The cartoons that filled American Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, on CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox Kids, Kids' WB and in syndication: the '70s and '80s shows such as Scooby-Doo, Super Friends, He-Man, Transformers and G.I. Joe, then the Fox Kids and Kids' WB era of the 1990s. None of these shows connect to each other; they sit together because they were on the same blocks for the same generations of kids, and this is the nostalgic stretch of superhero epics, toy-driven action shows, anime imports and gag comedies. Some tell long stories with real finales, many were cancelled mid-story, and several were later continued by revivals, films or comics.
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No. 01 · 1969 · Series
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! recap
Fred, the leader; Daphne, the fashionable one who keeps getting captured; Velma, the brainy one who loses her glasses; and Shaggy, a hungry, nervous beatnik, travel in a painted van called the Mystery Machine with Scooby-Doo, a cowardly Great Dane who can almost talk. Wherever they stop, something supernatural is scaring people away: a black knight in a museum, a ghost clown, a phantom ship, a space kook. Shaggy and Scooby get chased, usually bribed with Scooby Snacks to act as bait, Fred sets a trap that half works, and Velma pieces together the clues. The monster is always a person in a costume, typically someone hiding a smuggling ring or trying to scare off buyers, who complains that they would have got away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids. The show began on CBS Saturday mornings in 1969 as a gentle alternative to the violent action cartoons parents had complained about. It ran for 25 episodes over 1969 and 1970, and in 1978 ABC aired 16 more new mysteries under the same title.
How Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ends
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ended without a finale. The last original CBS episode, "Don't Fool with a Phantom", aired on October 31, 1970, and the 1978 ABC episodes closed with "The Beast Is Awake in Bottomless Lake". The format continued straight away in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972) and The Scooby-Doo Show (1976), and the original gang has been revived many times since, in TV series, direct-to-video films and two live-action movies.
No. 02 · 1973 · Series
Super Friends recap
Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman work together from the Hall of Justice, where the TroubAlert computer calls them to emergencies around the world. In the first season, in 1973, they are joined by two teenage trainees, Wendy and Marvin, and Marvin's dog, Wonder Dog. Because of the era's limits on violence in children's TV, the early threats are mostly disasters, aliens and misguided scientists rather than supervillains, and the heroes often talk them round. The show was reworked many times on ABC over the next twelve years. In 1977 the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, shape-changing aliens from the planet Exxor, replaced Wendy and Marvin, with their space monkey Gleek. In 1978 Challenge of the Superfriends brought in the Legion of Doom, thirteen villains led by Lex Luthor who meet in their swamp headquarters, the Hall of Doom, and the Flash, Green Lantern and Hawkman joined the team alongside new heroes such as Black Vulcan, Apache Chief and Samurai. Later seasons ran shorter adventures, then in 1984 added Firestorm and Darkseid as the main villain, and in 1985 Cyborg, as The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.
How Super Friends ends
Super Friends ended without a finale. Its last version, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, finished its single season with "Escape from Space City" on October 26, 1985, after which ABC did not renew it. The Justice League did not have another animated team series until Justice League (2001) on Cartoon Network, and the Wonder Twins and the Hall of Justice have since been revived in comics, parodies and later DC cartoons.
No. 03 · 1981 · Series
The Smurfs recap
Based on the Belgian comics by Peyo, the show follows the Smurfs, small blue creatures who live in mushroom houses in a hidden village in the forest. Each Smurf is named for his main trait: Brainy, Hefty, Handy, Clumsy, Jokey, Vanity, Grouchy, Greedy and Lazy. They are led by the wise, bearded Papa Smurf, who practises magic. Smurfette, the only female, was created by the evil wizard Gargamel to trap them, but Papa Smurf turns her into a real Smurf. Gargamel and his cat Azrael spend every episode trying to catch Smurfs, for food, for gold or for revenge, and always fail. Some stories take place in the human world with Johan, a young squire, and his friend Peewit. Over the years the village grows: a stork delivers Baby Smurf, Father Time turns four Smurfs into children, the Smurflings, and Grandpa Smurf returns from a long journey. In the ninth and last season NBC changed the format, and a group of Smurfs is lost in time, travelling through history and trying to get home. Hanna-Barbera made it for NBC from 1981 to 1989, for 256 episodes over nine seasons.
How The Smurfs ends
The Smurfs ended without a finale. The last episode, with the segments "The Golden Rhino" and "Hearts 'N' Smurfs", aired on December 2, 1989, during the time-travel season, and NBC cancelled the show in 1990 when it replaced its cartoons with live-action programming. The Smurfs returned in live-action and computer-animated films from 2011, Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017), a 2021 animated series and the film Smurfs (2025).
