King of the Hill compared to Rocko's Modern Life). I do think some anime is VERY overrated, and the young teens that get into it and think ALL anime is awesome and it's some kind of cult thing that only they know about...yeah, that's annoying too. But there're plenty of good or even great works out there from Japan.

[rickey]

i used to watch dragonball z(the uncensored shit....brother had hookups), and gundam wing and all that shit they had on the internet. i grew out of it, NATURALLY, and grew to dislike its outlandishness, fuckin bullshit characters, the egregious egotistcal nature of all the main characters of a television show, the plots were definitely a stretch of the imagination and to be blunt ridiculous.
then theres the anime PORN, which just is the most disturbing shit anyone would find to be a turn on.

you grow up and realize how stupid the shit you grew up watching was...

[DotheBartman]

i used to watch dragonball z(the uncensored shit....brother had hookups), and gundam wing and all that shit they had on the internet. i grew out of it, NATURALLY, and grew to dislike its outlandishness, fuckin bullshit characters, the egregious egotistcal nature of all the main characters of a television show, the plots were definitely a stretch of the imagination and to be blunt ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure those are both children's shows. And anyway, two bad shows does not mean that a whole medium is bad. TriforceBun is correct, it's just a medium, and there's going to be good stuff and bad stuff within that. I will say I haven't found much that appeals to me (the only anime I've ever liked so far is "Spirited Away"), and the style isn't quite to my taste, but ultimately it's just a medium and two shows do not offer proof that the entire medium is bad, no more then Scooby Doo and, oh, say, "Extreme Dinosaurs" prove all american animation to be bad.


then theres the anime PORN, which just is the most disturbing shit anyone would find to be a turn on.

You realize people do this with american animation too, right? Hell, trust me on this....never do a google image search for "Simpsons" without the safe search on....

you grow up and realize how stupid the shit you grew up watching was...

Of course. But just as with american animation, not all japanese animation is for children.

[rickey]

i actually did watch a lot of anime. i found the best of the 'medium' to be good at best, and the rest just speaks for itself.

i know the anime fans will be "ur a retard anime is great u idiot!!!!!111" but i dont give a shit. that's my opinion.

[StrideR]

i actually did watch a lot of anime. i found the best of the 'medium' to be good at best, and the rest just speaks for itself.
Oh? Please enlighten us and tell us what the "best" you saw was.
i know the anime fans will be "ur a retard anime is great u idiot!!!!!111" but i dont give a shit. that's my opinion
Your perception of anime fans is just as great as your opinion of anime in general.

But please, let us know what you've watched.

[DotheBartman]

i found the best of the 'medium' to be good at best

Doesn't that in itself prove that not all of it is bad, though? You found some you liked. And if the argument is that most of it is bad, well...that's true in any medium. Most stuff sucks, and you try to seek out the good.

Now if you said anime was overrated among the types TriforceBun described, that for some reason have it in their head that all of it is good and that they're somehow superior for being into it....that would be understandable. But I don't think most people who enjoy some anime are anything like that anyway.

[rickey]

no man, your not listening, i did watch a lot, those were two in particular i watched growing up. trust me, my brother worked at one of those chinese chop shops downtown where they sold bootleg dvds of god-knows-what, anime included. the medium never interested me, and the reasons i listed above represent my general feelings for anime in my OPINION.

i dont even want to get into family guy.

[StrideR]

...

But please, let us know what you've watched.

[Imperciph]

^Not all anime is overrated. Some anime I have managed to watch, namely Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence and Neon Genesis Evangelion are far more mature and philosophical than most american cartoons and are actually not for kids.

And Triforcebun, Dragonball Z certainly is bad, but not as bad as Scooby Doo. Its main problem, IMO, is it actually is Drag -on- ball Z. :D

My list:

5.Drag-on-ball Z
4.The Powerpuff Girls (this is insanely overrated in my country.)
3.Rugrats (never really got the appeal of this)
2.Family Guy (good show, but too overrated amidst the internet community.And I am beginning to hate the opinion "Worst Family Guy episodes are better than best recent simpsons episodes.")
1.Scooby Doo (there has never been a show so formulaic with so many bland and annoying characters. The no. of series this dog had is completely insane and this franchise is still going on with a new tv series and direct-to -dvd releases when it should have never made past the original 3 seasons.)

[SideshowTim]

flinstones
dragonball z
king of the hill
the jetsons
spongebob

[Flaming Homer]

The Simpsons, Easily.

[Wavy Gravy]

The reason why so many people have the wrong perception of anime is because of the three-pronged attack that was "Sailor Moon", "Dragon Ball Z", and "Pokémon". Now everybody equates "anime" with the aspects found in those three shows, and that's totally incorrect - many anime shows go a lot deeper than that. Watch a few episodes of "Cowboy Bebop" and you'll get it (granted, a few anime shows such as "Love Hina" try to be deep and fail miserably, but the whole medium still can't be spoken for with just one show).

Anyway, I must agree with most everyone else - too much love is being heaped upon "Family Guy". It's never going to be the next "The Simpsons" when the writing is as piss-poor as it's become. Once the public becomes aware that the stories and characters aren't anywhere near as strong as they were pre-revival, the fad will have to die out again.

"Pokémon" was overrated a few years ago, but now it's out of the fad stage, and it's simply a franchise that still holding its own. Granted, I still hate the dub with a passion, but at least I no longer have to shield myself from its presence.

