Is it me, or is CN's Lineup really getting good?

[Kiddington]

What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Cartoon Network now?

Favorite: still a decent crop of quality animation. Regular Show is great, Adventure Time is... eh, hit or miss, but still fun in small doses. Young Justice is cool. Still plenty of good to go around.

Least Favorite: All the crap in the midst of all the good. Problem Solverz is one of the worst things I've ever seen on TV, let alone this channel. Give me an hour, and I could create a better cartoon than this. And I really can't believe Johnny Test is still going, after all these years of mediocrity. That fucking show is beyond awful, and it just won't go away. I still can't believe the same guy who gave us Ned's Declassified over at Nick is also responsible for this heap of trash.

...oh, and uh, yeah; the live-action as well. But that's already a given, at this point.

Favorite/least favorite shows currently in production?

Favorites: Regular Show, Young Justice
Least Favorites: Problem Solverz, MAD, Johnny Test, Ben 10

Do you like when some of your older favorites air again, and are there any that you want back on for a little?

Well, of course.

...as far as what I'd like to see back on again... honestly? Foster's. I know you guys aren't crazy about it around here (from what I read in the "Favorite Cartoon Cartoon" thread), but I've always had a soft spot for this show, particularly since it was about the only thing worth watching during the dark years of 05-07. I also want to see for myself if it still holds up; I haven't watched anything outside of Season 1 in ages, so I'm curious to see if the later stuff stands the test of time.

Do you prefer CN as of now compared to a few years ago?

By "a few years", what are we talking about, exactly?

If we're talking about the aforementioned 05-07 era, yes, it is definitely better. If we're talking about pre-2004 (Powerhouse, Checkerboard), hell no, not even close.

And how do you think Cartoon Network's current slate compares to Nick and Disney today?

Eh...

I'll say they're still better than both of those, at least as far as I'm concerned. CN actually has programming that I try to make a point of catching on a regular basis, while Nick is only an occasional "if I'm bored, and there's nothing else on" situation. Disney? Ugh... maybe later. This rant is best saved for another time, and another place (and when I'm not so tired).

So, yeah. That's that.

[Avaitor]

By a "few years ago", I meant the 05-08 era. Say what you will about the network now, but at least there are more than like 3 shows worth watching now.

I will say this about Disney- their shows may not be worth watching and they may be all about the money, but their ethics on running the channel are better than CN's "let's throw a dozen shows at the wall every few months and see what sticks" method or Nick's "if you don't like SpongeBob or whichever live-action show we feel like promoting this year, then too bad" scheduling. They usually put out a few shows a year, give them each a fair amount of time to grow an audience and blossom have a decent amount of variety on their schedule, and when they do end a show, it's more or less for the right reason.

True, a couple of shows get more airtime than others, but Suite Life, Wizards and Hannah Montana have consistently proven to be big hits for them, so obviously Disney will give them some more attention than the also-rans or the shows that haven't proven themselves to be the next big thing yet. If you don't like these shows, I don't blame you, but Disney at least runs their schedule better than Nick or CN does.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I didn't really hate Fosters. The art and animation was great, as well as the voice acting. I just didn't like the writing style of turning one character into a jerk that fucks everybody over. It's a growing issue in cartoons in general and I'm beyond tired of it.

[Kiddington]

Yeah, I'll give you that. From what I remember about the later seasons, Bloo was really an intolerable bastard. I haven't seen most of those episodes in a long time, but I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way if I did see them now.

It's a shame, because he actually was a good character to start. I don't why they changed him so dramatically after the first season. It really makes you wonder why Mac would even bother hanging out with him anymore; he was such a jackass by series end, it's any wonder that anyone could tolerate him for more than five seconds.

Despite this, other aspects of the show kept me coming back to it. Besides the obvious "lack of other decent programming" factor on CN's part, there were still plenty of reasons why I watched it, as there were a lot of other things to enjoy. The rest of the cast was nicely well rounded, in my opinion. I always thought Frankie was a great character, and some of the other imaginary friends (especially Wilt) were quite enjoyable. And as you mentioned, the writing was also really solid; something that, as we all know, was not very often seen from other CN comedies at the time (fucking Camp Lazlo... ughhhhh).

I wish they'd put it back on again. It's been such a long time since they've aired it last, and I really don't get it. The way they handle it now is such a tease, too; they air the movies and the Christmas special on a fairly regular basis, but they won't even touch the actual series anymore. It doesn't make any sense.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It's weird because I really liked the Fosters premiere movie when I saw it originally. It was fresh, fun, and everything I wanted from a cartoon at the time, but as the series went on I just lost interest entirely. It was not an obvious transition at first, but it became a bigger issue as the show went on.

A similar example would be what happened to Chowder (only Chowder was pretty much instantaneous when it happened), first season is creative and shows massive promise with unique ideas and the second season focuses on jerkass behavior and obnoxious humor. I don't know why there are so many people in the industry that like that style of humor so much, but it needs to die because not only does it make otherwise great shows hard to watch, it stifles all creativity in the process of making all jokes pretty much the same.

To use an example of MLP (sorry, Avaitor), Pinkie Pie would be the Bloo of the show. The difference? Pinkie Pie is not obnoxious, pointlessly hateful, or trying to screw anyone over with her hyper personality. In fact, no one on the show does this even though it would be easy for them to do so, and I think that's one of the reasons the show is so successful and beloved.

