Nickelodeon seems out of touch with animation these days

[themistermanguy]

Nickelodeon, one of the pioneers of modern animation seems to have fallen behind, always being outdone by other, and better children's networks. Not only are SpongeBob and Fairly Odd Parents the only shows you'll see on a normal weekday, but their new stuff just flat out sucks. Cashing in on Dreamworks movies with cheap animation and lame jokes (although Penguins of Madagascar was pretty decent), and the Rabbids who haven't been relivant in the Video Game industry for years.

Their 2 new original productions, Sanjay & Craig and Breadwinners are just sad attempts to cash-in on the success Cartoon Network had with Adventure Time and Regular Show. The problem is that they're 4 years too late, the whole "surreal cartoon" craze has largely died out with the exception of Uncle Grandpa (which isn't even a good show), and AT & RS have largely moved past surrealism for surrealism's sake and have developed complex characters, heart-tugging moments, cohesive storytelling, and actual heart & effort put into them, things which Sanjay & Craig and Breadwinners lack. Cartoon Network's most recent show, Steven Universe, mostly throws randomness out the window and focuses more on developing it's characters and setting.

Even the other cartoon channels, Disney XD and The Hub Network run circles arround Nickelodeon. Disney XD has several interesting shows, a ton of Marvel cartoons, Disney Channel pick ups, and a new Star Wars series coming. The Hub needs no introduction by this point, the Hasbro network has reruns of classic Kids' WB! shows, and proved that not only can toy based cartoons have thought and effort behind them, but also proved males can like shows about Ponies, Rainbows, and Unicorns.

Lastly, the only good cartoons currently on Nick, TMNT and Korra, get very poor treatment. Korra hasn't aired on the network in months (maybe even a year) and TMNT only shows up once for a new episode, then its 8 hours of SpongeBob. My point is, is that Nick just isn't trying anymore, you can tell they've given up by airing 12 episodes of SpongeBob every day. As far as cartoons are concerned, Nickelodeon doesn't even exist anymore.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Seriously, in God knows how long, I think Ren and Stimpy, and maybe The Ripping Friends - at a stretch - are one of the better highlights of Nickelodeon. Then again, the man behind those cartoons himself is... questionable, so there'll be nothing like it for a long time.

I think why Nick is failing so hard is because it's trying to appeal to too wide a demographic. It's trying to get kids in with a Totally Radical sense that is completely failing, and adults with an attempt as self-awareness that just doesn't exist.

...Meh, Cartoon Network has actually been getting a lot, lot better (almost at the same rate Nick has been degenerating) so I'd just swapped networks (and at the same time, trying to convine myself a 20-something with a job watching cartoons isn't weird at all)

 

[themistermanguy]

Seriously, in God knows how long, I think Ren and Stimpy, and maybe The Ripping Friends - at a stretch - are one of the better highlights of Nickelodeon. Then again, the man behind those cartoons himself is... questionable, so there'll be nothing like it for a long time.

I think why Nick is failing so hard is because it's trying to appeal to too wide a demographic. It's trying to get kids in with a Totally Radical sense that is completely failing, and adults with an attempt as self-awareness that just doesn't exist.

...Meh, Cartoon Network has actually been getting a lot, lot better (almost at the same rate Nick has been degenerating) so I'd just swapped networks (and at the same time, trying to convine myself a 20-something with a job watching cartoons isn't weird at all)

Actually, one of the reasons Nick was good back in its day was because it appealed to such a wide audience. It was a kids network, but it treated its target audience with respect. The Nicktoons were made so that parents can watch with their kids, and their live action programming wasn't just squeaky cleam sitcom crap, some of them like Are You Afraid of The Dark, tackled some pretty hardcore themes. Now, Nick just rides off whatever trend is popular and panders to the lowest common denominator.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I actually really like Breadwinners. It has a strange sort of consistency. I don't really get the comparisons with The Regular Show aside from the fact that the main characters are one skinny tall guy and one less skinny short guy. Which itself is a common dynamic.

But mostly, I like that each episode has it's own beat that the characters follow. It's all very...musical.

 

[Padwolf]

To be honest I feel like even the new Spongebob is out of whack. The new animation looks terrible and looks incredibly rushed. I miss the old Spongebob, it was more funny. But Nikelodean do have a wider range of audience now, so they are going to want to be appealing to all.