No. 04 · 1983 · Series
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe recap
On the planet Eternia, Prince Adam, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, holds up the Sword of Power, says "By the power of Grayskull!" and becomes He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, while his cowardly pet tiger Cringer becomes the armoured Battle Cat. Only the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, the inventor Man-At-Arms and the bumbling magician Orko know his secret; Teela, the captain of the guard, does not. Their enemy is Skeletor, a skull-faced sorcerer who wants to take Castle Grayskull and its secrets, leading a gang of henchmen from Snake Mountain, including Evil-Lyn, Beast Man, Trap Jaw and Mer-Man. He-Man rarely hits anyone: he lifts, throws and smashes things instead, and most stories are solved with brains as much as strength. Each episode ends with a character speaking to the audience about the lesson of the story. Filmation made the show to promote Mattel's Masters of the Universe toys, and it ran in daily syndication from 1983 to 1985, for 130 episodes over two seasons.
How He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ends
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ended without a finale. The last regular episode, "The Cold Zone" (1984), has Kobra Khan ask He-Man for help when his people's underground kingdom starts to freeze. The film The Secret of the Sword (1985) introduced Adam's twin sister, who led the spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power, and He-Man returned in The New Adventures of He-Man (1990), a 2002 series, Netflix's Revelation (2021) and Revolution (2024), and Amazon MGM's live-action film Masters of the Universe (2026).
No. 05 · 1984 · Series
The Transformers recap
Millions of years ago, two factions of giant robots from the planet Cybertron, the heroic Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the evil Decepticons led by Megatron, crash on Earth and lie dormant inside a volcano. In 1984 an eruption reactivates them, and the war continues on Earth. The robots disguise themselves as cars, trucks, jets, cassette players and guns, and the Decepticons want Earth's energy to build Energon cubes, while the Autobots protect humans, including their friend Spike Witwicky and his father Sparkplug. Starscream, Megatron's second in command, is always plotting to take over; Bumblebee, Jazz, Ironhide and the Dinobots fight for the Autobots; Soundwave, the Constructicons and the Insecticons for the Decepticons. Season 2 introduced many new toys, including robot teams that combine into giants. The Transformers: The Movie (1986), set in 2005, killed off Optimus Prime and others, made Hot Rod the new leader, Rodimus Prime, and turned Megatron into Galvatron. Season 3 continued from it, and after a fan outcry Optimus returned in 1987. Sunbow and Marvel made the show with Japan's Toei to sell Hasbro's toys, and it ran in syndication from 1984 to 1987.
How The Transformers ends
The American series ended with "The Rebirth", a three-part fourth season in 1987, in which the Autobots and Decepticons reach the planet Nebulos and bond with its people to become Headmasters and Targetmasters. Cybertron is restored, but Galvatron and the Nebulan villain Zarak are still fighting for control of the galaxy. Japan continued the story in its own series, starting with The Headmasters, and the franchise later returned with Beast Wars (1996), the live-action films from 2007 and Transformers One (2024).
No. 06 · 1985 · Series
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero recap
G.I. Joe is an elite special missions force that defends the world from Cobra, a terrorist organisation led by the shrieking, cowardly Cobra Commander. Cobra's other leaders include Destro, an arms dealer in a steel mask, the Baroness, a spy, Major Bludd and the ninja Storm Shadow, along with the twin crime bosses Tomax and Xamot. The Joes, led in the field by Duke, include Scarlett, Flint, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Shipwreck, Gung-Ho and Snake Eyes, a silent masked commando. The battles use lasers instead of bullets, and nobody is shown dying: pilots always parachute out of their exploding planes. The show grew out of two five-part miniseries, The M.A.S.S. Device (1983) and The Revenge of Cobra (1984), and the series began in 1985 with another, The Pyramid of Darkness. In season 2, in 1986, the scientist Dr. Mindbender creates Serpentor, a new emperor for Cobra, from the DNA of history's conquerors. Every episode ends with a public service lesson for children, closing with the line "knowing is half the battle". Sunbow and Marvel made it with Toei to sell Hasbro's toys, and it ran in syndication for 95 episodes.
How G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero ends
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero ended without a finale. Season 2 closed in November 1986 with "Into Your Tent I Will Silently Creep", and the story continued in G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987), released direct to video, which revealed Cobra-La, the hidden race behind Cobra, and set up a third season that was never made. DiC produced a different G.I. Joe series from 1989 to 1991, and live-action films followed in 2009, 2013 and 2021.
No. 07 · 1987 · Series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles recap
Four turtles mutated by ooze and raised in the New York sewers by their rat sensei Splinter become ninjas: Leonardo leads, Donatello builds, Raphael wisecracks and Michelangelo loves pizza. Their friend April O'Neil is a TV news reporter. Their enemy is the Shredder, Splinter's old rival, working with Krang, a brain-shaped alien warlord from Dimension X who lives in a robot body, and their mutant henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady. Krang's rolling fortress, the Technodrome, ends up somewhere new every season: under the city, in Dimension X, in the Earth's core, in the Arctic. The show started as a five-part miniseries in 1987, ran in syndication and on CBS Saturday mornings, and lasted ten seasons and nearly 200 episodes. Season 7 included a trip around Europe. From season 8 the tone changes, with a red sky, a new theme and more serious villains; the Turtles banish Shredder and Krang to Dimension X, and an alien warlord, Lord Dregg, takes over as the main enemy.
How Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ends
The final episode, "Divide and Conquer" (1996), follows a season in which Shredder and Krang briefly return and turn on Dregg before being sent back to Dimension X for good. The Turtles take Krang's old robot body from the Technodrome, use it to beat Dregg and banish him to Dimension X, and Splinter tells them he has nothing left to teach them. The 1987 Turtles came back in the 2009 crossover film Turtles Forever.
No. 08 · 1988 · Series
Garfield and Friends recap
Garfield, a fat, lazy orange cat who loves lasagne and hates Mondays, lives with his hapless owner Jon Arbuckle and Odie, a cheerful, dim dog. Each half hour has two Garfield cartoons and, in between, a segment based on Jim Davis's other comic strip, U.S. Acres, set on a farm run by Orson, a book-loving pig. Orson's friends include Roy, a rooster who plays pranks; Wade, a nervous duck who wears an inflatable inner tube; Booker, a chick, and his brother Sheldon, who has not hatched yet; and the sheep Bo and Lanolin. Short gags called Garfield Quickies fill the gaps. The Garfield stories range from everyday fights over food and the TV to parodies of films, game shows and fairy tales, with Nermal, the cute kitten Garfield cannot stand, Binky the Clown and Jon's vet Liz as regulars. The humour often breaks the fourth wall, with Garfield talking to the audience and the cartoons joking about TV itself. Mark Evanier was head writer, and Lorenzo Music voiced Garfield. It aired on CBS Saturday mornings from 1988 to 1994, for 121 episodes over seven seasons.
How Garfield and Friends ends
Garfield and Friends ended without a story finale. The last episode, "Arbuckle the Invincible", aired on December 10, 1994, and its closing segment, "The Ocean Blue", sends Garfield, Jon and Odie on a beach holiday told entirely in song. CBS offered to renew the show with a smaller budget, and the producers chose to end it instead. Garfield returned in live-action films in 2004 and 2006, The Garfield Show (2008), with much of the same team, and The Garfield Movie (2024).
No. 09 · 1990 · Series
Bobby's World recap
Bobby Generic is a four-year-old with a huge imagination, and every ordinary moment in his life turns into a fantasy. A trip to the dentist, a new babysitter or a day at the beach becomes an adventure in his head, often built from taking grown-up sayings literally. Howie Mandel created the show, voices Bobby and his father Howard, and appears in live-action segments at the start and end of each episode. Bobby lives with his parents, his older sister Kelly, his older brother Derek, who torments him, and his dog Roger, and he talks to his stuffed spider Webbly. Uncle Ted, Aunt Ruth and his best friend Jackie are regulars, and he idolises a TV superhero called Captain Squash. The show ran on Fox Kids for seven seasons and 81 episodes from 1990 to 1998. The format stayed the same throughout, though the family grew: twin baby brothers, Jake and Alex, arrive in the third season.
How Bobby's World ends
Bobby's World has no story finale. Each episode stands alone, and Fox Kids stopped making new ones after the seventh season, with the last episode airing in February 1998. Reruns continued on Fox Family until 2001. Bobby is still four years old in the last episode, and nothing in his family changes for good beyond the arrival of the twins. Howie Mandel talked several times about a revival, most recently around 2018, but none has been made.
No. 10 · 1990 · Series
Captain Planet and the Planeteers recap
Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, wakes from a long sleep to find the planet badly damaged by humans. She gives five magic rings to five young people from around the world: Kwame from Africa (earth), Wheeler from North America (fire), Linka from the Soviet Union (wind), Gi from Asia (water) and Ma-Ti from South America (heart). Living on Hope Island with Gaia, the Planeteers travel the world to stop environmental disasters. When a problem is too big, they combine their rings to summon Captain Planet, a blue-skinned superhero with a green mullet who is weakened by pollution. Each villain stands for a kind of damage: Hoggish Greedly for overconsumption, Verminous Skumm for urban decay, Duke Nukem for radiation, Dr. Blight for reckless science, Looten Plunder for poaching and Sly Sludge for waste. Episodes end with short tips for viewers. The original run, from 1990 to 1992, was followed by The New Adventures of Captain Planet from 1993 to 1996, with new voices and a slightly more serious tone.
How Captain Planet and the Planeteers ends
Captain Planet has no story finale. Each episode is a self-contained mission, and the series simply ended in May 1996 after six seasons and 113 episodes, without a closing arc for Gaia or the Planeteers. The Eco-Villains are never finally defeated, and the team is still on Hope Island when it stops. A live-action film has been talked about over the years, but nothing has continued the cartoon.
