Five Franchises that Don't Get Enough Love

 Yes they have fans, but you don't hear that much from them. 

Yes they have merch but it's few and far between.

Yes there's fanart but it's not as popular on Deviantart. 

These franchises need far more love than they get, and they're going to get some here. 

5: Young Justice

The more grown up Teen Titans show was a victim of bad marketing. Meant to be a toy selling scheme for kids, the show's overarching storyline and more adult issues didn't hit well with kids, however older DC fans loved the show. Without the coveted toy market cornered, the show was cancelled on a cliffhanger only to be brought back on DC's not defunct streaming service. All three seasons now have a home on HBO Now, so hopefully it'll get more fans discovering this lost DC treasure. 

4: Gargoyles

I may be wrong about a stable streaming service giving a show new life, as it didn't work for Gargoyles. The show was a hit back in the 90's, but it's received little buzz since showing up on Disney Plus. The show is relatively dark compared to most of Disney's fair, but the story is engaging and the characters are far deeper than cartoon characters today. This is worth a rewatch and some more fan love from the geek community. 

3: Superman the Animated Series 

(A lot of DC on this list...)

After the much beloved Batman the Animated Series, Superman got his own show in the same universe. The cartoon breathed life back into the beloved Man of Steel, but sadly it's not talked about even close as much as Batman's is. Superman the Animated Series needs a good rewatch, though that will be hard to do since it's not currently available on any streaming service. 

2: Once Upon A Time

Okay so this one gets plenty of love from this blog, but overall....

Yes, this show was overdramatic. Yes it was complicated as it tied every fairy tale and Disney movie into one giant mass, but it was incredibly fun and the acting was on point. You can actually identify with the characters and their magical issues. Every episode, as absurd as it is, makes you want to say "....One more episode." Check it out again, let yourself into the world, and let it be either a guilty pleasure or an indulgence into pure dramatic fun. 

1: Daria

The voice of disillusioned teenagers, Daria was the show that gave us permission to question the world around us when we were told to just obey and go along. Daria was an MTV exclusive back in the day, so I get why not a lot of people have seen it, but now that it's on Amazon Prime, maybe this show can get the attention it deserves. If you don't have Prime, the box set is sold for a reasonable price and is worth every penny. Check it out and let the misenthropic teenage girl inside out for a few hours. She might thank you for it. 

-JOE

10 Shows to Binge With The Family

Have you already worn through everything you wanted to catch up on, but see the quarantine stretching out in front of you like the road to Mordor? Here's 10 shows you can binge watch right now with the family all across the streamingverse.

10: Gargoyles (Disney Plus)

Remember Gargoyles? It's Disney's answer to Batman: The Animated Series. This beloved show is back thanks to Disney Plus, and is just as enjoyable as it always was, with the bonus feature of not having to rush home from school to catch the next episode. The writing is stellar and features half the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation for some reason, so you know the acting is on point. Show your kids, let them see something amazing that has nothing to do with Fortnite.

9: The Andy Griffith Show (Amazon Prime)

I know I've already talked extensively about this show, but seriously you can't find a better show to binge with the family than The Andy Griffith Show. The jokes are still as relevant as they were when they were first written and the wholesome town of Mayberry is just what we all need in these uncertain times. Bonus points if you can convince your kids that the reason it's not in color is that color wasn't invented until the 50's (My father in law convinced his son that).

8: We Bare Bears (Hulu)

Never heard of this? Then you're welcome. This delightful show features three bear roommates, Ice Bear, Grizzly and Panda as they try to fit into the human world and fail spectacularly. The show has the kind of random sense of humor adults would remember from stuff like Homestar Runner from the ancient days of the internet, and is a delight for all ages.

7: Year Million (Disney Plus)

One of the exclusive treats on Disney Plus, this documentary follows a family living in the hypothetical year million, a time when technology is beyond our imagination. It offers some interesting food for thought on how technology can influence our lives. It's also really neat to see the entire solar system enveloped by a Dyson Sphere.

6: DC Super Hero Girls (Netflix)

A spin off from the online series, DC Super Hero Girls  follows a team of heroes as they navigate high school. The show's vibe is somewhere between the original Teen Titans series and Bugs Bunny, basically what Teen Titans Go should've been but never was. Check it out if your kids are fans of superheroes or strong female protagonists, or just want to watch something funny with heroes.

