Tv shows that haven't aged well

[Wesley]

I thought this might be an interesting thread. I think the following shows don't hold up:

Saved by the Bell
Captain Planet
Spiderman TAS
X-Men TAS
Sonic SatAM
The X Files

[ZariusTwo]

Those shows are fine and still work with a fresh audience. Most people who say they "don't age well" only say that because they themselves outgrew them

[Creativemind]

X-files totally holds up still and I have the X-men animated series on dvd and it's still better than the movies Fox has been crapping out.

[Mew]

I agree with you on Captain Planet, but all the rest are great!

[Cure]

I thought this might be an interesting thread. I think the following shows don't hold up:

Saved by the Bell
Captain Planet
Spiderman TAS
X-Men TAS
Sonic SatAM
The X Files


I agree with these. Also Batman: The Animated Series. Super stiff voice acting, slow action scenes, and the rain is super crappy looking.

[DarkFell]

Never got into Saved by the Bell, but the other shows are fine IMO. Captain Planet is an okay watch.

[shuriken]

Street Sharks, Extreme Dinosaurs, GI Joe and the first few seasons of Seinfeld. Oh and the Iron Man cartoon from the nineties. The middle seasons of Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles (1987) are pretty bad in terms of quality, but are still enjoyable.
He-Man is hilarious because of the re-used footage in like every episode.

[TurtleTitan97]

I think the majority of cartoons from the 1980s haven't aged well.

[TheCanadiandrome]

I think the majority of cartoons from the 1980s haven't aged well.
i disagree. alot of those are still better than some of the sh*t on the air these days

[Mew]

Street Sharks, Extreme Dinosaurs, GI Joe and the first few seasons of Seinfeld. Oh and the Iron Man cartoon from the nineties. The middle seasons of Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles (1987) are pretty bad in terms of quality, but are still enjoyable.
He-Man is hilarious because of the re-used footage in like every episode.
Coming from a He-Man fan, I agree.
Although the show, and Filmation in general, is great, there was MAJOR cost cutting involved.
On example is Prince Adam's transformation sequence in every episode. It was not out of nowhere, and made sense, but it was still filler.
Actually, some of the storylines are quite adult.
In one episode, He-Man basically KILLS a bystander, but was actually one of Skeletor's henchmen in disguise. This makes He-Man LITERARY depressed.
One other thing is the PSA's at the end.
They MOSTLY gad good messages, but ones like Ram Man's make you scratch your head.
He he! Get it? Head! Ram Man.........I walked straight into that one. :lol:

[CyberCubed]

I think the majority of cartoons from the 1980s haven't aged well.

Agreed, except for the original TMNT cartoon. The fact the original show wasn't a serious action show but more of an adventure comedy with satire is why its not dated as badly.

Also I think the animation of the original show still holds up fairly well (barring the worst animated episodes), especially since the show is nearly 30 years old.

[snake]

I agree with these. Also Batman: The Animated Series. Super stiff voice acting, slow action scenes, and the rain is super crappy looking.

I thought I was the only one who doesn't like BTAS. Brave and the Bold is fun though.

[Leo656]

I gotta agree with Zarius. Captain Planet was definitely a product of its time and could only have gotten over in that specific era, but the rest are alright.

Some of the same people who criticize some of those shows for flimsy reasons, will willingly overlook the literal mountain of flaws in something like the Nick TMNT show, for example, just because its "fresh" (Seriously, New York City only has, like, 5 people living there).

There's a ton of stuff from back then that doesn't hold up, and a ton of stuff right now that won't hold up in ten years, but that particular list is weak.

As for me, as a kid I loved the Filmation stock footage. I found the familiarity comforting and loved acting out the Adam/He-Man transformation, for example, or the stuff in Ghostbusters. It's not like I didn't notice those things were the same every time, I knew it was on purpose (even though I was too young to get why) and thought it was great. It's kind of weird to me when people in their 20s/30s look back on stuff that was entirely aimed at 5-8 year olds with an overly-critical eye. It's like doing a critical dissertation of the gender politics of Sesame Street. You serious?

[MrTMNT2012]

I thought I was the only one who doesn't like BTAS. Brave and the Bold is fun though.

I would like to see actual reasons why instead of just nitpicking...

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Agreed, except for the original TMNT cartoon. The fact the original show wasn't a serious action show but more of an adventure comedy with satire is why its not dated as badly.

Also I think the animation of the original show still holds up fairly well (barring the worst animated episodes), especially since the show is nearly 30 years old.

Personally, I think the 80s Transformers series has aged much better than the 80s TMNT series, but that's just me.

[ssjup81]

How about Jem and the Holograms. So so dated... lol

[Mew]

How about Jem and the Holograms. So so dated... lol
It's OUTRAGEOUS!
I walked right into that one.....

[ssjup81]

It's OUTRAGEOUS!
I walked right into that one.....Truly, truly, truly outrageous. :-P

[Mew]

Truly, truly, truly outrageous. :-P
Lol!
:lol:

[neatoman]

Personally, I think the 80s Transformers series has aged much better than the 80s TMNT series, but that's just me.

Well G1 Transformers tends to have somewhat better pacing and variety than FW TMNT, but that does not mean that it has aged all that well either.

[sdp]

Everyone looks at different things from the past with a variety of nostalgia goggles so sometimes its hard to be objective, I try my best but even I know I have a bias but most people don't realize this and think they're being objective when they're not.

Saved by the Bell
Spiderman TAS
X-Men TAS
Sonic SatAM
The X Files
SbtB reeks of the late 80s/early 90s but if that's what you want then you get what you are watching, no worse than similar shows today that aren't specifically good either but the're a product of its time and can probably only be enjoyed by those growing up at htat time.

Captain Planet I'll save for later.

Spider-Man and X-Men TAS I rewatched a few years ago and thought they held up extremely well, they can be nitpicked to death but they did a great job in telling stories and are better than say the current Marvel cartoons Disney is making though they were indeed surpassed by the other Marvel cartoons before the Disney buyout. Counting Disney XD re-ran them in the mid-00's just shows how relevant they still were.

Sonic SatAM is defintely a show for kids and is a 90s show not show how well it would do today, it's not bad for kids but it's hard to watch as an adult because its for kids, at least that was my thought when I watched it a few years ago.

X-Files totally holds up extremely well and is amazing to this day, especially if you don't think of it as it taking place in modern times which it isn't since they always specify dates even if at the time it was taking place in modern times. The final seasons of th X-Files are a shadow of their former selves but those didn't age badly, they were always bad.


Those shows are fine and still work with a fresh audience. Most people who say they "don't age well" only say that because they themselves outgrew them
I disagree, there's definitely things that just don't work anymore and things that don't age well, I can't think of a good example off the top of my head. Of course I agree that many people online dismiss things as "it didn't age well" and isn't always the case but I re-watch things from my childhood all the time and sometimes I get what I expect a show for kids that just doesn't appeal to me, sometimes I get shows that impress me as an adult by how good it still is and sometimes I wonder how I ever liked it.

I think the majority of cartoons from the 1980s haven't aged well.

