Top 10 Good Cartoons That Went Downhill

The Top Ten

The Fairly OddParents

The Fairly OddParents is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It originally premiered as a series of shorts on Oh Yeah! Cartoons in 1998 before debuting as a full series on March 30, 2001.... read more

I can't think of another good cartoon that got bad more than The Fairly OddParents. Growing up in the 2000s, The Fairly OddParents was one of the most important shows of my childhood and certainly one of the best shows on Nickelodeon.
I know I have an unpopular opinion, but I actually didn't mind when the show added Poof in season 6 (though Cosmo being pregnant in Fairly OddBaby was downright disturbing). Poof was a one-dimensional character and didn't annoy me as much as Sparky and Chloe, which I will get to eventually.
The live-action movies were cheesy and forgettable, but it wasn't until season 9 that I truly felt The Fairly OddParents had gotten bad. Sparky was very annoying, unlike Poof, and made the show rather unwatchable than entertaining.
Then came season 10, and the show got really bad. Just when you thought The Fairly OddParents couldn't get worse, they did it. They finally did it. Nickelodeon has officially killed The Fairly OddParents. Not only did they add yet another obnoxious new character named Chloe, but they also changed the plot of Timmy having fairies to Timmy having to share fairies, switched the animation to flash animation, made Vicky, Tootie, Chester, AJ, and many other main characters side characters, and even added a new theme song (and it sounds terrible, unlike the old one!).
Unlike SpongeBob, which has surprisingly improved since the return of Stephen Hillenburg, Fairly OddParents has definitely gotten worse over time. At this point, I'm glad the show has been moved to Nicktoons and finally been put out of its misery. It's so sad to see such a wonderful cartoon that started off as a masterpiece but got so terrible in its later seasons. Fairly OddParents has no reason to stay on the air anymore! No one cares about Fairly OddParents anymore, Nickelodeon! If only Butch Hartman focused more on his other shows like Danny Phantom and T.U.F.F. Puppy and let this one rest like it should have after season 8.
Family Guy

Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of Peter, Lois, their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog, Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog... read more

This show started out more like The Simpsons and the late Critic show, but as the years went by, it became more like The Simpsons meets South Park. It just wanted to outdo everything else and be the new most controversial show out there. That's why suddenly there was cursing and other such things in every episode.
The characters all became totally unlikable, and you just hated them, Brian above all. Stewie turned from a baby version of the Brain to the show's new anti-hero. Every episode seems more pointless than the last. This one should've said goodbye to us when it did to Cleveland.

Weird! I don't recall this show EVER being good. The earlier seasons were certainly better, but that's not really saying much. It's the equivalent of saying a searing oven is cooler than an inferno.
This pathetic excuse for a show gives animation in general a bad name and needs to be cancelled. Do yourself a favor and watch Futurama instead. It's MILES better!
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

Yes, this show did used to be good when it first premiered back in 1999, but it went downhill starting with season 4. True, post-movie SpongeBob did deliver some great episodes, but also had a variety of really bad episodes. Episodes after the second theatrical film are even worse! Why? Too many goofy facial expressions! Why do people find this funny? Because "the original crew returned to SpongeBob." That is not going to make SpongeBob any better. SpongeBob was supposed to rely on mostly dialogue humor. I too was expecting seasons 10 and onwards to be exactly like the first three seasons. I was wrong. It just went from bad to worse.
Ren and Stimpy

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

The Adult Party Cartoon revival is specifically what people mean by the show going downhill. Just Google "Ren Seeks Help." I haven't seen that episode, but judging by how Ren looks so satanic in the images and that there's one image of him seeming to undergo surgery, I don't think I have the guts to watch the episode myself.

