Don’t we all wish that our favoriteshow,book, or movie could just go on forever? It’s completely natural to feel that way about a story you fall in love with and characters who start feeling like old friends. Here’s the hard truth, though:stories are meant to end.When a show overstays its welcome, it stops evolving.
The characters lose their spark, the writing gets lazy, and in the middle of all of this, eventhe most famous showsof all time start to destroy their own legacy.The real magic of a story is in the endingand making sure that all loose ends are tied up at the perfect time.
10’SpongeBob SquarePants' (1999–)
Created by Stephen Hillenburg
SpongeBob SquarePantspremiered in 1999 on Nickelodeon and went on to become one of thegreatestcartoonsto have ever aired on the show. Created by marine biologist and animatorStephen Hillenburg,the show is set in the fictional underwater town of Bikini Bottom and revolves around a sea sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny), a chef at Krabby Patty. With a host of other colorful sea creatures, including Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke), Sandy Hook (Carolyn Lawrence),and more, the cartoon is known for itsoffbeat humor, slapstick comedy,andoccasionally heartfelt moments that emphasizethe importance of friendship. As successful as it was, though,the show has stretched far beyond its original run, and in doing so, it has slowly lost the charmthat made it such a classic.
Hillenburg actually envisioned just three seasons for the show. His idea was to tell the stories of all these characters within a creative boundary to preserve their fresh energy. He actually stepped away from his role as showrunner after the release ofThe SpongeBob SquarePants Moviein 2004, which he wanted to be the series finale. Unfortunately, though, the network kept the show going, and as of 2025, the cartoon is in its 16th season. The problem, however, is thatwhen Hillenberg left, the show lost its original identityand slowly started becoming more exaggerated and absurd. The characters that the viewers fell in love with now feel like caricatures of their original selves, and the newer episodes of the show are leaning on overused tropes.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Spongebob Squarepants is an animated comedy created by Stephen Hillenburg and starring voices from Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and Rodger Bumpass. The series revolves around a sea sponge that goes on many misadventures with his friends Patrick, Squidward, and Sandy Cheeks in the lands of Bikini Bottom and the surrounding sea.
9’The Ren & Stimpy Show' (1991–1996)
Created by John Kricfalusi
The Ren & Stimpy Showpremiered back in 1991, and at its peak, it was theflagship show of Nickelodeon’s Saturday night lineup. The show follows the bizarre misadventures of a neurotic Chihuahua named Ren Höek (John Kricfalusi) and a dim-witted cat named Stimpy (Billy West). In many ways,The Ren & Stimpy Showwasthe beginning of what we now know as edgy cartooning with a bold, provocative, and unconventional style. The humor was fueled by a mix of twistedviolence and dark comedy, which meant that the show wasn’t exactly meant for kids. Adults, however, could easily appreciate the cartoon for its grotesque, slightly disturbing nature.
Now,The Ren & Stimpy Showhad a great run, despite all the controversy it stirred. In 1992,Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi due to creative differences, and while the show went on to air till 1995, it struggled to maintain momentum once the showrunner was replaced. AfterThe Ren & Stimpy Show’s original run ended with five seasons,Paramountrebooted the show in July 2024 and brought Kricfalusi to helm it. The new version of the cartoon is titledRen & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon, and it caters to an older, predominantly male audience. Unfortunately, though, it failed to capture the original show’s appeal and just feels like amishmash of crude humorwith no actual storyline. From a technical perspective,the animation doesn’t have the same cozy feel to it due to changing industry standards, and the voice actors don’t sound the same anymore. I’ll say that the writing is decent at times, but all in all, the reboot is just too removed from the original show we all loved.
The Ren and Stimpy Show
Ren, a psychotic Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a dimwitted Manx cat who goes by the nickname Stimpy, have a host of unusual adventures.
8’Family Guy' (1999–)
Created by Seth MacFarlane
Family Guypremiered back in 1999. Set in the fictional town of Quahog,the adult cartoon revolves aroundthe dysfunctional Griffin family, who often find themselves in wild situations, often thanks to their politically incorrect ways.Family Guycarved out a space of its own in the adult comedy genre and went head-to-head with other iconic shows such asThe Simpsons,which really is saying something.In its early years, the cartoon was bold, edgy, and shockingly clever with its humor. I loved the writers' ability to take fearless risks and keep things unpredictable. In fact, when the show was canceled after its first three seasons in 2002, an overwhelming amount of DVD sales prompted the creators to revive it just a few years later in 2005.
