Top 10 Darkest and Most Mature Kids Shows

Kids' shows are supposed to be safe little playgrounds of color, jokes, and toy-ready characters. Then some of them look you dead in the soul and say, "Cool, now think about trauma, death, identity, abuse, war, loneliness, and the slow collapse of childhood innocence." Cute theme song, though. Really balances out the emotional damage.

This list is for the shows that made you pause the TV and wonder how they got past the network notes. You might have started watching for monsters, magic, aliens, heroes, or weird comedy, but you stayed because the writing refused to treat younger viewers like they were made of glass. Cast your vote for the kids' shows that went darker, deeper, and way more grown-up than anyone expected from something airing next to cereal commercials.

1. The Legend of Korra

   

   The Legend of Korra is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 2012 to 2014. The show was created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. It serves as a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender and continues the story in a new setting with a new Avatar.

   One of the best examples of The Legend of Korra's disturbing storytelling and imagery is the episode Korra Alone. This is one of the most depressing, disturbing, and dark episodes of the show, which is saying a lot, considering all of the intense material that came before it.

   In this episode, Korra is constantly stalked by a spirit of herself, which actually causes physical harm to her. As she runs away from her life, not even caring that she's the Avatar, this hallucination follows her. The visions become so severe that she finds herself being dragged down into a large pool of mercury - the same poison that led her to this terrible state. Even after she gets the poison out, and even when she thinks she's regained control of herself, it takes her more than half of the season to make a full recovery.

   Long story short: PTSD can really screw up someone's life. Korra went from being my least favorite character to my most sympathized and favorite character. It's not often that the main character is my favorite, but The Legend of Korra pulled it off.

2. Amphibia

   

   Amphibia is an American animated television series created by Matt Braly. It originally aired on Disney Channel from June 17, 2019, to May 14, 2022. The show follows a young girl named Anne Boonchuy who is magically transported to a fantastical world inhabited by anthropomorphic amphibians.

3. Gravity Falls

   

   Gravity Falls is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. It first aired on Disney Channel before moving to Disney XD, running from June 15, 2012, to February 15, 2016. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines and his twin sister Mabel in the fictional... read more

   This show is incredibly bizarre and has some dark, wacky humor. But in contrast, this is what makes the show great.

   Very inappropriate for children and teenagers.

4. Andi Mack

   

   Andi Mack is an American family comedy-drama television series created by Terri Minsky. It aired on Disney Channel from April 7, 2017, to July 26, 2019, and starred Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Joshua Rush, Sofia Wylie, Asher Angel, Lilan Bowden, Lauren Tom, and Trent Garrett. The show centers on 13-year-old... read more

   This show talks about teen pregnancies and sexualities.

5. Steven Universe

   

   Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. The show centers around a young boy named Steven Universe, who is a hybrid of a gem and a human. He lives with his gem friends, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.

   This show has more plot than humor (though it still has a lot of humor). Usually, the plot has to do with something disturbing involving Steven, like aging faster than a fly.

   Way too many adult jokes, and Steven was very rude towards his kind father, Greg.

   This is dark. Steven thinks his mother is dead, and the final episode is very dark!

6. Avatar: The Last Airbender

   

   Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons from 2005 to 2008. It is set in an Asiatic-inspired world where some people can manipulate the classical elements using psychokinetic techniques based on Chinese martial arts, known as "bending."... read more

   Although Korra is much more mature, Avatar did deal with death in a similar way, and there were many heavy topics.

   Korra is dark, but so is this! All the airbenders died, and the villain Ozai is intent on killing everyone. There's even a bloodbender!

7. Fillmore!

   

   Fillmore! is an American animated television series created by Scott M. Gimple for ABC and later aired on Toon Disney. The show parodies 1970s cop dramas and follows Cornelius Fillmore and his partner Ingrid Third as safety patrol officers at X Middle School. It originally aired from 2002 to 2004 and... read more

   This show was my go-to on Disney! It tackled mature issues like bullying and school violence.

8. Teen Titans

   

   Teen Titans is an American animated television series created by Glen Murakami, based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. It originally aired on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2006 and later on Kids' WB. The series follows a team of young superheroes as they battle villains and navigate growing... read more

   Slade was very cruel. Starfire was almost forced into an arranged teenage marriage to a green elephant alien. Tara betrayed the main characters. A pink and white alien almost eats or kills Starfire. Raven's biological father is a child-friendly version of the devil, while her biological mother is implied to be dead. Raven was forced to be the Antichrist in at least four or five episodes. Starfire had an antagonistic relationship with her older sister. Robin was forced by Slade to become evil and betray his friends. Robin also had to take a very bratty blonde teenage female named "Kitten" to her prom.

   No, not the Go version. I don't know what Teen Titans was trying to do. There are episodes like Haunted, Birthmark, and Aftershock, which are amazing but also quite dark.

   On the other hand, there are episodes like Bunny Raven, Employee of the Month, and Fractured, which are just silly, weird ones. But this TV show is great any way you slice it.