And no Nicktoon was ever more overblown in its popularity than "Rugrats". After "The Ren and Stimpy Show" got axed, this show's reruns got massive ratings and Nickelodeon renewed it - without realizing that Klasky-Csupo had totally lost their touch for the show. The movies, the introductions of Dil and Kimi, the crossover with "The Wild Thornberrys", the spin-off...the post-1998 episodes are awful compared to the show's original run, and yet kids continue to lap up whatever Nickelodeon serves them while everyone at the network reaps the profits. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's the trading of creative integrity for a pile of money.

[Semaj]

And no Nicktoon was ever more overblown in its popularity than "Rugrats". After "The Ren and Stimpy Show" got axed, this show's reruns got massive ratings and Nickelodeon renewed it - without realizing that Klasky-Csupo had totally lost their touch for the show. The movies, the introductions of Dil and Kimi, the crossover with "The Wild Thornberrys", the spin-off...the post-1998 episodes are awful compared to the show's original run, and yet kids continue to lap up whatever Nickelodeon serves them while everyone at the network reaps the profits. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's the trading of creative integrity for a pile of money.

To build up on this, you probably remember how much Rugrats dominated Nickelodeon at one time. So much energy was devoted to this show that it started to cut in on some of the other Nick shows. With Ren & Stimpy and Rocko both cancelled, Nick sometimes used additional Rugrats time slots to erase those shows. And everytime they had a Nicktoons marathons, they would either have the Rugrats FIRST, or just Rugrats. After a while, the whole thing just got nauseating.

It was funny to see, in 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants suddenly usurping the Rugrats as the top Nicktoon. Nick used the sponge as the leader in the weekday summer marathons of that year. ;)

[TriforceBun]

And Triforcebun, Dragonball Z certainly is bad, but not as bad as Scooby Doo. Its main problem, IMO, is it actually is Drag -on- ball Z. :D


Heh, that reminds me of an old joke...

Q: How many Dragon Ball Z characters does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: One, but it takes him ten episodes.

Anyway, I mainly put DBZ as more overrated than Scooby just because people seem to really hype it up all over the place (where Scooby isn't really talked about anywhere, just eternally popular in sales and such).

I don't think The Simpsons is overrated at all, except by the ones who say things like "Even the worst episode of The Simpsons is better than 99% of TV." On the flip side, I can't stand when people say the opposite, "Even the best episodes of the show from the past four years* are worse than anything on TV." I think the new episodes are generally underrated, especially when you post on message boards a lot (boards outside of NHC seem very close-minded towards the new episodes; they've latched onto Family Guy as the new favorite show).

*Proof of a Simpsons non-nerd. The opinion is nearly unanimous that the show started to improve four years ago, not decline.

[scruffythejanitor]

Isn't American Dad in its first season? It's on because it is paid for. I doubt it will get a third season let alone a second season. I can't say it is overrated because I don't think it gets good ratings to begin with.

I would agree that Dragon Ball Z is overrated. I don't understand how anybody can enjoy that show. Sometimes 2-3 episodes will pass but nothing will happen. With hundreds of episodes, it is definitely overrated.

[StrideR]

The thing about DBZ is this:

-It was great while it stuck to the style of Dragon Ball.
-The dubbed version was pretty decent up until near the end of the Frieza saga.

As the setting moved from fantasy to intergalactic mayhem, it started to get retarded.

After that, censorship + bad dubbing + lack of a good story telling mechanism made it unworthy of being seen by human eyes. It also became really, really repetitive.

[Mira]

The Simpsons, Easily.

Incorrect.

[The Sovereign]

SpongeBob. You can't turn on Nickelodeon without seeing it . That and the Fairly Odd Parents have killed some of my favorite shows on that channel (Rocko, Angry Beavers, Invader Zim...)

[TheGunslinger]

1. Family Guy
2. King of the Hill (how this made it as long as it did baffles me)

To all that said Futurama, you are ..... not smart. You can't have an overrated show that only lasted 4 seasons, the reason it didn't last long is because NO ONE WATCHED IT. Mind you it's a brilliant show, and I put it only behind the Simpsons for the greatest TV show EVER TO GRACE THIS GREEN EARTH.

Ugh.

[Andy]

SpongeBob. You can't turn on Nickelodeon without seeing it . That and the Fairly Odd Parents have killed some of my favorite shows on that channel (Rocko, Angry Beavers, Invader Zim...)
nah. rugrats killed all those shows. and spongebob and fairly oddparents killed rugrats (thank god).

[ItchyScratchy100]

Oh, and Fairly Odd Parents is overrated as well. Is it me or am I the only person on this entire planet who hates this show?

[TheGunslinger]

Isn't American Dad in its first season? It's on because it is paid for. I doubt it will get a third season let alone a second season. I can't say it is overrated because I don't think it gets good ratings to begin with.

I would agree that Dragon Ball Z is overrated. I don't understand how anybody can enjoy that show. Sometimes 2-3 episodes will pass but nothing will happen. With hundreds of episodes, it is definitely overrated.

Uhhh, it draws 6-8 million viewers a week, more then a lot of shows on Fox.

[Jolly Bengali]

Isn't Rugrats in high school now?

I weep for Nick's current output when I babysit. So sad for the younger kiddies.

[Semaj]

More like middle/junior high school.

Nick's programming today is better than it was in 2000, when the only new show that was any good was SpongeBob.

[John Pannozzi]

5. Codename: Kids Next Door

4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force

3. Family Guy

2. The Simpsons (mostly the ones not showrun by Matt Groening)

1. Scooby-Doo (not surprisingly)

All of the shows definatly have some good episodes, though.

And SpongeBob SquarePants is somewhat overrated, but it makes laugh enough to exclude it in my list.


Oh, and Fairly Odd Parents is overrated as well. Is it me or am I the only person on this entire planet who hates this show?

