sleepyCurrent Music: black keys – tighten up
Added March 23, 2016
I tend to wax philosophical when depressed. Here is further evidence.
Also, was playing Dragon’s Lair at the time.
40: Rocko’s Modern Life (1993-1996/Nickelodeon)
“Nicktoons” – as they came to be known – were a mixed bag. Many of them were simple narrative cartoons about kids (at some age: Doug, Rugrats, etc.) but a good number of them were simply about being gross and awful (Ren and Stimpy, anyone?). Rocko’s Modern Life fit right on the line between the two by featuring disgusting characters who were actually funny, showcased natural character development throughout the show’s run, and even introduced bigger issues throughout the show just for older kids to pick up on, internalize, and understand.
Following the adventures of a wallaby named Rocko, his cow friend, Heffer, and the obviously Jewish turtle, Filburt. Basically, the name of the show described the flavor very well; the characters would encounter situations in which they would experience daily life, obviously featuring mishap and slapstick comedy along the way. But sometimes bigger issues came up, like the interracial marriage of two of the main characters, the large and destructive family matters of the Bighead brood, and the concept of people “going on strike” – and all the ramifications of each of these ideas. This provided laughs, but – interestingly enough – a look at society that wasn’t really featured in kids cartoons at the time.
Of course, at the end of the day, the grossness of the show, paired with the bizarre plotlines (Filburt sings like Sinatra for, you know, no reason…), Rocko’s accent, and the idiocy of his dog, Spunky, are all that is necessary to make the show immediately watchable. The show didn’t last long, but it was there and it presented quite a lot of laughs.
Favorite Episode:
Wacky Delly. It is surreal, channels David Lynch, and features some of the best material. Seriously. I’m watching it after I finish this post.
Favorite Character:
Hutch, or Dr. Hutchison. Filburt’s cat wife is the best character. “KAY!?!” I just really like what she brought to the show, and the fact that she was only brought to the show because Nickelodeon demanded a “strong female character” be introduced. DEMANDED.
Added March 17, 2017
Man, so on a whim I watched Wacky Deli about two weeks ago because I had Heffer singing the theme song come to mind. That episode is a masterpiece of televised entertainment and I don’t know how on Earth they got that aired. It has nothing for kids. NOTHING.
41: Archer (2009-now/FX)
All this show needed to do was have H. Jon Benjamin do the voice work. He doesn’t even bother altering his voice, mind you, its the exact same voice he uses for every character (save Jason on the infinitely better Home Movies). But add the rest of the cast (ahem, Jessica Walter?!) and you have an instant victory. That alone was enough to keep me interested in the first episode. The comedy, excellent writing, and slick animation is what kept me watching every episode since.
The show follows Sterling Archer, a member of the covert and secret organization ISIS. He, his ex-gf, a nerd, a fat HR lady, and his mother get into all kinds of mishaps that result in death, sex, sexy-death, and a joke-per-minute ratio that is tops. Animated in the same style as the creator’s other popular show, Frisky Dingo, Archer’s effectiveness comes from both the stylized animation, as well as the quick dialogue and interactions between the characters.
That isn’t to say that the action isn’t fantastic, though, as each episode has at least one sequence in which Archer and crew get into some kind of scrape, usually resulting in bloody death. This is rarely the POINT of the episode, however, resulting in accident comedy every single time.
Favorite Episode:
Killing Utne is my favorite. The set up, the inevitable (lack of a well-organized) follow-through, and the crazy assassins in the kitchen, constantly bickering racks up smiles and laughs every minute of the episode. Its just one of the many times Archer’s mother screws it all up, simply by having had Archer as a son.
Favorite Character:
Cheap to give it to Sterling Archer? Yeah, maybe. But if he wasn’t so damned cocky and sure of himself, he wouldn’t be as funny. Thankfully, his ego if freaking huge.
Added March 22, 2017
More and more of this show has come into being since the original review went up. I was a fan up until they had to drop the ISIS name because of – well – terrorism. But, you know, its cool. The “Vice” thing and now the “Noir” thing just aren’t my bag, and the show became – almost literally – all about sex. I don’t mind some of that in a show, but it can’t be entirely about it.
