According to a screencap shared on a server I’m in, Craig Bartlett has refuted the rumors that talks of a Hey Arnold revival are taking place at Paramount. It seems the article writer may have jumped to conclusions.
Most of what I've seen labeled as Y2K nostalgia actually centers on mid-to-late 2000s culture, with only a few exceptions. It seems that many people conflate that period with the early 2000s. In reality, Y2K nostalgia is primarily rooted in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, a wave of nostalgia that was especially prominent throughout the 2010s and, to a lesser extent, the early 2020s.
It often feels like people simply refer to it as the early 2000s because, for a long time, that portion of the decade was widely regarded as the only "good" or culturally memorable part of the 2000s
Most of what I've seen labeled as Y2K nostalgia actually centers on mid-to-late 2000s culture, with only a few exceptions. It seems that many people conflate that period with the early 2000s. In reality, Y2K nostalgia is primarily rooted in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, a wave of nostalgia that was especially prominent throughout the 2010s and, to a lesser extent, the early 2020s.
It often feels like people simply refer to it as the early 2000s because, for a long time, that portion of the decade was widely regarded as the only "good" or culturally memorable part of the 2000s.
Some people have speculated that the show is ending again, citing the tendency for streaming series not to run beyond a certain number of seasons, as well as the shift to an Owl House-style release format. However, members of the crew have also suggested that they're adopting this format because they simply prefer telling stories as feature-length specials. We don't have a definitive answer. It even seemed at one point that they believed the upcoming season would be the last, only for the series to be renewed afterward. So which is it?
Either way, this appears to be the longest Futurama has ever run following a revival, as the Comedy Central era only lasted three years.
it's amazing to look back at how fans reacted when the Comedy Central era came to an end. I still remember the outrage, the petitions, and the efforts to convince someone to save the show. Fans made it clear they weren't ready to say goodbye.
There were even discussions and rumors about Futurama potentially becoming a Netflix original, especially after Netflix had successfully revived Arrested Development. At the time, it felt like a new era where cancelled shows could find a second or third life, and there was hope that more beloved series would be rescued from cancellation. Compare that to how people view the Hulu revival today, and the difference is staggering.
Something I've noticed is that most Family Guy memes and online discussion tend to centre around Seasons 6–9, with Season 8 in particular being the most frequently referenced. That also happened to coincide with the period when Family Guy was at the peak of its mainstream popularity and cultural relevance. By comparison, the first three seasons are rarely the focus of memes or discussion.
Those early seasons were often overlooked by mainstream audiences because they were considerably tamer than the post-cancellation era, which led many people to dismiss them. There was a modest resurgence of appreciation for them during the 2010s, but they still remain relatively underappreciated. While it's true that the early seasons shared some similarities with The Simpsons, I also think they had a level of wit and sophistication to their humor that often goes unrecognised. They were arguably more charming than they're typically given credit for.
I also think much of that style and sensibility eventually evolved into shows like American Dad! and Wilfred, since David Zuckerman was a major driving force behind the classic era, but the early seasons of Family Guy laid the groundwork. It's a shame that, at a time when Family Guy nostalgia is stronger than ever, those original seasons continue to be overshadowed.
Part of the reason may simply be that the early seasons have a stronger millennial appeal, whereas the post-cancellation seasons resonate more with Gen Z audiences.
With AGU now entering the nostalgia spotlight, I’ve been thinking about how, in some ways, Angelica’s character had the potential to be a genuinely progressive approach. I really liked the idea that someone who appeared fashionable and seemed like the type who would traditionally be the popular girl at school could instead be portrayed as an outsider who struggled socially. For a female cartoon character in the 2000s, I also think Angelica was given something that many characters weren’t: the freedom to actually be funny, over-the-top, and exaggerated in the way only a cartoon character can be.
That stood out during an era when many female cartoon characters were often written as either stereotypical snobs or the voice of reason (with some obvious exceptions). However, the thing that ultimately held her character back for me wasn’t Angelica herself, but the way she was constantly given the short end of the stick. Almost nothing seemed to go right for her. I understand that life isn’t always fair, but I think a lot of 2000s media had a habit of giving certain characters the “Charlie Brown treatment” to an extreme degree.
I know Angelica was infamous for being difficult and mischievous in Rugrats, and she definitely had her moments in All Grown Up, but sometimes it felt like she was being punished simply for being Angelica (which is a problem that even the later seasons of Rugrats had, but to a lesser degree), even in situations where she didn’t necessarily deserve it.