Fairly OddParents is kinda overrated (I think SpongeBob is superior to FOP), but some episodes really make me laugh. I watched a marathon of episodes on Saturday, and L'dMAO and got back into the show. And I really like the FOP characters.

[Cartoonnetwork]

Codename: Kids Next Door is a success? I'm from Spain, so I don't really know how is it going in USA.

I agree is a pretty mediocre show. The idea is interesting, but I am not really mad about the animation/designs and gags.

[Number 10767]

[B]when the movie rolled around, you couldn't turn anywhere without seeing Rugrats merchandise. From this point on, the whole thing has just been terrible. Very repetitive plots, even uglier art, and poor writing.

Oh God tell me about it. After Dil showed up that show became absolutely abysmal, and it wasn't great after it was renewed either. This is coming from someone who loved the first few seasons as a kid.

I actually think South Park is a great show and I watch it often, but even so, I think it's overrated. It's not laugh-out-loud funny nearly as often as it should be, and sometimes Trey and Matt make some pretty dumb decisions (remember the nearly jokeless episode where Kenny died and everyone took it completely seriously?).

To round out my list of 5, I'll say SpongeBob, King of the Hill, and Pokemon.

[Jimmy]

The Simpsons, Easily.

The new episodes or at least post season 11 get flamed quite a lot, anything before that could never be overrated.

[Lizard Queen]

1. Family Guy
2. I can't think of anymore

[Metallica84]

The Simpsons, Easily.Definitely. The only overrated animated show I can think of.

[SideshowTim]

holy 2 year bump batman.

[General Jack D. Ripper]

The Simpsons (mostly the ones not showrun by Matt Groening)
Uhhh, y'know Matt Groening only showrun seasons 1 and 2 with two other guys?

Anyway,

5. Aqua Teen Hunngerforce- Never got why it gets all the praise it does.

4. The Jetsons- there's nothing more to say

3. Fairly Oddparents- Used to like it before I realized all the jokes were really poorly written and they talk amazingly unnaturally and everyone's voice is annoying and it has a contrived, formulaic premise.

2. Dragonball Z- Takes too long to finish a storyline, has bad animation, and is just annoying

1. Family Guy- Again, no need to explain.

[Metallica84]

Uhhh, y'know Matt Groening only showrun seasons 1 and 2 with two other guys?

Anyway,

5. Aqua Teen Hungerforce- Never got why it gets all the praise it does.It gets praised?

Sorry about the bump. (2 years my ass)

[Chief Simpson]

I rather like Fairly Odd Parents. It makes me laugh.

I agree about Family Guy - but only the latter part of Season 5 (Barely Legal onwards) is overrated. Season's 1, 2, 3, 4 and some of season 5 is really funny.

Also, Danny Phantom. I find that show overrated.

[Jakebert]

I can't stand ATHF, mainly because I hate "random" humor, and that's basically all it is. You can try to tell me that I don't get it all you want, but let's face it, there's very little to get.

Actually, when I think about it, I'd say that all of the original shows on Adult Swim are overrated for the most part.

Spongebob is basically the definition of what's wrong with children's television these days: it assumes that kids are idiots, and therefore, everything in the show is just stupid.

[Gatorgod]

Jimmy Newtron: This got its own Movie and Theme park ride before its regular series was ever aired!! ..A corporate Tool if ever there was one
Danny Phantom: Got the "More Exposure Than It Deserved" treatment (with merchandise) from Nick.
Family Guy:
Scooby Doo: is and always has been Boring

And any other Cartoon show that was built around "Merchandises 1st" ...Fans 2nd

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Most of the show people are posting are kids shows. It's pretty obvious you're not gonna like them, they're aimed at 8-year-olds.

As for the others... Family Guy is definitely overrated now. It's gotten worse but seems to be more popular.

And I also fall into the camp that doesn't see this amazing subtlety of ATHF. Some episodes are funny though.

so you don't agree that the rivalry between shake and meatwad perfectly nails the type of twisted older brother/younger brother relationships that exist in real life?
In a way, yes, but I think you're reading way too much into a few simple lines of dialogue. I mean Shake always has a kind of authority over Meatwad, true, but just that on its own doesn't make it funny or even interesting. Anyone can write that kind of stuff. A lot of the time it just ends up being boring.

[banana plantation]

fairly odd parents-i've heard people label as one of those shows that people of all ages can enjoy, but how? I can understand if you feel that way about SpongeBob, it's a pretty good show, but FOP has no redeeming qualities in my eyes. Can someone post some examples of funny jokes from the show?

[elipeli]

Wow this thread is dumb. It's supposed to be the most overrated animated shows and everyone just seems to be listing the show THEY don't like, regardless of whether the show is popular AT ALL or not.

[Metallica84]

Yeah, I don't consider ATHF popular at all.

[TriforceBun]

Whoa, it's my nineteen-year-old self! Blast from the past.

But yeah, ATHF is extremely popular among the college crowd, and that's generally they group of people I'm usually around.

[grübermeister]

The batman (not TAS but the new one) fucking crap.

[Lisa Is A Nut]

agreed

[pizzamancjm]

Family Guy
ATHF
South Park
Most of the crap they're feeding young kids these days
Anime, period

[Adamm R)))]

It's supposed to be the most overrated animated shows and everyone just seems to be listing the show THEY don't like, regardless of whether the show is popular AT ALL or not.

I'm beginning to agree with this. I would really like to know why people think SpongeBob is overrated...seriously, what praise have your heard for SpongeBob? I know it has its adult following, but hardly enough for it to be overrated.

[Imperciph]

Anime, period

Just out of interest, what animes have you had exposure to ? Because if it's formulaic shows marketed towards kids like DBZ, Pokemon, I'd say that's an incredibly ignorant sweeping generalisation to make.