No. 11 · 1990 · Series
Tiny Toon Adventures recap
A new generation of cartoon characters attends Acme Looniversity, a school in Acme Acres where the classic Looney Tunes stars teach them how to be funny. The students are not relatives of the originals but are modelled on them: Buster and Babs Bunny ("no relation"), who share Bugs's wit; Plucky Duck, a scheming glory hound in Daffy's mould; Hamton J. Pig, a neat, nervous pig like Porky; and Montana Max, a spoiled rich kid, and Elmyra Duff, a girl who loves animals to death, as their main antagonists. Others include Dizzy Devil, Furrball, Fifi La Fume, Shirley the Loon, Calamity Coyote, Little Beeper and Gogo Dodo, who lives in Wackyland. Episodes mix chases, parodies of films and TV, music videos and jokes aimed at adults. Steven Spielberg produced it through Amblin with Warner Bros. Animation, and Tom Ruegger created it. The show premiered in 1990, ran mainly in syndication for two seasons, moved to Fox Kids for a third in 1992, and won several Daytime Emmy Awards over its 98 episodes.
How Tiny Toon Adventures ends
The last regular episode, "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" (December 1992), parodies It's a Wonderful Life: Buster, pushed out as the star of the show by Montana Max, is shown by an angel what it would be like without him, and decides to come back. Two Fox specials followed, Tiny Toons Spring Break (1994) and Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery (1995). Its team went on to make Animaniacs, and a reboot, Tiny Toons Looniversity, arrived in 2023.
No. 12 · 1991 · Series
The Pirates of Dark Water recap
On the ocean world of Mer, a living black liquid called Dark Water is spreading and swallowing everything it touches. Ren, a young lighthouse keeper, learns he is the son of the dying King Primus of Octopon. Before he dies, his father tells Ren that only the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, scattered across the world, can stop the Dark Water. Ren sets off on the ship Wraith with Niddler, a talking monkey-bird; Tula, a fierce young woman who turns out to be an ecomancer, able to command nature; and Ioz, a selfish pirate who joins for the money and slowly grows loyal. Their enemy is Bloth, a huge pirate lord, whose warship Maelstrom chases them across the seas. Each episode brings a new island, a new trap and usually a new treasure. Hanna-Barbera produced it in 1991 as a five-part miniseries on ABC, then continued it in syndication as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. It ran for 21 episodes.
How The Pirates of Dark Water ends
The Pirates of Dark Water never ends. The show stopped abruptly in 1993 after 21 episodes, with the quest far from finished: Ren has eight of the thirteen treasures, Bloth is still at large and the Dark Water still covers much of Mer. It was cancelled without a finale, and no revival or closing film has ever been made, so what happens to Ren, Octopon and the rest of the treasures is never shown.
No. 13 · 1992 · Series
Batman: The Animated Series recap
In a Gotham City drawn in a dark, art deco style, Bruce Wayne fights crime as Batman, with Alfred at home and Commissioner Gordon at police headquarters. Most episodes stand alone and focus on the villains, many of them given sympathetic origins: Mr. Freeze, trying to save his frozen wife; Two-Face, the district attorney Harvey Dent with a split personality; Clayface, a ruined actor. The Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill, is the main enemy, and the show introduced Harley Quinn, his henchwoman and girlfriend, who later moved into the comics. Robin, Dick Grayson, appears from time to time, and Batgirl joins later. The original run aired on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1995, with a theatrical film, Mask of the Phantasm, in 1993. In 1997 it moved to Kids' WB as The New Batman Adventures, with a sleeker art style: Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing, Tim Drake becomes the new Robin, and Batgirl is a regular.
How Batman: The Animated Series ends
Batman: The Animated Series has no finale. The original run stopped in 1995, and the direct-to-video film SubZero followed in 1998. The New Batman Adventures ended in January 1999 with a stand-alone episode, and the story carried on in the connected shows that followed: Batman Beyond, set in the future, and Justice League. Return of the Joker, Batman Beyond's film, shows how the Joker was finally stopped years later.
No. 14 · 1992 · Series
Eek! The Cat recap
Eek is a cheerful purple cat who lives in the suburbs by one motto: "It never hurts to help." It always does. Every good deed he tries, from helping a friend to rescuing an animal, ends with him crushed, blown up or chased. His girlfriend Annabelle, a large cat, adores him, but her guard dog Sharky the Sharkdog wants to tear him apart. His friend Elmo the Elk is always raising money for his sick brother, and Eek's human family never quite understands him. Created by Savage Steve Holland and Bill Kopp, the show ran on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997. From the second season it changed format, splitting each episode between Eek and a second segment, The Terrible Thunderlizards, about three dinosaur soldiers trying to kill two cavemen. The show was renamed Eek! and the Terrible Thunderlizards and then Eek! Stravaganza, and a third segment, Klutter!, about a dog made from junk, was added for a while.