However, it’s really starting to show thatFamily Guyhas been airing for over two decadesnow. I’d say that shift started around the Season 12 mark when the show started becoming predictable and a little repetitive. Maybe it was because they had pretty much exhausted every trope out there, butthe writers started to lean on shock value rather than actual storytelling. In 2025, the show entered its 23rd season, and at this point,Family Guyhas become downright unfunny.
In aninterview withThe Hollywood Reporter, series creatorSeth MacFarlanewent on to admit that the show should have ended around Season 7.Obviously, that reflects pretty poorly onFamily Guywith the implication that every season after that has simply been unnecessary. That being said, the show continues to draw an audience, which gives the producers a reason to keep greening it every year. Unfortunately, though,it has definitely lost its subversive charm along the way.
Family Guy
7’The Fairly OddParents' (2001–2017)
Created by Butch Hartman
Let’s talk about another cartoonactually meant for kids:The Fairly OddParents. To be completely honest, though, an entire generation grew up with Timmy Turner. Premiering in 2001,The Fairly OddParentsfollowed ten-year-old Timmy Turner (Tara Strong) and his fairy godparents, Cosmo (Daran Norris) and Wanda (Susanne Blakeslee). Back in the day, the cartoon was unlike any other. It wasfast-paced, imaginative, and absolutely hilariouswith some of themost lovable cartoon charactersof all time. What I loved aboutThe Fairly OddParentswashow self-aware the show was with its constant commentary about childhood and adulthood at the same time. This was actually a cartoon that knew how to do side characters right and gave them distinctive personalities.
Sadly, though, that’s actually what led to the show’s downfall. The decline definitely didn’t happen overnight, but I’d say that the series started feeling a bit too much with the introduction of Cosmo and Wanda’s baby, Poof (Strong). That was only the beginning of the end, though, becausethe show kept adding more and more characters in an attempt to keep things interesting. My last straw was when they brought in Chloe (Kari Wahlgren) because her addition completely shifted the dynamic of the show. Since Chloe had shared Timmy’s godparents due to a shortage of fairies, she slowly took over the show and became a distraction.By the timeFairly Oddparentsended in 2017, it was a shell of the show the fans had once fallen in love with, and I really wish the creators hadn’t let things get to this point.
The Fairly OddParents
6’The Simpsons' (1989–)
Created by Matt Groening
I can’t deny thatThe Simpsonsmight be themost influential TV showof all time. When it premiered in 1989, the series became the blueprint for adult animation. What I really appreciate about the show is that it doesn’t back down from tackling real-life issues through the lens of this strange yellow-colored family that the entire world fell in love with.In its early years,The Simpsonsdelivered some of the smartest comedy television had to offer. Just a few seasons in, the show became a cultural phenomenon that wouldpoke fun at everythingfrom politics to pop culture.The writers managed to strike the perfect balance between satire and heartwarming storylinesthat actually made you care about the people that made Springfield the town it was.
Like any other show that continues to run for decades, though,The Simpsonsalso lost its charm over the years.Many fans would agree thatthe show started going downhill after Season 10. The show iscurrently in its 36th season, and the writing feels sloppy, the storylines are repetitive,and the quirky charactersthat we all know and love have become rather annoying, honestly. Just to be clear, though,The Simpsonsis still a ratings success, which explains whyFoxkeeps renewing it. Creatively speaking, though, the spark is just not there anymore.
The Simpsons
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
5’Regular Show' (2010–2017)
Created by J. G. Quintel
WhenRegular Showpremiered in 2010, it gaveCartoon Networkthe refresh it needed. The show followed friends Mordecai (J. G. Quintel)and Rigby (William Salyers), two lazy groundskeepers who will do anything to avoid work. Despite its pretty simple premise, the show was weirdly funny, and the absurdity of it all came together perfectly.The early seasons ofRegular Showare cartoon genius.The relatably low-stakes, deadpan dialogue, and unexpectedly heartfelt moments resonated with a diverse audienceand took them back to the ’80s, where cartoons were slow-paced and intentional with their storytelling.
It really pains me to say this, but sadly,Regular Showlost its mojo around Season 4, because the plot mainly started to revolve around Mordecai’s love life. The character arc definitely started off as pretty fun, but it was seriously drawn out by the time Season 5 ended.It was almost like watching an entirely different show, where Rigby was reduced to a side character. I have to give it to the writers for trying to bring the show back to its original tone in Seasons 6 and 7. Unfortunately, though, things really went downhill in Season 10 when they introduced anout-of-place sci-fi narrativethat centered on Pops (Sam Marin) and Anti-Pops (Robert Englund). The finale was well done, but as a whole,the later seasons of the show felt disconnected from the original plot.