[DumHonkey]

5: Any Anime Show: I have no idea why anyone likes this crap. Sub Par Animation and every 10 seconds one of the characters looks awkwardly at another and makes a gasping sound. "huh? OH!" Then they laugh. The only good thing I like about Anime is the bitches are usually hot. I think it can sum up all anime in the Street Fighter II animated movie... "Us Japanese gotta stick together.... *awkward pause* CAUSE WE'RE BROTHERS. *Unnecessary laughter". What the fuck? No wonder why Adult swim always cancels this shit.

4: Tom and Jerry:Oh, the cat fucking hates the mouse? Awesome.

3: GI Joe: Plot of GI Cartoons.... "Cobra's in the desert, shoot at them with Lasers" LAME! I cannot for the life of me see how this crappy show is so revered. Even the animation sucked. And the knowing is half the battle thing? C'mon. I remember when I was little other kids would always talk about this cartoon, and I could never watch it. Now that I'm old and have seen episodes, I am so glad I was doing better things with my life... like starting fires in my neighbors garbage cans.

Superfriends: Absolutely bastardized classic super heroes. "Look, on the TV, the legion of doom plans to take over the world via completely ridiculous schemes! As super heroes we should rush to the scene, surely there will be forced opportunity for us to show case our respective trademark talents! Hooray!" Good guys win and have a laugh. Oh and a purple monkey thing..................... I fucking hate the purple monkey thing.

Scooby Doo: Of all the reasons to hate this show, you know whats the worse? Is that everyone thinks they are so clever about making the joke about how Scooby and Shaggy are stoners. "Dude, they always have the muchies... and they are hippies.. isn't that a hilarious observation?" No, Asshole. It's not. In fact, that is incredibly un-clever and on the scale of "Cliche things assholes say in an attempt to portray original insight", it would rank somewhere between "Dude, wouldn't it be cool to play Monopoly with real money" and "I'm not racist, in fact one of my best friends is black...".

Fuck you Scooby Doo.

[Imperciph]

What you people are terming as overrated anime are shows that are marketed toawrds 5-12 year olds in Japan, of course you people would not like it. All anime does not consist of characters with weird hairstyles fighting each other for 20 episodes : it's not a genre, it's a medium. If anyone took the care to look closely you'd find animes targeted towards a more mature audience, which have innovative premises, tight storytelling, well-written characters, mature themes good animation etc.

Eh, who am I arguing with. It's a lost cause. Continue with your misconceptions.

[DumHonkey]

Ill give you Akira and Ninja Skroll.

My buddy used to be real into it, and I would hang out and watch all these fucking movies with him... He has dozens... even some porn....

Sorry, they fuckin'g blow.

[Imperciph]

those too are primarily action oriented shows. There are animes which are humour-oriented, psychological thrillers, sci-fi ones, historical ones, dramatic ones. Don't dismiss all.

[Ugly Bob]

I generally agree with Family Guy. While its a good show, I never really caught on with the craze that followed its return. Season 4 and 5 have left me unimpressed, though its still good for a few laughs.

I might agree with ATHF if I had watched more than one episode. I agree with the sentiments that that Adult Swim programs rely too much on "random" humor than it should.

I don't really mind Japanese animation much, but I think theres way too much of it on the US air waves. A lot of the stuff I've seen is truely horrid.

Scooby Doo: Of all the reasons to hate this show, you know whats the worse? Is that everyone thinks they are so clever about making the joke about how Scooby and Shaggy are stoners. "Dude, they always have the muchies... and they are hippies.. isn't that a hilarious observation?" No, Asshole. It's not. In fact, that is incredibly un-clever and on the scale of "Cliche things assholes say in an attempt to portray original insight", it would rank somewhere between "Dude, wouldn't it be cool to play Monopoly with real money" and "I'm not racist, in fact one of my best friends is black...".

Fuck you Scooby Doo.

:LOL: Yeah, that always bugged me too.

[TriforceBun]

All anime does not consist of characters with weird hairstyles fighting each other for 20 episodes : it's not a genre, it's a medium.

This is true, and as someone who's seen a fair amount of the stuff, I have to say that there are some unique and charming shows out there.

HOWEVER!

I do think that there's a lot of merit to far, far, FAR too many anime shows banking on extremely similar character archetypes and designs. To address the first issue, how many Japanese shows have you seen with a shy, beautiful-yet-impossibly-pure virgin girl as one of the characters? Or a scrappy young hero who's somewhat funny and clumsy? Or the mysterious assassin? The scantily-clad female sex kitten villain? The bubbly schoolgirl? The "bishie" fanservice silver-haired beatiful man who speaks in riddles? Kooky old perverted man? And so on.

Of course, not all of these stereotypes permeate every anime, but you can see my point in that a LOT of them do. Many shows in the medium seem to be too derivative of earlier successful anime in style or plotline, and are too scared to try something different than the norm. Why are there, like, no fat people in anime unless it's some token comedy side-character? Why do pretty much all the women have perfectly-shaped bodies and no facial blemishes? Too much of it just seems like it's going with what the fans want, which works for awhile, but eventually becomes extremely stale. And the story pacing in a lot of anime is stretched waaaaay past its limit, to where three-parter episodes could be done in one show without all the over-explaining and internal narrative that panders to the audience.

The other main issue I have with most anime is that the designs simply look too similar. Compare some American shows--Doug, The Simpsons, Rocko's Modern Life, South Park, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Hey Arnold, Looney Tunes, King of the Hill, Ren and Stimpy...each of these shows has a very distinct look, and isn't afraid of making characters who aren't simply designed to be "sexy" or "cool." I'm not saying US animation is perfect or anything (heck, my post from two years back mentions four US shows I feel are overrated, and only one Japanese one), but it does seem to be more innovative in style at least.