How Eek! The Cat ends
Eek! The Cat has no story finale. Each episode stands on its own, and Fox stopped making it in 1997 after five seasons and 75 episodes, with the last run under the name Eek! Stravaganza. Eek ends as he began, still helping and still getting hurt for it. The rights later passed to Disney, and the show has never been revived or given a full home release.
No. 15 · 1992 · Series
X-Men: The Animated Series recap
Professor Charles Xavier's X-Men, mutants feared by the humans they protect, fight from their mansion in Westchester. The team is Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Beast and Jubilee, the new girl through whose eyes the first episode is seen. Magneto argues that mutants must defend themselves by force, and the Sentinels, giant mutant-hunting robots, are a constant threat. The show adapted major comic storylines in long arcs: Days of Future Past, with Bishop arriving from a ruined future; the Phoenix Saga and Dark Phoenix Saga, in which Jean is taken over by a cosmic force and dies; Apocalypse and his Horsemen; and a time-travel crisis with Apocalypse across history. Cyclops and Jean marry, and Rogue and Gambit circle each other. The series ran on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997 for five seasons. Its later seasons had fewer episodes and a different animation studio.
How X-Men: The Animated Series ends
The finale, "Graduation Day" (1997), has Xavier shot by an anti-mutant extremist. The only way to save him is for Lilandra to take him into space to the Shi'ar Empire, and he says farewell to his X-Men and leaves Earth. Marvel continued the story in X-Men '97, starting in 2024; its second season ran on Disney+ from July to August 2026.
No. 16 · 1993 · Series
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers recap
Zordon, a wise being trapped in a time warp, and his robot assistant Alpha 5 recruit five teenagers from Angel Grove: Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini and Kimberly. With their Power Coins, they become the Power Rangers and fight Rita Repulsa, a witch freed after 10,000 years in a space dumpster on the Moon. Each episode, Rita sends a monster, makes it grow giant, and the Rangers combine their dinosaur Zords into the Megazord. The action scenes come from the Japanese series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger; the American scenes are new. Rita's biggest plan is turning new student Tommy into the evil Green Ranger, until the Rangers free him and he joins. In season 2 Lord Zedd takes over from Rita, Tommy loses his green powers and returns as the White Ranger, and Jason, Zack and Trini are replaced by Rocky, Adam and Aisha. Rita and Zedd marry. In season 3, Rita's brother Rito destroys the Thunderzords, the Rangers gain ninja powers, and Katherine replaces Kimberly as the Pink Ranger.
How Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ends
The third season ends with Rita's father, Master Vile, turning back time and making the Rangers children again. This leads to the miniseries Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, in which aliens from Aquitar protect Earth, and ends with the Command Center destroyed. The story continues straight into Power Rangers Zeo (1996) and the long-running franchise. A 1995 film was separate from the show.
No. 17 · 1993 · Series
Animaniacs recap
Yakko, Wakko and Dot, the Warner siblings, are cartoon characters from the 1930s who were locked in the Warner Bros. water tower for being too zany. Now loose, they run around the studio lot, tormenting the studio psychiatrist Dr. Scratchansniff and the guard Ralph, and singing songs about the countries of the world, the presidents and the US states. The show is a variety series made up of short segments. Besides the Warners, there is Pinky and the Brain, two lab mice trying to take over the world; Slappy Squirrel, a retired cartoon star; the Goodfeathers, pigeons spoofing gangster films; Rita and Runt, a cat and a dog; and Buttons and Mindy, a dog and a toddler who wanders into danger. The humour mixes slapstick with jokes aimed at adults. Produced by Steven Spielberg, it aired on Fox Kids from 1993 to 1995 and then on Kids' WB until 1998, with 99 episodes.
How Animaniacs ends
The original show has no story finale; it ended in 1998, and a direct-to-video film, Wakko's Wish, followed in 1999, in which the Warners compete for a wish from a falling star. Hulu revived Animaniacs in 2020 with the original voice cast. The revival ran for three seasons until 2023, with the Warners joking about their decades away, and Pinky and the Brain back as a regular segment.
No. 18 · 1993 · Series
Sonic the Hedgehog recap
The planet Mobius has been conquered by Dr. Robotnik, who turned its capital into a polluted industrial city called Robotropolis. With his Roboticizer, he turns its animal citizens into robot slaves, including Sonic's Uncle Chuck. A group of Freedom Fighters fights back from the hidden village of Knothole: Sonic the Hedgehog, who is fast and reckless; Princess Sally Acorn, the leader and planner, with her pocket computer Nicole; Bunnie Rabbot, who is part robot; Antoine, a cowardly coyote; Rotor, the mechanic; and the young fox Tails. Robotnik's sniveling nephew Snively works under him. Season 1 is mostly separate missions. Season 2 adds more ongoing threads: Sally's search for her father, King Acorn, who is trapped in another dimension; Uncle Chuck, whose mind is restored so he can spy on Robotnik; and the Deep Power Stones. It aired on ABC for two seasons, 1993 and 1994, and is darker in tone than the games.