Even without APC, Ren and Stimpy still went downhill. Season 3 was a huge mixed bag with classics like "An Abe Divided," "Stimpy's Cartoon Show," and "A Yard Too Far." It quickly got bad with "Bass Masters" and then the awful "Ren's Retirement." The season was meh, but it really wasn't all that bad.
But then there's season 4, which is the only season of the show I consider bad. So many episodes had Ren or Stimpy getting tortured for no reason, or had one of them being out of character, or having really dumb endings. Season 5 wasn't too bad but very underwhelming with some great episodes but many more meh or bad episodes.
Plus, the animation started to get more choppy and low quality as the show went on to season 4 (excluding "A Scooter for Yaksmas"). Ren and Stimpy just didn't have the same charm it did in seasons 1-2 and half of season 3. Don't get me wrong, I don't like seasons 4 and 5 of this show, but I would take them over APC any day.
The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening. It originally aired as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show starting April 19, 1987, and debuted as a standalone series on December 17, 1989.
As of 2026, it remains the longest-running animated sitcom. The show follows Homer Simpson... read more

Every time I think of The Simpsons I yawn and say, "When is this show going to end?" Don't get me wrong, I love the first 10 seasons, and I understand Matt Groening and the writers are trying really hard to keep the show fresh and original.
I give the show credit because the characters are still likable and the animation has gotten better, but the humor is so dull and the morals have become too politically accurate, to the point where it's now boring to sit through. I still think The Simpsons is without a doubt one of the most iconic cartoons of all time. I just feel that the best way for the show to remain strong is for it to finally be put to rest before it suffers more.
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 don't like Adventure Time that much to begin with, but I will admit that I did like its older episodes in the first few seasons. They were actually quite fun to watch, to be honest.
However, based on what everyone is saying about the show having now lost its charm and humor, it seems to me Adventure Time has become as boring as a Naruto filler episode.
UPDATE: Okay, it seems the show has gotten a lot better, so I respect Adventure Time much more now. Here's to the continued success of Adventure Time as it nears its series conclusion and the upcoming movie it will be getting.

Adventure Time was one of my favorite cartoons in its first four seasons. Ironic that my two favorite cartoons both went downhill in season 5.
Adventure Time's halfway point through the fifth and sixth seasons lost the charm and humor it used to have. It's just boring now.
South Park

South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The show centers on four boys: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, and their adventures in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. It's known... read more

Many cartoons like The Simpsons or Family Guy went downhill but are still watchable. South Park, however, since the show changed in a bad way, is not watchable anymore. This show is too serious, too dramatic, and too based on real life. The newest gags are lame, unfunny, and overused.
It started to become unwatchable in season 19 with PC, gentrification, yaoi, and ADD. Then, it became worse in season 20 with no standalone episodes and a bad storyline. The season focused too much on Garrison, Gerard, Cartman, Heidi, Butters, and Kyle, making most of the major characters (especially Stan and Kenny) feel useless. I just hope season 23 will be the last and South Park will be cancelled after that. Unless Trey and Matt seriously stop that continuity and bring back South Park as it was before season 19.
Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb is an American animated musical comedy television series. It was initially previewed on August 17 and September 28, 2007, before officially premiering on February 1, 2008. Its original run concluded on June 12, 2015, after four seasons on Disney Channel and Disney XD, but the series... read more

It's not that the quality of the show became bad, we just got tired of the same formula every time. Each episode is just the same thing except Professor Doof might build a different "inator." And when the 7 planets align, they might make some small changes to the formula. I don't mind if Disney keeps airing this show, but I won't be catching up with it anytime soon.

They keep using the same thing over and over again. They have lost their creativity. The rocket idea has been done 90 times, and they've traveled through time way too much.
Total Drama

Total Drama is a Canadian animated comedy television series that pays homage to and parodies conventions commonly found in reality television. The series debuted with Total Drama Island in 2007 and has since spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs. The franchise is known for its satirical take on competition-based... read more

I honestly like the first three seasons (Island, Action, and World Tour), but after that, it's all downhill. I say it should've just been canceled after World Tour.

After Tom McGillis left in season 4, the show lost its charm. That, and the new contestants aren't as realistic or as funny.