This is generalizing a lot but I tend to agree, even as a kid I could recognize shows made from the 80s and hated them they were just too formulaic, there's plenty of exceptions of course, I actually think Thundercats holds fairly well since it was so rich in mythology but it was still held back by the expectations of what a cartoon was at that time which was only a toy commercial, TMNT is another good example that it aged much better since it was comedy/action and didn't take itself too seriously.

i disagree. alot of those are still better than some of the sh*t on the air these days
Do you watch cartoons these days? Are you the 8 and under target audience? It's hard to be objective when you're an adult. Just because you don't get a show doesn't mean its automatically sh-t it just doesn't appeal to you.

I gotta agree with Zarius. Captain Planet was definitely a product of its time and could only have gotten over in that specific era, but the rest are alright.

While I agree that CP was a product of its time; even when it came out it was super preachy, and didn't get over because it was a product of its time, it got over because it taught good morals. CP gets shat on all the time now but it had a great message. You'll say I'm going all tree hugger on everyone but look at the world today, we need a new CP style show of course modernized but still super preachy so maybe the next generation can do the job my generation is trying to do with the current eco movement and I can't help but feel it was because of the 90s kids who got bombarded by the eco movement, the 00's kids didn't get this and I feel there'll be a gap of adults who just don't care about the environment now because of it and will be as close minded as older adults are today about the real problem at hand.

e, as a kid I loved the Filmation stock footage. I found the familiarity comforting and loved acting out the Adam/He-Man transformation, for example, or the stuff in Ghostbusters. It's not like I didn't notice those things were the same every time, I knew it was on purpose (even though I was too young to get why) and thought it was great. It's kind of weird to me when people in their 20s/30s look back on stuff that was entirely aimed at 5-8 year olds with an overly-critical eye. It's like doing a critical dissertation of the gender politics of Sesame Street. You serious?

You look at them fondly now because you liked them as a kid and can overlook their faults but come on, did you never get frustrated that Skeletor was never defeated? That things got back to the status quo got back to how things were supposed to at the end? That's fine in a comedy show like The Flintstones but it's frustrating in an action show. Most writers in the 80s didn't care they just saw them as toy commercials, that mentality started changing in the 90s which even though they still had a formula they were more open to changing things up unlike 80s shows, and once we got the the 00s story arcs are no longer exceptions or out of the ordinari but found in most shows and required to be compelling, maybe because many of those writers are those kids who grew up with cartoons and wanted more out of their characters and are now doing what they wanted to see when they were kids. Kids are not stupid and can enjoy story arcs those were always my favorite shows as a kid and held them in higher regard over shows that had none.

Personally, I think the 80s Transformers series has aged much better than the 80s TMNT series, but that's just me.
Well the internet nerd herd is mostly comprised of 80s kids who loved Transformers, hence why there's so many Transformers fansites/podcasts etc. But I've tried getting into transformers many times, my first exposure was as a 7 year old watching the "new" G2 in the early 90s which was just the 80s show and even then it bored me compared to other shows airing at the time like TMNT and Power Rangers. Even now I just can't get into it, I enjoyed Beast Wars when it came out. I think Transformers may have been one of the 80s shows that tried to be a little different from other 80s shows by changing the status quo a little like killing Optimus and other stuff that had never been done before but it is still very formulaic and don't think it even changed things enough as Thundercats another 80s show did.

Street Sharks, Extreme Dinosaurs,
Now that I shat all over the 80s, the 90s definitely has its formulaic crap like these two shows that tried to copy the TMNT formula without any of its soul so they're boring and forgettable and only when they were airing did they have any relevancy. The 90s also has plenty of crap but like I mentioned that's when attitudes towards cartoons were slowly changing. Today cartoons are overall much much better than anything made before it, of course there's also plenty of crap now but the quality of writing has increased, I would agree 90s had more iconic shows as did the 80s but that's also because the internet didn't exist or wasn't as big at the time and now kids have other things to take their attention away instead of one "big" thing.

[TMNT_Guy]

I’ve never believed in the adage that TV shows, video games, etc can “age”. I can understand someone’s opinions of a show changing as they get older, but that a modern viewer won’t like anything mentioned in this thread?

When I was a kid I was nuts about strawberries, I could eat a whole container all by myself. But now they just aren’t as sweet as I remember them to be and I’m just indifferent to them now. Does that mean strawberries “don’t hold up” and a modern consumer isn’t going to enjoy them?

But that’s just my opinion.
As for me, as a kid I loved the Filmation stock footage. I found the familiarity comforting and loved acting out the Adam/He-Man transformation, for example, or the stuff in Ghostbusters.
Oh yeah, the best cartoons are the ones that have a catchphrase for kids to shout out while playing with their toys. “Cowabunga!”, “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!”, “In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”, “NARF!”, etc. I was once over at a friend's house as a kid and Inspector Gadget came on so we rushed to the TV. "Did we miss the part where Gadget blows up the chief?" I asked. "I know!" My friend said "That's the best part!"
You look at them fondly now because you liked them as a kid and can overlook their faults but come on, did you never get frustrated that Skeletor was never defeated? That things got back to the status quo got back to how things were supposed to at the end? That's fine in a comedy show like The Flintstones but it's frustrating in an action show.
I can’t honestly say I did. When I watched Swat Kats as a kid all I cared about was how Razor and T-Bone were going to stop Dark Kat that episode. I don’t understand why some people think every action show needs to have an epic multi season storyline. Sometimes people don’t want complex villains and morally ambiguous heroes. Sometimes people just want to sit back, relax, cheer for the heroes and boo at the villains without worrying if everything will be ok in the end.

But again, that's just my opinion.

[TheCanadiandrome]

Do you watch cartoons these days? Are you the 8 and under target audience? It's hard to be objective when you're an adult. Just because you don't get a show doesn't mean its automatically sh-t it just doesn't appeal to you.


actually ues i have. and that's why i made my opinion. i'd much rather have my kids, if i had any, watch some of the stuff i grew up watching then the lame crap on the air these days. it's called opinion bro. we all have em. we agree to disagree, other wise wtfs the point

[Wesley]

Personally, I think the 80s Transformers series has aged much better than the 80s TMNT series, but that's just me.

I never saw the 80s Transformers series when I was growing up. I watched it as an adult on the channel Kix a few years ago and thought it was an okay show to watch, but there wasn't anything noteworthy about it. The last three episodes were the best, in my opinion. I think the 80s tmnt series was better, though that may be because I grew up with it.

[sdp]

I can’t honestly say I did. When I watched Swat Kats as a kid all I cared about was how Razor and T-Bone were going to stop Dark Kat that episode. I don’t understand why some people think every action show needs to have an epic multi season storyline. Sometimes people don’t want complex villains and morally ambiguous heroes. Sometimes people just want to sit back, relax, cheer for the heroes and boo at the villains without worrying if everything will be ok in the end.

But again, that's just my opinion.

