Top 10 Things that Make a Cartoon Episode Bad

Well, this list has been a long time coming. In this list, we will be going over all the things that can make a cartoon episode bad, from stuff like having too much filler, mishandling a serious subject, having a character act horribly and face no consequences for their actions, and much more.

The Top Ten

It goes way overboard with being disgusting or disturbing

My favorite examples would be Family Guy, Sanjay and Craig, and especially Breadwinners. Looking at what kids today find funny, I worry for the next generation, growing up doing stupid things and having no good sense of humor.
It mishandles a very serious subject matter

This definitely should be number one. Family Guy does this so much, and it's one of the main reasons why I dislike that show.

I just dislike it when people make jokes out of serious things.
It tortures a character for no good reason

Pretty much every Squidward torture episode in a nutshell, where an episode punishes or tortures a character for literally no good reason.

This happens to Meg especially.

This has Loud House written all over it. Proof: Lincoln Torture Porns.
It copies or rips off a better episode and makes it worse

There are way too many to name, but just a few examples include Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy horribly ripping off Imitation Krabs, and Sanjay and Craig's Fat Baby ripping off Ren and Stimpy's Son of Stimpy/Stimpy's First Fart.
It has a character do horrible things or act horribly towards another character and get no comeuppance for their actions

Those episodes where one character acts really horribly towards other characters and faces no punishment for their actions are concerning. Examples include "Everyone Knows It's Bendy" and every "Patrick's a Prick" episode.

I can't believe Gary didn't go crazy mad on Patrick at the end. Did Patrick brainwash him?

That episode in the thumbnail has to be one of the worst SpongeBob episodes.
It wastes a good idea
It's too mean-spirited
It tries too hard to be funny
It has too much filler
It has a bad ending

The Newcomers

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It has too much fanservice
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It has a bad plot

The Contenders

It has characters that always do things the hard way
It has one character acting too out of character

Episodes where a character acts like the complete opposite of how they would normally act.
It drags on jokes

Never do that. It annoys me and gets on my nerves. Jokes are meant to be either a one-time occurrence or a common commodity. Dragging one thing on brings out the worst in me. Jokes are meant to be random and never continuous.
It needlessly adds characters

While I do agree that Chloe wasn't a good character, her addition kind of makes sense from a logistical standpoint. The Fairy Council banned fairy babies, meaning no new fairies, and any new godkids had to share fairies with existing godkids.
However, that doesn't justify her being a one-dimensional character. Still, I know what I'm saying when I say I'd rather have Chloe over Sparky any day.
It stars a minor character who isn't strong enough to carry an entire episode

Two episodes from South Park that come to mind are Pip and A Million Little Fibers. Both star a secondary character that isn't capable of carrying an entire episode.
It teaches bad lessons
It features a celebrity as the main focus
It's too boring
It features two awful characters and expects the audience to cheer for one of them

Just an example is "Demolition Doofus," where Mrs. Puff tries to murder SpongeBob after he cripples her, then doesn't show even the slightest bit of remorse.
It has too many plot holes or unanswered questions
It revolves around a character who's considered bad

So? This gives us backstory to the character and why they did what they did.
It overshadows the main characters
It kills off one of the main characters and replaces them with someone else

A big example of this entry is the Family Guy episode "Life of Brian".
It has characters that are dumb
It tries too hard to make you feel bad for characters the audience doesn't care about