Why does this still air?! Seriously, it's just gotten sadistic lately!
Dexter's Laboratory

Dexter's Laboratory is an American comic science fiction animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. It was one of the network's earliest original animated series and was later branded as a Cartoon Cartoon. The show follows Dexter, a boy genius with a secret laboratory.... read more

You know, when this show's seasonal rot was run by Chris Savino, at least this one's seasonal rot was run by the same guy who not only worked on this show before he took over but also had his name on countless of our favorite cartoons growing up and created The Loud House.

Only the animation was affected. Keep your eyes closed, and you'll be fine.

I'm more inclined to agree that the first two seasons were such awesome seasons. Unfortunately, Genndy Tartakovsky left Dexter's Laboratory to work on Samurai Jack, and later handed his prior to that one man I hate as a person now (because of his sexual harassment). Due to that, the show became very boring, and most of the new episodes suffered as a result.
However, I don't hate all of the new episodes. Just like The Powerpuff Girls, there are quite a number of episodes that I genuinely enjoy. Dexter the Barbarian, Dexter's Wacky Races (because it's nice for once to see the Justice League and Dial M for Monkey again), Used Ink, Momdark, and Glove at First Sight are all fantastic episodes if you ask me.
But generally speaking, I do think the new seasons were very boring and uncreative. I think this was due to the success of the TV movie Ego Trip, which was supposed to be the series finale.
Personally, I'm glad it ended when it did because, despite some great episodes, seasons 3 and 4 were very lackluster, with such boring episodes like Garage Sale, Jeepers Creepers Where is Peepers?, and... don't even get me started on Sore Eyes. But what interests me about these new seasons is, like The Powerpuff Girls, some of the people who actually worked on these new seasons.
First of all, the character designers. You got Chris Battle, who's also designed characters for Aaahh! Real Monsters, and Walter Dohrn, who's also directed the second season of SpongeBob SquarePants. And even some of the writers. You got Chris Reccardi, who's also the co-creator of The Modifyers, and Aaron Springer, who would also later direct episodes of Gravity Falls. So, not everything about these new seasons of Dexter's Laboratory was bad.

The Newcomers

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Johnny Test

Johnny Test is an American-Canadian animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for its first season and by Cookie Jar Entertainment and DHX Media for the remainder of its original run. It aired from September 17, 2005, to December 25, 2014, on Kids' WB and Cartoon Network in the United... read more

Johnny Test actually did start out as a good cartoon. Too bad the CW merger caused the show to suffer budget cuts after season one.
When the show moved to Cartoon Network, that's when it actually became bad.
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Avengers Assemble

I heard that the show goes downhill in its last season because the writers decided to give Black Panther the spotlight. I think people forgot he's an Avenger too, but at the same time, it's about the whole team, not just one member.
I am in season 3 now, and I can say that so far, season 2 is the worst because the plotline seemed all over the place. The Avengers defeat Thanos twice, then Ultron once! It took them a span of several episodes to defeat those villains! So it felt like an unstable Jenga tower.
Despite the mess, the Avengers finally got Ant-Man to join the team! He's funny, and so far, season 3 is already back in place and darker. I am excited!

The Contenders

The Powerpuff Girls

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

After Craig McCracken left the show after season 4, the show's quality went down the drain. The plots for seasons 5 and 6 were quite ridiculous overall. The characters went through very noticeable bad changes, the action was no longer exciting and was instead boring, and the comedy lost its luster.
Also, on a minor note, the show switched to digital ink midway through season 4, and to be honest, I prefer the less advanced animation of seasons 1-3.