9. Invader Zim

   

   Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, who is determined to conquer Earth with the help of his malfunctioning robot assistant, GIR.... read more

   Zim plucked out Keith's eyes and once went inside the main character's stomach to kill him. Zim is later flushed down the toilet in the same episode.

   Despite how great Invader Zim is, the show uses dark and horrifying humor. For instance, in the episode "Dark Harvest," Zim steals organs to become more human-like. To take it a step further, he replaces the organs of his classmates with random objects, disfiguring them in the process.

   It was dark, but the darkest episode was Dark Harvest, when Zim and Gir were collecting organs.

10. Girl Meets World

    

    Girl Meets World is an American coming-of-age television sitcom. The series debuted on Disney Channel on June 27, 2014. It is a sequel to the 1990s show Boy Meets World and follows the life of Cory and Topanga's daughter, Riley Matthews.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Mia and Me

    Pretty dark for a preschool show, especially the episode where they blew up the villain.

12. ?

    She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

    
The Contenders

13. Courage the Cowardly Dog

    

    Courage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated horror comedy television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network as part of the network's Cartoon Cartoons block. The show follows a timid pink dog named Courage who lives with an elderly couple in a farmhouse in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas... read more

    Courage was separated from his biological parents when he was only a puppy. Eustace and Muriel may have been a corrupt parody of the Hoggetts from the Babe pig franchise. Eustace's mother favored her late son, Horst, and Eustace's father was implied to have abused both of his sons and may have also abused his wife. Muriel's own parents may have been deceased. The beaver episode was dark. A cow was killed by a plant monster. Muriel was trapped in a quilt and a vinyl record in two separate episodes. Eustace tried to torture or kill Muriel and the pink or purple dog in the episode "Ball of Revenge". The main villain is a sentient, red tabby cat. An orange fox tried to eat Muriel. An alien chicken strangled the Earth chickens to death. Eustace ate alien chicken eggs, turned into an alien chicken, and was killed by the dog. The episode with Kitty and Bunny was very dark. May have had innuendos.

14. Ready Jet Go!

    

    Ready Jet Go! is a CGI-animated educational television series created by Craig Bartlett. It premiered on PBS Kids on February 15, 2016, and is aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 8. The show was produced by Wind Dancer Films and Snee-Oosh, Inc. in partnership with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.... read more

    Okay, so this show is not as mature as The Legend of Korra, and it doesn't contain deaths, but it does contain innuendos, lore, mystery, some drama, and depressing scenes. Heck, some scenes are not even meant to be depressing, but they are.

    Episodes like Sunspot and the Great Red Spot, Jet 2, Tiny Blue Dot, Beep Has the Blues, Visit to Mom's Office, Solar System Bake Off, and Kid Kart Derby have at least one of the elements I mentioned above. Keep in mind that this show is intended for little kids.

15. Adventure Time

    

    Adventure Time is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn, voiced by Jeremy Shada, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, voiced by John DiMaggio. Jake is a dog with the magical power to change... read more

    I'm so in love with Marcy, and my lacrimal ducts know that very well.

16. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

    

    Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, and CGCG Inc. The series originally aired on Cartoon Network from 2008 to 2013. It was later revived for a final season that premiered... read more

    One guy gets his neck snapped, and five guys are turned into decapitated corpses in the span of about 45 seconds.

    There was so much death for a kids' show. At least 800 on-screen deaths.

    This is much darker than The Legend of Korra, especially seasons 4-6.

17. Regular Show

    

    Regular Show is an American animated television series created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network that premiered on September 6, 2010. The series follows the lives of two friends, Mordecai, a blue jay, and Rigby, a raccoon. They work as groundskeepers at a local park and often find themselves in surreal... read more

    Fact: Regular Show was originally meant to be on Adult Swim, but they had to move it because there wasn't enough space on the schedule.

    That explains a lot.

    This show shouldn't even be for kids.

18. Rocko's Modern Life

    

    Rocko's Modern Life is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian-immigrant wallaby named Rocko, along with his friends: the gluttonous steer Heffer, the neurotic turtle Filburt, and Rocko's faithful... read more

    A man shoves his nipples into Rocko's eyes. One episode had nudists. Heffer's biological mom was killed and turned into a car seat. The frogs' son was very rude to his parents. Filbert lost his glasses in a movie theater and accidentally knocked over the film projector, causing a fire. The turtle may have been an orphan. The bull's adoptive father was very strict towards him. Spunky was almost attacked by the frogs' pet dog, Earl. The turtle island episode was creepy.

    It is a much more adult-like show than anything else that aired on Nickelodeon at the time.

19. Batman: The Animated Series

    

    Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It originally aired on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1995 and was developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski. The show is praised for its darker tone, film noir aesthetics, and introduction of original... read more

    Remember this show if you were a kid in the 1990s? (If you are 10 or younger, then you won't know this show, so I recommend you see it. Best Batman TV show ever.)

    Great memories. It gets dark and mature at times but is still awesome.

    Veronica Vreeland pretended to flirt with Oswald, the Penguin, in the episode "Birds of a Feather".