Of course not every show needs multi season storylines or constant changing of the status quo, heck I think Superhero cartoons are becoming too storydriven when the whole "episode of the day" or "filler" worked more than fine for Batman TAS, but that doesn't work for every show, I do like having the villains defeated and some sense of closure, I always despised shows that never ended. I definitely disagree with the other part though, people do need characters that are more complex, and that's what makes a cartoon more watchable. Let's take Gargoyle's, if you are a very young kid you see Xanatos as the evil villain, but the older you get (and I'm talking 8-10) you see he is more complex and because of that more interesting while a villain like Skeletor the older you get the less appealing he is since he is just evil for the sake of evil. so even if as a young kid you don't understand the full grasp of say Xanatos you still know he's the villain, you don't need to sugar coat kids. Even if you just want a "good guys always win" There's always shows like Power Rangers, which have a storyline and they finish and the characters maybe aren't fully developed and can be enjoyed like you say, but even then those shows now have a bigger narrative that you can find if you look for it.


actually ues i have. and that's why i made my opinion. i'd much rather have my kids, if i had any, watch some of the stuff i grew up watching then the lame crap on the air these days. it's called opinion bro. we all have em. we agree to disagree, other wise wtfs the point

Well you'll be severely disappointed when you see your kids are not in the least interested in most shows you grew up with, they'll want their own shows to grow up with which you can say its your opinion to disagree but that's because you are no longer the target audience of the shows. I enjoy many shows I grew up with but I wouldn't share or expect my kids to like most of them just as I don't expect to like the shows my kid likes. there'll be exceptions of course, I'm sure my kid would enjoy Batman TAS and I'd enjoy some of the shows targeted to him like some new DC cartoon. I don't watch most cartoons aimed at kids these days with some exceptions that appeal to me like the new TMNT Nick show but even then I can appreciate that the writing of current shows is usually better, sure there's crap but the 90s and 80s had plenty of that as well and we watched it.

As adults it's hard to keep our nostalgia in check but if you don't then you'll quickly become into one of those fogeys who says "back in the day...", my sister is only 5 years older than me and she often mentions erroneously how things in the past were better just because they're different now. That's why you need fresh blood in politics, movies, etc. Times change and that doesn't mean things are necessarily worse, they're just different. Sure sometimes it can be true but others it isn't so it's very important to try to be objective. You can't be biased and just say "Well in my opinion" to justify your argument if you want to actually argue a point. The whole opinions can't be wrong is not entirely correct. You do need to state or point out there is some biased in your opinion whether its "by the way I was born in the 90s" or whatever.

[TheCanadiandrome]

Well you'll be severely disappointed when you see your kids are not in the least interested in most shows you grew up with, they'll want their own shows to grow up with which you can say its your opinion to disagree but that's because you are no longer the target audience of the shows. I enjoy many shows I grew up with but I wouldn't share or expect my kids to like most of them just as I don't expect to like the shows my kid likes. there'll be exceptions of course, I'm sure my kid would enjoy Batman TAS and I'd enjoy some of the shows targeted to him like some new DC cartoon. I don't watch most cartoons aimed at kids these days with some exceptions that appeal to me like the new TMNT Nick show but even then I can appreciate that the writing of current shows is usually better, sure there's crap but the 90s and 80s had plenty of that as well and we watched it.

very true, and i appreciate you pointing this out to me as well. thanks. though i mostly avoided the crap of the 80s and 90s :D

that's to say that i'm not totally against everything that's out now. i absolutely love the new Nick TMNT as well.

any who, i might add that seeing as i don't plan to ever reproduce it's a moot point any ways lol :lol:


As adults it's hard to keep our nostalgia in check but if you don't then you'll quickly become into one of those fogeys who says "back in the day...", my sister is only 5 years older than me and she often mentions erroneously how things in the past were better just because they're different now. That's why you need fresh blood in politics, movies, etc. Times change and that doesn't mean things are necessarily worse, they're just different. Sure sometimes it can be true but others it isn't so it's very important to try to be objective.

oh god if i find myself saying "back in my day.." again i might just off msyelf :lol:

btw, i'm scared of change :D

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Well you'll be severely disappointed when you see your kids are not in the least interested in most shows you grew up with, they'll want their own shows to grow up with which you can say its your opinion to disagree but that's because you are no longer the target audience of the shows. I enjoy many shows I grew up with but I wouldn't share or expect my kids to like most of them just as I don't expect to like the shows my kid likes. there'll be exceptions of course, I'm sure my kid would enjoy Batman TAS and I'd enjoy some of the shows targeted to him like some new DC cartoon. I don't watch most cartoons aimed at kids these days with some exceptions that appeal to me like the new TMNT Nick show but even then I can appreciate that the writing of current shows is usually better, sure there's crap but the 90s and 80s had plenty of that as well and we watched it.



so explain current crap like Breadwinners, Squidbillies, and other truly abysmal cartoons that kids today watch AND LOVE. Just a small sampling of today's cartoons dredges up more $h*t than a Roto-rooter.... And Nick is one of the worst offenders in that department.

[BabyTurtles]

How about Jem and the Holograms. So so dated... lol

Hey I just got into jem recently!

I ended up watching like 10 episodes without stopping XD (I'm at like ep 40 now)

[TheCanadiandrome]

Hey I just got into jem recently!

I ended up watching like 10 episodes without stopping XD (I'm at like ep 40 now)
You might like the movie due later this year

[Autbot_Benz]

X men and Spider man TAS hold up very well they are two of the finest cartoons out there. Batman TAS is one of the greatest cartoons ever created. Best Batman show ever.

[Leo656]

did you never get frustrated that Skeletor was never defeated? That things got back to the status quo got back to how things were supposed to at the end?

Never. Because 1: I liked the show and didn't want it to end, so I didn't WANT Skeletor to be defeated "once and for all", and 2: I was 4.

Don't forget, shows even having arcs or "endings" is still a relatively modern idea. Most shows weren't even developed with any kind of "exit strategy" back then, they just ran until people got sick of them. Especially kids' cartoons. So watching a show like He-Man, you can't really fault it for not having sweeping multi-episode storylines, serious character development, or a "real" ending, because that's totally not how shows were even done back then.

That's like judging old paintings and knocking points off because of their lack of Photoshop layers or digital inking. Different era, different standards.

[CyberCubed]

B:TAS fight scenes are lackluster but I think that more has to do with the Fox censors at the time than anything else. Fight scenes were brief and usually consisted of Batman throwing a guy over his shoulder or something.

Which is bizarre because this is the same show that had bad guys firing realistic handguns, some people nearly getting killed, or episodes about drugs and psychological abuse.

But no, can't have Batman punch someone in the face! Thankfully this declined as the series progressed.

[sdp]

Never. Because 1: I liked the show and didn't want it to end, so I didn't WANT Skeletor to be defeated "once and for all", and 2: I was 4.

Don't forget, shows even having arcs or "endings" is still a relatively modern idea. Most shows weren't even developed with any kind of "exit strategy" back then, they just ran until people got sick of them. Especially kids' cartoons. So watching a show like He-Man, you can't really fault it for not having sweeping multi-episode storylines, serious character development, or a "real" ending, because that's totally not how shows were even done back then.

That's like judging old paintings and knocking points off because of their lack of Photoshop layers or digital inking. Different era, different standards.

Yeah cartoons then were only seen as a way to sell toys and they'd order a batch of 65 episodes to air on syndication in one shot. Your analogy isn't a good one though, you can understand the limitations of the technology but not the bad writing since good writing is not something that was invented recently. The fact that there were good cartoons in the 80s shows it could be done.

