[Music]
welcome to watch mojo
and today we're counting down our picks
for the top 10 animated shows that
exceeded
expectations did you see it did you see
it
big clay clear my schedule good
you have done well for this list we'll
be going over cartoons that viewers were
initially wary of or unimpressed by
but after they debuted these shows were
good enough to stand the test of time
if there's an animated series whose
quality surprised you that we failed to
include
please tell us about it in the comments
number 10 rick and morty you can't live
without consequences you know you feel
me
wow that's a beautiful thought morty but
uh no there were definitely consequences
the adult swim block of cartoon network
is famous for weird and wacky adult
series
that have lots of gags but not a ton of
substance underneath
at first glance rick and morty played
right into the programming stereotypes
the show just seemed to be about the
random and gross adventures of a genius
scientist and his grandson
across space and other dimensions stand
down he's not afraid of pirates
oh run morty that part was true
and sure rick and morty has those things
but it also manages to tackle topics
like family dysfunction and depression
in refreshing ways
there are tragic events and examinations
of existential questions
sure we figured rick and morty would be
hilarious but we didn't expect it to
make us feel
so many feels too i'm a version of your
brother you can trust when he says don't
run
nobody exists on purpose nobody belongs
anywhere
everybody's gonna die come watch tv
number nine ducktales now let's go find
the lost
city of atlantis
and no one tell your uncle donald
when a remake of ducktales was first
announced people were naturally cautious
in their assessment
could it really live up to the original
or would it just be another nostalgic
cash grab from disney but
immediately upon hearing the remixed
version of that oh so catchy theme song
fans knew they were worried over nothing
[Music]
thanks to a stellar animation style a
fantastic
cast great cameos and thrilling
adventures the new ducktales is the rare
remake that matches
and maybe even exceeds its predecessor
that's why we're sad that it will be
ending in 2021
we'll enjoy that timeless woo hoo while
it lasts
you expect so much oh
maybe i got a little carried away the
kids truly are the best team i can ask
for
number eight steven universe if every
porkchop were perfect
we wouldn't have hot dogs given how big
it's become in the years since it first
aired it can be easy to forget that a
lot of people weren't immediately on
board with steven universe from the
get-go
the show's creator rebecca sugar was
heavily involved with the insanely
popular adventure time
this drew concerns that steven universe
would just be a carbon copy of a cartoon
network smash hit
and steven as a protagonist didn't seem
to stand out much
however the show had several awesome
qualities that made it develop a
distinct identity of its own
all i wanna do is see you turn into a
giant woman
a giant woman all i wanna be is someone
who gets to
see a giant woman steven universe's
memorable songs
beautiful animation and timely themes
about personal identity and acceptance
made it an absolute gem of a show
well i think you're pretty great
number seven bojack horseman if you keep
breaking it i'm gonna break you well
call me a kitkat bar because i'm already
broken
kit-kats aren't already broken that's
the whole point
when it first debuted critics weren't
especially impressed with bojack
horseman
another adult animated sitcom but this
time it featured a washed up actor who's
a horse
what could be different about a
seemingly tame idea however the show
takes its premise to a much
deeper level than we were prepared for
yes
i'm sorry okay i don't forgive you
although bojack has some great humor
what truly sets it apart is its
examination of its very flawed
characters
through their stories we examine mental
health addictive behaviors and so much
more
sure we all came for will arnett's
signature dry humor
but we stayed for the feels we don't
even mind that the show sometimes makes
us want to curl up in bed and cry for a
day
my mother she knew what it's like to
feel your entire life like you're
drowning
with the exception of these moments
these very rare brief instances
in which you suddenly remember you can
swim
number six sonic boom are you prepared
to do your civic duty
he said civic the sonic franchise in
general has been through a lot of ups
and downs in the last 20 years
fans were especially wary of sonic boom
because a similarly named video game
that had been released around the same
time
was a buggy and disappointing mess and
it wasn't like the other sonic tie-ins
were doing so hot at the time either
however the cartoon series proved
surprisingly entertaining and successful
what happened i couldn't think straight
nothing made sense
yeah you get used to it its
light-hearted tone proved to be a nice
contrast to the franchise's infamous
attempts to be edgy
sonic boom also has some surprisingly
good social commentary
and some breaks in the fourth wall that
will have you rolling with laughter plus
it's grade a
meme fodder you know amy any time
someone calls attention to the breaking
of gender roles
it ultimately undermines the concept of
gender equality by implying that this is
an exception and not the status quo
what number five gravity falls if this
thing works we could learn the identity
of the author and unravel the greatest
mysteries of gravity falls
you ready oh i'm ready baby
given its fairly limited selection of
animated shows at the time
disney channel cartoons didn't exactly