How Sonic the Hedgehog ends
The final episode, "The Doomsday Project", has Robotnik build a machine to wipe out all organic life. Sonic and Sally destroy it using the Deep Power Stones, and Robotnik disappears in the wreckage. In the last scene, Snively takes over with an unseen ally, meant to be the sorcerer Naugus in a third season. That season was never made; the show was cancelled on a cliffhanger.
No. 19 · 1994 · Series
Spider-Man: The Animated Series recap
Peter Parker, a college student, balances his life as Spider-Man with his science studies, his job selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle, his Aunt May and his relationship with Mary Jane Watson. The series adapts many classic comics: the alien symbiote that becomes Venom and later Carnage; the Hobgoblin and Green Goblin; Kraven, the Lizard, Doctor Octopus; and the Kingpin, the crime boss behind many plots. Peter's blood mutation threatens to turn him into a giant spider-creature. Madame Web, a mysterious psychic, tests and guides him. The series ran on Fox Kids from 1994 to 1998 for five seasons, built around multi-episode arcs and the Secret Wars, where Spider-Man leads a team of heroes on an alien world. Mary Jane disappears into another dimension at the end of season 3, and the woman who returns turns out to be a clone. The final arc, Spider Wars, brings in Spider-Men from other universes.
How Spider-Man: The Animated Series ends
The finale, "Farewell, Spider-Man", ends the Spider Wars, in which several Spider-Men from parallel universes stop an evil, rampaging version of Spider-Man. Madame Web promises to help Peter find the real Mary Jane, and he leaves with her to search, meeting Stan Lee along the way. The show was cancelled without showing the rescue. Marvel's 2025 comic series Spider-Man '94 picked up the story and reunited them.
No. 20 · 1995 · Series
Pinky and the Brain recap
Two genetically altered lab mice live in a cage at Acme Labs. The Brain is a short-tempered genius; Pinky is cheerful, simple and full of strange sayings. Every night, Pinky asks what they are going to do, and the Brain answers that they are going to try to take over the world. Each plan, built around a disguise, a giant machine or a scheme to win public opinion, fails, often through Pinky's blunders or the Brain's overlooking something obvious. The pair began as a segment on Animaniacs and got their own show in 1995, first in prime time on The WB and then on Kids' WB. The episodes lampoon films, musicals and history, with many famous guest voices. In its last season the network made the producers add Elmyra, a girl from Tiny Toon Adventures who hugs animals too hard, and the show was retooled as Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain, in which the mice are her pets.
How Pinky and the Brain ends
Pinky and the Brain has no story finale. The world is never conquered: the original show ended in 1998 after four seasons, and the retooled Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain ran for one season until 1999. The mice returned in 2020 as a regular segment in the Hulu revival of Animaniacs, still in their cage at Acme Labs and still trying to take over the world every night.
No. 21 · 1996 · Series
Beast Wars: Transformers recap
Hundreds of years after the original Transformers, two small crews, the heroic Maximals and the villainous Predacons, crash-land on a planet full of raw energon. To survive it, they take animal forms. Optimus Primal, a gorilla, leads Rhinox, Rattrap, Cheetor and Dinobot, a raptor who defected from the Predacons. Megatron, a T. rex, leads Tarantulas, Waspinator, Scorponok and Blackarachnia. The show, one of the first fully CGI series, ran in syndication from 1996 to 1999. The first season ends with the discovery that the planet is prehistoric Earth, with the original Autobots and Decepticons asleep in their crashed ship, the Ark. Megatron tries to change history by killing Optimus Prime. Dinobot dies stopping Megatron from destroying early humans. Later episodes introduce transmetal bodies, alien Vok, new crew members like Silverbolt and Tigatron, and Megatron's cruel clone Rampage. In season 3 Megatron goes after the Ark itself.
How Beast Wars: Transformers ends
The finale, "Nemesis", has Megatron take over the Decepticon warship Nemesis, buried in the planet, and attack the Maximals. The Maximals destroy it, capture Megatron and return to Cybertron in a new ship, with Megatron as prisoner. The original Autobots and Decepticons are left safely asleep in the Ark, so history stays on course. The story continues in the sequel Beast Machines (1999 to 2000), which begins with Megatron escaping and taking over Cybertron.