They just didn't give credit to kids and wanted them to buy the toys and make something safe and easy as possible without taking risks. Things only changed recently for two reasons, the people growing up watching those cartoons wanted to do more than what they got as kids and also because anime started becoming more and more common and they had all of that so to keep up with it they needed to improve their writing as well.

so explain current crap like Breadwinners, Squidbillies, and other truly abysmal cartoons that kids today watch AND LOVE. Just a small sampling of today's cartoons dredges up more $h*t than a Roto-rooter.... And Nick is one of the worst offenders in that department.

I already explained that, all decades have crap shows people just tend to remember the good stuff and not the bad, this isn't just with cartoon, it always happens with music. So yeah as much crap as there is today there was more before and the quality in general is higher now, of course there's room for improvement.

[Leo656]

How is it "bad writing" when working within the formula was part of the writers' job back then? If anything, they deserve credit for even making 130 episodes that were all pretty good, despite knowing full well that they weren't "allowed" to move anything forward or bring things to a conclusion. Telling a "complete" story for that many individual episodes within the kinds of limitations they had to work with back then actually shows how creative a lot of the writers really were.

And He-Man is an awful example of "cartoons as toy commercials" since the show used the same 5 characters, but the toy line had hundreds. Practically nothing from the toy line ever even made it into the show. Other shows like G.I. Joe were far more guilty of that particular offense. And yet, even they were still really entertaining and well-written shows, despite the blatant commercialism.

And if you think cartoons nowadays aren't just toy commercials, you're naive. All that's changed, is that nowadays, stories can run for more than one episode. Fundamentally, nothing has changed. Cartoons are for selling toys to kids. Why do people try and read so much into it, to the point where products from completely different eras with completely different standards have to "compete" with each other? I don't get it.

[Wildcat]

Interesting topic. I think it just comes down to what you personally like and what you consider justifiable.

Nostalgia/"back in my day" is kind of a different subject. People who complain about current shows and movies are being close minded a lot of the times. They don't realize their era had similar trends and cliches.

That's why I hate when people complain about modern day movies and accuse Hollywood of somehow becoming corrupted by using trends and mainstream actors. Go back to any era and you'll see that's how it's always been for the most part.

I'm a huge Sonic fan and used to watch SatAm and now have series on DVD. It's not as thrilling as when I was a kid but it's a solid cartoon that I think kids today would find entertaining.

[oldmanwinters]

The Nostalgia Critic seems to hate everything, but he had quite good things to say about the Satam show. Basically, it's one of the few good examples of how to adapt a video game into a kid's cartoon.

[ProactiveMan]

There's nothing wrong with being an animated toy commercial if the toys are as wicked as Masters of the Universe. The art and design of that show sill holds up as far as I'm concerned and my hat is off to the people who made it because animating a bunch of anatomically correct muscle-men looks a lot harder than the rubber-hose characters that are in vogue now. Granted, they didn't always pull it off.

[DarkFell]

Basically, it's one of the few good examples of how to adapt a video game into a kid's cartoon.
https://38.media.tumblr.com/569d8608ed002c78edb9fc2695c2783d/tumblr_n720ejy4g61qjhwq1o3_400.gif
Ben Hurst did that show justice. Even though Season 3 was canned, the first two seasons still have some decent merits to stand on IMO.

[Leo656]

There's nothing wrong with being an animated toy commercial if the toys are as wicked as Masters of the Universe. The art and design of that show sill holds up as far as I'm concerned and my hat is off to the people who made it because animating a bunch of anatomically correct muscle-men looks a lot harder than the rubber-hose characters that are in vogue now. Granted, they didn't always pull it off.

Rotoscoping should be mandatory by federal law.

[ProactiveMan]

If I could vote in your country, I'd make that an election issue. Imagine, Obama smoothly walks out on stage in perfect side profile, stops, and faces forward, addressing the American people, moving only his mouth. Then, smoothly strides forward and punches the screen.

[Leo656]

He'd have already accomplished more just in that than he already has in real life.

:tgrin::tgrin::tgrin::tgrin::tgrin:

[MsMarvelDuckie]

They just didn't give credit to kids and wanted them to buy the toys and make something safe and easy as possible without taking risks. Things only changed recently for two reasons, the people growing up watching those cartoons wanted to do more than what they got as kids and also because anime started becoming more and more common and they had all of that so to keep up with it they needed to improve their writing as well.

....I already explained that, all decades have crap shows people just tend to remember the good stuff and not the bad, this isn't just with cartoon, it always happens with music. So yeah as much crap as there is today there was more before and the quality in general is higher now, of course there's room for improvement.


It has nothing to do with nostalgia. I've re-watched some of those shows quite recently, and there are others that still air on one of my local stations, such as He-Man and She-Ra, and even Brave Star. Sad to say, most of the crap I've seen Nick and other cartoon channels putting out NOW doesn't even measure up as funny or interesting, let ALONE "good writing". When your main characters are completely obnoxious and stupid, or the entire show is nothing but crude and very juvenile humor, there's something seriously wrong with the shows. And that's now the NORM, rather than the exception. Even the animation is overly simplistic and crude at best, in most cases.

Back in those days, many of the shows were either based on comics (Spider-Man TAS, X-Men TAS, Batman TAS) or were to sell toys, but still managed to have decent stories and even teach lessons (He-Man, She-Ra, GI Joe, Brave Star). Shows like Transformers had such interesting and entertaining characters (Starscream is still one of my all-time favorite bad guys!) that it really didn't matter if the stories were a bit formulaic. The drivel of today, with FEW exceptions, can't even do THAT. It might be mildly entertaining for 6 year-olds who like potty humor, but for anyone else, it's just..... UGH. There are NO words.

[BabyTurtles]

You might like the movie due later this year

ooh awesome~

I also can't wait for Ross Campbell's Jem comic *_*

[TheBlueTurtle1]

X-men TAS has held up really well actually. I still think it's one ohe most watchable animated shows out there.

[Leo656]

I was gonna say, I haven't seen it in a while but I liked that one. I've never been a huge Marvel fan but at the time that was on I'd read a few X-Men comics of my Dad's, and I thought it was spiffy. Spider-Man, too.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Not to mention both shows actually adapted stories that were straight out of the comics themselves. The Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Sagas come to mind, as well as the episode of Nightcrawler learning Mystique was his mother. Spidey had the Kraven introduction (though he was a bit different from the comics, and turned into a semi-ally eventually), some cross-overs with other Marvel characters like Captain America, Red Skull, Dr. Strange, and the X-Men themselves, and there was the Man-Spider arc which was loosely based on a similar story from the comics. And the finale episode was great- complete with a cameo from Stan!

[ProactiveMan]

X-men TAS has held up really well actually. I still think it's one ohe most watchable animated shows out there.

That show was the hotness when I was in high-school. It was many kids introduction to X-Men, and it sold a lot of comics, not to mention Fleer Ultra cards.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

That show was the hotness when I was in high-school. It was many kids introduction to X-Men, and it sold a lot of comics, not to mention Fleer Ultra cards.


Yup. I'm one of em. I have some of those cards, too!

