The 1990s were a great era for kids’ television, with countless great shows airing across the ten-year span. The ’90s saw the rise of the superior programming of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, both of which delivered many shows that remain beloved today. The decade perfected the notion of Saturday morning cartoons that began in the ’80s, with many great improvements on the established format. Many of the kids’ TV shows that aired during the ’90s proved to be a formative part of many childhoods, shaping the hearts, minds, and viewing habits of the entire generation that was raised watching them.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While most kids’ shows of the 1990s are fondly remembered by those who watched them growing up, there’s a hidden dark side to many of the series in question. Ideas about what sort of stories were appropriate for TV shows aimed at kids were much more relaxed in the ’90s, leading to a number of especially dark developments or storylines that wider audiences — and even some fans — have forgotten. The following are all kids’ shows from the ’90s that, for one reason or another, are much darker than you remember.
5) The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
There are many 1990s cartoons that ’80s kids remember watching, but The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest stands out as a deceptively dark series. Airing between 1996 and 1997, the continuation of previous Jonny Quest shows brought the character into a new era with stories that were considerably edgier than many remember. Its colorful presentation of the show’s adventure-heavy premise might scream family-friendly entertainment, but in reality, it featured kidnappings, assassinations, terrorism, and dangerous supernatural threats. The subject matter was pretty dark, and the show’s willingness to permanently kill characters or have them permanently trapped in artificial VR environments added an edge of relentless peril to its stories. The atmosphere of danger was exacerbated by the addition of creepy paranormal threats, ultimately making The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest a show that refused to hold its audience’s hand in reassurance, and one that was subtly far darker than many would originally have expected.
4) Round the Twist
Round the Twist was an Australian comedy drama series that aired from 1990 to 2001, spanning the entirety of the ’90s. Its premise saw it follow the adventures of the lighthouse-dwelling Twist family, predominantly focusing on the three Twist children as they become involved in surreal, supernatural adventures. It’s sometimes remembered as a classic kids’ TV show that traumatized its audience, but many forget just how dark it really was. The repeated tonal shift between comedic moments and ideas lifted directly out of nightmares made for incredibly tense viewing, with body horror and genuine danger adding an extra layer of darkness to proceedings. The show’s use of an eerie setting and its bizarre blend of comedy and outright nightmare fuel might have proved a winning formula, but it was also one that delivered a lot of unexpectedly dark subject matter. While many might vaguely remember the show, very few allow themselves to openly acknowledge just how dark and terrifying it really was.
3) ReBoot
There are many forgotten pieces of animation from the 1990s, but Canadian sci-fi show ReBoot is one that boasts a significant place in TV history. As one of the very first made-for-television CGI series, ReBoot‘s run from 1994 to 2001 saw it earn a unique place in the hearts of its audience, many of whom considered its visual style to be indicative of the genre’s future. Its story, which followed a group of Guardians inside a computer system world called Mainframe, allowed for many light-hearted technological and computer-based jokes. Look just a fraction deeper, however, and ReBoot is one of the creepiest shows of the ’90s. In essence, its characters were constantly fighting for their lives, and its story is much closer to a sci-fi horror story than it is a kid-friendly adventure series. Several story beats grappled with some pretty heavy themes, making the show a far darker affair than its colorful presentation otherwise suggests.
2) Batman: The Animated Series
Commonly considered the best animated superhero TV show of all time, Batman: The Animated Series helped usher in a new era of comic book adaptations. With its dark color palette and comprehensive depiction of Batman and his villains in Gotham City, the show is fondly remembered by pretty much everyone who watched it during the ’90s. What many fans neglect to mention — or just totally block out — is that it’s also an incredibly dark show at times. Its superhero source material and relatively kid-friendly stories gloss over some pretty dark moments, with stories including children being kidnapped and forced into criminal slavery, characters being corrupted or killed, and even substance abuse. In many ways, the darker elements of the show are all part of its considerable charm, but that doesn’t at all negate the fact that Batman: The Animated Series is actually far darker than the majority of its 1990s audience remember.
1) Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage the Cowardly Dog first aired in late 1999, so it just narrowly cemented itself as a part of kids’ TV of the ’90s. Over just three years, it managed to establish a considerable fanbase, many of whom still speak fondly of it more than two decades after its end. It follows the exploits of the titular dog, who lives in the fictional town of Nowhere, as he encounters various paranormal and supernatural creatures and threats. The show itself is generally light-hearted in nature, but the overall presentation of its ideas is beyond creepy. Many of Courage the Cowardly Dog‘s scariest monsters live on in the minds of ’90s kids as pure nightmare fuel, but the show’s dedication to playing even the most terrifying horror off as somewhat comedic helped our collective memories gloss over the show’s darker aspects. When it comes to kids’ TV shows from the 1990s far darker than people remember, Courage the Cowardly Dog remains the gold standard.
More TV Shows
-
20th Century Studios