42: Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996… and then forever in various forms/on various stations)
To hate upon Dragon Ball Z is easy; its a ridiculous show where men grunt and groan before fighting for 50 episodes in displays of looped animations, insanely long power-up moves, and dumb philosophical meanderings. But to LOVE DBZ is just as easy, because the fights are – in a word – awesome.
Even though every battle against every new bad guy results in another form to show up, or another more powerful bad guy to appear, it matters not; the adventures of Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and the rest are great fun to watch because they are brutal, ludicrous, and sometimes messed up. The characters get stranger and stranger the farther you get into the series, the enemies get more powerful and bizarre, and the battle techniques are inspired (if not beyond bewilderingly stupid). But, really, its the heart of Goku that makes the show watchable throughout the show, showcasing a caring, good-natured person who just wants peace.
So, while this battle-anime IS rather lame, overall (and topped with ease by its predecessor, Dragon Ball, no less), DBZ is a huge part of my childhood because, well, it WAS a few years of my childhood. Coming home, watching the Cell Games, or buying VHSs of the Buu Saga’s ending (because they came out faster than the episodes debuted on Toonami… remember Toonami?), this show defined me for a bit. Sad, but true.
Favorite Episode:
Uh, what a stupid thing to decide. Since one episode was about 1/100th of a plot point, I’m going to say that the battle between Trunks, Frieza, and King Cold are my favorite parts of the show. Trunks just came out of no-goddamned-where and fucked them up. Hardcore. And then he was just a punk kid with a time machine. Never was a huge Trunks fan, but this sequence of events, with him single-handedly taking out the biggest threats in the UNIVERSE, was awesome.
Favorite Character:
Cell. Lame choice? Fuck you.
Added March 27, 2017
I still kind of like Dragon Ball stuff, but I won’t watch Super or whatever its called. I don’t have time for that. Even if it is on right after Samurai Jack on Saturdays. I just… who has the time?
Is to die really to stop living?
While the answer is, invariably “YES!” I am left to wonder if there are other ways to stop living.
For me, to give up on music is to stop living.
But, on this, I think we can all agree:
To stop living is NOT to die.
Think on that.
coldAdded March 23, 2016
It is a curious thing: At this time in my life, I was so enamored with music and having it be a part of ever waking moment. While I am as convinced, today, that music is the “soul”, I find myself swimming in it less than I used to. My iPod rarely – if ever – gets used. And I’m not experimenting with new sounds as much as I used to, relying more heavily on stuff I already know and love.
Time is a grand and mysterious thing.
43: Rugrats (1991-2004/Nickelodeon)
Yes, this is a kids cartoon. And, in 1991 I was a kid. I was six years old and I loved the shit out of these stupid ass hole kids. Not as much as the Muppet Babies, mind you, but… well, we’ll get to them in due time. For now, the adventures of Tommy, Phil, Lil, and Chuck Finster (yes, full name) were cool, oddly animated, and featured tons of neat things. Plus, an episode where they cross-dress Tommy for shits, giggles, and the possibility of big prizes. And, really, what’s not to love about a little boy being dressed like a girl? I for one, could relate. Wait, what did I just…?
So, the animation was cooky as all fuck, the episodes were random but inspired, and we got to see the world through the eyes of these characters. The way the kids saw the adult world was always a little askew, often times made more grand or surreal than it really was. Their inability to comprehend things led to funny situations, most notably when they heard their gerbils were leaving “presents” everywhere and, excited, they went looking for toys and gifts, only to find “gerdle poop” – a thing I still say and smile about.
The show spawned a few movies, a follow-up about the kids as teenagers (which I didn’t get behind because, well, no one got punched, no guns were fired, and I was way too fucking old for that), and some later seasons which – while better animated – were not up to the quality presented in the early seasons. For that, it gets a nod, but not as big a nod as it could have gotten.
Favorite Episode:
Whichever one has Tommy figuring out how to break out of daycare… Wikipedia tells me its called “The Big House” so, you know, thank god for Wikipedia. The episode channels a lot of Maggie breaking out of day care from the early seasons of the Simpsons, but does result in high laughs as Tommy gets everyone to work together to get the fuck out, only to be rescued by his mom at the last minute.
Favorite Character:
Tommy’s dad, Stu Pickles. This guy is going to be me, someday; poorly dressed, ugly as sin, unshaven, and enjoying spending time playing rather than working. Can’t wait.
Added March 28, 2017
I am slowly becoming Stu Pickles. It is as exhilarating as I’d hoped.