[ssjup81]

You know, for this type of thread, the only type of cartoons that I feel don't hold up are those that are really really a product of its time or the mentalities reflected at that time. For example, the original Jetsons bugged me somewhat when I was a kid because it came across as a bit sexist to me, despite my not knowing anything about sexism. I was under the age of ten when I used to watch the reruns of it. I actually preferred the 80s remake of the show (having practically everyone reprising their roles) because they updated that outdated early 60s, a woman's place is in the home/kitchen mentality that the 60s version seemed to have. I didn't have a problem with the Flintstones because it was back in the stoneage...but for the future to be like the Jetsons was confusing to me because of my own mother and other women in modern shows at that time. They worked. They weren't always "in the kitchen". They weren't terrible drivers, they seemed nice and independent, etc.

Anywho, that's why Jem popped into mind because it just screams 1980s. lol The Snorks too for that matter. Oh how about Kidd Video! Or Dungeons and Dragons? Oh oh oh!! I know something that probably didn't age well, although I haven't seen an episode of it since I was a kid! Denver the Last Dinosaur! 80s California...yup... lolHey I just got into jem recently!

I ended up watching like 10 episodes without stopping XD (I'm at like ep 40 now)Wow, nice to hear you're enjoying it. When I used to watch this as a kid, I thought of Jem (and the other women) as live-action versions of Rockstar Barbie. :lol:

So, which do you prefer? The Holograms or the Misfits...you know, since their "songs are better". :-PYeah cartoons then were only seen as a way to sell toys and they'd order a batch of 65 episodes to air on syndication in one shot. Your analogy isn't a good one though, you can understand the limitations of the technology but not the bad writing since good writing is not something that was invented recently. The fact that there were good cartoons in the 80s shows it could be done.

They just didn't give credit to kids and wanted them to buy the toys and make something safe and easy as possible without taking risks. Things only changed recently for two reasons, the people growing up watching those cartoons wanted to do more than what they got as kids and also because anime started becoming more and more common and they had all of that so to keep up with it they needed to improve their writing as well.Out of curiosity, how was this a flaw, though? At the time, shows aimed at kids were episodic. It was expected of the bad guy to get away (like Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget) so that the villain can be faced again the next week. Didn't get sick of it because it was the norm and it was a ploy to sell toys as well. To me, the 1980s was just one long Saturday morning commercial break. We got shows like He-Man and My Little Pony and Care Bears because of toys and greeting cards. The main incentive was to entertain the kids while brainwashing them into wanting the toys that went along with them and begging, mommy, daddy, or Santa for them. Story arcs? What are these things you speak of? :P lol A lot of shows were also shown in syndication, like the OT for example, before being put onto a network station, whereas some (like He-Man) was never on a network station. It was easier to miss episodes back then too compared to later on, hence the episodic set up and approach.

So yeah, it is showing the style of the time...but not completely a flaw. I mean, at least you can just start watching an episode of a series back then and easily jump into it without worrying about story arcs or missing something super important. I know for a fact I didn't see the original pilot eps for the OT. I didn't start watching the show until about 1988 sometime and saw those eps later, but I got into it easily when coming across it.

Hm, I will say this though...I loved Disney's Adventure of the Gummi Bears. It was episodic, but still had its core story and seemed to try to have story arcs, even if the show ended before it could complete the main objective/goal the show originally started with. Despite that, I still feel that this show holds up well.The Nostalgia Critic seems to hate everything, but he had quite good things to say about the Satam show. Basically, it's one of the few good examples of how to adapt a video game into a kid's cartoon.I loved the Sonic SatAM show. I definitely preferred it to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. For me, the latter aired weekday mornings at about 7:00 (but I still watched it....almost always nearly missing my bus lol). Sonic SatAM wasn't handled properly in my area. ABC seemed to always pre-empt showing junk like the news. I never got why. I never knew when an ep was going to air because of how it was shown. I would still check every week. I like Robotnic for that version too since he was more of a threat and I liked the dark tone of the show. Being 12/13 when it came out, give or take, it appealed to me a lot.ooh awesome~

I also can't wait for Ross Campbell's Jem comic *_*So there really will be a Jem movie. I wonder how that's going to go.

[ZariusTwo]

there was the Man-Spider arc which was loosely based on a similar story from the comics!

The Man-Spider arc was a mish-mash of a classic Stan Lee tale from Issue 100 of ASM, a then-highly publicized storyline from the newspaper strip (the X-Men team-up), and an obscure 90s story from Marvel Team-Up that I don't think many remember, and yet it's one of the most captivating and impressive storylines from that show. My only regret is that it peaked too early and it dragged on to an underwhelming finish near the end

[TheBlueTurtle1]

Also, in genral the animation quality of the X-men 1992 show has still stood the test of time. It really is fantastic. The 90s Spider-man still is great but the animation is not on the level of the x-men. I loved the cross over SO MUCH.:o

[Wesley]

https://38.media.tumblr.com/569d8608ed002c78edb9fc2695c2783d/tumblr_n720ejy4g61qjhwq1o3_400.gif
Ben Hurst did that show justice. Even though Season 3 was canned, the first two seasons still have some decent merits to stand on IMO.

Ben Hurst only co-wrote the episode "Sonic and Sally" in season one before he became head writer for the cartoon in season two. One had a variety of writers working on it. I still like a few episodes of one, but two isn't as good as I remembered it. It's alright for kids to watch, though.

[TheCanadiandrome]

ooh awesome~

I also can't wait for Ross Campbell's Jem comic *_*

ah sweetness! once i'm done with Firefly, might get a Jem marathon going on Netflix

[Peanut]

The real answer: All of the ones you didn't grow up with.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Anywho, that's why Jem popped into mind because it just screams 1980s. lol The Snorks too for that matter. Oh how about Kidd Video! Or Dungeons and Dragons?

At the time, shows aimed at kids were episodic. It was expected of the bad guy to get away (like Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget) so that the villain can be faced again the next week. Didn't get sick of it because it was the norm and it was a ploy to sell toys as well. To me, the 1980s was just one long Saturday morning commercial break. We got shows like He-Man and My Little Pony and Care Bears because of toys and greeting cards. The main incentive was to entertain the kids while brainwashing them into wanting the toys that went along with them and begging, mommy, daddy, or Santa for them. Story arcs? What are these things you speak of? :P lol A lot of shows were also shown in syndication, like the OT for example, before being put onto a network station, whereas some (like He-Man) was never on a network station. It was easier to miss episodes back then too compared to later on, hence the episodic set up and approach.



Actually, I'd say Dungeons and Dragons has held up pretty well. It's a product of the times in terms of D&D being "popular" back then, but it's also its own thing as a straight up fantasy cartoon. And the stories were nearly all adapted from actual game modules that people still play in the game even today- some of the modules those episodes were based on are considered among the BEST game adventures ever created! (Hall of Bones, Eye of the Beholder, and The Dragon's Graveyard are a few.) It's still very watchable today, and has little beyond the premise of its connection to the game (which is VERY loose) to date it.


