Top 20 Cartoons That Were Cancelled For Ridiculous Reasons

Top 20 Cartoons That Were Cancelled For Ridiculous Reasons

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Cartoons That Were Cancelled for Ridiculous Reasons.

For this list, we’ll be looking at animated series that were suddenly or tragically cancelled despite high ratings and glowing reviews. That means we’re overlooking shows that were justifiably cancelled after low viewership and/or poor reception. It’s worth noting that several of these series have since been revived or rebooted.

Which of these shows do you still miss? Let us know in the comments!

#20: “Mega Man” (1994-95)

Back when the Blue Bomber was at the height of his popularity, Capcom greenlit a series that would follow his adventures. While the show wasn’t the most complex or visually impressive, it still brought in solid ratings. Despite its viewership numbers, the series was cancelled after its second season. Lackluster toy sales and licensing issues were both blamed for Mega Man’s sudden downfall. Considering that each episode reportedly had a budget of $300,000, Capcom probably didn’t think the show was worth the financial risk. It’s a shame that this campy yet fun Mega Man iteration couldn’t get a second life.

#19: “SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron” (1993-95)

On “SWAT Kats,” two humanoid cats fought crime with futuristic vehicles. While the premise is guilty of being way too 90’s, it was also judged for its violence. The president of the show’s producing company, Ted Turner, publicly stated that he disliked violent cartoons. Since his statements were made in the early 90’s, we can assume he wasn’t a fan of “SWAT Kats” frequent weapon usage and property destruction. His stance would explain why the show didn’t get the best time slot or a big marketing push during its final season. Although it had a short run, fans loved “SWAT Kats” enough to fund a successful Kickstarter for a potential revival.

#18: “Transformers: Animated” (2007-09)

In a franchise with a ton of adaptations, “Transformers: Animated” stood out. The show featured fan favorite characters with remixed backstories. It also paid homage to the original series and even had a Weird Al voice cameo. As the show hit its third season on Cartoon Network, “Transformers” parent company Hasbro made a deal to help Discovery create programming. When “Transformers: Animated” was cancelled despite plans for a fourth season, fans assumed that Hasbro wanted to avoid having multiple “Transformers” shows on competing networks. While Hasbro eventually brought new “Transformers” cartoons to Cartoon Network, “Transformers: Animated” remains a casualty of a big business deal.

#17: “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” (2002-06)

The rise and fall of Nickelodeon’s boy genius was tied to the box office. Shortly after the first “Jimmy Neutron” movie became a box office smash, a full series premiered on Nick. While the show rode on a wave of critical success and awards, the show’s main animation studio, DNA Productions, struggled. Although DNA Productions was able to finish work on 2006’s “Ant Bully,” its box office failure made it impossible for the studio to recover. Without DNA Productions in its corner, “Jimmy Neutron’s” ratings alone couldn’t justify the cost of another season. Maybe if “Ant Bully” had performed better, we wouldn’t have been subjected to the lackluster “Planet Sheen” spinoff.

#16: “Samurai Jack” (2001-17)

“Samurai Jack” chronicled the story of a skilled swordsman who tries to get back to the past after being trapped in the future. After four seasons of slick animation and emotional narratives, production on the show suddenly stopped. Series creator Genndy Tartakovsky later stated his commitment to a new “Star Wars” show and network changes didn’t give his creative team enough time to wrap up Jack’s tale. As a result, the show was placed on an “indefinite hiatus” for over a decade. It’s brutally ironic that a show about time travel was nearly left unfinished because the creators didn’t have enough time. Luckily, “Samurai Jack’” received a touching finale just under 13 years later.

#15: “Gargoyles” (1994-97)

90’s kids are still heartbroken over the cancellation of this dark cartoon. “Gargoyles” featured a group of winged creatures who secretly protected innocent lives. The show’s intricate storylines, literary allusions, and three-dimensional villains made it critically acclaimed and beloved by fans. Unfortunately, the winning formula suffered big changes after Season 2. After ABC took over, “Gargoyles” was renamed and several story aspects were drastically changed. The show also had to share a time slot with the smash hit “Power Rangers.” It didn’t take long before “Gargoyles” was put to sleep.

