Does Cartoon Network still get Heavily Bashed?

KeldeoKitty

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Cartoon Network may not have as much variety or solid scheduling as it used to but I think CN was the best toon cable channel this decade (Aside from Disney XD). And compared to Nick and Disney Channel they’ve been the most consistent in quality, and their lineup is generally better than the other networks. Their most infamous points are 2009 because of CN Real and 2016/2017 because of TTG, PPG, and screwing over of Adventure Time and Regular Show. Also they’ve been derided because a lot of their shows use the same Cal-Arts style. However IMO Cartoon Networks low points aren’t nearly as bad or as long as the dark times Nick and Disney Channel. They seem to rectify their faults as quickly as they are brought up. They had plenty of great shows this decade to outweigh their duds. Annoying Orange is the show I hate the most.

I remember a lot of people miffed in 2016 that Adventure Time and Regular Show were ending but at least those shows got good treatment and solid run. I was miffed when Pokémon moved to Disney XD because I always associated it being on Turner Networks WB and CN but it really wasn’t a big deal. I thought the screwing over of Disney’s Wander over Yonder and Nick’s Harvey Beaks that same year was much worse. I understand how much their schedule from 2015-2017 was hated largely because of TTG but Nick’s terrible scheduling had been around way longer.

Their schedule lately has become more varied and they’ve been adding some new great shows like Craig of the Creek, Summer Camp Island, Mao Mao, and Infinity Train. Besides they still have Adult Swim and Toonami to fall back on. Also I have Xfinity On Demand and they have a lot of variety in CN shows and even have episodes as soon as they are released on the app. Cartoon Network may have their flaws but I think they were the best toon channel this decade.
 

Zanneck

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I'm good at putting things simple enough, so I'll level with you on this much. How you take it, I can only hope it strengthen your positive outlook on things (simply because I know I need to think more positive, myself.), while accepting some obvious truth here:

Yeah - of course it's always getting bashed. Every channel is like that. It's always gonna be like that, too.

What matters is that you like/dislike what you like/dislike and if you happen to like something, don't let the haters get to you. It's not always easy to remember that, but it is important to do so, no matter what.
 

Light Lucario

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Cartoon Network certainly still gets plenty of hate. I don't think it's as much or as consistent as all of the complaining against Nickelodeon, but people are upset with the lack of variety for the schedule and poor treatment of some of their series. They certainly have a lot of good shows and their On Demand section is pretty solid. They are able to take chances on new properties, which is a lot more than I can say for Nickelodeon, but there are some reasonable complaints in the mist of all the hate that the channel gets.
 

Red Arrow

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Even though CN now focuses on comedy, CN/WB's current originals are still quite different. From the relaxing We Bare Bears to the hectic Unikitty, from the down-to-earth Craig of the Creek to science fantasy stuff like Ben 10, from wejustwannahavefun OKKO to the more dramatic Steven Universe.

I feel like CN is STILL the risk-taker of the Big 3, despite how good Disney has become.

And while there used to be more variety, there is still more variety than during 1996-2000, when all originals were in the same genre. I love that era though, perhaps more than this one, because I happen to like that one genre, but many others didn't like it, as can be seen in old ToonZone posts.
 

Radiant97

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I feel like CN is STILL the risk-taker of the Big 3, despite how good Disney has become.
I agree with this. While I do think that CN needs more genre variety in their lineup, the fact remains that out of The Big Three™, CN still has the highest concentration of cartoons based on original ideas instead of existing IP's.
 

mqg96

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You really don't need much variety on the schedule anymore because of the streaming era we're in now. CN isn't the only network that doesn't have much variety on the schedule anymore. My reason for hating CN since I've lasted payed attention to it is because throughout the 2nd half of this decade it's been mostly reboots/toy spin-offs that's catered to little kids with the same comedy instead of creativity with few exceptions like We Bare Bears, and I blame TTGO being greenlit for all the other reboots/toy spin-offs like Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Thundercats, Unikitty, or Total DramaRama. Never would have thought I'd say I miss Stuart Snyder but man, at least with the experiments he tried with PG shows, it helped Cartoon Network gain a bigger audience with its shows again instead of kids only. Total Drama Island, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Young Justice, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, MAD, and Clarence were all original creativity and were good enough for adults to enjoy. I was in a college class earlier this week and I saw a girl watching Steven Universe on the app, and one of my cousins who's 21 likes Steven Universe too and loved Adventure Time & Regular Show when those were on, along with a lot of other high schoolers I were friends or acquaintances with.
 

