Who doesn’t love cartoon shows? Though they sometimes lack the sort of nuance and complexity of live-action shows, many times they also have important things to say about the culture that produces them.
What’s more, there are often some rather fascinating stories that take place behind the scenes that serve as a reminder that cartoon shows, no less than their live-action counterparts, are often subject to the various forces that affect any television production. In fact, quite a few cartoon shows have been canceled for very strange reasons, many of which are remembering precisely because they are so bizarre.
Escape From Jurassic Park
One would think that a cartoon show building on the success of one of the most notable films of the 1990s would have been a sure thing, and it certainly seems that the network thought so, since they gave it the greenlight.
The strange thing about this particular show, however, is that it wasn’t the network but the director that decided not to have anything more to do with the project. It’s a shame, really, and it’s fascinating to think about what might have happened had it continued.
Young Justice
It’s not much of a secret that many superhero franchises have a problem when it comes to women, both as characters and as audiences. The genre is typically seen to appeal to men, and for that reason it can be difficult to have series that focus on women, or even have a lot of female characters.
That was certainly the case with Young Justice which, simply because it drew in more female characters, was ultimately canceled by its network. It’s a humbling reminder that sexism exists in cartoons, too.
The Young Astronauts
The 1980s was in some ways the final golden age of Saturday morning cartoons, with many that would become a source of nostalgia for kids who grew up in that era.
The Young Astronauts was supposed to be one of those that appeared on Saturday morning, but unfortunately it was scrapped due to the tragic explosion of the Challenger. It’s a reminder that sometimes shows don’t see the life of day because of things that occur in the world outside of the series.
Pinky and the Brain
There are some shows that just seemed fated to become classics, and Pinky and the Brain was one of them. Who could ever forget the two mice, one a genius and the other a dimwit, who constantly schemed to take over the world?
One would think that the executives would have recognized a winning (if somewhat dark) formula when they saw one but, alas, they decided to add an additional character, which not only disrupted the great dynamic between Pinky and the Brain, but ultimately doomed the show.
Danny Phantom
Danny Phantom is an example of a show that really got a raw deal. At first, it seemed like it was going to be a real winner. The animation was excellent (particularly once it switched to a different style), and the writing and characters were strong as well.
The unfortunate thing was that it cost quite a lot to make and, given that studio executives always have an eye on the bottom line, it was this fact that ultimately sealed its fate.
Ahh! Real Monsters
Sometimes, it seems like executives have no idea what they are doing, and this show is a good example of that phenomenon. One would think that they would have recognized that part of what made Ahh! Real Monsters so appealing to audiences was the fact that it had a little bit of darkness around the edges.
Instead, they thought it was a bad idea to be so frightening, and so they tried to make it into something else and, since this robbed the show of its potency, it ultimately ended up canceled because of studio interference.
Rugrats
Like so many other shows of the 1990s, Rugrats was a production of Nickelodeon (which did a great job of keeping cartoons alive in that decade). Unfortunately, it seems that the studio executives didn’t always know when to stick with a good thing.
Thus, they decided that they wanted a sequel to this series, and the result was this one was canceled to make room for the follow-up (which, it has to be said, doesn’t have nearly the charm of the original).
Animaniacs
Animaniacs remains one of the most unique cartoon shows to have ever been on the air. It managed somehow to be entertaining for both children and adults, and the subtlety of its humor--and its homages to all sorts of cultural knowledge--remains unparalleled.
Unfortunately, executives once again made some decisions that hurt the show’s viability, this time by moving it to a bad time slot that severely cut into its viewership, meaning that it was ultimately canceled. Sometimes, executives should just stay out of it.
Megas XLR
There’s something to be said for studios that give their cartoon shows the type of support that they need, and if ever there was a show that deserved it, it was Megas XLR.
Unfortunately, for some strange reason, this show never got the love that it deserved, so it’s not surprising that its viewership suffered. What’s more, the network ended up moving it to a truly abysmal time slot, suggesting that they truly didn’t believe in this series or its potential.
Invader Zim
Invader Zim was another of those Nickelodeon shows that couldn’t seem to get a break. It was, of course, very mature in terms of the types of things that it chose to depict and this, coupled with the fact that it was both very expensive to produce (as most good animated shows are) and suffered from rather lackluster ratings, meant that it was doomed.
One can’t help but wish, though, that the network would have given it the type of success that it needed to survive and flourish- and show us more of its weird universe.