#14: “Pinky and the Brain” (1995-98)

One word doomed “Pinky and the Brain”: Elmyra. Pinky and the Brain were a duo of mice who spent each episode on a new plan for world domination. Their chemistry was so great that their adventures went from a short on “Animaniacs” to a full spinoff show. As the brilliantly funny cartoon reached its fourth season, network executives suggested that a third main character should be added to the show. And that’s where Elmyra came in. When the irritating and shrill character was added for the show’s retooling, the ratings nosedived. Elmyra's horrible introduction will hopefully remind executives not to mess with a good formula.

#13: “Kim Possible” (2002-07)

Unlike other cancelled shows, “Kim Possible” got a satisfying ending. After three highly rated and well-regarded seasons, the series was scheduled to end with a TV movie. This was due to an unofficial Disney Channel rule that limited all its shows to 65 episodes, regardless of their performance. While shows like “That’s So Raven” broke that policy, great cartoons like “Lilo & Stitch: The Series” couldn’t overcome the rule. (*xref) When it came to “Kim Possible,” fans called and beeped Disney so relentlessly about a renewal that the channel greenlit a new season. While the creators were caught off guard, they ensured the last season was as great as the ones before it.

#12: “Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)

It’s hard to believe that this comedy staple ever struggled to stay on the air. But after its well-received first season, the show was moved to the same time slot as the popular “Frasier.” When ratings dipped, executives moved “Family Guy” to the crowd-pleasing “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” time slot. After ratings fell again, FOX cancelled the show and brought it back a year later. Unfortunately for “Family Guy” fans, the revived show was placed in the same time slot as “Survivor” and the untouchable “Friends.” FOX’s poor scheduling decisions basically guaranteed its cancellations. Luckily, DVD sales and reruns ensured that the Griffin family came back for more cutaway gags and chicken fights.

#11:“The Angry Beavers” (1997-2001)

These days, cartoons can have a lot more fun with meta humor and breaking the fourth wall than they used to. During the time that “Angry Beavers” was airing, this was not the case, as a pitch for a particularly meta episode ended up killing the show. After hearing word of imminent cancellation, the crew decided to go all out, pitching, writing, and even recording rough audio for an episode in which Norbert and Daggett discover that they’re cartoons, which led their entire reality to fall apart as they got cancelled. Nickelodeon didn’t appreciate the not-so-subtle jabs that the episode made towards the studio and promptly cancelled the series before production was complete.

#10: “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” (2012-13)

Bruce Timm is a legend in the world of superhero animation, developing, writing, and doing designs for what is arguably the best shared universe of all time, the DC Animated Universe, all starting with “Batman: The Animated Series.” He also helped to create “Green Lantern: The Animated Series,” a critically praised cartoon that was cancelled far too early. The series premiered not long after the live-action “Green Lantern” movie and quickly got the axe due to the film’s failure, low merch sales and an unfair call that resulted in the show’s criminally short run.

#9: “Animaniacs” (1993-98)

Very early on, it was made clear that “Animaniacs” wasn’t quite made for kids. There was a lot of adult humor, there were tons of sexual innuendos, and the overall content had mature references and context. The show’s move from Fox Kids to Kids’ WB only helped the series’ adult appeal grow, increasing ratings exponentially. However, the high number of adult viewers didn’t sit well with Kids’ WB, since it was outside of the show’s targeted demographic. As a result, WB started ordering less and less episodes, eventually ending “Animaniacs” in 1998. The streaming era did provide us with a revived version of the series in 2020, albeit with almost none of the original production staff.

#8: “Clone High” (2002-03)

Easily one of the strangest cartoon premises of all time, “Clone High” followed teenaged clones of famous historical figures as they navigated the hurdles of everyday high school, as well as some stranger, more off-the-rails hurdles. Amongst the many students attending Clone High was a clone of Mahatma Gandhi, whose depiction sparked massive controversy in India, leading to protests and hunger strikes to get the show cancelled. The protestors were justified in their complaints, but what was ridiculous was that Viacom didn’t care to move forward with a Gandhi-less version of the series, despite a growing following. It would receive a revival series on HBO Max in 2023, but fans felt this didn’t really capture the magic of the original series.

