Kids TV Has Gone Down the Tube
| Published 11/12/04

Graphic by: Allen Blickle

I was channel surfing the other day, and I came upon the shocking realization that kid's tv just isn't what it used to be. Maybe i'm speaking from a biased point of view, but it seems like kid's tv shows have gone down the tube...no pun intended.  You would think that with the progression of animation, plot and storyline wouldn't be far behind.  Unfortunately, it seems like today's tv is flooded with bad Pokemon remakes and un-intelligent revivals of past hits.  It seems like the network assumes that the average child isn't intelligent or mature enough to grasp developed concepts.  Instead of clever humor and interesting plotlines, there is patronizing gibberish and innane conversations about makeup and who was dating who.

To really discuss the subject, it needs to be broken down into three areas of interest.

1. Creepy/Strange/Odd Television.

Classic kids television thrived on strange and interesting concepts.  Current kids television is attempting the same thing...but failing miserably.  Classic tv has shows like Pee-Wee's Playhouse and The Adventures of Pete and Pete in their corner.  Both of those shows understood the value of wacky, interesting characters and outrageous plotlines to draw viewers in. They didn't patronize children with baby-talk or idiotic characters.  Current tv's idea of strange seems to be represented in shows like the Teletubbies, where jibbering and jumping up and down, shouting garbled phrases like "la la tubby toast!" is about as advanced as you're going to get.  To be fair, they do have a hold on the "strange."  They just got a little lost when it came to the "interesting."

2. Cartoons

I feel like I was spoiled with cartoons like X-Men, GI Joe, Transformers, etc.  The animation wasn't bad, the plots were fun, and there was actually action! TV of the present day has shows like Dragonball Z, where a face-off may last up to three episodes until a fight actually takes place.  I certainly can't think of anything more interesting than watching animated characters glare at each other for half an hour. Plus, I could always count on GI Joe and Captain Planet to give me the moral of the story, just in case I missed it.  Kids these days have no idea that "knowing is half the battle"...and that's a real shame!

3. Coming-of-age shows

I understand the thought process: since shows like 90210 and Degrassi Junior High did so well, recreating them would be a good idea.  In theory, it would.  However, all we have from this are shows like Degrassi Next: poor knock-offs of past hits.  It's offensive to anyone who isn't utterly superficial, seeing as how they make teens and pre-teens out to be braindead nitwits with nothing but thoughts of clothes and parties flowing through their too-perfectly coiffed heads.

Face it, children of the 80's, it's up to YOU to save the future generations from bad tv.  Let's just hope that you saved those Transformers re-runs that you taped off of tv.  Don't even try to say you didn't.