Saturday Morning Cartoons: An Epitaph

[Clayton_n]

Well the CW has given up on Saturday morning cartoons. The last major broadcast network to do so. I know there are still some on cable, but its not the same.
I guess I always thought they would be there. When one series was cancelled another way replaced into that time slot. Oh there were a couple things to watch on cable like the USA Cartoon express or Snick... but that was before Cartoon Network showed up. Then the channels stopped doing it. NBC and CBS used to be huge on cartoons, with a few live action shows thrown in, but they got beat out by FOX, ABC, and the WB. With UPN hanging on by its fingernails. Spielberg and Disney mostly. And then they stopped showing cartoons before and after school. After that ABC dropped out... not even doing the Magical WOrld Of Disney any more, let alone the good old shows. The others rather than make their own began buying anime from Japan, then editing the hell out of it until it was 50% commercials and 50% Confusing.
Cable channels started keeping the shows to themselves instead of airing them on broadcast networks first.
Next Fox and the WB were showing the same thing and the the WB gets replaced by the CW.
Rather than deal with them a lot of cartoon creators went for direct to DVD stuff, where they did not have to listen to know-nothing network executives.
Then the CW was the only one left. Without competition they got lazy. Showing reruns over and over until people were sick of them, sticking in a few shows designed to sell cards and toys every now and then to pretend they had something going on.
And now... its over.

I'd like you guys who read this to come up here and say a few words about the Saturday Morning cartoons you used to know and love.

[kagomekikyoieriolalaier]

The show is good i love inuyasha all anime cool think time was going yu

[Clayton_n]

The show is good i love inuyasha all anime cool think time was going yu

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Co8liL2umjM/TDR8PSzdbSI/AAAAAAAAAJM/Y7yJFYkUpUs/s1600/demotivational-posters-context.jpg

http://cdn.motinetwork.net/motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/1212/stupid-question-stupid-dumb-question-facepalm-demotivational-posters-1356066944.jpg

[Anime Forum]

Eh, it was a cool thing obviously when you were younger but I haven't cared about Saturday Morning Cartoons for at least a decade now. Sad to know they are slowing RIPing though.

[RyuTama]

This is pretty sad, such good memories with Saturday morning cartoons.

But honestly it's not much a shocker. Lots of kids nowadays will probably be watching their shows on their iPad over Netflix anyway.

[Palamon]

I'll miss them. I really will. These were my jam. Rip, Vortex. ;; You will be missed. Live Action is lame... ugh.

[Clayton_n]

Actually Vortexx kind of sucked. It was the equivalent of that last bowel movement before you die.

[Cross Avantgarde]

I adored King Arthur and the Knights of Justice. Nostalgia still overwhelms me when I watch the oath they took. Great Saturday morning cartoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-NrXI-770

[Clayton_n]

Ah, UPN. We hardly knew ye.

[360 FistKick!]

The day Vortexx disappeared my younger brother called me woundering where his frecken Staurday morning cartoons went. I realized before he called which was funny us being 23 and 24 at the time. We then reminisced about the good old days, waking up early and watching our favorite cartoons. Best one was Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr2iQ96em2w

[someoneofforumpast]

Dang I guess my son will grow up without knowing the good ol' days. I remember racing home after school to watching afternoon cartoons, and then Waking up at 6am on saturday morning to catch all my favorite shows.

[Clayton_n]

I didn't even sleep on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays, lest I miss any of them.

Remember Sundays and the USA cartoon express?

[sunnyside]

What? I thought the situation was that bunches of the old cartoons we grew up with were getting rebooted. I guess I'm not watching them anymore, but when going through Toys 'R Us I recall seeing slightly different builds of Thundercats, Transformers, and what seemed like an entire isle of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As for my day, I'll give a shout out to Gargoyles. I'm given to understand that the network wanted it to be TMNT with wings, but that the writers got a lot more complex, and made one of the smartest, most developed, and most likely to win villians, well, period. I quite appreciated that, though I'm not sure it helped their ratings.

[Clayton_n]

Only on cable, which really doesn't count.

[Kagome]

RIP to good old shet at precious time slots.
Looney Toons, The Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Gargoyles, DuckTales, Tailspin, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-men and so many more.

[Clayton_n]

The USA Cartoon Express... anyone remember Laugh Olympics?

Or the Super Mario Bros' Super Show?

[CapnJack]

Ah, UPN. We hardly knew ye. KCOP 13 in Southern California was the only channel that mattered on Sunday mornings. I think all of those shows were DIC's property. The lineup went by the name of Amazing Adventures. Let's see what I can remember without Googleing:

King Arther and the Knights of Justice
Mr. Bogus
Around the World in 80 Dreams
Street Sharks
Double Dragon (cheated, I looked):tongue:
Ultra... (sry) ULTRAFORCE!


RIP to good old shet at precious time slots.
Looney Toons, The Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Gargoyles, DuckTales, Tailspin, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-men and so many more.
You just named off a third of my childhood and early teen years. :)


The USA Cartoon Express... anyone remember Laugh Olympics?

Or the Super Mario Bros' Super Show? I was probably one of the few that grew up without cable, so I had network television to go by. I did however watch the Super Mario Bros. Super Show since it aired on Fox in the after school block. Captain Lou Albano as Mario was so perfect. I just wish there was more Zelda episodes. It might not have stunk if given more of a chance. Then there was the spin off show that King Koopa had. It wasn't as great, but it had its own sense of style.
---------------------------

I feel bad about the cartoons that never had a chance because they were on stations that frequently had preemptive sports like golf. *glares at CBS* Shows like Where's Waldo, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and Back to the Future were shows that I liked a lot but didn't get to see much of.

[Clayton_n]

Beetlejuice was awesome.

Then there were the lesser known ones like the Feival (Sp?) goes West series or that cowboy one with the actual cows... and of course the original TMNT...


Gah! Why have the television gods forsaken us?!?

[CapnJack]

Any of you ol' timers remember this beaut from the 80s?
watch?v=4sB0-fJOvts
This show was somewhat disturbing for being a kids show. Why you ask? Well for starters...
watch?v=Bt0KUz4Yg-Y
I liked it though and wasn't as horrified as some children.

[daft]

sad indeed. but hey, the good times can't last forever. you can at least say you've enjoyed and experienced them while they were around. also, you can still look back and reminisce about those shows with friends and younglings. just yesterday i was sharing with one of my younger cousins about chip n dale rescue rangers... the intro theme still gets me revved up

[Clayton_n]

I remember when there were cartoons every weekday morning and afternoon, then Saturdays and even some on Sunday morning... New ones. Good times. Good times.

NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, WB/Cw, Disney...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2LpvM5Tgww

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVRskkwfcNY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dALqD5-7enI

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