[Avaitor]

I used to love Foster's when it was on CN. I still like a handful of the episodes, but I just don't relate to any of the characters anymore. Bloo, who I used to find hilarious, was too impulsive, Coco was annoying, Eduardo lost his lovably cowardly aspects midway through and acted like a spoiled brat, Wilt was too much of a doormat to the rest, and by the end of the show, all Mac would do was yell and shake his head at Bloo's stupidity. That's all anyone else but Cheese would do at that point, actually. Yell and shake their heads at Bloo.

It just got hard to watch for me near the end, and a lot of my favorites barely hold up. It was definitely a lot better than Gym Partner, Lazlo, and Class of 3000, but I wouldn't watch it as much if it was on now.

[gunswordfist]

CN was doing so good until recently. If there is anyone out there who has yet to watch Problem Solverz related material, do yourself a favor and don't do it.

Serious sewage.

Didn't I make the original version of this thread?

Anyway, yeah they were getting there. It went downhill after they took Sym-Bionic Titan off of Fridays. Now it's just MAD here and there, Regular Show, the second new episodes of Young Justice start again, KOTH reruns, Batman The Brave & The Bold and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (my favorite) for me.

Hell, I might as well mention what I would love them to do. Stop treating anime like shit, cancel American Dad and Family Guy (yeah right) and hell, since I already listed a few miracles, bring back Toonami, old school anime (Case Closed and Lupin III block that played at the end of every Adult Swim), Cartoon Cartoon and classic cartoon blocks, Sym-Bionic Titan and have some kind of code or something stop shitty shows from being brought. Oh and NO live action and bring back animated hosts.

[gunswordfist]

And I'll bump this one as well.

What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Cartoon Network now? Favorite/least favorite shows currently in production? Do you like when some of your older favorites air again, and are there any that you want back on for a little? Do you prefer CN as of now compared to a few years ago? And how do you think Cartoon Network's current slate compares to Nick and Disney today?

CN is still light years ahead of the Camp Lazlo era. I'll give it that.

Nick and Disney are completely dead to me. I NEVER watch either channel. I no longer have XD so I believe regular Disney is full of live action. Nick, I think is just full of live action and Spongebob. IDK. I literally never watch it.

[Sketch]

For a comedy fan the current CN is pretty good. For an action fan, there's a lot to be desired.

It's a shame Dexter, PPG and Billy and Mandy didn't stick around. It's also a bummer Flapjack hasn't been aired since it's cancellation and Foster's only shows movies and specials. They seem to play the same shows all the time for a long time and a little more rotation could go a long way. Just swap in Fosters, Flapjack, Dexter, PPG and Billy and Mandy from time to time. It's not that hard.

They're getting pretty stuck on doubled up showings though and having perhaps a few too many encores for some shows but the daily schedule really does have a decent amount of variety any given day.

Really all I want from CN is a daily afternoon action block and a bit more rotation so the same shows aren't playing all the way through multiple times.

[Neomysterion X. Prime]

I noticed this went I visited ToonZone recently about 2 Stupid Dogs making a return to Cartoon Network. The series hasn't been on Cartoon Network since I was around 10 or 11, and I was left in shock when I saw CN's official schedule as well.

I still like how CN airs various older cartoons in rotation, definitely a good thing for Time Warner to do in my opinion. 

[gunswordfist]

I caught a glimpse of 2 Stupid Dogs on the channel. Wish I sat down and watched it

[Avaitor]

Oh yeah, I know about this, but I haven't got around to watching it yet. My guide still says that Ed, Edd, n' Eddy airs then, and I always have something else to do at 2:30.

I wonder if EK's article is somewhat responsible for the show coming back.

[Eddy]

What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Cartoon Network now?

My favorite aspect is that there are actually some shows worth watching again.

My least favorite aspect is that some of those shows are rarely on, there's still a lot of crap on the air, and live action.

Favorite/least favorite shows currently in production?

Favorite: Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Adventure Time, Regular Show
Least Favorite: Problem Solverz, Almost Naked Animals, Johnny Test, MAD, live action shit

Do you like when some of your older favorites air again, and are there any that you want back on for a little?

I love to see old favorites and I'd love for them to be shown more. Boomerang does a good job at taking care of that fix, though, as they show Johnny Bravo, Dexter, PPG, and Cow & Chicken every night. But Boomerang should start airing Ed, Edd n Eddy, Sheep, and other Cartoon Cartoons.

Do you prefer CN as of now compared to a few years ago?

It's gotten much better. There are still a lot of problems (why is Johnny Test on so much? why did they pick up new seasons of live action shit?) but it's a lot better than it was a couple of years ago.

And how do you think Cartoon Network's current slate compares to Nick and Disney today?

Of the three, I definitely watch Cartoon Network the most. Nick is basically "The Spongebob and iCarly Channel (with some other stuff inbetween)" and I can't remember the last time I bothered with Disney.

[Avaitor]

Since we've been bumping some threads from this board lately, I figured this is a good one to bring back.

I don't really pay attention to the schedule anymore, but I do like that the Looney Tunes still have a slot during the day. I also see that they integrated Tom & Jerry Tales into the schedule along with the classic shorts. That was actually a good revival, so I personally support it.

Otherwise I don't have much to say about the network. How about you guys?

[Dr. Insomniac]

It seems like they show the same Adventure Time episodes every day though.