10. Invader Zim
Wanting to get rid of him, the Almighty Tallest assign Irken Zim a mission through the farthest place in the galaxy. Zim and his robot assistant Gir land on the obscure planet known as Earth. There he disguises himself as a human child transferring to school. No one thinks much of him besides being the new kid. Everyone except extraterrestrial-obsessed Dib.
I’m still haunted by that episode where Zim stole organs from all his classmates to make himself normal.
And let’s not forget the time he nearly killed off Dib from existence. I don’t think I can look at a toy pig the same again.
Oh, and how about when he was selling those nasty “chocolate” bars? Fundraising has never looked so messed up.
9. Whatever Happened to...Robot Jones?
Robot Jones begins attending a human middle school. As one would expect, very few like his presence. Even his own principal, who has a prejudice against all robots, despises him. Every day is a new discovery about humanity, regardless whether or not it improves Robot’s social life.
The title is literally what fans who grew up during Cartoon Network’s prime are thinking about.
Had a very short run of only 13 episodes.
Was very overshadowed by shows like PowerPuff Girls and Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
And CN practically erased this show from existence.
Some of us still remember when this show was around. And some of us originally thought this was a fever dream.
Despite being a somewhat silly cartoon in the style of “School House Rock” about a kid robot...this show was kind mean-spirited.
Didn’t help that the “robot-hating racist” principal looks like Hitler.
Watching this show as a kid was very haunting. Not just because it was difficult to watch someone get bullied for being different.
But because the entire human environment was like one giant deathland to RJ.
There was one episode where the PE teacher tried to force Robot Jones to take a shower. The nightmare RJ had about what would happen if he did remains burned in my mind.
Then there was the episode where a testing machine “committed suicide” because Robot broke its heart.
And recall how this series was cancelled before an actual finale could have been made?
Creator Greg Miller stated that if they had been allowed to finish the show, it would have ended with Robot Jones rallying a robot army and taking over the human race to the point of extinction.
Yes. That was the ending he had in mind.
As much as the idea gives me shivers, I cannot blame RJ if he had been given that route.
Almost every human character was a piece of sh*t. Even his so-called “love interest” who treated him like trash despite looking far worse herself.
If this show gets a reboot (and fingers crossed it does better than the horrible PPG and Ben 10 ones), I can actually imagine the concept as darker, grittier, and possibly made for Adult Swim.
8. The Marvelous Mis-Adventures of Flapjack
A young boy follows around a self-proclaimed pirate, both with an obsession for candy. While dreaming of finding the legendary Candy Island, they spend their days doing odd things around their sea town. Often accompanied by a sassy whale that serves as Flapjack’s mother figure, the two often get into chaotic situations.
This show was definitely on drugs.
And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
It was one of the best shows to grace Cartoon Network. And definitely paved a road for darker stuff in animation.
If it wasn’t for Flapjack, we probably wouldn’t have gotten Infinity Train.
This show was bizarre and still leaves me with questions. But out of all the wacky sh*t this cartoon has done, nothing can be as haunting as Peppermint Larry’s “candy wife”.
7. Happy Tree Friends
In a list about dark cartoons, how could this show not be on it?
The show features a war veteran whose PTSD results in killing his friends.
A superhero who wrecks more lives than saves them.
And let’s not forget that there’s a baby on this show. And he gets some of the worst deaths due to his father’s incompetence.
It’s no wonder we still love and watch this show today.
6. Amphibia
Anne didn’t expect her birthday to end up this way. First her friends pressure her to steal a weird-looking music box as her “gift”. Then suddenly she’s whisked away into another world inhabited by frog people. Now living with the Plantar family, Anne must reunite with her friends and find a way home.
If you already watched seasons 1 and 2, you know exactly why this is on the list.
Some of you are probably still crying over Marcy while awaiting season 3.
5. Drawn Together
Imagine characters from different genres living under one roof. Yes, we have fanfiction for that. But imagine forcing cheap knock-offs of beloved characters to live together. In a show that doesn’t shy away from doing absolute adult sh*t.
Don’t show this to your kids even though one of the characters looks like Ariel.
Not even South Park was this ballsy. And SP is pretty ballsy.
This show goes from 0 to 100 real quick with all its jokes, gags, and sexual gross-outs.
And if you saw the movie, dear god...
4. Samurai Jack
Forced to flee his home as a child, Jack was trained by many teachers for years to prepare for his battle with Aku. After many interventions, he is suddenly flung to the future. There he has spent many years adjusting to his new life while still seeking to end Aku’s reign. However, during that time, the evil demon’s influence has spread. A cult that worships Aku has birthed seven sisters who are determined to kill Jack.
There was no way Cartoon Network would have let season 5 go the way it did. Thank god for Adult Swim, or we would not have seen absolute brutality.
Sure, Cartoon Network shows have dealt with characters getting killed off. But the graphics and bloodshed Samurai Jack provided in its final season makes Rick Sanchez’s actions look angelic.
3. Darkwing Duck
Young orphan Gosyalyn gets rescued by the one who calls himself “the terror that flaps in the night”. He’s a vigilante named Darkwing Duck who soon becomes the little girl’s adoptive father. They later meet Launchpad (from the 1987 Ducktales series) and form an unstoppable team.
Compare this to Tailspin and Rescue Rangers.
Yes, Disney went pretty ballsy on this 90s classic.
Sure, it’s a comedy cartoon. But some episodes got dark pretty fast.
How dark, you ask?
One episode had Darkwing Duck die and meet Satan.
2. Rugrats
Every day is an adventure for Tommy Pickles and his friends. When they are not under the watchful eye of the adults (and that’s pretty much always), the babies explore the wonders around them. Sometimes even Tommy’s older cousin Angelica tags along just to mess with the “dumb babies”. And sometimes they all end up in one big mess that usually can resolve thanks to events correlating with the adults.
For a show about babies, it has some dark themes.
There was the episode where Chuckie wished he was never born. And it’s ten times worse than “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
The episode where Angelica was trying to conquer her addiction for cookies to no avail. As kids, we thought it was just a love for sweets. As adults, we still love sweets, but holy crap, did they portray Angelica as an ideal crackhead!
And who else as a child really believed that if we swallowed watermelon seeds, it would grow inside us? That episode with the babies shrinking down and travelling inside Chuckie was unnerving.
You know what’s scarier than pretty much all of the above?
The 2021 reboot.
1. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Some of the sh*t that happens in this show still haunts us as adults.
And even if you watch the show again all grown up, you’re still going to keep the lights on.
Sure, this show doesn’t go without some tearjerker moments. And especially the most wholesome moments for any Cartoon Network show.
But man, who still remembers that ‘You’re not perfect’ bit with the 3D animated fetus?!
Dear god, this show was for KIDS!