 

[Briantb]

I honestly haven't watched any American cartoons in a while. The last one would have to be Avatar the Last Air bender. Had some interest in watching the new one but with all the other crap on the networks I'll just stay with streaming anime from Japan.

 

[Julius Terrell]

I honestly haven't watched any American cartoons in a while. The last one would have to be Avatar the Last Air bender. Had some interest in watching the new one but with all the other crap on the networks I'll just stay with streaming anime from Japan.

I'm with this guy. It just simply amazes me that there is still a debate about how American animation is still somehow better than Japanese anime. How are a bunch of kids shows and movies supposed to compete with a whole industry that creates content for every genre we can imagine(as some we can't)?

As far as American animation is concerned, it's all about the 80s and 90s for me. After that, things just really fell off after that point. Now the odds of getting a decent animated series(save legend of Korra) is pretty slim/virtually zero.

**shakes head**

 

[VanQ]

I stopped watching American cartoons around the time where Invader Zim/Danny Phantom for Nick and Foster's Home/Cartoon Cartoons for CN were still a thing. In regards to Disney, I think Kim Possible was the last of their shows I enjoyed, though I'm certain from what I've seen of Phineas and Ferb that I'd like that too if I watched more of it.

I honestly think it was around the time of those shows that American animation was at its absolute apex. Where it made shows that were friendly for kids to watch but that the parents could sit and watch with them and not feel like their children were being treated like retards.

We've reached a point where the PC crowd have got entertainment corporations so scared of legal action that all children's entertainment must be 100% clean of anything that could possibly offend anyone. Could you imagine if Ren and Stimpy, with all its gay innuendo and sexual connotations, was to air on prime time in 2014? There would be angry mothers rioting in front of the animation studios.

Hell, even adult cartoons like Family Guy and anything by Seth McFarlane, really, treat their audience like retards. There's a good reason why I've mostly only watched animated feature length films and anime for the last several years. Not because I hate American animation, I just hate what American animation has become over the last decade.

Actually, one of the reasons Nick was good back in its day was because it appealed to such a wide audience. It was a kids network, but it treated its target audience with respect. The Nicktoons were made so that parents can watch with their kids, and their live action programming wasn't just squeaky cleam sitcom crap, some of them like Are You Afraid of The Dark, tackled some pretty hardcore themes. Now, Nick just rides off whatever trend is popular and panders to the lowest common denominator.

Are You Afraid of the Dark is one of my favourite old Nick shows. It's like they saw the popularity of Goosebumps and cashed in on it at just the right time, with just the right amount of quality B movie horror condensed into a TV show.

Wasn't it part of the Nick at Night segment? That was full of all sorts of good shows like KABLAM! and... I can't remember what else, it was a long time ago. I'm gonna go flush an action figure down the toilet now and run it over with a car for nostalgia's sake.

 

[FPLOON]

Did you know that both Nick's Nicktoons and Disney's Disney XD are showing the animated shows that, in my opinion, should be shown on their respected main channels? Yeah... Priorities be damned, I tells ya...

Anyway, in terms of Korra/Avatar, Nicktoons has that covered in the meantime... The next season of Korra probably won't come out until the fall or something, so Nick's main station has no need for reruns of that particular show... Meanwhile, Spongbob and Oddparents are so syndicated, they have the force/drive to keep the main channel going for days on the weekday lineups, with the small exceptions like the "random" premieres of Winx Club, Barbie, and Monster High as well as their "laugh-track" shows that may or may not be copying Dan Warp's "comedic timing" formula...

In terms of Sanjay and Craig... uh... it has Chris Hardwick as a talking snake... and, in terms of Breadwinners, it has A LOT of impromptu rap/music sessions... and that's about it... I wouldn't say that these two shows are trying to cash in on Adventure Time and Regular Show's success, given how they only seem to show new episodes on the weekend, it seems, but at least Nick is willing to acknowledge their existence... (Too bad their "new episode" scheduling is still as fucked up as I remember it being post-creator of Spongbob's departure from his own show... especially with Spongbob...)

Now, I will NEVER understand why Disney Channel thought it would be a "good idea" to start moving any of their animated programs straight to Disney XD, but that's just me given how I still will never get over Tron and Motorcity's cancellation...