Radiant97

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My reason for hating CN since I've lasted payed attention to it is because throughout the 2nd half of this decade it's been mostly reboots/toy spin-offs that's catered to little kids with the same comedy instead of creativity with few exceptions like We Bare Bears, and I blame TTGO being greenlit for all the other reboots/toy spin-offs like Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Thundercats, Unikitty, or Total DramaRama.
The number of kiddie reboots/spinoffs produced since Miller took up the reins 2015 are still far outnumbered by CN originals, so no, it hasn't been "mostly" that, and it won't be for the foreseeable future, judging by the upcoming programming slate (yes, even taking into account Thundercats Roar)
Never would have thought I'd say I miss Stuart Snyder but man, at least with the experiments he tried with PG shows, it helped Cartoon Network gain a bigger audience with its shows again instead of kids only. Total Drama Island, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Young Justice, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, MAD, and Clarence were all original creativity and were good enough for adults to enjoy.
I do have to agree with you on this. Snyder's era was far from perfect (especially in the beginning), but if it weren't for the older-skewing shows greenlit under him e.g. Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Over the Garden Wall, etc., I wouldn't have become an animation fan again in the first place. I wanted to mention Young Justice as well but he was also responsible for its cancellation so he doesn't deserve the credit for that. And don't get me started on Sym-Bionic Titan.
 

Red Arrow

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The number of kiddie reboots/spinoffs produced since Miller took up the reins 2015 are still far outnumbered by CN originals, so no, it hasn't been "mostly" that, and it won't be for the foreseeable future, judging by the upcoming programming slate (yes, even taking into account Thundercats Roar)
Dudley made me realize that this is not true.
Originals:
0 - Gumball (ending)
1 - Steven Universe (future unsure)
2 - OKKO
3 - Apple and Onion
4 - Craig of the Creek
5 - Summer Camp Island
6 - Victor and Valentino
7 - Mao Mao (shorts)
8 - Infinity Train (upcoming)
9 - Tig n' Seek (upcoming)
10 - Power Players (upcoming, by ZagToon)

Reboots and spin-offs:
1 - Teen Titans Go
2 - Ben 10
3 - PPG
4 - Bakugan Battle Planet
5 - Lego Unikitty
6 - Lego Ninjago
7 - Total DramaRama
8 - We Baby Bare Bears
9 - DC Super Hero Girls
10 - Transformers: Cyberverse
11 - MegaMan: Fully Charged (USA only)
12 - ThunderCats Roar (upcoming)
13 - Kung Fu Pork Choppers (upcoming)
 

Checkerboard

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I feel like the hate has diminshed in comparison with previous years. Nowadays people do still complain, but much less and more constructively I reckon.
 

Red Arrow

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I feel like the hate has diminshed in comparison with previous years. Nowadays people do still complain, but much less and more constructively I reckon.
I noticed that you got more positive about CN once it launched in Czech. If I remember correctly, you never cared for early 2010s gems like The Secret Saturdays, Generator Rex, Scooby Doo Mystery Inc and Sym-Bionic Titan, but I think you would have liked them if they had aired on Czech TV.

I also feel like you started liking Adventure Time, Regular Show, Clarence etc. more once CN CZ launched.
 

Radiant97

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Dudley made me realize that this is not true.
Originals:
0 - Gumball (ending)
1 - Steven Universe (future unsure)
2 - OKKO
3 - Apple and Onion
4 - Craig of the Creek
5 - Summer Camp Island
6 - Victor and Valentino
7 - Mao Mao (shorts)
8 - Infinity Train (upcoming)
9 - Tig n' Seek (upcoming)
10 - Power Players (upcoming, by ZagToon)

Reboots and spin-offs:
1 - Teen Titans Go
2 - Ben 10
3 - PPG
4 - Bakugan Battle Planet
5 - Lego Unikitty
6 - Lego Ninjago
7 - Total DramaRama
8 - We Baby Bare Bears
9 - DC Super Hero Girls
10 - Transformers: Cyberverse
11 - MegaMan: Fully Charged (USA only)
12 - ThunderCats Roar (upcoming)
13 - Kung Fu Pork Choppers (upcoming)
Hmm. Well I made that post under the assumption that mqg96 lives in the US, and since a few of the shows listed in that reboots/spinoffs category weren't given actual treatment for most of their runs on CN US (Cyberverse, Bakugan, Mega Man), they should be pretty easy to ignore (save for DC Super Hero Girls which has a semi decent slot right before an advertised premiere slot). Also, they were specifically complaining about reboots/spinoffs that premiered during Miller's leadership, so Ninjago definitely doesn't count. Other than that, I concede.
 

mqg96

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I wanted to mention Young Justice as well but he was also responsible for its cancellation so he doesn't deserve the credit for that. And don't get me started on Sym-Bionic Titan.