The show also seemed determined to pair her with Harold frequently, and I honestly found myself feeling sorry for her in those situations, considering Harold often came across as intrusive and unwilling to respect her boundaries. I think the character development they were aiming for could have worked much better if they hadn’t constantly tried to humble her or make the audience sympathize with Harold of all characters.
That’s why I think the reboot handled Angelica’s development more effectively. It allowed her to be more human, explored her vulnerabilities, and actually gave her moments where she could grow without constantly having to lose. It felt more balanced because she was allowed to be flawed while still being someone worth rooting for.
I’m curious if anyone else feels the same way.
I’ve observed people express the sentiment that this decade has been worse for animation than the 70s and 80s. Given the way animation is currently being treated, including the growing issue of cartoons becoming victims of tax write-offs, write-downs and corporate decisions, I can understand where that perspective comes from. Many of the problems affecting the industry today are similar to those that plagued animation in the 70s, 80s, and, to a lesser extent, the 2000s.
However, unlike those eras, I would argue that the current decade has still produced a number of worthwhile shows. While the overall consistency of animated series isn’t quite at the level it was during the 2010s, we have still gotten several good and original kids' cartoons, particularly in the early 2020s, even if many of them were cancelled or mishandled far too soon. While the ratio is sparse, I would even say the odd few IP shows we've gotten this decade are good.
On the adult animation side, I’d argue that the landscape has been much more active, with more experimentation and variety. For the most part, adult animation has actually been in a stronger position this decade than it was during the 2010s.
The post-movie era has always been divisive, especially throughout the 2000s. That said, while the general consensus was that the first three seasons represented the show's peak, there also seemed to be a greater appreciation for the later seasons, largely because millennials were nostalgic for that period of their childhood. People often praised those episodes for attempting to move beyond the status quo, allowing Tommy and Chuckie to develop as characters, and Kimi, in particular, received a great deal of affection from fans.
In recent years, however, I've noticed that the later seasons have come under much heavier criticism. They're increasingly called out for their cloying sentimentality and for feeling noticeably softer than what came before. While those criticisms have always existed, they now seem to represent the prevailing consensus. I also don't see nearly as many people defending that era as I used to, with the main exceptions being Rugrats in Paris itself or discussions where Kimi is used as a point of comparison to criticize how the 2021 reboot portrayed her.
To be fair, the circumstances surrounding the departure of the original writing staff weren't widely known until the late 2010s, and were only mainly known by diehard Rugrats fans, or animation geeks. Even so, this shift in opinion has become more pronounced during this decade. I also have to admit that the reboot has made the flaws of those later seasons stand out more to me. In my view, the 2021 series managed to handle many of the most criticized aspects of the original show's second run better striking an emotional tone without becoming as overly sentimental. That may have influenced my perspective, but I'm curious whether anyone else has noticed this shift in how those later seasons are viewed.
When Family Guy entered syndication on Adult Swim, it consistently pulled in some of the block's highest ratings. It also became a massive success on DVD, which ultimately prompted FOX to revive the series for a second time, something that was virtually unprecedented at the time.
Coming off the back of that revival, Seth MacFarlane had earned a great deal of respect for effectively bucking the system. He was widely viewed as a creative rebel who had managed to bring a canceled show back against the odds. Family Guy remained popular throughout the 2000s, but by the end of the decade, it's audience had expanded dramatically. What had once been a show primarily popular with teenagers and adults had become almost universally popular, including among children.
"I Dream of Jesus" seemed to mark the point where Family Guy transformed into a genuine mainstream phenomenon, eclipsing The Simpsons in popularity for a while. From roughly 2008 to 2012, it dominated pop culture. At its peak, it rivaled SpongeBob in popularity, became the most-liked television show on Facebook, was virtually impossible to avoid in everyday conversation, and Seth MacFarlane became the highest-paid television writer in Hollywood. I also have a supposition that this is also why this is the period that's the most talked about, when it comes to Family Guy.
That level of mainstream visibility was especially unusual for an adult animated series, given its content. Around the same time, Lady Gaga was also at the height of her cultural dominance, and despite the mature themes in some of her music, she enjoyed a similarly ubiquitous presence. While South Park certainly achieved mainstream notoriety, it was still largely perceived as a show for adults, with many younger viewers watching it behind their parents' backs. Family Guy, by contrast, seemed to become far more normalized among the general public during that era.
I can't think of another adult animated series, one that pushes into R-rated territory, rather than something like The Simpsons, that has achieved that same level of mainstream visibility and cultural ubiquity. Not even Rick and Morty at the height of its popularity felt quite as inescapable. Was Family Guy's level of cultural saturation during that period essentially unprecedented?