 

[themistermanguy]

I stopped watching American cartoons around the time where Invader Zim/Danny Phantom for Nick and Foster's Home/Cartoon Cartoons for CN were still a thing. In regards to Disney, I think Kim Possible was the last of their shows I enjoyed, though I'm certain from what I've seen of Phineas and Ferb that I'd like that too if I watched more of it.

I honestly think it was around the time of those shows that American animation was at its absolute apex. Where it made shows that were friendly for kids to watch but that the parents could sit and watch with them and not feel like their children were being treated like retards.

We've reached a point where the PC crowd have got entertainment corporations so scared of legal action that all children's entertainment must be 100% clean of anything that could possibly offend anyone. Could you imagine if Ren and Stimpy, with all its gay innuendo and sexual connotations, was to air on prime time in 2014? There would be angry mothers rioting in front of the animation studios.

Hell, even adult cartoons like Family Guy and anything by Seth McFarlane, really, treat their audience like retards. There's a good reason why I've mostly only watched animated feature length films and anime for the last several years. Not because I hate American animation, I just hate what American animation has become over the last decade.

If you're looking for quality modern cartoons, I recommend the following

Adventure Time
Regular Show
Gravity Falls
Wander Over Yander
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Dan Vs.
The Legend of Korra
TMNT (2012)
Bob's Burgers

These are all shows that are well written, and don't treat the audience like morons.

 

[fenrizz]

I don't know, but my kids seem to enjoy watching Nickelodeon.

 

[epicdwarf]

The problem with Nick is that they relies entirely on Sponge Bob. They focus on showing it almost all day in order to stay a float. Nick also seems to be trying hard to make a new hit-show like Sponge Bob, rather then making multiple good quality shows and letting the hit one come naturally. Anything that does not have Sponge Bob like ratings is barely shown.

 

[balladbird]

Nick and CN would argue that the problem is the opposite. Nick has no reason to pursue more animation because they're being kept afloat by the booming "tween sitcom" market. Disney deals in it a lot, too, and it's a surprisingly lucrative demographic. Remember CN real? That was cartoon network's attempt to cash in on it, as well.

If CN real hadn't failed, odds are animation aimed at children would be a fast dying art form about now.

 

[epicdwarf]

Nick and CN would argue that the problem is the opposite. Nick has no reason to pursue more animation because they're being kept afloat by the booming "tween sitcom" market. Disney deals in it a lot, too, and it's a surprisingly lucrative demographic. Remember CN real? That was cartoon network's attempt to cash in on it, as well.

If CN real hadn't failed, odds are animation aimed at children would be a fast dying art form about now.

The focus on sitcoms still pales in comparison to the focus on Sponge Bob. It takes up the most air-time, gets the most commercials, and it still somehow always gets best cartoon at the KCA(with the exception of a few years). Yes there is a focus on sitcoms a lot more then most cartoons, but the sitcom demographic still does not bring in enough views to justify the total removal of animation.

 

[scorptatious]

Seriously, in God knows how long, I think Ren and Stimpy, and maybe The Ripping Friends - at a stretch - are one of the better highlights of Nickelodeon. Then again, the man behind those cartoons himself is... questionable, so there'll be nothing like it for a long time.

What do you mean by questionable? Now I'm curious. :3

OT: Honestly, what annoys me most about Nick is that they're still running Spongebob. Not only that, but from what I've seen, they've only been running the newer episodes, acting as if the older and IMO SUPERIOR episodes didn't exist.

From what I've seen via other people's vidoes:


The newer episodes are pretty shit.

You can argue that Spongebob was never good to begin with, and I can understand why you could think that. But for me, it's kinda saddening to see one of my of my favorite shows as a kid become a shell of what it once was.

 

[RJ 17]

I stopped caring about Nick's cartoons when they were done playing Angry Beavers, and stopped caring about cartoons in general when Ed, Edd, and Eddy stopped playing. If you ask me, all cartoons are just stupid at this point...but then again since I'll be 29 next month, I'd imagine I'm officially well past "that age" where you stop giving a damn about children's programming.

Except for ponies. I'll gut you like a fish if you try to take my ponies away. >: (

Spoiler: But seriously...