The Man-Spider arc was a mish-mash of a classic Stan Lee tale from Issue 100 of ASM, a then-highly publicized storyline from the newspaper strip (the X-Men team-up), and an obscure 90s story from Marvel Team-Up that I don't think many remember, and yet it's one of the most captivating and impressive storylines from that show. My only regret is that it peaked too early and it dragged on to an underwhelming finish near the end


Yeah, I wasn't sure which of those stories it was more based on, but they all had some of the same basic elements. What I loved was how well the arc blended so many story elements together, and made his desperation and eventual change so very emotional and upsetting. Interestingly, the cartoon may have subtly influenced the Spider-Man: Disassembled arc in 1999(I believe it was at the end of the year) just prior to the beginning of JMS's run on Amazing Spider-Man. The one where he is transformed by The Queen into a hybrid form. That three issue arc seems to almost mirror some aspects of the cartoon storyline. The Other storyline also did something like it to a degree, so it's clearly an influential and iconic idea.

And I'll agree that the Man-Spider arc was one of the BEST parts of the series, especially the introduction of Punisher and bringing Kraven back as an ally rather than a foe. Loved that. IIRC, the earliest part of that arc also involved the X-Men crossover, when Peter first discovered he was changing and asked for their help, only to be rebuffed. So that was another plus for me.


Also, in genral the animation quality of the X-men 1992 show has still stood the test of time. It really is fantastic. The 90s Spider-man still is great but the animation is not on the level of the x-men. I loved the cross over SO MUCH.:o


I don't know- the animation for both was on about the same level- and both were (IIRC) done by the same company- which is in part why they had the crossover. The episodes of Spider-Man: TAS the X-Men appeared in meshed seamlessly with their own show's style and quality, so saying that the Spider-Man show's quality wasn't as good is very debatable. It just hasn't fared as well perhaps because it wasn't released on video/DVD as quickly, and has suffered in the interim.

[Autbot_Benz]

Actually, I'd say Dungeons and Dragons has held up pretty well. It's a product of the times in terms of D&D being "popular" back then, but it's also its own thing as a straight up fantasy cartoon. And the stories were nearly all adapted from actual game modules that people still play in the game even today- some of the modules those episodes were based on are considered among the BEST game adventures ever created! (Hall of Bones, Eye of the Beholder, and The Dragon's Graveyard are a few.) It's still very watchable today, and has little beyond the premise of its connection to the game (which is VERY loose) to date it.





Yeah, I wasn't sure which of those stories it was more based on, but they all had some of the same basic elements. What I loved was how well the arc blended so many story elements together, and made his desperation and eventual change so very emotional and upsetting. Interestingly, the cartoon may have subtly influenced the Spider-Man: Disassembled arc in 1999(I believe it was at the end of the year) just prior to the beginning of JMS's run on Amazing Spider-Man. The one where he is transformed by The Queen into a hybrid form. That three issue arc seems to almost mirror some aspects of the cartoon storyline. The Other storyline also did something like it to a degree, so it's clearly an influential and iconic idea.

And I'll agree that the Man-Spider arc was one of the BEST parts of the series, especially the introduction of Punisher and bringing Kraven back as an ally rather than a foe. Loved that. IIRC, the earliest part of that arc also involved the X-Men crossover, when Peter first discovered he was changing and asked for their help, only to be rebuffed. So that was another plus for me.





I don't know- the animation for both was on about the same level- and both were (IIRC) done by the same company- which is in part why they had the crossover. The episodes of Spider-Man: TAS the X-Men appeared in meshed seamlessly with their own show's style and quality, so saying that the Spider-Man show's quality wasn't as good is very debatable. It just hasn't fared as well perhaps because it wasn't released on video/DVD as quickly, and has suffered in the interim.

Spider Man 90's cartoon has never been released in the USA before. Its only been released in UK and a bootleg copy. The only way to get it is Itunes

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Not in its entirety, no, but some episodes (The Venom Saga and a few Sinister Six eps) have been released. Those are the only ones I know of that were, but they ARE available. (Wal-Mart has copies from time to time....)

[Sage Ninja]

someone already mentioned this but Jem And The Holograms. God I love that show, it had some really interesting things about it, but it really is a product of it's time. When I heard it was going to be on the Hub, I thought, Great! Now this generation would get to sample it's awesomeness. But I did poorly and I think it only shows one episode at like 5:30 AM now. It sucks because I thought it would do well but I think it is just too old. The thing is, I did not see Jem when it originally ran. I saw it in reruns on the USA Cartoon express during the 90's as a kid (remember that any one? Or did I seriously just date my self) and even though this show came on originally came on when the 80's stuff starting to become a little dated, (I mean you do not get more 80's than Jem) I still enjoyed it. I guess is just to many years removed to be appreciated by the target age group it was intended for back in the day by that age group now.

[Don Gaddis]

@ Sage Ninja, I never watched Jem during its original run either. As a kid,
I remember flipping through channels and seeing it on, but I just never had
any interest in it. Recently, I've been watching the episodes that air early
in the morning (on Dish Network it comes on at around 6:30 in the morning
on the Discovery Family channel). The original show and toys are very much
steeped in the 80s (an understatement), but... I have a feeling that Jem has
a bright future ahead of her.

My picks for shows that haven't aged well:

V
Magnum PI
Simon & Simon
Hart to Hart
Moonlighting
Melrose Place
Beverly Hills 90210
Sex and the City
Family Ties
The Facts of Life
Silver Spoons
Webster
Knot's Landing
Gimmie a' Break
227

For the most part, all of those shows were finely crafted (at least in regard to
the first few seasons). Despite not aging well, I think that many of them could
be revamped successfully for contemporary audiences. I didn't watch the new V,
but the concept of it seemed to update nicely, even if it didn't last too long.

From what I saw of the revamped Melrose and 90210 updates, they were horrible.
So many things have to line up in the right way for a show to gain a foothold with
audiences, especially now. The writing can't be lazy. It's hard to capture lightning
in a bottle on the first go-round, let alone twice.

In general, what causes shows not to age well: when it becomes too entangled
or embedded within the times/fashion/culture of the time period during which it
originally aired. Sex and the City is a great example of this. Relatively speaking,
the show isn't that old, but it has aged twice as fast as the others on the above
list because of the fact that it was so steeped in the ever changing fashion
industry and hobnobbing dynamics of New York's upper crust. It was very
much of the moment. I loved the show during its original run, but when
re-watching it now, it almost functions as a time capsule.

Shows that have aged well?

Twin Peaks... it used a 1950s design aesthetic and naive sentimentality to create
a timeless feel (ironically, using the themes of a certain time period to do it/ sort of
in direct contrast to Sex and the City).

Game of Thrones already seems like it will age well.

Tales of the City... set during the 70s and 80s... but thematically timeless.

[TheBlueTurtle1]

[QUOTE=I don't know- the animation for both was on about the same level- and both were (IIRC) done by the same company- which is in part why they had the crossover. The episodes of Spider-Man: TAS the X-Men appeared in meshed seamlessly with their own show's style and quality, so saying that the Spider-Man show's quality wasn't as good is very debatable. It just hasn't fared as well perhaps because it wasn't released on video/DVD as quickly, and has suffered in the interim.[/QUOTE]

The animaton seen to have more frames on the X-men show, plus there was a lot more detail on the characters. Really Comic book style.

The Spider-man was very guilty for re useing the same animations over and over.

[Wildcat]

Couple of my picks that I didn't post before are All That and Kenan & Kel.

Its not because I didn't grow up with them either. I did and watched them all the time.