20. The Powerpuff Girls

    

    The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. The main characters of the show are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. The story follows Professor Utonium, who accidentally creates three little superhero girls using a mixture of sugar... read more

    Had a lot of adult jokes. The professor's former college roommate tried to murder the girls when they refused to betray their father.

    This should be in the top ten. How are more kid-friendly shows above this?

    This show has blood and monsters getting their eyes pulled out and body parts chopped off, which I haven't seen in any other shows on this list. The intro is enough proof - Buttercup kicks Him in the mouth, and blood and teeth fly out. The girls die at one point but get revived, just like The Rowdyruff Boys. A character in the show actually died from exploding, and it was emotional. This show has deaths, despite what some people think, and those deaths are disturbing.

    Also, episodes like Tough Love and Speed Demon scared many people and horrified them, though I was one of the few not to be horrified. There's even an episode where a magician dies in an iron maiden, comes to life as a zombie, and tries to kill the girls, but then one of the girls throws him back into the iron maiden. Doesn't that sound dark?

    How are shows like Dexter's Lab and Rugrats above this? They might have adult humor, but they are not as bloody and violent as this show. Most of the shows on this list aren't even that violent compared to this, though The Legend of Korra might be an exception.

    This show is really cool and awesome, and I like it. However, it is not very kid-friendly, but I wouldn't go as far as recommending it to adults.

21. SpongeBob SquarePants

    

    SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It has become one of Nickelodeon's most popular and longest-running shows, attracting both children and adults.... read more

    This show isn't that dark on the surface, but if you dig deep, there are many adult jokes and dark moments, like Mr. Krabs fighting the dead or burying an inspector with SpongeBob and passing the test. In contrast, though, this show is just meant to be for kids and is not truly a dark show.

    This show contains dark, violent, and disturbing moments. Plankton tries to kill himself, SpongeBob has a gory splinter, Squidward is depressed, and SpongeBob opens his heart in Dying for Pie. Gary gets neglected and leaves, and Nasty Patty is the darkest episode, where they think they've killed a health inspector and end up burying him!

22. Hey Arnold!

    

    Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett. It aired on Nickelodeon from October 7, 1996, to June 8, 2004.

    The show follows a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents in an inner-city boarding house. It became known for its diverse cast of... read more

    The Pigeon Man and the field trip episodes both involved animal abuse. Helga and Olga's father, Robert ("Bob"), put too much emphasis on education towards his daughters and had a toxic relationship towards his wife and his daughters' mother, Miriam. Helga bullies Arnold and her other classmates. A lizard eats a parrot onscreen. Arnold's pet pig, Abner, was almost eaten in the episode "Pig War." A dog is run over by a milk truck in the episode with Arnold's paternal grandaunt, Mitzi. Helga frames her nanny/babysitter for stealing. An 11 or 12-year-old girl named "Chloe" flirts with Gerald's older brother, Jamie. Jamie later falls in love with a manipulative 15 or 16-year-old female named "Charice." Thaddeus "Curly" has an unhealthy obsession with Rhonda. Eugene has bad luck and has a healthy crush on Lila. The bunny pajamas episode is mean-spirited. Oskar and Susie fight all the time. Erie bullies Oskar due to his Lithuanian ancestry. Arnold's maternal cousin, also named "Arnold," was implied to have been neurodivergent.

23. Over the Garden Wall

    

    Over the Garden Wall is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. It premiered in November 2014 and consists of ten episodes. The series follows two half-brothers as they journey through a mysterious forest and has received critical acclaim for its art... read more

24. Goosebumps

    

    Goosebumps is a Canadian - American horror anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's best-selling Goosebumps book series. The original series aired from 1995 to 1998 and became a popular entry point into horror for younger viewers. It has since inspired multiple adaptations, including a 2015... read more

25. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

    

    The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (also known simply as Billy & Mandy) is an American animated television series created by Maxwell Atoms for Cartoon Network. It is considered the 14th of the network's Cartoon Cartoons when it was part of Grim & Evil, though it is often regarded as separate from that... read more

    I saw this show as a kid and still like it.

    Grim is the best character.

    This is very creepy, but is there any gore?

    I remember this show. I wish I hadn't.

26. Rugrats

    

    Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show premiered in 1991 and follows a group of toddlers navigating life from their unique perspectives. It became one of Nickelodeon's most successful and longest-running animated... read more

    Angelica bullies the other infants and toddlers. Chuckie's mother died of a terminal illness. Angelica's mother, Charlotte, either had a false pregnancy or a miscarriage in one episode. Tommy and Angelica's paternal grandmother, Trixie, was deceased. Charlotte was too strict toward Angelica. Susie had a domineering mother. Chuckie had a fear of using the toilet. Stu and Drew had loud arguments.

27. The Ren & Stimpy Show

    

    The Ren & Stimpy Show, often referred to simply as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. It originally aired from 1991 to 1995 and is known for its surreal humor and controversial content. The series centers on Ren, an emotionally unstable... read more

    Ren bullies Stimpy in most of the episodes. This also has a lot of screaming and dark themes.