In my previous post before Agora Days, I talked about how today’s TV shows for children are just not what they were when I was a child. Now, I want to delve into that a little further, talking about Cartoon Network, the network I watched most as a child.
Cartoon Network made significant changes to its television programming in recent years. Up to around 2006, many of the more popular 90s cartoon shows were shown on Cartoon Network. Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, and Cow and Chicken are only some of the channels that I watched growing up. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was these TV shows that I enjoyed watching as a child and they had such wild and exciting plots that made them all the more memorable. When 2006 came around though, all of these cartoons were taken off the network completely and would only appear on the network as re-runs.
Coincidentally, 2006 was also the year when Hannah Montana premiered on Disney Channel and made its success in appealing towards tweens. Because of Hannah Montana’s success in so many different markets from music to TV to toys and games, it has spawned numerous rip-off programs that try to imitate the style of sitcom/live reality TV show of Hannah Montana. Cartoon Network was no exception to this and started to promote live-action series such as BrainRush, Destroy Build Destroy, and TowerPrep. Many of these shows involve kids ages 14-16, who are answering trivia questions or building random things and destroying them. In fact, Cartoon Network has even shown basketball games with teenagers talking about the highlights of these games.
Now I’m no expert in television programming and anything related to the subject itself, but isn’t the network called “Cartoon Network”? Why is Cartoon Network promoting live action series when they have nothing to do with the name itself? I know that Cartoon Network does show cartoons, most of which are pretty awful to say the least, but it boggles my mind that Cartoon Network is so desperate in competing against Disney and Nickelodeon to the point where it goes against the name of its own network and creates such boring reality shows.
If you ever watched Cartoon Network in the late 90s and early 2000s, I will always remember how Dexter tried to hide his secret laboratory from his parents while he built his wacky inventions or how the Powerpuff girls had to fight numerous villians ranging from the evil monkey Mo-Jo-Jojo to the effeminate devil Him. I repeat myself from what I said in my previous post: kids shows should make kids fantasize. The content of these shows should be wild and imaginative so that watching these shows will be all the more memorable.
I know that I didn’t talk about other channels and networks that have completely changed their programming. But, I thought that Cartoon Network and the changes it has made would give a good enough picture to the current status of most kids shows. Again, I don’t mean to say that these shows aren’t universally despised nor should be. But they aren’t as wild as they once were and writers of kids shows should really bring back the shows of the 90s.
I fully agree. All of these new TV shows for kids kinda...suck. I remember I used to love the Rugrats, and then they did the Rugrats all grown up, which sucked, and after that it just disappeared. Nickelodeon and Cartoon network need to get back to the way thigns were and step their game up. Also, I remember how the Disney Network TV movies used to not be terrible. now they are just so bad. Kids networks just arent the same anymore :(
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree, TV has really gone down the tubes since the introduction of Hannah Montana and crappy game shows on Cartoon Network. Also, I once changed the channel to some Cartoon Network version of Robot Chicken, I was quite disappointed.
ReplyDeletedue to the fact that my parents are cheap and I have no cable, I only watched Cartoon Network on vacations. However, I'd have to agree with you on many of those shows and your points about how Cartoon Network has changed.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to admit that I never really liked Cartoon Network to begin with; I was more of a Nickelodeon and Disney Channel girl. But in spite of that, I have noticed that all three of these channels' programming has decreased in quality over the past 6 years or so. I only ever watch Spongebob on Nick nowadays, and I hate to say it, but the new episodes aren't as awesome as they used to be. It's a sad, but definitely true, phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteGood job rationally explaining all of the channels' pitfalls. Nice post. :)
N. Cho, I completely agree with your sentiments. My favorite show as a child was the darkly humorous "Courage the Cowardly Dog" from Cartoon Network. Shows like Courage, Powerpuff Girls, and Dexter's Laboratory are a much more positive and thought-provoking than Hannah Montana, imo. Their protagonists were sneaky, creative, or just plain moral. They subtly teach kids (like me when I was young) life lessons about how to identify bad guys or how to avoid the parents. Nowadays, everything is just a giant soap opera. New shows try to suck you in so you'll watch the next episode.
ReplyDeleteAnd yea. Why the !@#$ is Cartoon Network making live action shows if their name is CARTOON Network?!?!?! AAHHH (Good point)! The cartoons of our childhoods were entertaining and beautiful, but I guess the next generation won't receive the same benefits we did from TV.
Cartoon network used to be so awesome! especially back when they showed the old scooby doo, tom and jerry, and all the other shows they put on boomerang. I remember I used to spend the whole day watching toonami when they stopped showing the boomerang shows. I wonder if those shows were good just because I was a child or not, but I feel like they were of a higher quality than the crap they show nowadays. nice post
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I love all the old Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon shows. Powerpuff Girls was my personal favorite, but I also really enjoyed Dexter's Laboratory (never misspelled that word ever again), and Courage the Cowardly Dog. I did like Spongebob, but I'm afraid that more of my old favorite Nicktoons were Rugrats, Rocket Power, As Told by Ginger, and The Wild Thornberrys (I even went to the movie with the scratch and sniff!).
ReplyDeleteBut did you hear that since Nickelodeon's shows have received such bad ratings, they're actually reviving some of the old '90's cartoons? I think it's awesome, but it should be interesting to see how they deal with it. I wonder if all the shows will be like "All Grown Up" now.
The only show I've ever really watched on Cartoon Network was Spaceghost Coast-to-Coast. That was the best show. Ever. I miss that show.
ReplyDelete"Spaceghost would be down with that" - a reference to this immortal show that is still heard in my house.
Oh yeah dude, Cartoon Network was sooo boss. There are so many great classics ranging the late 50's-the late 90's. Dexter's Lab., Powerpuff girls (I was a super-tomboy when I was little and didn't care too much for this show, but it was still infinitely better than the options they have now), and Courage the Cowardly Dog were all very fun and imaginative programs. They will be missed.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember Saturday morning cartoons... when they were actually cartoons?
I used to wake up at 7 in the morning (reminding myself of calvin and hobbes), make a mixing bowl full of cereal, and sit down to watch good-ole-fashioned-cartoons. I've missed that.
About the only show I like on Cartoon Network now is Adventure Time. It's a very ridiculous and brightly colored program that I only watch in the right atmosphere. It's a decent show.