For the most part I think Kenan & Kel is still pretty good but rewatching as an adult Kel is played way too stupid sometimes. It's so obvious that they just had him do anything ridiculous as an excuse to move the episode along or for quick laughs. I mean even the mentally challenged would never act like him.

All That has its moments but again as an adult alot of it is just stupid now.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Oh, gawds, let's add Family Matters to the list while we're at it. Seriously, Urkel has NOT aged well.

[Wingnut]

Hang Time.

Me and my friends, and Hang Time.

[ssjup81]

someone already mentioned this but Jem And The Holograms. God I love that show, it had some really interesting things about it, but it really is a product of it's time. When I heard it was going to be on the Hub, I thought, Great! Now this generation would get to sample it's awesomeness. But I did poorly and I think it only shows one episode at like 5:30 AM now. It sucks because I thought it would do well but I think it is just too old. The thing is, I did not see Jem when it originally ran. I saw it in reruns on the USA Cartoon express during the 90's as a kid (remember that any one? Or did I seriously just date my self) and even though this show came on originally came on when the 80's stuff starting to become a little dated, (I mean you do not get more 80's than Jem) I still enjoyed it. I guess is just to many years removed to be appreciated by the target age group it was intended for back in the day by that age group now.The interesting thing about the USA Cartoon Express, is that the block ran from 1982 - 1996. I saw Jem in the 80s, but no idea where. I can't recall. It was a syndicated show, so for all I know, maybe Jem was a part of the USA Cartoon Express back then. My family had cable when I was young.

Usually, when talking about shows from that time, I generally say, if it didn't air on a network station or Nickelodeon and I can't remember where I saw it, then it probably came on the USA Cartoon Express. lol

Oh, I do recall TNT showing Jem reruns...back before it became Law & Order central. :lol: No wait, that's USA now.

It's interesting how TNT, TBS, and USA were the main cable stations that showed cartoons other than Saturday mornings growing up for me.

[pandaderek]

The Office (US version) - After Steve Carell left, it sucked.

Dragon Ball Z - After the Namek series, it went downhill. Although, I did enjoy the whole reunion feeling from Battle of the Gods and hope it ends that way.

[TheCanadiandrome]

Dragon Ball Z - After the Namek series, it went downhill. Although, I did enjoy the whole reunion feeling from Battle of the Gods and hope it ends that way.
i thought i read there may be more?

[MrTMNT2012]

i thought i read there may be more?

Frieza's Resurrection. New movie coming out this year!

Looks to be just as good as Battle of Gods. :D

[Prowler]

Dunno if I'd say that the FW TMNT series has aged well. It's true that the voice acting is good and the humor is timeless for the most part, but the show uses a formula that immediately gives it away as an 80s cartoon. People expect super hero cartoons to have lots of action and arcs these days. A teenager who decides to check out the FW series will end up getting disappointed in the action respect.

[CyberCubed]

The original TMNT cartoon was like the "Pokemon" of its time. It was an extremely long show that functioned on the same formula its entire run.

Shredder/Krang would come up with a new scheme to take over the world, the Turtles would stop them, April would get into trouble, rinse and repeat. Shredder/Bebop/Rocksteady escaping through portals or the modules were like Team Rocket "blasting off." Of course there were variations in the non-Shredder episodes too. The show was silly and had a lot of continuity issues.

Yet its fun to watch because it has high entertainment value even if the show runs on a repetitive formula. Fred Wolf TMNT is basically the 80's version of the Pokemon anime.

[pandaderek]

i thought i read there may be more?

That's kind of the main theme to every Dragon Ball Z episode, which is why it's a great way to end it, especially, when you have a movie that featured all the characters and a fun reunion situation. Kind of leaves the rest to your imagination, with the fondness of seeing your favorite characters, one last time.

[Wesley]

The original TMNT cartoon was like the "Pokemon" of its time. It was an extremely long show that functioned on the same formula its entire run.

Shredder/Krang would come up with a new scheme to take over the world, the Turtles would stop them, April would get into trouble, rinse and repeat. Shredder/Bebop/Rocksteady escaping through portals or the modules were like Team Rocket "blasting off." Of course there were variations in the non-Shredder episodes too. The show was silly and had a lot of continuity issues.

Yet its fun to watch because it has high entertainment value even if the show runs on a repetitive formula. Fred Wolf TMNT is basically the 80's version of the Pokemon anime.

Interesting points, CyberCubed. I agree with what you've said. However, at least the 80s tmnt cartoon ended eventually while Pokemon is still ongoing. The characters in tmnt had better personalities than the ones in Pokemon I think. The villains in both shows were likable.

[ssjup81]

Interesting points, CyberCubed. I agree with what you've said. However, at least the 80s tmnt cartoon ended eventually while Pokemon is still ongoing. The characters in tmnt had better personalities than the ones in Pokemon I think. The villains in both shows were likable.Well, the main reason Pokemon is still going on is because all of it, minus the second series, as that was all anime original, is based on the games. No games, no source material to pull from. The remakes of Ruby/Sapphire was released a while back. The show might do something based on that for all we know.

[BabyTurtles]

Interesting points, CyberCubed. I agree with what you've said. However, at least the 80s tmnt cartoon ended eventually while Pokemon is still ongoing. The characters in tmnt had better personalities than the ones in Pokemon I think. The villains in both shows were likable.

actual the original Pokemon is still pretty darn good

I'd say it's better than the Pokemon now...

Ash/Satoshi (whatever you wanna call him) was more flawed back then and wasn't a perfect "goody goody" in fact he was pretty arrogant XD Then there's Misty and her temper...and Brock liking every girl he saw. And Pokemon battles were fun to watch.

plus the animation is better than 80s TMNT.....(I mean it's not perfect but it's better)

[CyberCubed]

The first season of Pokemon was a timeless comedy, but once Johto started the show got bogged down with repetitive filler and the characters stopped developing and became stagnant.

It was easy to remove Misty/Brock since they aren't relevant to the games anymore and their characters weren't really doing anything interesting by the end of their runs either.

[Memphis]

X Files is still amazing. You rarely get a good look at any of the monsters, so there's none of that horrible animation or effects like you see in the first Ghostbusters movie. (As a reference)

[ZariusTwo]

It was easy to remove Misty/Brock since they aren't relevant to the games anymore and their characters weren't really doing anything interesting by the end of their runs either.

Brock had the perfect exit at the beginning of Orange Islands and they squandered it for more of his pervy comedy hi-jinks which felt persistently one-note afterwards.

Of the other hand if they had kept Misty in, Ash would have settled down with her ages ago and the show would have been over.:P

[Jester]

We have a local channel called Bounce that is over the air. it shows some old sitcoms, such as The Hughleys. That show has very much not aged well.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I thought this might be an interesting thread. I think the following shows don't hold up:

Captain Planet


I must say some episodes are good (even if those kids with rings definately are better than Captain Planet himself), since they deal with real social-economic-political problems. There was some episode set in a poor undeveloped country where the villains employed villagers to kill elephants, pollute the water or whatever, not because the villagers were bad guys and bad girls, but because they needed the money to buy better food and homes and so their kids could be at school instead of working. The real villains were businessmen interested in money. Such stories actually have more depth than most TMNT with all this "Shredder and Krang want to destroy the turtles"-plots.

