Is Cartoon Network better now than it was 2004-2006?

[Zelek]

The mid-2000s seem to be a rather controversial time period for CN. If you go on YouTube, there are tons of comments from kids born in the late 90s (like, 1997-1999 or so) who miss CN City and refer to it as the "Golden Age" of the network, and consider shows like Squirrel Boy, Camp Lazlo, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Class of 3000, Gym Partner, Totally Spies, and Foster's to be "classics" (even though most of them were panned when they first came out). They hate Stuart Snyder (the 2007-2014 president of CN) and miss Jim Samples (2001-2007 president of CN) dearly.

On the other hand, you've got older views who hate the mid-2000s era of CN and consider it to be the network's "Dark Ages," mainly due to the shows I mentioned above and their "political correctness" and overall bland feel. They hate Jim Samples and think Snyder pulled CN out of a huge slump. Which side are you on?

If you wanna refresh your memory, here are some bumpers/promos from that era: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF1-E56cU84

Also, this is what many 00s kids consider to be the "peak" of Cartoon Network: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyHeuRQfKU4

[Commode]

Oh, you're here now.  Hmm...

[Zelek]

I decided to post here because I know this forum is probably harsher on mid-2000s Cartoon Network than any other (way harsher than Toonzone, at any rate), and I'd like to hear your opinions.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Personally, I think the majority of the current era's shows are of a vastly superior quality and the programming schedule is pretty balanced with few shows too overplayed and enough older titles mixed in rotations, so yeah, I'd say the modern Cartoon Network is better than it was in the mid-00's period.

The only downside to this era is the lack of action series. Even Ben 10, which is in what I think is it's strongest incarnation to date, has been getting the shaft, and is completely off-air now for the first time since 2006. I'm hoping that they don't give up on making action programming altogether.

[Commode]

Well, I didn't really answer the question when this thread popped up at NoHomers, but I didn't really watch Cartoon Network in 2004-2006(though I was aware of some of the shows), and I honestly don't watch it now, so uh... I don't have much to go with really?  I mean, objectively Adventure Time and Regular Show are better than Squirrel Boy and Sitting Ducks, but I like neither show at this point so it's all moot.  Still think shows like Gumball and Uncle Grandpa, from what I've seen of them, are garbage though.

[Zelek]

Personally, I think the majority of the current era's shows are of a vastly superior quality and the programming schedule is pretty balanced with few shows too overplayed and enough older titles mixed in rotations, so yeah, I'd say the modern Cartoon Network is better than it was in the mid-00's period.

The only downside to this era is the lack of action series. Even Ben 10, which is in what I think is it's strongest incarnation to date, has been getting the shaft, and is completely off-air now for the first time since 2006. I'm hoping that they don't give up on making action programming altogether.

Do you think CN summer 2005 (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyHeuRQfKU4) deserves to be called "the peak of Cartoon Network" or do you think it's just blind nostalgia?

[LumRanmaYasha]

I think Gumball is pretty great, myself. I recommend watching "The Sweaters," "The Remote," and "The World." If those episodes don't' tickle your fancy, then I guess the show really isn't for you. As for UG, I think it's a bit of a mixed bag and don't really care for it, but I like Peter Browngardt's sense of humor for the most part (met him, and he's a cool dude), so I can't really hate it or anything myself.

I felt Adventure Time and Regular Show both had a stale period a while back, and that led me to lose interest in them for about a year, but after giving them another chance I saw that they picked up again a while ago and have put up some of the strongest episodes they've made to date. I'd wager they are both in a creative high-point, right now.

Personally, I think the majority of the current era's shows are of a vastly superior quality and the programming schedule is pretty balanced with few shows too overplayed and enough older titles mixed in rotations, so yeah, I'd say the modern Cartoon Network is better than it was in the mid-00's period.

The only downside to this era is the lack of action series. Even Ben 10, which is in what I think is it's strongest incarnation to date, has been getting the shaft, and is completely off-air now for the first time since 2006. I'm hoping that they don't give up on making action programming altogether.