No. 22 · 1998 · Series
Godzilla: The Series recap
A sequel to the 1998 Godzilla film. After the monster is killed in New York, scientist Dr. Nick Tatopoulos finds one egg that survived. The baby Godzilla hatches, sees Nick first and treats him as its parent. Nick puts together H.E.A.T., a research team that investigates giant mutant creatures around the world. The team includes Elsie Chapman, a paleontologist; Mendel Craven, an anxious engineer; Randy Hernandez, a young hacker; and Monique Dupre, a French agent first sent to kill Godzilla, plus their battered robot N.I.G.E.L. Godzilla follows them and fights off giant mutant crabs, bats, cyborgs and others. Recurring threats include the alien Leviathans and an evil businessman, Cameron Winter. Nick's ex-girlfriend Audrey and cameraman Animal from the film also return. The show ran on Fox Kids for two seasons and 40 episodes from 1998 to 2000.
How Godzilla: The Series ends
Godzilla: The Series has no finale. It was cancelled after two seasons, with the last broadcast episode, "Ring of Fire", airing in April 2000. Shifting time slots during the Pokémon and Digimon era hurt it, and two finished episodes were never aired on American television. Godzilla and H.E.A.T. are still working together when it stops, and nothing has continued the series since.
No. 23 · 1998 · Series
Pokémon recap
Ash Ketchum, ten, sets off from Pallet Town to become a Pokémon Master. He gets a stubborn Pikachu that refuses its Poké Ball, then travels with Misty, a water trainer whose bike he wrecked, and Brock, a gym leader who wants to be a breeder. Team Rocket's Jessie, James and their talking Meowth keep trying to steal Pikachu. Ash wins badges at eight gyms in Kanto and reaches the Indigo League, where he loses in the top sixteen. He then travels to the Orange Islands, joined by Tracey, a Pokémon watcher, and wins the Orange League. Back with Brock, he travels through Johto, a new region with new Pokémon, earning eight more badges. He releases Butterfree and Pidgeot along the way and grows close to Charizard, who leaves for a time to train. Ash reaches the Silver Conference and loses in the top eight to Harrison, a trainer from Hoenn. Kids' WB began airing the show in the United States in 1999.
How Pokémon ends
The original series ends with "Gotta Catch Ya Later!" (2002): after the Johto League, Ash, Misty and Brock part ways, and Ash goes home to Pallet Town before heading to Hoenn, leaving everyone but Pikachu behind. The story continues in Pokémon: Advanced. Ash's full story ends in 2023 with Pokémon Ultimate Journeys, after which the anime moves to new main characters, Liko and Roy.
No. 24 · 1999 · Series
Batman Beyond recap
In 2039, a teenage Terry McGinnis breaks into Wayne Manor and finds that the old man there, Bruce Wayne, long retired, was Batman. When Terry's father is murdered by the corrupt businessman Derek Powers, Terry takes the new high-tech Batsuit and becomes the new Batman in Neo-Gotham, with Bruce guiding him from the Batcave. Powers becomes the radioactive villain Blight. Terry juggles school, his girlfriend Dana and his mother and brother while fighting a new generation of villains, including the shapeshifting Inque, the sound-based Shriek and the Jokerz, a street gang. His school friend Max figures out his secret and helps. Later episodes include the futuristic Justice League. The show ran on Kids' WB for three seasons from 1999 to 2001. The film Return of the Joker (2000) brings the Joker back decades later and reveals what happened to Tim Drake.
How Batman Beyond ends
The final episode, "Unmasked" (2001), has Terry reveal his identity to a young boy to save him, trusting him with the secret. The real ending comes in Justice League Unlimited's "Epilogue" (2005): Amanda Waller tells an adult Terry that he is Bruce's biological son, created in secret to make sure there would always be a Batman. Terry accepts it and keeps going.
No. 25 · 1999 · Series
Digimon: Digital Monsters recap
At summer camp, seven kids are pulled into the Digital World by strange devices, called digivices, and each is paired with a Digimon partner. Tai is the brave leader with Agumon, and Matt is his rival with Gabumon. The others are Sora, Izzy, Mimi, Joe and young T.K., Matt's brother. Their Digimon can digivolve into stronger forms when the kids are in danger or show their crests: courage, friendship, love, knowledge, sincerity, reliability and hope. They fight Devimon, then Etemon, and learn they are the Digidestined, chosen to save the Digital World. The vampire Myotismon invades Tokyo hunting for the eighth child, who turns out to be Tai's little sister Kari, with Gatomon. Returning to the Digital World, they face the four Dark Masters, who have reshaped it, and lose friends along the way. The series aired on Fox Kids from 1999 to 2000, with the Japanese original changed for American audiences.
How Digimon: Digital Monsters ends
The final villain, Apocalymon, made from the data of lost Digimon, tries to destroy both worlds, and the kids defeat him using their crests' power. With the Digital World restored, the gate between worlds begins to close, and they say goodbye to their partners and return home. The sequel Digimon Adventure 02 (2000) and the film Last Evolution Kizuna (2020) continue their story.