I'll reiterate that there are anime shows out there that don't bank on these stereotypes (Miyazaki's work, for one, is really inventive and enchanting), but the medium is SATURATED with this stuff otherwise, and it all begins to just feel the same after awhile.

[Imperciph]

All reasonable points with very little I'd disagree with, though I'd argue comparing animation of shows like KOTH, South Park, Rocko's modern life with the type of of animes you are referring to is not really valid, as these american shows are mainly targetted towards adults or at least teenagers while the type of action oriented animes you speak are, in Japan, targetted towards 5-12 year old kids, thus adhering to stereotypes. Comparing american action-oriented cartoons primarily directed towards kids like, say, Justice League Unlimited, and you'd see that a lot of the stereotypes you complain about, like female protagonists having no physical imperfections, female antagonists being femme fatales there being heros who are clumsy but funny with a heart of gold, all heros and heroines having no facial blemishes unless its meant to make 'em look badass, villains being either enigmatic beings or cackling maniacs etc.

As for pacing, I know far too many animes suffer from what I termed earlier "drag-on ballz" syndrome, but there are shows which have excellent pacing which wrap their story within 51, 25, or even 13 episodes. The success rate is the same as american cartoons as a whole, one just has to pick the "indie" or "alternative" ones while avoiding the "mainstream" ones :silly:

[boogie down mikel]

1. koth
2. scooby doo
3. jetsons

and a lot of people need to learn the definition of overrated and need better taste in cartoons

[SpringShield]

Family Guy - what the hell is so funny about it? I hate saying things like this but aside from the (very) occasional good joke lot of it feels like "comedy for people who don't like comedy". Randomness, fart jokes and 80s references are not inherently funny.

South Park - Comedy-wise it's okay but it sometimes tries to hard to be controversial or lets incredibly lame heavy-handed pseudo-libertarian social or political "statements" get in the way of being funny. And a large portion of its fanbase is made up by complete idiots. I lose the will to live whenever someone quotes South Park in a serious political discussion.

I think Futurama is massively underrated by the general public but massively overrated by its cult fanbase. Too many of the jokes just miss.

I can't think of any others since I don't watch many cartoons.

[DumHonkey]

those too are primarily action oriented shows. There are animes which are humour-oriented, psychological thrillers, sci-fi ones, historical ones, dramatic ones. Don't dismiss all.

It's almost like I was only using those two as examples on ones I could stand to watch. I guess I should have stated that I had watched dozens of all types of Anime with my friend and had garnered the opinion that I just don't like Anime... of any kind....

Man, I guess I just have to make simplistic statments more simple.

:LOL:

[gonz]

1. teenage mutant ninja turtles
2. scooby doo
3. family guy
4. new episodes of american dad
5. astro boy

[Green_Peaness]

I think Futurama is massively underrated by the general public but massively overrated by its cult fanbase. Too many of the jokes just miss.

I agree with this. I haven't seen that many episodes (maybe 7 or 8) but from what I've seen the show is almost equal to seasons 13-16 of Simpsons in terms of humor. Same delivery and ratio of hit to miss...except there are several LOL moments in those Simpsons seasons while I don't think I've ever laughed that hard at Futurama.

[Green_Peaness]

There are animes which are humour-oriented

Oh god...that's a scary thought

[sacrelicious]

1. teenage mutant ninja turtles
I sure hope you are talking about the new version of this show. It's crap. The old version us old guys grew up with was pretty fun.

[StrideR]

This is true, and as someone who's seen a fair amount of the stuff, I have to say that there are some unique and charming shows out there.

HOWEVER!

I do think that there's a lot of merit to far, far, FAR too many anime shows banking on extremely similar character archetypes and designs. To address the first issue, how many Japanese shows have you seen with a shy, beautiful-yet-impossibly-pure virgin girl as one of the characters? Or a scrappy young hero who's somewhat funny and clumsy? Or the mysterious assassin? The scantily-clad female sex kitten villain? The bubbly schoolgirl? The "bishie" fanservice silver-haired beatiful man who speaks in riddles? Kooky old perverted man? And so on.

Why don't we just dissect the archetypes in Disney 2D cartoons? Or the visual style and character designs? The reason why there's so much repetition in anime is because it's successful on a large scale. Much like American cinema. Summer blockbusters, anyone? If animation were as readily accepted today in America on a similar scale as in Japan, you would see a lot of the same similarities you see in anime, as creators would stumble over each other to recreate what American audiences liked. Then some fucktard from some other part of the world would start claiming that "American cartoons suck... all of them."

[Mira]

4. new episodes of american dad


They are overrated, but only because the older ones were so bad and people are just surprised that it turned to be at least decent.

[General Jack D. Ripper]

Futurama, still one of my favorite shows, but on the topic of humor, I think they throw more jokes in than Simpsons, but less LOL jokes which is why it is inferior, IMO.

[TheForbiddenDonut]

Superfriends: Absolutely bastardized classic super heroes. "Look, on the TV, the legion of doom plans to take over the world via completely ridiculous schemes! As super heroes we should rush to the scene, surely there will be forced opportunity for us to show case our respective trademark talents! Hooray!" Good guys win and have a laugh. Oh and a purple monkey thing..................... I fucking hate the purple monkey thing.

