Gone but definitely not forgotten! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most underrated, but beloved animated shows that were canceled too soon.
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00:00 "Filmore, I'm on it."
00:02 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most underrated but beloved animated shows that were cancelled too soon.
00:10 "That didn't work out."
00:12 Number 20, Road Rovers.
00:15 At a time when cheesy action cartoons were all the rage, one starring man's best friend practically sold itself.
00:22 Especially since these weren't just cuddly pets.
00:25 They were Kano Sapiens, aka superhero dogs.
00:29 Throw in a good amount of that classic 90's camp, and Road Rovers cemented its place as one of the most entertaining kids programs of the time.
00:36 "Put him down!"
00:38 "This is what you want?"
00:40 "No, Hunter, don't give it to him!"
00:42 "Give it to them, give it to them!"
00:44 Unfortunately, an alleged lawsuit had several higher ups playing fetch with the show's rights, and it had to be put down after just 13 episodes.
00:52 If there's any justice, it's that the show's future release on DVD and streaming have finally given it the audience it always deserved.
01:00 "I know what you're thinking, Rovers. Yet another megalomaniac on a volcanic island planning global conquest."
01:07 "Yeah, exactly, it's been done."
01:09 "Boring!"
01:10 Number 19, Megas XLR.
01:13 Coop and his allies spent most of their time worried about alien invaders.
01:17 But as it turns out, not even giant robots and slick action could protect them from the biggest threat of all, low ratings.
01:24 "Wow, I'm getting pretty popular."
01:27 "Too bad it's with crazy redheads and aliens."
01:29 Despite positive marks, the show quietly finished its run in 2005, and then was quickly forgotten about, at least by the network.
01:37 Fans did not go down as quietly, and the strong word of mouth turned Megas XLR into an underground hit.
01:43 But by then, it was already too late.
01:45 "What the... Hey, that's cheating!"
01:48 The show was written off as a tax loss, so no matter how many fans rally in support, Megas XLR will never power on again.
01:56 Number 18, 3 Delivery.
01:59 Ordering from this takeout place gets you an entree of kung fu action, a side of heartfelt characters, and a heaping dose of entertainment.
02:06 Best of all, with Sue, Sid, and Toby on the case, the delivery is always on time.
02:11 "You guys sure you can handle your wheels in an earthquake?"
02:15 "Are you kidding? Extreme quake riding is awesome!"
02:18 When they're not on the clock, these three orphans kick some major villain tale protecting the pages of an ancient magical cookbook.
02:25 And thanks to their martial arts training, they always look cool while doing it.
02:29 Fans certainly thought so. It's a true shame the show only got a single season.
02:33 But on the bright side, that taste was enough to make 3 Delivery an enduring fan favorite.
02:38 "We will never accept defeat!"
02:40 "Well, will you at least listen to us long enough to get some dinner?"
02:43 "I'm listening."
02:46 Number 17, Symbionic Titan.
02:49 An alien princess, a rebel soldier, and an overprotective robot seek refuge on Earth to escape a villainous dictator.
02:56 Lots of fighting, laughter, and drama ensues, usually featuring the massive titular cyborg.
03:02 In a nutshell, that is Symbionic Titan.
03:04 "Heart, body, and mind unite as one."
03:08 "I wonder what else we can do."
03:10 As anyone who's seen it will tell you, the show's balance of colorful action and mature themes makes it a must-watch to this day.
03:17 Sadly, it's a quick binge. The show was canned after just one season.
03:21 "You're terrible people and I feel sorry for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go try and save this school."
03:27 The worst part? Of all the reasons, Symbionic Titan was taken off the air because it couldn't get a toy deal.
03:33 Yeah, chalk this one up as one of the most unfair cancellations in television history.
03:38 Number 16, Motor City.
03:41 In a cyberpunk Detroit, one man and his hot rod are the only thing standing between civilian liberty and total government oppression.
03:48 And what better way to settle the score than with some seriously sick races?
03:53 "Fall in line, Dutch!"
03:54 "Both of you, stop!"
03:56 "Guys, this isn't the time for a power struggle!"
04:00 Motor City was loud, edgy, fun, and never once apologized for it.
04:05 Instead, it kept burning rubber until it became one of Disney XD's most inventive shows ever.
04:10 But the series' stylized plotlines were not a good fit with the rest of the network.
04:14 Combined with leaked episodes and poor time slots, Motor City didn't find an audience until it had already been canceled.
04:21 "So you're telling me that thing ate Mike? Ha! Texas wants revenge!"