44: Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006/Cartoon Network)
It would be pretty easy to include the entire Justice League run, but I really only liked it when it included all the oddball characters the DC universe has to throw around. While I’m a much larger fan of Marvel comics, overall, the truth is that DC has so many random, strange, and just out-there characters. The Question? Kilowag? Blue Beetle? These characters could never have their own show, but here? They can be fleshed into characters that can sustain a few episodes of presence. And I like that. Batman and Superman have had their own shows for years at this point, but who is going to give Martian Manhunter his own cartoon? That’s right, no one. Thank God.
Many episodes deal with a variety of topics, feature an amazing catalog of DC villains to meet the heroes, and can shift tone from episode to episode. Sometimes the storylines are dark as fuck, other times they are entertaining and comical. One particular episode of note is when Lex Luthor takes of the Flash’s body and has no idea who he is, resulting in some great comedy.
Plus, it continues the DC animated universe. Ends it, actually. This is a universe where Batman: TAS and that Superman cartoon come from. Its the same universe that featured Batman Beyond (actually, well, we’ll get to that). And it maintained those voice actors, giving Kevin Conroy yet another opportunity to play the Batman many of us grew up watching. The action was great, the writing was fantastic, and the ending was killer. While one of the weaker DC Animated Universe shows, it was awesome.
Favorite Episode:
Epilogue. Why? Because its the conclusion to Batman Beyond, a show that is 10x the show this is and never got the ending it deserved. It not only features tons of the same voice cast, but even ties into the second greatest Batman movie ever made, Mask of the Phantasm. Why? Because it could. And did. While Return of the Joker is a great ending for that show, the first season’s finale episode is a better ending.
Favorite Character:
I want to say Batman, but… well, that’s cheating. So I’m just going to go ahead and give it to Booster Gold. Why? Because he’s hilarious. His whole episode, he’s supposed to be keeping the innocents safe, but goes off on his own crazy adventure, full of himself (and shit). And he’s hilarious.
Added March 30, 2017
Why wouldn’t DC and WB let these guys run the DC Film Universe?
45: American Dad (2005-now/FOX)
So, I mean, yeah this show is better than Family Guy. Denial of this just goes to show common ignorance. The characters are better developed and interesting, the jokes are better, and the storyline relies far less on cut-away gags to fill 30 minutes, instead, they use the time to actually TELL stories. For that, it gets tons of props.
But the real reason I actually like this show is because I find the primary family to be a much better cast of characters. The Smiths seem like a family of stereotypical sitcom caricatures; strong valued father, understanding mother, nerdy son, rebellious daughter. Then throw an alien and talking goldfish in for good measure. But, unlike the talking dog on Family Guy, these characters fit into the overarching narrative flow and have been made sense of within the context of the show.
With tons of guest spots – including the often times uproarious commonly recurring voice talents of Patrick Stewart as Stan’s boss within the CIA – and material that pokes fun at a more narrowed area of interest, American Dad proves to be far funnier and engaging overall than its cousin, Family Guy. ’nuff said. Plus, Roger wears about 500 million different “disguises” over the first half-dozen seasons, each one different than the last. Props.
Favorite Episode:
I laughed the hardest at “Merlot Down Dirty Shame” – an episode in which Roger keeps knocking people unconcious and burying them alive to continually hide a secret drunken makeout he had with Stan’s wife. The fact that he is dressed – the entire episode – as Paul Giamatti in “Sideways” helps out, too. His desperation cracked me up, but really its all about Steve’s lucid dream sequences and the aftermath of him being tricked into thinking he was living one while actually awake. Seeing him grab that girl, jump out the window, and end up getting her impaled on a fence was shocking and hilarious.
Favorite Character:
Francine. Just because she’s continually changing over the course of the show. Favorable.
Added March 31, 2017
After all these years I’ll admit it: This show isn’t great and I’ve probably only seen a dozen episodes, maybe a few more. This is here because I upped the total number of shows on the list to 50 when it should have been the 20 or so I was going to start out with.
Phew.
Feels good to get that off my chest.