Regular Show
4’Rick and Morty' (2013–)
Created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland
Speaking of cartoons that disrupt the industry, how can I not talk aboutRick and Morty? The show premiered in 2013 and revolved around an alcoholic super-scientist named Rick Sanchez and his awkward grandson, Morty, both voiced byJustin Roiland. The story follows the two partners-in-crime traveling through dimensionsand destroying timelines.Rick and Mortywas always meant to be an exploration of existential dread mixed with dark humorand unpredictable storylines. The first few seasons of the show were unbelievably smart and have gone down in cartoon history. However, the series became a victim of what once made it so great, and that’s just hard to see.
The show’s hyper-meta,fourth-wall-breaking humorwas once considered fresh. Over the years, though, it started feeling stale and exhausting, almost as ifthe cartoon wasn’t doing anything to reinvent itself. The turning point of the show came when Roiland was fired after being accused of sexual assault. I’m not denying thatAdult Swimmade the right choice there, butmaybe the show should have come to a memorable end at that point, instead of recasting its most important roles. I’ll say that the show does deliver clever episodes here and there, but overall, it’s no longer the pop culture phenomenon that it used to be.
Rick and Morty
The fractured domestic lives of a nihilistic mad scientist and his anxious grandson are further complicated by their inter-dimensional misadventures.
Created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker, and Matt Weltzman
Back whenAmerican Dad!premiered in 2005, it felt like Seth MacFarlanecould really do no wrong with adult animation. The show was distinctly different fromFamily Guyand focused on character-driven storytelling. Set in the fictional town of Langley Falls,American Dad!revolves around theultra-conservative CIA agentand Smith family patriarch, Stan Smith (MacFarlane). What I love aboutAmerican Dad!is how unapologetically the showleans into exaggerated political humorto explore human nature. As an over-the-top right-winger, Stan definitely does some questionable stuff. At the same time, though,he is presented as a dad struggling to understand his family’s different points of view, and that’s what made it so meaningful.
Once again, though, two decades later, the show has started feeling like a shell of its former self. The show has just aired its 21st season, and at this point,American Dad!is so out of sync with the times and its earlier episodes that you feel like you’re watching a completely different show. What really bothers me, though, is thatStan has had practically no character development in all these years. In fact, his daughter Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), who once stood as Stan’s exact opposite, has also been reduced toa one-dimensional character.The jokes and the recycled tropes have made the cartoon lose all its relevance, and at this point, it would be a better decision to just bow out with dignity than to keep things going just for the heck of it.
American Dad!
2’Phineas and Ferb' (2007–)
Created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh
I’ll say it:Phineas and Ferbis one of the greatest cartoons to have ever come from theDisney Channel. The show premiered in 2007 and stood out for its unique premise that followed step-brothers, Phineas (Vincent Martella)and Ferb (Thomas Brodie-Sangster),spending every day of their summer vacation building something wild. From rollercoasters to time machines and teleporters, every episode features a brand-new inventionas their sister, Candace (Ashley Tisdale),tries her best to get the boys busted. Not to mention the lovable secret agent platypus Perry and his arch nemesis Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire),who only add to the plot. In its early seasons, the cartoon was fresh, fun, andthe perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.
The show officially ended in 2015 with Season 4, and I think it was a great time to bring the story to an end. Disney, however, kept churning out movies and crossovers time and again. I’ll admit that some of these were fun to watch, but by the time the 2020 moviePhineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universepremiered, I was a little sick of it all. Considering all this,Disney’s decision to revive the show comes off as really unnecessary. The reboot premiered on August 20, 2025, andhas been met with mixed reactions, especially since it picks up right where Season 4 left off. Sure, some might tune in for the pure nostalgia of it all, but I think the show needs to be put to rest once and for all.
Phineas and Ferb
1’South Park' (1997–)
Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Since its debut in 1997,South Parkhas managed to remain one of themost talked-about showson TV, for right and wrong reasons. What made the cartoon so special back in the day was that the writers never tried to play it safe. Whether it’s fart jokes orpoking fun at celebrities and politicians,South Park’s comedic range is pretty incredible. I have to give the show credit forgenuinely evolving over the years and tackling social issues through its crude humor. The early episodes of the cartoon are fast-paced, sharp, and extremely clever with their use of satire.
Like all long-running shows, though,South Parkis also starting to feel dated now that it has been on air for over two decades. Now, I’m not saying that the cartoon is bad. It has managed to retain a loyal audience to this day. What bothers me, though, is that the show has shifted gears and now featureslong-form story arcsthat have replaced its originally quick, standalone format.It feels like the writers are afraid of experimenting with something new, which has resulted in the storylines feeling repetitive and irrelevant, which has taken away from the unpredictability that the cartoon was once known for.
South Park
Follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