You know, when this show's seasonal rot, along with Dexter's Laboratory's seasonal rot, was run by Chris Savino, at least this one's seasonal rot, as well as Dexter's Laboratory's seasonal rot, was run by the same guy who not only worked on these two shows before he took over but also had his name on countless of our favorite cartoons growing up and created The Loud House.
Arthur

Arthur is an American-Canadian animated educational television series for children, developed by Marc Brown and Kathy Waugh and produced by WGBH Boston for PBS. The show is based on Brown's book series and follows the adventures of Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark. It aired from 1996 to 2022... read more

Arthur's new voice in 2000 was so bad they had enough sense to get the original actor back by the next season. But a few seasons ago, it became girlish and high-pitched. But that's not what made it go bad.
One problem is how Muffy turned from a supporting character into a spotlight one. She was always spoiled, but now she's a brat who seems to think the world revolves around her. She's replaced D.W. as the show's lead brat. And all the new characters they've added add nothing and are totally boring.
Not to mention the PC. They were so proud of it they constantly aired the one when Mr. Ratburn married another man until some places banned it. Funny point: In last November's Thanksgiving episode when the cast is gathered at the table Mr. Ratburn and his hubby aren't seated holding hands the way the producers would have preferred.
Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes is an American series of animated comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. from 1930 to 1969. It was released during what is often referred to as the Golden Age of American animation. The series was created alongside its sister series, Merrie Melodies, and introduced iconic characters... read more

The Bugs Bunny Show is definitely one of the worst cartoons in history, and it made people's childhoods worse. I only like the late '60s Looney Tunes because they had fewer roguish characters.

The late 60s shorts, need we say more?
Garfield

This is a comic strip, but who the heck cares! I did not add this here, but I just HATE Garfield from 2010-present. The characters are total addicts to technology, Jon and Garfield are just stupid, and it's run out of ideas. A lot of jokes are just remakes of older strips, and it's really bland. Garfield has overstayed his welcome and needs to end.
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

Dipper became a giant jerk in season 2, and I preferred the old episodes that were just separate stories that could stand on their own.
Tom and Jerry

Tom and Jerry is an American animated series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It is best known for its 161 theatrical shorts produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which feature the comedic rivalry between Tom, a cat, and Jerry, a mouse.... read more

The reason is because of criticism regarding its rehashing of classic movies like The Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Bill and Joe's cartoons were better than the Gene Deitch ones. The Chuck Jones cartoons were better too, but they still can't top the Bill and Joe cartoons.

I like the old classic Tom and Jerry, but the new one is not that good at all.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated children's television series based on the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. The show follows a studious unicorn who later becomes an alicorn, Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong), and her friends Applejack (Ashleigh Ball),... read more

The first season is pretty good, and the second one is okay. The rest is barely watchable unless you're mentally ill. Also, I should avoid the fandom like a plague if I were you.

It was popular, but after season 5, it's going downhill.
Teen Titans Go!

Teen Titans Go! is an American animated television series developed for Cartoon Network and produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. The show follows a group of teenage superheroes called the Teen Titans as they return home from missions and get into silly, everyday adventures. It is... read more
Drawn Together

Drawn Together is an American adult animated sitcom that ran on Comedy Central from October 27, 2004, to November 14, 2007. Created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, the series uses a sitcom format set inside a reality TV-style house, with characters parodying various animation styles and familiar... read more

It was good. Just skip the movie.
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

Sometimes I wonder what Invader Zim would have been like had it not been canceled so early, given that Jhonen hated working for Nickelodeon at the time.
Pokemon

Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title Pocket Monsters and branded in English as Pokémon the Series, is a Japanese anime television series adapted for international audiences. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, and in the United States on September 8, 1998.... read more
Space Goofs

Space Goofs is a French animated series produced by Gaumont Multimedia and Xilam for France 3 that first aired in 1997. It also debuted that year in Germany on ProSieben. The show follows five aliens stranded on Earth who hide in a rented house while trying to avoid detection.
The Boondocks

The Boondocks is an American animated sitcom created by Aaron McGruder for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. It is based on his comic strip of the same name. The series premiered on November 6, 2005, and is known for its sharp political and social commentary.

Only the first three seasons were good. Season 4 wasn't.
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
Danny Phantom

Danny Phantom is an American animated series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It was produced by Billionfold Inc. and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
The series follows a teenage boy who becomes a human-ghost hybrid after an accident involving a malfunctioning portal between the human world... read more