#7: “Courage the Cowardly Dog” (1999-2002)

We’re not exactly sure when the term “nightmare fuel” actually came about, but it retroactively became the best way to describe one of Cartoon Network’s most horrifying series of all time, “Courage the Cowardly Dog.” The show featured all kinds of crazy monsters, spirits, curses, and other supernatural forces that plagued Courage and the town of Nowhere, Kansas. Apparently, the network thought these creepy happenings were a bit too scary, as the disturbing content most likely led to the show’s cancellation, despite it being the core of the cartoon’s premise.

#6: “Invader Zim” (2001-06)

“Invader Zim” was an incredibly dark and disturbing cartoon, but the show’s mature content ended up attracting a lot of ratings from older audiences, leading it to become one of Nickelodeon’s most popular and well-received series. However, Nick opted to focus on their usual core demographic of younger viewers, a choice that resulted in the series’ cancellation. Fortunately, it was announced that “Invader Zim” would receive a TV movie in 2018, thanks in no small part to the cult status the series gained through reruns and DVDs.

#5: “The Spectacular Spider-Man” (2008-09)

There’s no shortage of “Spider-Man” cartoons, but many agree that one stands above the rest, “The Spectacular Spider-Man.” Developed by Greg Weisman and Victor Cook, this series was a perfect amalgamation of all the best parts of Spider-Man, taking specific inspiration from the Ditko and Romita Sr. eras of the character. However, despite the cartoon’s popularity and critical praise, it was cancelled after only two seasons. This was mostly due to Disney’s buyout of Marvel, which caused the TV rights of Spider-Man to revert from Sony back to Marvel, effectively killing the series.

#4: “Danny Phantom” (2004-07)

With cartoons, cancellation usually comes down to budget. Animation is extremely expensive and “Danny Phantom” was no different. The show was reportedly frequently over budget, so much so that Nick refused to continue funding it, though they did allow creator Butch Hartman the chance to shop it around to other networks. However, due to the show’s poor ratings at the time, no network wanted to take the risk, and thus Hartman used the remaining budget to give “Danny Phantom” a proper ending rather than leave fans with a cliffhanger.

#3: “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (2008-2020)

After the uneven “Star Wars Episode II” teased the clone wars, this animated spinoff fully dived into the conflict. The series gave us more time with popular characters like Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka Tano. By placing them in layered plots, we got more insight into their motivations and personalities. In 2013, fans were stunned when Lucasfilm announced the show was cancelled because they wanted a “new direction in animated programming.” However, Boba Fett voice actor Daniel Logan said that the cartoon was struck down because it was becoming too adult for its intended audience. Fortunately, audiences got one last run of “Clone Wars' with the seventh and final season premiering on Disney+ in 2020.

#2:“Futurama” (1999-)

“Futurama” is one of the most beloved animated series of all time, known for its hilarious and ridiculous depiction of the future, as well as its deeply dramatic and heartbreaking episodes. Yet, despite being so loved, the series had quite a rough road, with Fox not broadcasting new episodes for a time and even refusing to purchase them before finding its final home on Comedy Central. The reason for its initial unofficial cancellation was because Fox failed to keep a consistent airing schedule, making it hard for fans to predict when new episodes would air, causing low ratings and ultimately leading to its going out of production. Luckily, Hulu picked up the series for a 20 episode reboot in 2022.

#1: “Young Justice” (2010-22)

The downside to this producing an animated series is that its lifespan can be sometimes entirely determined by toy sales. Like “Teen Titans” and “Sym-Bionic Titan” before it, “Young Justice” fell victim to issues with toy sales. The alleged problem was that the toys were only marketed towards boys, and because a large number of girls watched “Young Justice,” their sales were much lower than intended. Mattel then cancelled the toy line, cutting the show’s funding and eventually leading to the show’s cancellation. Thankfully, however, fans made themselves heard and 2 more seasons were released before Young Justice was not renewed in the WarnerMedia-Discovery Inc. Merger.