movies/tv My thoughts on the current state of Cartoon Network

[Harpuia 68]

The only thing I hate hearing more than "CN sucks now" is "They should just bring back all their old shows". No, that's not how things should be handled. First of all, those old shows were great and are still great, but it's time for something new. CN should be a network FOR ANIMATORS, Not something for 90's kids to drool over. And also that's what Boomerang is for. 

 

Out of "The Big Three" (CN, Disney, Nick) I doubt that many will disagree when I say that CN is at the top when it comes to quality animation. In my opinion, Adventure Time has pretty much lead a new renaissance in animation, and Steven Universe and Regular Show are generally held in pretty high regard as well. I've also heard good things about Clarence (Haven't seen it yet) and some of CN's upcoming content looks promising too. There's some duds (Uncle Grandpa, Gumball) but compared to Disney and Nick the good far outweighs the bad. 

 

Basically, CN doesn't suck and has been on the path to it's former glory for a while now and I'm sure it'll reach it soon. 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Yeah I'll say that CN is doing leagues better than Nickelodeon (seriously who in the right mind thought Breadwinners was a good idea?) It's just their shows are more hit or miss for me. I could get decene shows like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Gumball, Steven Universe, and Clarence or I could get downright terrible shows such as Johnny Test, Teen Titans Go!, and Uncle Grandpa.

 

I really don't watch CN anymore but I do agree, bring back the old shows would not make it any better. If a network wants to succeed, they need to keep making new shows so they don't keep relying on the same thing over and over again (that's what Nickelodeon does). Also they already tried with Powerpuff girls, and didn't go so well. If they brought back the old shows, they would most likely ruin them. Besides, at least CN grew a brain, and got rid of all of the stupid live action and brought back Toonami on Adult Swim with new more adult anime.

[Megas 28,097]

CN still has a lot of crappy shows, but it isn't as bad as it used to be, especially compared to Nick. Plus it has Regular Show, one of my favorite shows ever, and they brought back Toonami

[Nulln 755]

i liked chowder and the misadventures of flapjack, but they cancelled those really fast.  they need to bring those back.  regular show is ok.  i hate adventure time.  i haven't even watched cartoon network in a few months, because it just kept getting worse and worse.

 

edit* I forgot gumball.  gumball is ok.  it's not great, but it's watchable.  the new teen titans has it's good episodes, but it has some dumb ones as well.

Edited June 5, 2014 by ScumCandy

[Adorkable 2,737]

I think they're doing 'okay'.

 

Take that lightly, please. ^^

 

There's not a lot of shows do watch on Cartoon Network, but I used to have the TV on all the time when I was a kid.

 

The only things I really think are good now are...Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Regular Show, that's about it.

 

Oh, but when Sonic Boom comes on, that's when I'll tune in the most. ^^

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,306]

I haven't watched CN in forever, but that's simply because I / we don't have cable or satellite.  If it ain't on Hulu Plus, I probably won't see it (short of a DVD format season purchase). xD  Though my brother borrowed us the first season of "Adventure Time," and that show is as random and strange as it is in my brain.  He also exposed us to "Chowder" a whiiiiile back, and I quite enjoyed that, as well.  I need to watch "Regular Show," somehow.

 

When last we actually had CN, "Dexter's Laboratory" hadn't yet been ruined (Gendy hadn't abandoned it for PPG - that's what I *think* happened), Cow & Chicken was gracing the channel with its weirdness and delightfully inappropriate hints at bestiality LOL, and I actually bothered watching censored-for-TV anime (lolz, those crazy days of magical flashing swimsuits on Tenchi Muyo! - spoiler: they weren't wearing swimsuits :3).

Edited June 5, 2014 by PegaMister

[HeroSparks 232]

I don't really watch it a whole lot anymore. I like Adventure Time and Gumball. I know it's really popular but I just can't get into Regular Show. I'm glad they brought back Toonami but I stopped watching Adult Swim completely cuz that got pretty bad. I liked the old Teen Titans so I'm not a fan of Go, its just bleh. Uncle Grandpa is the absolute worst thing I have ever seen though

[King Sejong 859]

   Out of the big three, Cartoon Network sucks the least, because unlike Nickelodeon or Disney, CN understand children slightly better, the problem arises when they try too hard to appease someone, and sometimes it works, like with Gumball and Regular Show, in other respects it fails like with Uncle Grandpa. Cartoon Network also does not have to entertain a preschool audience, and that requires more talent than people realise, thus with Nickelodeon and Disney, they produce some insipid and underwhelming preschool shows like Dora the Explorer or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the Cartoon Network is also weary of creating a merchandise based program, a bad habit of Nick and Disney, for example had Hannah Montana or Victoria for teens and for children. Sofia the First could be Disney's answer to MLP, it is set in a magical universe, a monarchy and uses dialogue similar to MLP, but unlike MLP, Sofia is very mundane, most of the effort goes into the toy line, rather than the story development, with Nick they have Dora, Diego, the Backyardigans and many others, although CN does have merchandise, it treats its viewers as an audience, instead of consumers, my opinion of Cartoon Network is still low, but it has redeeming value when compared to its rivals, so I watch Cartoon Network more often than the other of the big three, and with Boomerang Cartoon Network does have respect for its nostalgic audience, and that really says something about the effort Cartoon Network is willing to do, and I respect that.  

Edited June 5, 2014 by Emperor Peter

[Shady Bubbles 429]

New Cartoon Network is okay. I don't really care for any of the shows on there anymore, besides Adventure Time. My little sister is 8, and I got the opportunity to introduce her to the shows we had in the "golden years" (Flapjack, Jonny Bravo, Billy and Mandy, Foster's, Teen Titans, Courage, etc.) She agrees that these shows were better than the ones they are running now. But they can't keep the same cartoons, as the writers will eventually run out of ideas (Ed, Edd n Eddy comes to mind). I just wish they had something besides Boomerang where I could watch my favorite childhood shows. Boomerang doesn't air these shows much, it's mostly "classic" cartoons. I just want to watch shows like Samurai Jack and Dexter's Lab, and I feel like they would fit better with their own network than one that caters mostly to Hannah Barbara programs. Just my two cents 

[Discordian 6,020]

I haven't seen anything on Cartoon Network in like six or seven years. I've had no cable for a looooong time. Last I heard, they were defying the name of the network and putting non-cartoon shows on there that weren't related to cartoons at all. Dumb.

 

Alls I can say is that you would think a network dedicated to cartoons and animation would have more experimental shows but it seemed to me they just had the same few animators doing ALL of the shows on the network so everything looked the same.

[Darker 1,352]

The new CN shows bore me. They're incredibly overrated. Adventure Time is decent but most of the others are pretty dumb. And YES, back then, before 2005 CN had FAR better shows.