Right now, there appears to be a cultural backlash against the idea of eternal adolescence. Millennials, who embraced nostalgia for their childhood cartoons, enjoyed things perceived as childish, and enthusiastically supported specific reboots and revivals (I say specific revivals, mostly those that were creator driven), have become associated with this trend, partly because of the sheer oversaturation of nostalgic content.
At the moment, it seems to be less socially acceptable to openly enjoy most children's media unless it's something like SpongeBob, or a handful of other series with a much edgier or cynical appeal, similar to the cultural attitudes of the 2000s. I've also noticed that many Zoomers don't generally gravitate toward more wholesome forms of media. (Phineas and Ferb is an exception, and even then, I've seen some of them complain about how it started the trend of "wholesome cartoons")
That said, since cultural trends often re-emerge over time, I wonder whether Gen Alpha will eventually embrace a form of eternal adolescence similar to that of millennials. After all, they were largely raised by the very generation that popularized it during the 2010s, when society became more open and accepting of adults enjoying media traditionally associated with childhood. As history often shows, older cultural trends have a tendency to come back into fashion every 2 decades.
It comes across to me as people trying to justify their nostalgia for the 2000s by saying they're nostalgic for the "early 2000s," even though they clearly mean the decade as a whole.
When millennials expressed nostalgia for the early 2000s during the 2010s, it was largely because that period still retained many cultural remnants of the 90s, with plenty of overlap and spillover from the previous decade.
By contrast, the mid to late 2000s tend to be viewed less favorably, as that's when the 2000s fully established their own cultural identity. and, for many, when the decade's cultural rut began.
Harold's services are no longer required.
(The badge says "Sidekick". I found it hard to draw the word, because of how small the badge is)
The cultural mood was largely upbeat and optimistic, reflecting the sense of momentum that seemed to carry over from the late 2000s into the early 2010s. There was even an effort to recapture the "recession pop" spirit, while edgy comedy began to regain popularity, though it was often tempered by a more hopeful and lighthearted tone.
In contrast, today's cultural climate feels noticeably edgier, more provocative, and increasingly cynical, resembling the atmosphere of the early to mid-2000s.
While many people initially assumed Kimi would serve as Susie's replacement, I actually think her dynamic with Angelica in the reboot is more reminiscent of SpongeBob and Squidward. Kimi comes across as the cheerful, carefree optimist, sometimes annoyingly so, though she can reveal a more cantankerous side when pushed too far. Angelica, meanwhile, is noticeably more of a curmudgeon and easily irritated. Am I the only one who sees that parallel? I also think Tommy and Angelica have that dynamic, too.
They actually pulled it off. I never expected them to match Rugrats in Paris in any respect, but while this finale doesn’t quite reach the same emotional heights, it delivers a satisfying and maudlin conclusion to the series. It resolves most of the show's lingering loose ends and provides many of the characters with a meaningful sense of closure.
It also serves as a thoughtful tribute to Rugrats in Paris while standing firmly on its own merits. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and by the end, it felt like a near-perfect way to bring the series to a close.
This episode marks a return to the absurdity that made the Germain era so enjoyable, and it's clear that Michael Ferris has his fingerprints all over this episode.. I'm not holding back when I say this is not only one of the most experimental and wildest things I’ve seen in the show, but in modern kids' animation as a whole.
Additionally, the nod to Tommy and Chuckie's 90s Mattel toy designs is a subtle yet significant deep cut.
Join me and Rugrats (2021) showrunner (and original series writer) Kate Boutilier for an in-depth conversation about the show's third and final season, now airing internationally on Nickelodeon Global
We explore Kimi's more vulnerable and emotionally layered portrayal compared to the original series, Howard's long-awaited return to the franchise (and yes, we talk about the controversy surrounding it), and the introduction of the new Mehta family.
Kate also shares insights into how the series finale stacks up against Rugrats in Paris, the creative reasons behind the reboot's CGI animation style, and the fascinating story of the never-produced Rugrats in Space movie.
Handidly the best Scary Movie since 2. However, while I had no doubts, it didn't try to focus on offensive as much as the marketing suggested. It had offensive jokes, but it's not the primary function of the comedy it was trying to convey. It's mostly standard R rated humor. Feel like the marketing emphasized the edginess in an attempt to get people to see it. (Not a criticism, just an observation)
Due to the success of the new Scary Movie, Miramax is looking into reviving the Bad Santa franchise.
