10 Underrated Gems From The Past

The world of animation has brought some of the best TV shows of all time, but other, also great animated shows have become forgotten. Animated shows have a level of creative liberty that live-action shows can’t have or struggle to achieve. Animated shows cover all genres and can be aimed at either adults or children, though those for the latter can also be for all ages.

The list of the best animated shows of all time has a bit of everything – from family-friendly shows like Hey Arnold! to more mature works like Love, Death, & Robots –, but other near-perfect shows couldn’t make the cut as they aren’t widely remembered. These shows didn’t become forgettable for their quality, but because of strong competition, bad marketing, or their themes and styles being ahead of their time.

Mummies Alive!

1997

Mummies Alive! arrived during the “boom” of mummy content in the 1990s, and yet, it didn’t achieve the success it deserved. Mummies Alive! begins in Ancient Egypt, where the evil sorcerer Scarab kills the pharaoh’s son, Prince Rapses, to gain immortality. Scarab is entombed alive for this, but revives in the modern world, where he searches for Rapses’ reincarnation to, once again, become immortal.

Rapses’ reincarnation is a boy named Presley, and so Rapses’ bodyguards Ja-Kal, Rath, Armon, and Nefertina awaken to protect him. Despite its creative concept and riding the wave of mummy content, Mummies Alive! only stayed for one season (with 42 episodes, though), and it became forgettable due to a saturated market, poor toy sales (which were important for cartoon shows in the 1990s), and constant comparisons to Gargoyles.

ChalkZone

2002-2008

ChalkZone was created by Bill Burnett and Larry Huber, and it follows the adventures of Rudy Tabootie, a 10-year-old boy who loves to draw. One day, while in detention, Rudy finds a piece of “White Lightnin’” chalk that gives him access to the title ChalkZone. This is a place where everything that has ever been drawn in chalk and erased exists as actual touchable entities.

There, Rudy meets an old friend he once drew and makes new friends, and they face different villains, too. ChalkZone was praised for its approach to imagination, creativity, and its main character, but its softer tone compared to other Nickelodeon shows at the time (such as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents), along with poor scheduling, stopped it from reaching the success it deserved.

Braceface

2001-2004

Braceface is a Canadian coming-of-age teen show created by Melissa Clark. Braceface centers on Sharon Spitz, a junior high school student who recently got braces. What Sharon isn’t expecting is her braces interfering with her daily life, such as being electrically charged, messing with communication channels, and more, all of this on top of the usual problems a teenager goes through.

Even with the messy braces involved, Braceface is a relatable show that shows the many ups and downs of being a teenager, from dealing with bullies and falling in love to anxiety and divorce. Unfortunately, Braceface had a chaotic and inconsistent broadcast, many episodes were skipped, and some viewers didn’t connect with its “cringe” tone.

Fillmore!

2002-2003

Fillmore! was created by Scott M. Gimple, and it follows Cornelius Fillmore, a seventh grader and reformed juvenile delinquent, as he was caught raiding the school’s new chalk shipment. The safety patrol officer gave Fillmore a choice: he could spend the rest of middle school in detention or help him solve another case. Of course, Fillmore chose the latter.

Along with his partner Ingrid Third, Fillmore solves crimes and mysteries at X Middle School, such as stolen scooters, illegal frog races, and more. Fillmore! is a fun take on police dramas and detective shows, but that same tone is what drove some potential viewers away, as they felt a disconnection between the tone, the characters, and the target audience. Still, Fillmore! is now a cult classic, which, unfortunately, isn’t streaming anywhere.

Pepper Ann

1997-2001

Pepper Ann is a sitcom created by Sue Rose. Pepper Ann follows the title character, a quirky 12-year-old whose emotions are portrayed in fantasies, with her conscience, Alter-Ego, fueling her insecurities through misguided advice. Accompanying Pepper Ann are her best friends Nicky and Milo, and together they navigate adolescence the best way they can.

Pepper Ann is relatable, fun, and diverse, with character development, sense of humor, and clever coverage of various themes. However, despite these strengths and more, the show didn’t get a wide audience thanks to a lack of reruns, minimal marketing, and strong competition that ended up overshadowing it.

As Told By Ginger

2000-2006

As Told By Ginger is a preteen drama series created by Emily Kapnek. As Told By Ginger introduces the audience to Ginger Foutley, a junior high school student and aspiring writer, who, along with her best friends Darren, Dodie, and Macie, does her best to survive school, adolescence, and everything that comes with these.

As Told By Ginger is one of the most relatable TV shows of the 2000s, and it stands out as its characters grew up along with its audience, being one of those rare animated shows where the characters aged, developed, and changed clothes.

The strengths of As Told By Ginger are also what led it to become forgettable, as it was different from other Nickelodeon shows, which also had better scheduling and streaming availability.

Kablam!

1996-2000

Kablam! is a sketch comedy anthology show created by Bob Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi. Kablam! consists of segments with different shows in a variety of styles, such as Action League Now!, Life with Loopy, Sniz & Fondue, and Prometheus and Bob. The show was hosted by Henry and June, cartoon characters who live in a comic book.

Kablam! is unlike any other animated show, with a fun combination of animation styles, stories, characters, sense of humor, and a format able to attract and maintain the attention of its young target audience. Kablam! was involved in copyright issues that made its reruns, streaming availability, and home media release very difficult, leading to it becoming forgettable.

W.I.T.C.H.

2004-2006

W.I.T.C.H. is based on the Italian comic book series of the same name by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa. W.I.T.C.H. follows five girls – Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin – who find out they are the Guardians of the Veil, who must save planet Meridian from evil Prince Phobos and Lord Cedric, who are looking to take the throne from Phobo’s younger sister.

As a result, the girls have magical powers, each one representing one of the four elements, with Will being the Guardian of Quintessence. W.I.T.C.H. has been praised for its concept, world-building, characters, and its focus on friendship, but Disney didn’t know how to handle the show, which, along with competition with Winx Club, made it an unfairly forgotten show.

The Weekenders

2000-2004

The Weekenders was created by Doug Langdale, and it follows 12-year-old best friends Tino, Lorraine, Carver, and Tish. The particularity of The Weekenders is that every episode is set over the course of a weekend, with Friday setting up the story, Saturday developing it, and Sunday with the climactic third act.

The Weekenders was very well received by critics, but it had a short run with just 39 episodes, competed with more popular action and fantasy shows, and had an inconsistent run as it shifted networks, which stopped it from building consistent viewership. On top of that, The Weekenders isn’t available to stream anywhere.

Felix the Cat

1958-1961

Felix the Cat was created by Joe Oriolo and Pat Sullivan Jr., and it’s based on the cartoon character of the same name, created in 1919 by Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan. Felix the Cat follows the title character and his daily adventures, as he carries his “Magic Bag of Ticks”, which can change into anything he imagines and produce any object he needs.

Felix often faces the evil scientist known as The Professor and his sidekick, Rock Bottom, who want to get Felix’s bag. Felix the Cat is a mix of fantasy, comedy, and surrealism, with a fun and smart main character that’s very easy to root for.

Felix the Cat is now a forgotten show due to its limited animation techniques, repetitive plots, changes in the character’s design, and competition from characters like Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, and, of course, Mickey Mouse.