Top 10 Underrated Cartoon TV Series

Not every worthwhile cartoon runs as long as “The Simpsons.” Or even “Scooby Doo.” Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down the top 10 underrated cartoon series.

For this list, without placing restrictions on how long they aired, we’re looking animated TV shows that never got the mainstream love they deserved.

One of the coolest animated action series ever starred a couple of cats. Very cool cats; renegades even. “T-Bone” Furlong and “Razor” Clawson were demoted from their law enforcement jobs because their boss was corrupt; once on their own, they built an epically cool fighter jet and fought crime as vigilantes. “Swat Kats” packed a lot of action and adventure into each episode, but didn’t skimp on intriguing storylines and well-developed characters. Two seasons were all it could muster, but those two seasons were choice.

College is about more than studying and partying: it’s about finding yourself – or trying, at least. The short-lived “Undergrads” splendidly got across this feeling in its brief 13 episodes, and it did that without getting preachy. Instead, it gave viewers a healthy dose of humor, some of it nuanced, some of it broad – but all of it engaging. Lots of TV shows revolve around a group of stock types; “Undergrads” had its types, but they came across as way more real – even if they were animated.

Take the hyperactive insanity of “Animaniacs” and pair it in a superhero suit: that’s basically “Freakazoid!” Technically, the show was about what happens when a computer bug turns ordinary high school student Dexter Douglas into a blue-skinned being with awesome powers and infinite knowledge. But what it was really about was taking all the silliness that’s inherent in the concept of the costumed hero and letting it run riot. Surreal, bizarre, filled with kinetic energy and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, “Freakazoid!” was too odd for mainstream success – but too wonderful to be forgotten.

Whoever thought of taking serious 1960s superhero Space Ghost and re-casting him as a talk show host deserves dome kind of medal. This weird, off-the-wall premise should have fallen flat; but instead, it launched a long-running cult series that somehow never quite got the acclaim it deserved. “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” was a surreal delight, filled with non-sequiturs and humor that was often so dry it went over many viewers’ heads. Those that were tuned into it, however, never forgot it.

As exciting as super-heroes can be, they’re also easy targets for parody. “The Tick” took steady aim at costumed crusaders for three hysterical seasons, and managed to keep its satire both biting and loving at the same time. The title character was one of the screen’s greatest imbeciles, one given to vapid moralizing – but audiences can’t help being drawn to the muscle-bound oaf. With invaluable sidekick Arthur and parodies of such comic book stalwarts as Batman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, “The Tick” is the rare parody that never wears out its welcome.

So, Rocko was this wallaby, see. A nice guy – very normal – with a fondness for blue shirts with purple triangles. He’d have had a pretty quiet life if wasn’t for the fact that his friends were a bit crazy and he lived in a town run by a soulless evil corporation. “Rocko’s Modern Life” was sly and subversive, commenting on the social scene of the 1990s and slinging political barbs at deserving targets. It was also filled with great characters and featured scripts that were pitched at a knowing adult audience.

What would Abe Lincoln, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc and Gandhi be like if they were modern day teenagers? “Clone High” answered that question, and brilliantly. Starting with the premise that a mad scientist has cloned these and other famous figures, “Clone High” took that idea and ran with it in absurd, outlandish and frequently tasteless directions. It only lasted one season, but its 13 episodes contain some of the most riotously funny, if occasionally offensive, moments ever animated for the small screen.

Disney took a brave plunge into animated drama with “Gargoyles,” and the resulting series was truly memorable. Featuring a continuing plotline that connected individual story arcs, “Gargoyles” focused on creatures that live at night and become stone during the day. Called back to life after centuries in hibernation, the gargoyles face modern challenges while fighting supernatural menaces. It was blessed with superb animation, darkly compelling melodrama, and a sense of fantasy that made it stand out from the crowd.

Voiced by Jon Lovitz, Jay Sherman was acerbic, neurotic and self-loathing: all the qualities one expects in a movie critic. The series in which he starred took a satirical scalpel to both the foibles of Hollywood and the stereotype of American family life. Shifting back and forth between Jay’s own life and the truly over-the-top films he reviewed, “The Critic” was occasionally schizophrenic. But when it took aim, it never missed its mark; its skewering of the movie industry has never been surpassed.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “M.A.S.K.” (1985-86)
- “G.I. Joe Extreme” (1995-97)
- “Todd McFarlane’s Spawn” (1997-99)
- “Code Lyoko” (2003-07)
- “Earthworm Jim” (1995-96)

Film noir was never as fun as it was when “Duckman” took it on. Featuring a duck gumshoe, brilliantly voice by Jason Alexander, the show aimed squarely at adults, not kids. The title character was an unrepentant, sex crazy alcoholic who on several occasions killed his seemingly un-killable assistants; nothing was too dark for this show. Yet it remained screamingly funny, an examination of the unfairness of life – and of the self-destructive way people respond to it. It sounds heavy, but it wasn’t: it was heavenly. In a cynical way, that is.

Do you agree with our list? What other amazing underrated cartoon series should we have put on this list? For more animated top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.