At one time animated series were thought of as being exclusively for young kids. This is no longer the case. Many series today are totally inappropriate for kids and that means they are totally appropriate for us older people. The entire world of animation has evolved immensely. From the quality of the images to the cutting edge content everything is different. The fact that many animated series now are shown exclusively in the evening has led to me thinking about which are the best. I have endeavoured to create a list of the top ten animated series of all time which uses personal taste, critical acclaim, impact on pop culture and endurance as the bench marks.
1) South Park: Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s animated show about kids in a small town in Colorado has made fun of everyone from Tom Cruise to Ben Affleck to the Pope. It goes where others fear to. An animated show that is definitely for adults due to its content. They have covered such volatile subjects as religion, sexuality, money, politics, and my personal favourite, fecal matter. Beside the crassness and provocative nature they exhibit on a regular basis what they also can be counted on is shrewd observations that are usually bang on. The show has been on the air for 15 years and remains relevant.
2) The Simpsons: Number two on this list is also a long running show. For 23 years it has been a popular show for Fox and creator Matt Groening. Groening has also brought Futurama to our televisions screens. The Simpsons is a series that pokes fun at American middle class society through a single family called the Simpsons. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie started out as a short on The Tracy Ullman Show and was so popular that it became its own 30 minute show. Over the course of its run it has contributed much to pop culture through its often humourous and broad parodies. As a result of this show I’m sure there are many out there who want desperately to live in Springfield.
3) Family Guy: Amazingly this hit show was originally cancelled by Fox. After fans bombarded the network with plenty of emails and letters they rethought their position and brought it back on air. Seth MacFarlane and the show have never looked back. Like The Simpsons Family Guy is centered around a middle class American family. The Griffins are Peter, Lois, Brian (the family dog who talks), Stewie (the baby who never grows up and speaks with a British accent), Meg, and Chris. Episode after episode it has consistently delivered plenty of shock and belly laughs due to its willingness to go way over the line of what most would find to be unacceptable.
4) SpongeBob SquarePants: Now, you might think me mad, but I have to say that I love this little yellow sponge. I also find him and his friend Patrick hilarious. I mean, what is not funny about a sea sponge who lives underwater in a pineapple? The quality has been inconsistent over its many seasons, however for a period of time it was one of the best written animated shows on television. Found to be entertaining by kids and adults. The creativity of the writers in maintain it as family friendly yet still being rebellious at times was high.
5) Batman: The Animated Series: This is not your average superhero crap. And that is due to the writing as it is high quality. It is a dark and gritty series that kept you interested through character development and well-thought out stories. They also were highly creative in their development of new characters and the rethinking of other well known ones.
6) The Bugs Bunny-Road Runner Hour: Looney Tunes created some of the most enduring animated characters in the history of television. Who hasn’t enjoyed a cartoon featuring Bugs, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote, or Daffy Duck? They are still some of the best cartoon characters on television generations later. Again, it is another series that appeals to both young and old.
7) Archer: This is the newest show on the list and definitely the most adult of the lot. At first glance you might write it off as a spy spoof, but it is so much more than that. An FX series with tons of laughs via one liners and sight gags. What makes it so cutting edge are the cornucopia of characters (sociopaths, nymphos, a Hitler clone, and drug addicts) and the willingness to go as far as necessary to poke fun at our society.
8) The Flintstones: An animated version of the classic television series The Honeymooners almost everyone has watched this show at one time or another. I myself, grew up on it. A Stone Age family named the Flintstones – Fred, Wilma and Pebbles – who get themselves into all kinds of scrapes and troubles. The hilarity also involves their next door neighbours, the Rubbles – Barney, Betty and Bam Bam. Fred is a buffoon who is always trying some crazy get rich scheme or trying unsuccessfully to outwit Wilma. The humour involved is timeless.
9) Scooby-Doo: Another older animated show that involved a bunch of friends and a Great Dane who fancied themselves amateur detectives. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo were always piling into their van, the Mystery Machine, and going off to catch a ghost or creepy creature. Scooby Snacks (who didn’t realize they were drugs?), teenagers, ghosts, and a talking dog. What more could you ask for?
10) The Ren & Stimpy Show: A Nickelodeon cartoon about a dog and a cat. Sounds very typical, doesn’t it? Well, this was anything but typical. First of all, it was the brainchild of a Canadian (woo hoo!) cartoonist named John Kricfalusi. Second, Ren was not your typical Chihuahua as he was always verging on rage and psychosis and Stimpy was a dim, overweight cat. Though most animated shows with animals are aimed at kids this certainly wasn’t appropriate viewing for youngsters. Original and frenetic, you were always laughing though with a little trepidation for fear of what would happen next. There is no other animated series like it.