No. 26 · 2000 · Series
Jackie Chan Adventures recap
Jackie Chan, a cartoon version of the actor, is an archaeologist who does not want to be a hero. When he finds a magic talisman, he is drawn into fights with the Dark Hand, a criminal gang led by Valmont, working for Shendu, a demon who wants all twelve zodiac talismans. Jackie's niece Jade, who hides along on his adventures, and his Uncle, a grumpy expert in magic who says "One more thing!", help him, joined by Tohru, a huge enforcer who switches sides, and Captain Black of the secret agency Section 13. Every season adds a new quest: Shendu frees his demon siblings through portals; the sorcerer Daolon Wong hunts the talismans' powers, now in animals; Tarakudo, king of the Oni, sends shadow ninjas and masks; and in the last season Drago, Shendu's son, collects demon chi. The series ran on Kids' WB for five seasons from 2000 to 2005.
How Jackie Chan Adventures ends
The finale, "The Powers That Be", has Drago absorb the demon chi and summon his demon relatives, forcing Jackie to recruit old enemies to help. Shendu returns and fights his son, and Tohru and Uncle seal both Drago and Shendu into the Netherworld, locking the chi and talismans away for good. A last episode, aired out of order, shows Jade meeting her adult self.
No. 27 · 2000 · Series
Static Shock recap
Virgil Hawkins, fourteen, lives in Dakota City with his father and older sister. During a gang war at the docks, police release an experimental gas, the Big Bang, which gives many of the teenagers there superpowers. Virgil gains the ability to control electricity and becomes Static, flying on a metal disc. His best friend Richie Foley builds his gear and keeps his secret. The kids who gained powers, called Bang Babies, mostly become villains; the recurring ones include Hotstreak, who controls fire, and Ebon, a shadowy leader of the Meta-Breed gang. The show deals with gangs, guns, racism and homelessness. From season 2 it gets darker and Static meets Batman and Robin. In season 3 Richie gains super intelligence from the gas and becomes the hero Gear. Static teams up with the Justice League in later episodes. The show ran on Kids' WB for four seasons from 2000 to 2004.
How Static Shock ends
The final regular episode, "Power Outage" (2004), has a cure strip the powers from Dakota's Bang Babies, including Static and Gear. Ebon and Hotstreak try to undo it and set off a new disaster that the two heroes have to stop. The show was cancelled for low merchandise sales. A future Static appears in Justice League Unlimited's "The Once and Future Thing" (2005).
No. 28 · 2001 · Series
Yu-Gi-Oh! recap
Yugi Muto, a shy boy, solves the Millennium Puzzle, an ancient Egyptian artefact, and gains the spirit of a pharaoh who takes over his body to play the card game Duel Monsters. With his friends Joey, Tea and Tristan, Yugi enters Duelist Kingdom, a tournament held by Maximillion Pegasus, who has trapped his grandfather's soul. Seto Kaiba, a cold, rich rival, wants to beat the pharaoh more than anything. In Battle City, Kaiba's tournament, Yugi battles Marik, who has stolen two of the three Egyptian God Cards and controls people with his Millennium Rod. Later seasons trap the friends in a virtual world built by Kaiba's stepbrother, Noah, then pit them against Dartz and the Seal of Orichalcos, which steals souls. After a tournament in Kaiba's amusement park, the final arc takes the pharaoh back to ancient Egypt through his memories, where he faces the evil Bakura and the demon Zorc and learns his name, Atem. The English dub aired on Kids' WB from 2001.
How Yu-Gi-Oh! ends
In the last episodes, Yugi and Atem play the Ceremonial Battle: Atem can only pass into the afterlife if Yugi beats him. Yugi wins, Atem walks through the door to the afterlife and says goodbye, and the tomb collapses, burying the Millennium Items. The story continued in the film Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions (2016), set after Atem is gone.
Common questions
What is the Saturday Morning Cartoon story so far?
The cartoons that filled American Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, on CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox Kids, Kids' WB and in syndication: the '70s and '80s shows such as Scooby-Doo, Super Friends, He-Man, Transformers and G.I. Joe, then the Fox Kids and Kids' WB era of the 1990s. None of these shows connect to each other; they sit together because they were on the same blocks for the same generations of kids, and this is the nostalgic stretch of superhero epics, toy-driven action shows, anime imports and gag comedies. Some tell long stories with real finales, many were cancelled mid-story, and several were later continued by revivals, films or comics.
Where did Saturday Morning Cartoon leave off?
Yu-Gi-Oh! (2001) is the latest. In the last episodes, Yugi and Atem play the Ceremonial Battle: Atem can only pass into the afterlife if Yugi beats him. Yugi wins, Atem walks through the door to the afterlife and says goodbye, and the tomb collapses, burying the Millennium Items. The story continued in the film Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions (2016), set after Atem is gone.
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