=P

 

[themistermanguy]

I stopped caring about Nick's cartoons when they were done playing Angry Beavers, and stopped caring about cartoons in general when Ed, Edd, and Eddy stopped playing. If you ask me, all cartoons are just stupid at this point...but then again since I'll be 29 next month, I'd imagine I'm officially well past "that age" where you stop giving a damn about children's programming.

Except for ponies. I'll gut you like a fish if you try to take my ponies away. >: (

Spoiler: But seriously...

=P

I think you should give Adventure Time and Gravity Falls a try. Adventure Time may look stupid at first, but it's surrealism works very well, and the characters, world, and stories have actual depth to them, especially Marceline. And Gravity Falls manages to turn a twisted mystery, into one of the most hillarious things I've seen. If you ask me, Cartoons have been getting better after that creative slump in the late 2000's. Besides, you're never too old for kids cartoons.

 

[ex275w]

I stopped watching American cartoons around the time where Invader Zim/Danny Phantom for Nick and Foster's Home/Cartoon Cartoons for CN were still a thing. In regards to Disney, I think Kim Possible was the last of their shows I enjoyed, though I'm certain from what I've seen of Phineas and Ferb that I'd like that too if I watched more of it.

I honestly think it was around the time of those shows that American animation was at its absolute apex. Where it made shows that were friendly for kids to watch but that the parents could sit and watch with them and not feel like their children were being treated like retards.

We've reached a point where the PC crowd have got entertainment corporations so scared of legal action that all children's entertainment must be 100% clean of anything that could possibly offend anyone. Could you imagine if Ren and Stimpy, with all its gay innuendo and sexual connotations, was to air on prime time in 2014? There would be angry mothers rioting in front of the animation studios.

Hell, even adult cartoons like Family Guy and anything by Seth McFarlane, really, treat their audience like retards. There's a good reason why I've mostly only watched animated feature length films and anime for the last several years. Not because I hate American animation, I just hate what American animation has become over the last decade.

Actually, one of the reasons Nick was good back in its day was because it appealed to such a wide audience. It was a kids network, but it treated its target audience with respect. The Nicktoons were made so that parents can watch with their kids, and their live action programming wasn't just squeaky cleam sitcom crap, some of them like Are You Afraid of The Dark, tackled some pretty hardcore themes. Now, Nick just rides off whatever trend is popular and panders to the lowest common denominator.

Are You Afraid of the Dark is one of my favourite old Nick shows. It's like they saw the popularity of Goosebumps and cashed in on it at just the right time, with just the right amount of quality B movie horror condensed into a TV show.

Wasn't it part of the Nick at Night segment? That was full of all sorts of good shows like KABLAM! and... I can't remember what else, it was a long time ago. I'm gonna go flush an action figure down the toilet now and run it over with a car for nostalgia's sake.

Yeah cartoons can't get away with anything these days stuff like:
1. On screen suicide (Legend of Korra)
2. Stabbing, dismemberment, general murder (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
3. Blood, Torture and booty dancing (Sym-bionic Titan)
4. Sexual Innuendo (Adventure Time, constantly)

Meanwhile Spider-man couldn't punch anyone on screen, nobody could say the word die, everyone user lased guns (the street fighter cartoon had soldiers shooting lasers at Ryu), and vampires sucked plasma.

As for adult cartoons, Rick and Morty is pretty cool, and occasionally has pretty emotional scenes. There's a new season of the Boondocks if you're into that.

 

[ex275w]

Seriously, in God knows how long, I think Ren and Stimpy, and maybe The Ripping Friends - at a stretch - are one of the better highlights of Nickelodeon. Then again, the man behind those cartoons himself is... questionable, so there'll be nothing like it for a long time.

What do you mean by questionable? Now I'm curious. :3

John K. the creator of Ren and Stimpy is notoriously nutty. He hates all modern animation, gave negative reviews to rival shows like Animaniacs in animation magazines (under a pseudonym), and Billy West (first voice of Stimpy) compared him to his abusive father. He's also kind of creepy in a manchild kind of way and worst of all, is now working with Miley Cyrus.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Wow...I can't even remember the last time I sat down and watched Nick. I think it was when the last season of Korra was on. Yep. I think Korra is the only thing on Nick that I watch now. All the good shows, or at least shows that I do enjoy, are on Nicktoons now.