Bastardized classic superheroes? What are you talking about? Campiness has been a major comics theme since long before 'Superfriends', and the characters act in pretty much the same way they do in old comics. Batman and Robin are pretty much identical to the Adam West show's portrayal, Superman's exposition can be seen in any old comic, and the rest of the characters, despite the expected one-dimensionality, which can hardly be called bastardization, were pretty much true to the comics. The villains are actually very similar to their comic book counterparts, and the distinct voice-acting (a southern drawl for Grundy, a mysterious deep Black Manta, and a childish Toyman) is really amazing given how cartoons of the time usually approached voice acting. The formulaic writing is obviously nothing more than expected given the time period, and given how predictable it was, the plots themselves are actually far more complex than the standard cartoon of the day. And without 'Superfriends', we may be without such comic book talents as Alex Ross, James Tucker, and Paul Dini, all of whom admit to having been highly impacted by the show. And also taking into account the fact that the show made comic book heroes far more accessible to children and made people more familiar with the characters, I'd say the show had the complete opposite effect of bastardization, in that it was a boon the comics industry.

[DumHonkey]

Not true. The 60s era works were inspired by the show and the culture of the time. Superfriends hit at the crux or the campyness.

Go back to the 30 years prior to all that shit and you will see that BatMan and SuperMan and all those were very adult and very dark.

Two things...

I didnt say the Cartoons were the worst thing ever, I just think they are over rated and watching now, they blow buckets of assholes.

And 2

And if it did inspire Dini and the likes, then I am glad because it made him make a cartoon that doesn't fucking suck.

[TheForbiddenDonut]

Not true. The 60s era works were inspired by the show and the culture of the time. Superfriends hit at the crux or the campyness.

Go back to the 30 years prior to all that shit and you will see that BatMan and SuperMan and all those were very adult and very dark.
Only Batman was significantly dark, due to Bob Kane's interpretation, but soon after, DC made him change it to be more suitable for children. And by the way, Superman was NEVER dark, unless you count Seigel's and Shuster's first stab at the character, who was originally intended to be a villain). The campyness extends far before 'Superfriends', which was made in the 70's, by the way. If you pay attention, the 70's comics tended to be more adult than what came before (see Denny O'Neil's and Neal Adams' work on DC), and the campyness was more of a 50s-60s thing, as exhibited by things like the Batman Adam West show and again, the comics of the time (I have many reprints of the original Justice League and Superman comics, all of which are filled with the same brand of exposition and straight-forwardness exhibited on 'Superfriends'.) In reality, 'Superfriends' hardly affected the comic book characters as they appeared in the comics, but was undoubtedly an influence on the popularity and development of the industry.

[The Space Pope]

[B]3: GI Joe: Plot of GI Cartoons.... "Cobra's in the desert, shoot at them with Lasers" LAME! I cannot for the life of me see how this crappy show is so revered. Even the animation sucked. And the knowing is half the battle thing? C'mon. I remember when I was little other kids would always talk about this cartoon, and I could never watch it. Now that I'm old and have seen episodes, I am so glad I was doing better things with my life... like starting fires in my neighbors garbage cans.


WOW. . . you just ruined my childhood. In retrospect you are absolutely correct but, just. . . . wow.

Anyway, I would just like to echo most of the arguments out there concerning anime. It's not a concise genre as one might think from perusing the video store. It's a wide variety unto itself, and ruling it all out at once is an incredibly sweeping generalization. There is some genuinely good anime out there, you just have to look for it. I also agree that most of it is not for me. I personally can't stand giggling asian girls, but hey, that's me. Before you discount it, explore it. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire Cowboy Bebop series and movie.

As far as choosing overrated shows go, I think most of what has been said here makes me feel old and out of touch, so I politely refrain from voicing my opinion.

[Shenanigans!]

Hm.. I can't think of 5 but I can definitely think of 2.

I don't think American Dad is funny. Sorry, but I think the characters are a bit of a reach, and the kid with glasses is just annoying. It's almost like Seth McFarlane is trying to parody his own show (Family Guy, of course).
Also, King of the Hill. A 30-minute episode feels like two hours. I appreciate the fact that they stick to a plot, but the show comes off as bland to me.

[SilverEagle]

I've seen 10+ episodes of Futurama, and I've laughed 3 times, maximum. It's a terrible show. It was made when the Simpsons were starting to go downhill, so I'm not surprised there aren't any good jokes in this show either. I can't believe they're bringing it back. :-/

Family Guy is occasionally funny, but it's so overrated (and it has become incredibly predictable these days) that I can't really get into it.

Spongebob Squarepants used to be funny from late season 1 into early season 3, but after that, and especially with season 4, which is atrocious, the show has gone way off track. It's terrible now.

[I am Lugash]

5: Any Anime Show: I have no idea why anyone likes this crap. Sub Par Animation and every 10 seconds one of the characters looks awkwardly at another and makes a gasping sound. "huh? OH!" Then they laugh. The only good thing I like about Anime is the bitches are usually hot. I think it can sum up all anime in the Street Fighter II animated movie... "Us Japanese gotta stick together.... *awkward pause* CAUSE WE'RE BROTHERS. *Unnecessary laughter". What the fuck? No wonder why Adult swim always cancels this shit.

