Children’s entertainment, to put it simply, is created to entertain children. Multiple cable channels blast kids’ programs 24 hours a day, streaming services have got their own sections dedicated to the youths, and even YouTube has dived into providing child-friendly content, launching its own separate app specifically for them. And with annoying characters, a nauseating amount of colors, and music that’ll surely linger in your head, it seems that adults, be it parents, older siblings, babysitters, etc., frequently turn their heads away from the age-appropriate extravaganza blaring from the television screen. But every so often there comes a made-for-kids television series that grown-ups can sit through and maybe even, dare we say it, enjoy.
From Shrek’s compensating joke to Hercules’ jab at “that Oedipus thing,” kid’s cartoons have, for years, slipped in a joke or two to get adult companions laughing. But there are quite a handful of programs that go beyond a few jokes to satisfy the adult need for quality content, and some, title alone, may come as a surprise. But rest assured, these kids’ programs are fun for adults as well.
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9 The Amazing World of Gumball
Cartoon Network
From 2011 to 2019, Cartoon Network ran The Amazing World of Gumball, which is currently available on Hulu and HBO Max. Following a mischievous blue cat and his adopted fish brother, Gumball was known for its unique take on animation, often mixing in CGI, stop-motion, puppetry and more. The series constantly peppered in adult jokes, whether risqué or just too complex for the child mind (cue the social justice warrior battle). Aside from being a fun, colorful kid show, it repeatedly dove into deep topics like philosophy, mental illness and intolerance.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Avatar: The Last Airbender
Nickelodeon
When Nickelodeon Movies pumped out a live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender, theaters were flooding with superfans. The film proudly made twice its budget and the movie was rewarded with numerous accolades…except most fans were incredibly disappointed, and some likely wanted their money back and the only awards it won were those of the Golden Raspberries. But hopefully, nothing similar will occur in the upcoming Netflix adaptation. The Last Airbender was based on a beloved Nickelodeon cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender which told the story of Aang, an Airbender whose job it is to master the elements of water, earth, fire, and air with the help of his friends Katara and Sokka. Avatar appealed to older audiences for its mature themes and pristine execution. Rather than being some silly ‘ole comedy, the series touched on war, genocide, and imperialism, among other mature topics.
7 The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants
Netflix
It’s possible that at the mention of a book fair, millennials and Gen Z-ers are able to recall the sensation of strolling through a giant selection of crisp, clean paperbacks of the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Chronicles of Narnia or in this case, Captain Underpants. What began as a comic series for kids turned into a 2017 animated feature with Kevin Hart and Ed Helms providing voice work. From then, the adventures of George Beard and Harold Hutchkins made it to Netflix (though the celebrity cast did not return) in The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. “Tra-laa-laa!” shouts the evil principal once he’s turned into a pants-less superhero whom the kids accidentally (“kinda on purpose”) hypnotized with a magical ring. The show ran for 3 seasons and had different television specials and if you, as an adult, put it on for ambience, you just might find yourself eager to know what the troublesome pair will get themselves into next.
6 Gravity Falls
Disney
Disney Channel hit the nail on the head when it created Gravity Falls, a show for people of any age, with characters of all ages to further prove this point. Gravity Falls sees Dipper and Mabel Pines, two brave and curious, albeit contrasting, 12-year-old twins. Once moving to Oregon for the summer, the two discover the town isn’t as boring as they thought it would be and in fact, it’s quite the opposite with strange secrets and even stranger inhabitants.
5 Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss’ well-known novel is only 64 pages and has a simple premise: Guy does not want to taste I-Am-Sam’s oddly colored breakfast items. The story goes on and on with the peddler offering the same foods in different locations, only for the man to insist he is not interested. Such an easy storyline and yet Netflix stretched it into an entire series, with a second season premiering in April. Green Eggs and Ham follows the notable Guy and I-Am-Sam and introduces gobs of new characters and plot points. The show won an Emmy in 2020 and proves that there’s far more to the story than just not wanting to eat in a box, with a fox, in a house or with a mouse (spoiler alert: he won’t eat them with a goat or on a boat either).
4 Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb have 104 days of summer vacation and rather than spending it watching TV, they devote their time outdoors — building roller coasters, climbing the Eiffel Tower, and traveling across the globe before the sun goes down. Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning program ran for four seasons alongside multiple specials and two feature-length films. It followed the outlandish shenanigans of an inventive redhead and his soft-spoken British stepbrother, creators of giant contraptions for the entertainment of themselves and their neighborhood friends, all whilst their big sister Candace would snitch to their mother, only for them to never get caught. Meanwhile, their pet platypus, Perry, was said not to do much, but behind their backs, he was a crime-fighting secret agent, continually going head-to-head with the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
3 SpongeBob SquarePants
Whether Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny or Homer Simpson, there are just some cartoon characters known to all and SpongeBob is definitely one of them. SpongeBob SquarePants has been on Nickelodeon since 1999 and is still going strong, having spawned two spinoffs, three movies with more underway, and even a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. While some say the show is declining in quality, the series’ first few seasons are pure gold with clever writing, humorous jokes and classic lines from “Is mayonnaise an instrument?” to “I’m ugly, and I’m proud!” that no one will ever forget.
2 A Series of Unfortunate Events
There are 13 books in Lemony Snicket’s turbulent children’s series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. A 2004 film, starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, attempted to squeeze as much as it could into an hour and a half but ultimately and unsurprisingly it left out a heap of details. In 2017 Netflix said “Have no fear!” and brought each book to life, with each having two episodes, both around an hour. The show, according to the theme song, “will wreck your evening, your whole life and your day,” but still Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire’s adventuresome escapades as they struggle to get away from Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) stick truly to the book in great detail and its combination of dark humor and stunning cinematography make it worthy of its three-season run and multiple Emmy nominations.
1 Teen Titans Go!
Teen Titans Go! might not have that dark edge that the original Cartoon Network series did, but still its playfulness makes for an amusing comedy show. Like other superhero based shows, Teen Titans is available for young kids with this Cartoon Network original, preteens with the 2003 series, teenagers with its DC animated universe and adults with its live action HBO show. Following Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg the soon-to-be 8 season show displays the more laid back homelife of the five teenagers, rather than their epic fights and battles as seen in the original cartoon. A theatrical film, titled Teen Titans Go! to the Movies debuted in 2018 and subverted the expectation of a cringe-worthy kids film, earning a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