Then there are those silly episodes with villains who just want to pollute for fun and destroy for Captain Planet. Like the ones:
"-Let's pollute the Earth to maximum and cause a real environmental-catastroph and give Captain Planet and his friends a long time cleaning up! Ha-ha-ha"

(I doubt real-life companies who do illegal pollution in poor countries do it beause they want to pollute the Earth as some kind of hobby or whatever (like golf or tennis), of course they just care for money and decide to do it far away from where they live)

But if the show helped kids to understand the Earth isn't to be used as a dustbin, go for it.

I also saw an episode where they told people to turn off the TV set, electric lamp, computer and radio when finishing using it. We've went the wrong way. Today's broadband and standby TV set are made to be turned on always...

[MsMarvelDuckie]

We have a local channel called Bounce that is over the air. it shows some old sitcoms, such as The Hughleys. That show has very much not aged well.

Oh, Sweet Mother, yes- I get Bounce where I am, too, and I've noticed they show a LOT of old movies and shows that don't hold up well. I noticed a few old Bill Cosby movies on there that were just cringe-worthy to watch now.

[Jester]

I noticed a few old Bill Cosby movies on there that were just cringe-worthy to watch now.
Because of age or the allegations against Cosby?

[Prowler]

actual the original Pokemon is still pretty darn good

I'd say it's better than the Pokemon now...

Ash/Satoshi (whatever you wanna call him) was more flawed back then and wasn't a perfect "goody goody" in fact he was pretty arrogant XD Then there's Misty and her temper...and Brock liking every girl he saw. And Pokemon battles were fun to watch.

plus the animation is better than 80s TMNT.....(I mean it's not perfect but it's better)
I've never been into Pokémon's anime. Too long, repetitive and formulaic. It'd have been fine if it wasn't almost a thousand episodes long. Also, I've always found it pretty childish even for a kids show. 80s TMNT at least has humor that appeals to adults, in fact many jokes flew over my head as a kid. The same does not happen with pokémon. Also, it's gonna take what? 10 more years for Ash to finally become a pokémon master? And people know that he wont' win the big tournament or whatever at the end of the season since games are still being made.

As for comparisons, I'd compare TMNT more with Sailor Moon than with pokémon. Both involve a team of teenagers trying to save the world. Also both had series that differed quite significantly from their source material. As far as characters go, Mercury is a computer genius and nerd like Donatello, Venus is quite crazy and high-spirited like Michelangelo, Mars a bit sarcastic and temperamental like Raphael(and her personality also differed quite significantly from the source material). Ofc there's also several differences but there's no such thing as perfect comparisons. Not even when putting TMNT alongside Biker Mice From mars even though the latter was a ripoff of the former.

[CyberCubed]

I've never been into Pokémon's anime. Too long, repetitive and formulaic. It'd have been fine if it wasn't almost a thousand episodes long. Also, I've always found it pretty childish even for a kids show. 80s TMNT at least has humor that appeals to adults, in fact many jokes flew over my head as a kid. The same does not happen with pokémon. Also, it's gonna take what? 10 more years for Ash to finally become a pokémon master? And people know that he wont' win the big tournament or whatever at the end of the season since games are still being made. .

You had to be part of the fad during 1998-2001 to understand why the Pokemon anime was so well liked. Obviously watching it now for the first time it'll seem repetitive and formulaic to begin with.

Back then people were discovering the games and anime for the first time so it seemed special.

[Netkeeper]

Part of the Pokémon anime's appeal is that it's part of an interconnected universe where the rules of the anime still [generally] apply to the games. They serve as a sort of tutorial for the younger children playing the games.

[Prowler]

You had to be part of the fad during 1998-2001 to understand why the Pokemon anime was so well liked. Obviously watching it now for the first time it'll seem repetitive and formulaic to begin with.

Back then people were discovering the games and anime for the first time so it seemed special.
I was born in 1990. I was in the perfect age to become a pokémon fan at its height in popularity. I loved the RBY and played it to hell. Obviously I've checked some episodes of the anime, and yet I didn't like it much, despite being a kid at the time and the show being new and not almost a thousand formulaic episodes.

[pandaderek]

I think, if a show has gone six seasons (or more), then I wouldn't consider it aging badly. It, just, got old and died in its 60's and people tied strings to its dead body, trying to make the show go on.

[CyberCubed]

Part of the Pokémon anime's appeal is that it's part of an interconnected universe where the rules of the anime still [generally] apply to the games. They serve as a sort of tutorial for the younger children playing the games.

The other part is a new generation of kids get into Pokemon every new generation, and the anime reboots itself for a new younger audience who have never seen the early seasons.

Its not like the kids of today know who Misty or Brock are unless they have older siblings who showed them older episodes. Even characters like May and Dawn are so old now they're practically unknown to today's kids besides the games.

[ssjup81]

The other part is a new generation of kids get into Pokemon every new generation, and the anime reboots itself for a new younger audience who have never seen the early seasons.

Its not like the kids of today know who Misty or Brock are unless they have older siblings who showed them older episodes. Even characters like May and Dawn are so old now they're practically unknown to today's kids besides the games.This may be the case for North America, but not Japan. Kids Station rerun the original series and those up to whatever the current series was everyday, practically. I would be surprised if kids here didn't know who Kasumi or Haruka or Hikari were. They also play the movies on Sunday afternoons...so yeah, unless super young, it would surprise me if they didn't know or didn't have any exposure to some of the past traveling companions in some way or form.

[CyberCubed]

This may be the case for North America, but not Japan. Kids Station rerun the original series and those up to whatever the current series was everyday, practically. I would be surprised if kids here didn't know who Kasumi or Haruka or Hikari were. They also play the movies on Sunday afternoons...so yeah, unless super young, it would surprise me if they didn't know or didn't have any exposure to some of the past traveling companions in some way or form.

Well they may be aware of them or see some reruns, but what I meant is they wouldn't get "attached" to them. Most kids just like which main girl is in the anime when they first started watching. Then they outgrow the show in 4-5 years and new kids come in for the next series.

Its rather funny when you stop to think about it, Misty was only in the anime for 5 years, yet the series is currently in its 17th year. It makes you realize how many years have passed since the anime began.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Because of age or the allegations against Cosby?


Neither- they were just not that great to begin with- and aged REALLY badly on top of it. Some of his early films were just so unashamedly- um, stereotyped. To put it mildly.

[Vegeta]

Never. Because 1: I liked the show and didn't want it to end, so I didn't WANT Skeletor to be defeated "once and for all", and 2: I was 4.

Don't forget, shows even having arcs or "endings" is still a relatively modern idea. Most shows weren't even developed with any kind of "exit strategy" back then, they just ran until people got sick of them. Especially kids' cartoons. So watching a show like He-Man, you can't really fault it for not having sweeping multi-episode storylines, serious character development, or a "real" ending, because that's totally not how shows were even done back then.

That's like judging old paintings and knocking points off because of their lack of Photoshop layers or digital inking. Different era, different standards.

I suppose this is why I have gotten bored with the Nick tmnt. I have about 8 episodes from season 3 untouched on my dvr. I am forgiving for older shows not having arcs, or continuity but these days (even in cartoons) I need some pay off. Nick's TMNT doesn't provide that and IDW's books do thankfully.