I used to think Stuart Snyder was responsible for Young Justice's cancellation, but he actually wasn't. No president in office would have affected Young Justice's cancellation along with many other action shows throughout the time (Sym-Bionic Titan, Generator Rex, Green Latern, etc.) including the DC Nation block. It was because of the lack of toy sales and the budget. Teen Titans Go! has a bigger toy market and it's a lot cheaper to produce. Look at how expensive Young Justice is.

The reason I say that 2015-present is the reboot era is because it feels like the reboots have been greenlit and advertised the most. Regular Show and Adventure Time didn't end until 2017 and 2018, but those were barely on CN the last few years of its run, and were barely advertised including the finales. By then, it was mainly Teen Titans Go!, Unikitty, the Ben 10 reboot, and other kiddy reboot/spinoffs being advertised and played on the schedule the most. I noticed this attitude change the moment Christina Miller took over in place of Stuart Snyder. The originals may still be outnumbered by reboots overall, but the reboots are still the ones being advertised and shown the most in the schedule (at least in the 2015-2019 era). I haven't kept up with CN at all the last few years, so I'm only going by what I observe on this forum.

I've said this before on another thread, but I'm waiting for the next "Dexter's Lab", "Foster's Home", or "Adventure Time" to jump start CN into a new era of animated shows. I can't tell if the current originals are still in the "Adventure Time" generation or not. Most of the originals and acquisitions in the 2nd half of this decade under Miller have felt so kiddy with similar humor, while the originals and acquisitions under Snyder between 2008 and 2014 were diverse, and felt like it captured an older audience and not just the younger audience.
 

mqg96

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and honestly, if you want a really good Cartoon Network for yourself today, just go on the CN APP (I'm not that knowledgeable about it TBH but I'm sure it's more worth using the APP than relying on the network) or go On Demand on your cable provider (I have Charter Spectrum) and you'll get various classic CN shows on there.
 

Radiant97

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I haven't kept up with CN at all the last few years, so I'm only going by what I observe on this forum.
If you look at the schedule now, you'll see that the reboots make up a very, VERY small percentage of it, and PPG 2016 hasn't even been advertised on TV for, what, 2 years now? The schedule itself probably still won't be to your liking, but it's safe to say that those shows are not top priority anymore.
Most of the originals and acquisitions in the 2nd half of this decade under Miller have felt so kiddy with similar humor, while the originals and acquisitions under Snyder between 2008 and 2014 were diverse, and felt like it captured an older audience and not just the younger audience.
Well Infinity Train is premiering this fall, and it'll most likely be geared towards an older audience than CN's current target demo, so I feel that that could be the next Adventure Time if CN plays their cards right.
 

RandomMe

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Infinity Train will be like the next 2010-era Regular Show. It might be a sign of hope, but I fear its potential censorship abroad.
 

Toon4Thought

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It's kind of calmed down in the past couple years (if you recall, I was very dedicated to defending the network when the hate peaked around 2016), but remnants still remain here and there. To an extent, people still don't seem to get that scheduling barely means anything anymore and a lot of new IPs don't get the acknowledgement they deserve while reboots (which there are far fewer of than the internet would have you think) garner negativity up the wazoo.

The fact Mao Mao has gotten a decent amount of buzz already though, particularly given how abruptly that show was announced and released, is the main reason why I really think it is subduing.
 

Checkerboard

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I noticed that you got more positive about CN once it launched in Czech. If I remember correctly, you never cared for early 2010s gems like The Secret Saturdays, Generator Rex, Scooby Doo Mystery Inc and Sym-Bionic Titan, but I think you would have liked them if they had aired on Czech TV.

I also feel like you started liking Adventure Time, Regular Show, Clarence etc. more once CN CZ launched.

Somewhat true, yes. Didn't follow those shows initially that much and didn't particularly like them. They slowly grew on me over time. At least some of them. True that the CZ launch helped a bit. Made me more interested and invested. Despite English being basically my second language, it's always more natural to watch things in your native language regardless of other language proficiency. So that helped too, having easy access to a Czech dub - be it by CN or Czech TV. And last but not least, I already got my nostalgia fix so I have more room now also for the newer stuff.
 

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