Do you think CN summer 2005 (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyHeuRQfKU4) deserves to be called "the peak of Cartoon Network" or do you think it's just blind nostalgia?

I don't think the summer of '05 was particularly a bad period for CN, but I wouldn't call it the peak. I'd wager that was around 1999-2002, the height of the Powerhouse era. Of course, I'm basing that based on what I remember, schedules I've looked at, and how I feel about the shows CN aired during that period nowadays.

But if we were to call that the Golden Age of Cartoon Network, I personally think that CN is now in it's Silver Age.

[Commode]

Personally, I think the majority of the current era's shows are of a vastly superior quality and the programming schedule is pretty balanced with few shows too overplayed and enough older titles mixed in rotations, so yeah, I'd say the modern Cartoon Network is better than it was in the mid-00's period.

The only downside to this era is the lack of action series. Even Ben 10, which is in what I think is it's strongest incarnation to date, has been getting the shaft, and is completely off-air now for the first time since 2006. I'm hoping that they don't give up on making action programming altogether.

Do you think CN summer 2005 (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyHeuRQfKU4) deserves to be called "the peak of Cartoon Network" or do you think it's just blind nostalgia?

I'd personally say no, that's not the peak of Cartoon Network, but again I'm older and I remember what it was in the late 90's.  If these kids want to call 2005 the peak of the channel, that's fine, I have no problem with that, but I'd still disagree with them all day long.

But, like I said before, while I think the network peaked with the Cartoon Cartoons there are certain folk with think Dexter's Lab/Johnny Bravo/Cow and Chicken killed Cartoon Network.  One man's trash...

[Dr. Insomniac]

I have three words for you, Zelek: Welcome and Yes.

[Zelek]

I have two words for you, Zelek: Welcome and Yes.

Thanks.

I think I might've said this before (on the NoHomers Club), but I find it funny how nostalgia has changed people's attitudes towards certain things in such a short amount of time. For example: five years ago, everyone hated the new Disney Channel stuff like Hannah Montana and High School Musical and wanted back Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire. But now, on sites like Twitter and Tumblr, there are 16-20 year olds yearning for the "good ol' days" of these shows and saying how they feel sorry for kids who have to grow up with Shake It Up and A.N.T. Farm.

Same goes for Cartoon Network. If you tried to say CN City was the best time of CN and Gym Partner, Squirrel Boy, HHPAY, and Class of 3000 are awesome in 2007, you'd get crucified. But now, it's a highly popular opinion on YouTube and elsewhere. Also: in 2006, people were saying how Fred Fredburger and Cheese were massively annoying characters who were ruining CN. But now, when I look on videos featuring them, the comments are usually something like "omg this was my childhood. i miss old cartoon network "

[Dr. Insomniac]

That's because teenagers are dumb and always think any show they watched as a little kid was golden compared to shows now, with this process having continued since the beginning of putting children in front of TV sets. There are 90s kids who believed Catdog was a wonderful show. There are 80s kids who believed He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a good show. There are even 50s children who still believe Father Knows Best trumps any sitcom made now. The delusion of nostalgia has always been a factor in adults and teenagers angry that their childhoods are gone and unable to appreciate the things they have in the now.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Yeah, it's only to be expected that people who grew up with a specific era of programming would consider theirs the most highly. And there are always going to be haters of what's newer. In ten years, the current era of CN will be someone's childhood and the current crop of shows will be considered classics. That's just how it goes.

[Zelek]

But what I find funny is how FAST all this nostalgia has sprung up. Then again, with the Internet and how rapidly we're advancing, this shouldn't be much of a surprise.

One thing I wonder about the mid-2000s CN: why'd they stop using the "Cartoon Cartoons" moniker for their new shows (and only use it for older shows as part of the Top 5 and Cartoon Cartoon Show)? Did it sound "too old-fashioned" or something?

[Dr. Insomniac]

My Gym Partner's a Monkey ended 6 years ago. 6 years isn't particularly that fast.

[Rynnec]

2006 was around the time CN was trying to phase out almost everything pre-04, the loss of the Cartoons Cartoons moniker was a part of that.