Its not odd for this to be the general reaction people have to anime. Not all, but about 98% of the anime presented to you on tv downright blows or is aimed at kids. There are adult oriented shows that will challenge you, don't have dialogue taken from 70's porno, and don't have pointless ongoing adventures(Dragonball, Sailor Moon, Pokemon).You REALLY have to spend time/money(bandwidth/dollars) to find good anime; and I find that the people that take that step forward into the anime world are usually the people that are familiar with comic books or video games that have enjoyed something like a manga or game that was based on an anime and checked out the anime and they liked what they found. All the other people that are into anime have usually been brought in by a friend that is a comic book or video game fan. A huge problem with most animes is that when they got brought over, they face several problems that can cripple or compliment a series. Finding the right voice actors, not censoring anything, and translating so everything keeps its original context seem to really be a problem for some animes(Not to go off on a tangent, but is Family Guy popular in any countries that have almost no knowledge of pop culture? Seasons 4-6 must seem like a series of non sequiturs...). These things can make amazing things sub par and poor things unbearable(Like the Street Fighter). In America, animation is mostly used for its mass appeal to children and the slow or for comedy. Animation in Japan spans across all genres and replaces shows that we'd have done by real life. Think about this, when was the last time you saw anything from Japan that wasn't animated and did not have people dressed as bananas pogo-sticking across a pool of lube to get to smell a girl's ass? Mainly because they don't produce anything else worth mentioning that is not animated.


As for anime bitches always looking hot, Japan is an incredibly perverted country. A common prank in a Japanese school is to jam your thumb up a persons ass when there not looking, and their interpretation of a wet willy is completely off. Fan service is placed into almost any show that features a female that is above 6 years old, when girls go from an a-cup to d-cup in Japan I hear. Its not odd at all for a hit show to have a pornographic off-shoot.

Its wierd that you say anime has sub-par animation since it easily beats anything anyone else has to offer(especially hand drawn and not computer animation like Futurama). Anime took off a little late in the US and the popular shows ten years ago in Japan come over here as they were drawn 11 years ago. Animation is also much harder to do when characters are fighting, which certain animes have a lot of and western animation has very little(across from comedy scuffles). I can agree that some shows, as a cost cutting procedure, re-use certain animations(Dragonball Z does it almost every episode); yet, I'd rather have some re-used animation every episode then 1 clip show every season. Basically, I'm not sure what your basing your opinion of anime's animation on, but the past 5 years have produced some amazing looking anime's while the USA has pumped out shows like Home Movies, 12 oz Mouse(not sure this qualifies as a show), Ed Edd and Eddy, and Sealab(recycled animation of a 70's show).


As for my 5 most overrated shows:

5. Transformers- Really never understood why anyone would think that machines that turn into bigger machines that want to stop other machine morphing machines from destroying a planet was cool. The plots usually revolved around the Decepticons and the Autobots fighting for control of the Universe. Sometimes they would team up for the greater good, but basically it was them fighting it out. I understand that they were disguised as everyday machines to blend in part(hence the "Robots in Disguise" tagline) so you can imagine my confusion with the Beast Wars version of the show. Why the hell is Optimus Prime(Optimus Primal here) a 30 foot mechanical Silverback Gorilla? Nothing on Earth would question if he was a machine. The writers came up with a reason to have everyone in animal form too; the transformers went to prehistoric earth and there was dangerous levels of energon radiation, so to protect themselves, they adopted animal forms. So not only is he disguised as a 30 ft gorilla, but he is in a time where gorillas don't exist. The tagline for this series should of been "Robots in Disguise... as something even more blatant, we're sorry, we like money". Yet, there are still spin-offs being pumped out, a movie coming out, and more and more action figures that are hard as hell to get to morph without snapping something off.

4. Alvin and the Chipmunks- Never saw the appeal of chipmunks singing my favorite hits(thank God Kids Bop got my message and started putting out some real tunes). Their tv show was boring, the same shit would happen every week(Alvin's a dick and the fat one likes food? TELL ME MORE!). The spin-off The Chipmunks Go to the Movies was basically just a way to advertise movies. The only cool thing that came out of the show was that I found out my friend had a crush on the fat chipette, not only making him a chubby chaser, but into cartoon beastiality.

3. Tom and Jerry- HATED this show, it was honestly depressing as a kid and mindless as an adult.

2. Yu-gi-Oh - This is one show I hate mainly because of its cliche story telling, the fact that the learning curve to this show is to know how to play the card game, and oh yeah, your watching people play a card game. I never thought what happens in a comic book store on tuesdays could be animated, given stale dialogue and become a huge hit. If you like Dragonball Z, but hated the fighting but love people placing paper on tables then having people either gasp or talk about what just happened, this show is for you. Any show expecting their casual viewing audience to know every facet of the game or you'll have no idea what going on sucks. Every show would get to a point where one of the protagonists was losing and then they'd do something that would take a minute to explain(and would usually result in a community gasp) and still doesn't make sense if you didn't invent the game. If you've read my post up to this point, let me bring back a point; when a company brings over something, they can compliment a good show or make a bad show worse. This is the latter. 4kids destroyed any likability even the cult members of the card game would have for it. Leaving out WHOLE episodes, edited things to be more friendly, removing all the details from the cards(so the card playing population could identify the card), giving everyone a grating or inappropriate voice, renaming all the characters so their names are puns, and so on. The only thing that even rivals Yugioh, is Beyblade. A show based on a game of spinning tops that collide...it goes on for 102 episodes.

1. Scooby Doo- While I'd usually be hesitant to place a show on my list that has been thoroughly shit on throughout this topic, I truly hate this show. I never had any idea what made this show good. The humor, mystery, and the dialogue never made sense. Everything seemed to be recycled from previous episodes(a monster showed up and stole the diamond you just found? INTERESTING). Sad attempts to increase ratings such as adding scrappy doo/scooby dum or the celebrity guests like Joan Rivers, Sunny and Cher, Batman and Robin for some reason, and it seems like there is a whole season devoted tot the Harlem Globetrotters. Unrealistic outcomes, and I'm not talking about how every monster falls prey to the infamous trip wire or net that falls from the sky, but that after helping hundreds of people regain personal wealth they never get a reward outside of chili dogs or an invitation to party down. Then theres the episodes that forgot to introduce more than two people. Of course it was old man Conrad! He was the only other fucking person in this episode, and I knew it wasn't fucking Don Knotts trying to scare them out of inspecting the haunted mine! Then theres the horrible spin-off of A pup named Scooby Doo. Take the original, dumb it down even more, and when the monster is chasing you, don't forget to have a crazy dance party with the same animation every week. Theres also something magical about hating something so much while everyone you know is touting the merits of said thing fuels the flames of hatred. Oddly enough, my hatred towards this show fits in too well in this thread.