inspire much confidence in the early
2010s
so gravity falls was treated with plenty
of skepticism when it first aired but as
viewers quickly learned the show was
anything but typical hey at least i'm
not all keyed up to watch a kid's show
i'll have you know the ducktective has a
big mystery element and a lot of humor
that goes over kids heads
the story followed the pines twins while
spending a summer with their kooky great
uncle in a bizarre oregon town
they have tons of amazing adventures
gravity falls proved that it was
possible to balance hilarious humor for
kids and adults
with intriguing mysteries and emotional
storytelling i wanted to say that you're
gonna hear some bad things about me and
some of them are true
but trust me everything i've worked for
everything i care about
it's all for this family now regarded as
a classic
gravity falls kicked off an unexpected
renaissance for disney tv animation
number four star wars the clone wars no
no stop it know yourself
know what you will become this show had
a lot of things stacked against it
it's set during the divisive star wars
prequels era the animation isn't
especially good in the beginning
and its tone is initially more
kid-friendly yet as the show goes on
it really puts the wars in star wars
there are amazing battle scenes
great development for new and returning
characters and some surprisingly mature
content
have mercy please
please there is no mercy
its great content has even inspired a
spin-off
sequel series called the bad batch from
its initial lukewarm reception to now
star wars the clone wars isn't just a
good cartoon set in the galaxy far far
away
but one of the best chapters in the star
wars franchise
period come now what happened to all the
enthusiasm i saw earlier
number three avatar the last airbender
so this is the great avatar master of
all the elements
although pretty universally loved these
days avatar the last airbender was at
risk of being rejected when it premiered
back in 2005.
could a cartoon with an art style
inspired by anime really work in the
west
but practically everyone who has given
the show a shot has found it to be one
of the best animated adventure shows
ever made all the main characters have
satisfying arcs
the action is fantastic and wonderfully
choreographed
and its humor appeals to all ages oh and
the show can make you cry
a lot leaves from the vine
falling so slow like fragile
tiny shells drifting in the phone
even the terrible movie adaptation
couldn't ruin its tremendous legacy
like avatar the last airbender's title
character eng
the show's power should not be
underestimated
tough you rule number two futurama
i guess there's nothing wrong with being
a little weird leela
there's nothing wrong with anything
given that it was created by the same
folks behind the simpsons it was
inevitable that futurama would have a
high bar to clear
and while it never quite achieved the
same level of mainstream success as the
simpsons
it still managed to be a great show
futurama's devoted cult following was
strong enough to get the show
resurrected from cancellation
did you see it did you see it the
explosion no
not the explosion then what
nothing its futuristic sci-fi setting
offers a unique and hilarious form of
satire
additionally futurama features more
character growth than you might expect
along with some romance and tragedy that
will really tug at your heartstrings
but we digress but i digress tremble
puny earthlings
one day my race will destroy you all
before we unveil our number one pick
here are a few honorable mentions f is
for family
adult animated sitcoms aren't usually
the norm for adult swim's originals
hey what y'all doing here airport stuff
nothing nothing we were just leaving
it's okay
no no it's not okay you're messing with
our hijacking
shira and the princesses of power a
surprising remake that showed us shiraz
power was the real deal
hit them in the back of the neck that
should take them down
not bad sparkles batman beyond it
followed a legendary animated series and
still went beyond our expectations
i think it's time your protege joined
the justice league the justice league
i can't help but consider the timing big
mouth
odd animation and juvenile humor yeah
but it's also
so relatable well then that went
terribly but at least i've come out
unscathed now i believe
there's a clogged toilet calling my name
oh harry
i'm coming toilet american dad
seemed like another family guy cloned
before it became its own thing
what's happening i was just about to do
something really funny i'll tell you
what's happening
it's the end of the world and we've been
left behind
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number one spongebob squarepants hello
you've reached the house of unrecognized
talent please
start after the what we can hear you
saying
there's no way expectations were low for
spongebob
but we have to compare the show's insane
success today to its humble premise
we follow an adult talking sponge who
lives in a pineapple under the sea
surrounded by weird characters and
bizarre humor
from an outsider's perspective spongebob
squarepants might sound like an
off-putting and crazy idea
let's change our names to why and bother
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but anyone who originally dismissed the
show on the surface level missed out on
one of the greatest cartoons
ever made the characters are
unforgettable the jokes are hysterical
and it's wonderfully inventive and it's
been running for over 20 years
while it's not as strong as it once was
skipping the show completely will
deprive viewers of a
sweet victory
[Music]
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