04:27 Even though it didn't get a proper ending, many fans agree that Motor City is still well worth the ride.
04:33 Number 15, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.
04:37 Compared to some other runs, 40 episodes across three whole seasons is nothing to be ashamed of.
04:42 And yet, it's hard not to feel like The Life and Times of Juniper Lee should have gotten more.
04:47 Seeing a young girl discover herself by fighting monsters just never gets old.
04:52 Audiences agreed then, and they still do now.
04:55 "So cool! Do it again!"
04:59 The only one who didn't think so was Cartoon Network.
05:02 Rather than supporting the final episodes, they dumped them online the same day they were meant to air.
05:07 But in doing so, Cartoon Network unwittingly gave Juniper Lee a massive online following.
05:13 15 years after the fact, the fanbase is still as active as ever.
05:18 "You can talk?"
05:20 "Yeah, but not like you guys."
05:22 "Do you have a setup?"
05:24 "Yuck, yuck, yuck!"
05:26 Number 14, Mummies Alive.
05:28 "That tiny man inside the spirit box won't threaten you anymore."
05:32 "That spirit box was wired for cable. I definitely gotta get you guys back to Egypt."
05:38 For a show that's been buried for over two decades, Mummies Alive has a surprisingly modern sense of humor.
05:45 It was initially conceived as an adult-oriented cartoon.
05:48 And while those plans changed during production, that edgy tone remains in the final product.
05:53 Sure, there's the classic young kid thrust into an age-old fight against darkness.
05:57 But it's all surrounded by a dry wit that elevates even the most trite plot points.
06:02 "You know, they'd taste better if you took the wrappings off before eating them."
06:05 "Really?"
06:07 "Armand, that's not what I meant."
06:09 However, Mummies Alive couldn't command high viewership and was sealed back in its tomb after just one season.
06:15 Thankfully, the internet discovered the show once again and rightfully gave it credit for daring to try something new.
06:22 #13 Dave the Barbarian
06:25 A cancelled TV show is no laughing matter.
06:28 Dave the Barbarian, though? We dare you to try and sit through an episode without cracking up.
06:32 "Dear kids, we're still busy fighting evil, but we'll be home soon."
06:36 "Your mother says the demon monkeys may attack, but I don't think, 'Egad,' they're here."
06:40 "I-e-arg-ow-ow-ow-ow."
06:42 The series is an anachronistic look at knights, magic, and siblinghood, all wrapped into one gut-busting package.
06:49 It's a lot, and you'll be amazed by how many subtle jokes they squeeze into 21 episodes.
06:54 In a way, that's why Dave the Barbarian has found such a prolific second life online.
06:59 These are episodes you can watch over and over and still find something new each time.
07:04 "And why are they pummelling Dave viciously?"
07:06 "Maybe he read them his poetry."
07:08 While it didn't last very long, Dave the Barbarian is the comedy that keeps on giving.
07:13 #12 Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
07:16 "If it weren't for mutual cooperation, I'd never have come to the city and the sea in the first place."
07:20 "And my caddy would never scratch on it right now."
07:23 Cadillacs and Dinosaurs was a show ahead of its time.
07:26 Or was it behind its time? These phrases get confusing.
07:29 Anyway, this futuristic series depicted a world full of dinosaurs and lizard people with a strong environmental message.
07:36 The show's hero, Jack, leads a group of Cadillac-driving freedom fighters against the corrupt government.
07:41 The series' high-quality writing and animation won its fair share of fans,
07:45 but the political-based series had a hard time finding its footing among Saturday morning cartoons.
07:50 The show only produced 13 episodes before the decision was made to pull the plug.
07:54 "I, uh, don't suppose you'll ever let me drive one of your cars again."
07:58 "Oh, I guess so."
07:59 "You will?"
08:00 "Sure! If we ever enter a demolition derby."
08:04 #11 Freakazoid
08:06 "Hi! I'm gonna join you!"
08:12 This is one of those shows that you have to see for yourself.
08:15 Trying to describe Freakazoid just doesn't do it justice.
08:18 It's part parody, part superhero drama, and part social critique.
08:22 Together, all those elements make for a show that has more wit than it knows what to do with.
08:27 Ironically, though, that bold sense of humor is exactly what doomed Freakazoid in the first place.
08:32 The exaggerated storytelling did not connect with kids at the time.
08:36 Adults, though? They were a different story.
08:39 "Now, ladies, ladies, calm down. There's plenty of me for everybody."
08:43 "If not, I'll just have them draw me bigger."