[StarskyMaxwell]

Its wierd that you say anime has sub-par animation since it easily beats anything anyone else has to offer(especially hand drawn and not computer animation like Futurama).
Do you seriously consider hand-drawn animation to be sub-par compared to anime (which, by the way, is also hand drawn) and computer animation? Are the classic Looney Tunes shorts animated poorly compared to Shrek in your opinion?

I'm not sure what your basing your opinion of anime's animation on, but the past 5 years have produced some amazing looking anime's while the USA has pumped out shows like Home Movies, 12 oz Mouse(not sure this qualifies as a show), Ed Edd and Eddy, and Sealab(recycled animation of a 70's show).
I'll ignore the obvious and blatant manipulation of this comment and just go straight to my point: Ed, Edd n' Eddy has become the most awesome-looking American cartoon in AGES. During the last three seasons, its animation has been amazingly expressive, completely off-the-wall and incredibly charming. Check out, for instance, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu8G2Cx-YmI) episode from a couple years ago. I'll give you every other show on the list, but we can all make a point that way.

5. Rocko's Modern Life- This is much more of an overrated in a few peoples opinion, but those few people LOVE this show and this seem to be their first show which they compare all others too. Keep in mind, I'm not saying I hated the show, just overrated in my eyes(although a step in the right direction in making good animated shows).
I don't like you.

[I am Lugash]

Do you seriously consider hand-drawn animation to be sub-par compared to anime (which, by the way, is also hand drawn) and computer animation? Are the classic Looney Tunes shorts animated poorly compared to Shrek in your opinion?

You misinterpreted me, I meant to say that compare anime's animation to other hand drawn animated shows made in the US and not computer animated shows since they are a whole other league since they're made for HDTV.


I'll ignore the obvious and blatant manipulation of this comment and just go straight to my point: Ed, Edd n' Eddy has become the most awesome-looking American cartoon in AGES. During the last three seasons, its animation has been amazingly expressive, completely off-the-wall and incredibly charming. Check out, for instance, this episode from a couple years ago. I'll give you every other show on the list, but we can all make a point that way.

I know I went for the easy ones(Adult Swim in general), and I didn't mean to insult any of the shows, aside from 12oz mouse, since I'm a fan of them. Just pointing out that their animation can be described as crude; I will admit that Ed Edd and Eddy has cleaned up a fair bit its still not a show where you watch it and wonder at how many times Koreans had to get up and sharpen their pencils.


Originally Posted by I am Lugash
5. Rocko's Modern Life- This is much more of an overrated in a few peoples opinion, but those few people LOVE this show and this seem to be their first show which they compare all others too. Keep in mind, I'm not saying I hated the show, just overrated in my eyes(although a step in the right direction in making good animated shows).

I don't like you.


I edited my post and made a new number 5 before you got to make your post, mostly because I knew I'd get chewed out by several people who love Rocko's Modern Life.

[StarskyMaxwell]

Okay then, all clear. But I still don't get what's not to like about EEE's animation. But apparently I'm the only one around who thinks that way, so who cares.

[I am Lugash]

I didn't say I didn't like it or that there was nothing endearing about EEE animation style, I personally like low budget animation. I'm just saying from a purely technical standpoint that(mostly within its first 3 seasons) the animation was not up to grade compared to recent anime(which I think is a fair assessment).

[Sideshow Jessica]

1. The Batman: Thanks to that god awful show, it pretty much destroyed good cartoons like Justice League Unlimted just because they want to do a bastardized almost all the D.C charectors.

2. Spider-Man: The Animated Series: People always say thats it's the best superhero cartoon ever and some even go so far in saying it's better then Batman: TAS. To me, it's highy overated series with the over dramatic music, the terrible voice acting, the bizarro plots about crazy inventions, people being cloned and throw into other worlds and also of the creaters watering down Spider-Man and his villains.

3. King of Hill: I never found what was so appealing about the show. Where are the gags, jokes, or just plain parts to laugh at?

4.South Park: Though it's a funny and good show. It sometimes tries so hard to create controversy.

5. Anime: I was never really a fan of Anime. However, I did enjoy some Anime movies.

[Chief Simpson]

Right, OK...

5: Rugrats
4: King of the Hill
3: Viva Piniata
2: Scooby Doo
1: Yu-Gi-Oh

[Orzabal's Eleven]

Feel free to slap me about the face if my following choices rub you up the wrong way ;) Only the face, mind. I have access to legal papers, y'know.

5. One Piece (Annoying)
4. Every Space/Robot/Space Robot-orientated show from the 1980s (I didn't get it when I were a kid, and I don't get it now. I mean, robots were cool, but... not when you've got 500 different shows basically doing the exact same thing)
3. Yu Gi Oh (Even as a kid I would've had trouble finding the appeal in this. And this is coming from someone who spent a good half of his childhood calling himself the 'Blue Ranger')
2. Family Guy (It ain't as good as it was)
1. Invader Zim (I... just don't get it. I mean, I can see how it would split some folks' sides, but... there seems to be an unnerving amount of fanboys and fangirls around - either that, or I REALLY oughta get the hell off DeviantArt)

[Donut Head Homer]

I find King of the Hill very overrated.