46: Sonic the Hedgehog (1993-1994/ABC)
Nostalgia; I wasn’t aware of how much I loved this show until my friend Kyle Decker provided me with the complete series on DVD. I watched every episode of this on TV when it first aired, loving every minute of it. There was another Sonic cartoon (with seemingly 2000+ episodes, mind you) that was more goofy and still fun, but this show was dark. I mean, people died, people were turned into slaves, the world was dying, etc. It was an oppressive world these characters lived in and even as a kid I understood that it wasn’t written down to me, but rather for me as I grew up (I was, like, 7 or 8 or 9 at the time). Having played the games but never provided with a ton of backstory for the characters, this show was exactly what I needed.
The show only lasted 2 seasons but provided for tons of fun and thrills, with mostly-new characters and interesting portrayals of familiar ones. Back in these days, “Eggman” was referred to as Robotnik in the States (I still don’t call him Eggman, mind you, only when I want to shake my head at the thought of someone actually calling him that) and the world hadn’t readily accepted the overly lame Knuckles into their hearts. It was about Sonic, freedom, laughs, and basic “human” rights (they WERE animals). But, above all else, it was way, way past cool.
The animation was slick, the writing (while sometimes pretty juvenile) was appropriate for the material and the situations, and the episodes themselves were diverse and interesting, showcasing enough development of weird-ass characters like Rotor and Bunnie Rabbbot (see what they did there?). Its a shame the show got canceled and, subsequently, that the show’s creator died last year.
Favorite Episode:
Blast to the Past (parts 1 and 2) are easily the highlight episodes, featuring the cast of the show going back in time and seeing the destruction of their world from adult eyes, as opposed to the understanding they had of it as smaller kids. The reveals, the time Sally gets to spend with her father, and all that junk about “Ivo Robotnik” and his “roboticizer” – also, they adopt a Back to the Future style time line and will get erased if they change anything, meaning any attempt they’d made to stop it would have to be futile for them to even have a chance to stop it in the first place.
Favorite Character:
Robotnik is the best. I’ve always liked the guy, back before he changed into whatever SEGA has turned him into. He always seemed like a goofball everywhere else, but on this Saturday morning cartoon, he seemed evil and powerful. Props.
Added April 3, 2017
There was a comic book based on this universe as well, and it was pretty solid for the portion that I read.
47: Spider-Man (1994-1998/FOX)
This is one of the shows that defined my Saturday morning cartoon experience. The continual adventures of Peter Parker were heavily inspired by origin stories for the title character and his various enemies, with a nice twist of plot here and there, just to keep everything interesting. The show found a reason to showcase just about every character from his entire history, too, from mainstays like Mary Jane, Venom, and the Green Goblin… down to some more random and obscure characters like… The Spot? …The Beyonder? Why they felt the need to include these characters is Beyond me (see what I did there?) but it was pretty cool.
Famous story lines were visited, from the symbiote/Brock/Venom plot, the Spider-Slayers plot, and even – in some ways – weirder things like Spider Armor, the Six-Armed Spidey, and even bits and pieces of the clone saga. These all had great twists to make them easier to digest for kids, and in 30-minute episodes, often times filled with random cameos from other Marvel heavy hitters (Captain America, Iron Man, even a crossover with the cast of (the much better) X-Men show running at the same time. This made the universe seem more fleshed out and, while at times its own, at other times paired right up with the comic universe, too.
The animation was slick, the characters well defined, and it provided us with the best portrayal of Spider-Man ever shown on a screen, thanks to the voice work of Christopher Daniel Barnes who, like Kevin Conroy’s Batman, defined the character for an entire generation of kids who have now grown up and know his voice instantly.
Favorite Episode:
Easily the final “Secret Wars” episode about Dr. Doom. This trilogy of episodes wins instantly for doing a kick-ass job of converting the old “Secret Wars” story from the comics into bite-sized portions, but the finale presents us with the legit ending from the comics; Dr. Doom getting the Beyonder’s powers. It leads into a pretty lame ending for the show, but these episodes highlight just how far they were willing to go to get the feel of the comic right for fans of the show, but also for people who knew their comic history.
Favorite Character:
Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin. Why? That one time they had a light battle and Spider-Man demanded to know what the Kingpin would “beat” him in… “a pie eating contest?!” Then the Kingpin almost kills Spider-Man with a simple crushing hold. Plus, he was the primary villain for oh so long. Good enough.
Added April 4, 2017
Just tried watching some of this on YouTube.
Key word: Tried.
Garbage at this point.
skylerbartels 