08:45 Because of their support, the show's legacy hasn't dulled one bit over the years.
08:50 If anything, Freakazoid is more entertaining now than it was when it aired.
08:53 And that's saying something.
08:55 #10 The Pirates of Darkwater
08:58 "The alien world of Mur is being devoured by Darkwater."
09:03 This wildly original Hanna-Barbera show started off as a miniseries before being elevated to a full commitment.
09:09 Unfortunately, it only lasted 21 episodes before it was cancelled.
09:13 Featuring the heroic adventures of an alien pirate prince on the island planet of Mur,
09:17 we can see why the show may have been a hard sell for the network executives in charge.
09:22 That being said, we loved it as kids, and the show has a strong fanbase still going today.
09:27 We could easily see the adventures of Ren and his crew reimagined for audiences today.
09:31 Aliens plus pirates? Count us in.
09:34 "Monkey bird, save your breath."
09:38 "Pretty nice marksmanship, eh, Niddler?"
09:41 "You could have skewered me!"
09:43 #9 Biker Mice from Mars
09:45 "In this wild and woolly universe of ours, there's only three things you can count on."
09:49 "Your brains, your bros, and your bike."
09:55 Lasting three seasons, Biker Mice from Mars was a very strange show.
09:59 And that's probably why so many kids who grew up watching it still remember it today.
10:03 The story of three alien mice who escape their war-torn home of Mars
10:07 and come to protect planet Earth from a variety of dangers.
10:10 The series is remembered for its stylish tone and the outrageous main villain, Lawrence Limburger.
10:15 Biker Mice spawned several video games, a short-lived Marvel series,
10:19 and even received the reboot treatment around 2006.
10:22 Though it wasn't quite able to stick around, the show is still fondly remembered by many fans today.
10:28 "Somebody out there doesn't like us."
10:30 "Yeah, those somebodies look a lot like Plutarchians."
10:33 #8 Earthworm Jim
10:35 "But enough of this merriment! Let us find the princess!"
10:38 "We could search the entire swamp!"
10:40 "Ahhhh!"
10:41 "Or we could just try that huge evil tower with the high-pitched screams coming from it."
10:46 Based on a popular video game released the year before,
10:49 Earthworm Jim was the story of a super-heroic earthworm named, you guessed it, Jim.
10:54 With his advanced suit giving him extraordinary abilities,
10:57 Earthworm Jim, voiced by the legendary Dan Castellaneta,
11:00 fought off enemies like the Lord of Nightmares and the Archbug,
11:04 saving the world for 23 episodes of adventures before the series was cancelled.
11:08 The franchise was able to live on through several more video games, but eventually died off.
11:13 The character was quite popular,
11:15 and we wouldn't be surprised to see an Earthworm Jim revival somewhere down the line.
11:19 "Grrrroofy!"
11:21 #7 Fillmore
11:23 Solving crimes as the Safety Patrol isn't for the faint of heart.
11:27 Luckily, there's more to Fillmore and his partner Ingrid than meets the eye.
11:31 The same can be said of the show overall.
11:34 "Looks like we have some literature M.I.A. Let's go have a talk with Tony."
11:38 While Fillmore initially comes across as standard children's fare,
11:41 it's actually filled to the brim with all sorts of clever references, Easter eggs, and parodies.
11:46 This series dramatizes the school's Safety Patrol as something of a hard-boiled detective agency.
11:52 As a result, each episode feels like a family-friendly gangster film in the best way possible.
11:58 "Fillmore, about what went down on the bridge."
12:01 "Hey, it was a bridge you had to cross. Now you're on the other side."
12:05 Still, Fillmore doesn't have as many episodes as you would expect from something with such broad appeal.
12:10 But even though it's gone, Fillmore is certainly not forgotten.
12:14 #6 Sonic the Hedgehog
12:17 "Hey, hey, Sam, don't you call me a fool, 'cause baby, you know that I'm way past cool."
12:23 Airing around the same time as Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,
12:26 this short-lived cult classic provided viewers with a darker alternative.
12:30 Sonic the Hedgehog depicted a dystopian alien planet
12:33 where Sonic leads a resistance against the planet's ruler, Dr. Robotnik.
12:37 The show is more mature than you might first expect, which may be why it only lasted 26 episodes.
12:43 Fortunately, unlike many cartoons of the era, the show was given a satisfying series finale
12:48 that saw Sonic and his allies defeat Robotnik's forces, albeit with one cliffhanger.
12:53 Fans remember this series for being head and shoulders above most other Sonic cartoons.
12:58 "Well, don't celebrate too soon, Hedgehog. Now it's my turn."
13:05 [laughing]
13:10 #5 Mighty Ducks
13:12 "He's got you! He scores!"
13:16 Inspired by the popular series of Disney live-action hockey films,
13:20 this cartoon told the story of a team of hockey-playing, evil-vanquishing humanoid ducks from an alternate universe.
13:26 On paper, it's absolutely absurd, but it works.
13:29 It's a fun cartoon that was taken from us too soon, lasting for only one 26-episode season.
13:35 Its villains were wildly imaginative, and the voice acting from the entire series was memorable,
13:41 and populated by some of the best voice actors of the decade.
13:44 This was an extremely well-made cartoon that had an inventive and unique premise.
13:48 It really is a shame we didn't get more of it.
13:51 "Ugh, where's the Raptor?"
13:54 "More to the point, where are we?"
13:57 #4 SWAT Cats - The Radical Squadron
14:06 SWAT Cats - The Radical Squadron was another in a long line of 90s cartoons starring anthropomorphic animals
14:12 who worked normal jobs by day, and fought crime at night.
14:16 It was, however, an excellent one.
14:19 The real tragedy of SWAT Cats was that it was cancelled only because it was perceived as too violent.
14:24 Its fanbase remained strong even though the show was cancelled,
14:27 and in 2015, the show's creator started a crowdfunding campaign to revive the series.
14:32 It received enough funding to get the project off the ground, getting us all so hyped for SWAT Cats Revolution.
14:38 "Yeah! Rock and roll!"
14:41 #3 Mighty Max
14:44 This animated series depicted the adventures of a young boy named Max,
14:57 who was granted a hat that gives him portal hopping powers.
15:00 This series lasted for 40 episodes, but had the potential to go for many more,
15:05 and many older fans now are left wondering why it didn't.
15:08 "Hmm, I guess I blew a fuse or something."
15:11 The journey of Max, his mentor Virgil, and his bodyguard Norman
15:14 gave us some of the most engaging storytelling and action in cartoons at the time,
15:18 and the primary villain Skullmaster was even voiced by Tim Curry.
15:23 To this day, the show isn't even easily available digitally or through physical media.
15:28 "You run so fast, bonehead!"
15:30 "You fool! You can't save the world!"
15:35 "I can die trying!"
15:37 "You will!"
15:38 #2 Gargoyles
15:40 Starting from the theme's opening notes, this gothic action-adventure tale had us gripped.
15:54 Taking a page from Batman the Animated Series, Gargoyles used its dark atmosphere and setting
15:59 along with three-dimensional characters to weave a surprisingly deep story within this Disney cartoon,
16:04 drawing inspiration from Shakespeare and other classical sources.
16:07 "Remember, you and I are one, now and forever."
16:13 The series still has a strong following today, with its characters making appearances as cosplays,
16:18 and Jordan Peele reportedly pitching an idea for a feature-length movie to Disney.
16:23 Though that project has seemingly been abandoned, it was announced in October 2023
16:28 that Disney+ was working on a live-action reboot.
16:31 "Aye, these quarrymen have spread their hatred and bigotry across this island like a virus."
16:37 "Enough. Time to head home."
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16:53 "No invader has ever been so... very small."
17:02 "You're very small, Zim."
17:04 "You're a tiny thing."
17:07 "But! Invaders blood marches through my veins like giant radioactive rubber pants!"
17:12 The adventures of Zim, Grr, Dib and Gaz made such a strong impact despite their short run.
17:18 Invader Zim has thus carved out its own recognizable pop culture niche in the years since its cancellation.
17:23 The series was dark and strange, and that's why a subset of kids absolutely loved it.
17:28 The show's unique animation style and dark sense of humor made it a departure from Nickelodeon's ordinary programming.
17:34 "Zim, you're alive?"
17:36 "Yes, so very alive and full of goo, mission goo."
17:41 Maintaining wild popularity even over a decade after its cancellation,
17:45 Nickelodeon decided to revive the show as a TV movie entitled Invader Zim.
17:49 Enter the Florpus.
17:51 Hey, if we're lucky, maybe we'll even get some more Zim after that.
17:54 "Let us rain some doom down upon the filthy heads of our doomed enemies."
18:01 What's a childhood favorite that you wish got more attention?
18:03 Let us know in the comments below.
18:05 "What can I say? It kept me on the air for another season."
18:08 Did you enjoy this video?
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18:17 [outro music]
18:19 [outro music]