5: Pokemon: Origins (Amazon Prime)

Completely detached from the story of Ash Ketchum, this miniseries follows the plot of Pokemon Red and Blue, giving us the Pokemon story we always wanted. We see Red go from town to town collecting badges and and Pokemon the same way we did on our old Gameboys. It's the best Pokemon show to come out in years, and I'm including Detective Pikachu and Mewtwo Strikes Back: Remix.

4: Sailor Moon (Hulu)

The original Magical Girl anime, this show really doesn't get its just due. While it does follow a gaggle of school girls, Sailor Moon never gets inappropriate. The campiness of the show is enjoyable to adults and the action and humor appeals to kids of all ages. If you've never seen it now is the chance to give it a try.

3: Our Planet (Netflix)

Another documentary but this one focusing on the natural world we live in with stunning cinematography. It's one of those shows that you stop on while your flipping through the channels and immediately get sucked into learning about elephant migration patterns or the nocturnal party scene of the Mojave desert. It's a good one to snuggle up to and watch while the kids name the animals.

2: Tiny Toon Adventures (Hulu)

Another blast from the past is this classic out of Warner Brothers. A bunch of toons for the next generation (or... our generation...) this show always sparked joy in the hearts of the kids who watched it. Tiny Toon Adventures is just as good as it always was, and will be fun to introduce to the next generation... The one that you made...

1: Scooby Doo Mysteries Incorporated (Netflix)

A modern take on the classic Scooby Doo, this show is more a coherent series than a formula repeated episode after episode. With connecting stories, callbacks to the OG show and references to H.P. Lovecraft, Scooby Doo Mysteries Incorporated is the Scooby Doo we always wanted, and thankfully, completely devoid of Scrappy Doo.

-JOE

Ten TV shows that need to come back

I was watching one of my favorite internet people yesterday (Click here to check out the video)

and he was talking about ten franchises he’d like to see rebooted. This idea was intriguing to me, considering most of my favorite TV shows are now off the air as well as anything like them. Now I’m not saying these things should be dragged out like the Simpson’s was, I’m just saying that seeing a newer, modern version would probably be better than most of the nonsense flooding the airwaves right now. So I’m going to offer my list (In no particular order) of the top 10 TV shows I’d like to see come back.

10: Star Trek

Yeah yeah I know JJ Abrams is doing a fantastic job with Star Trek in film, but where’s the TV series? Star Trek is more than high-budget graphics and seeing Chris Pine take off his pants, it’s about adventures in space, meeting interesting societies, and boldly going where no one has gone before. Abrams did us a favor in giving us an alternate timeline to work with, so why isn’t anyone working with it?

9: Gargoyles

Does anyone remember this show? It had half the cast of Star Trek: TNG doing voices for it and was Disney’s answer to Batman (We’ll get

to him in a sec.). This cartoon did something most cartoons these days are afraid to do: It gave kids the credit that they could take complex storylines and characters without them needing to be watered down. Gargoyles was a fun, unique show with a great premise with some of my favorite characters growing up. This thing would look so great today!

8: Firefly

Duh.

7: Justice League universe

It started with Batman: The Animated Series, then went into Superman, then Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, with offshoots Static Shock and Batman Beyond to round it off. I know Universe got a bit wonky near the end, especially when it served only to show off obscure DC characte

rs people stopped caring about around the time the Berlin wall fell, but for a minute we had a massive cartoon universe with all the DC characters running around being awesome. What have we got now? DC is releasing YET ANOTHER Batman cartoon. DC, face facts: You’re not going to make anything better than Batman TAS, stop trying to remake him and focus on the rest of your universe.

6: Daria

I have a special place in my heart for Daria. She was kind of the voice of my generation: A disenfranchised youth who just wanted to escape the nonsense of high school and get on with real life.

Daria is one of my first inspirations to become a writer, and her witty sarcasm got me through a lot of hard times in school. I’d love to see her view of the world now, with social media, blogging, and super advanced cell phones… Though I may feel guilty if I end up disappointing my hero.

5: The Andy Griffith Show

Here’s an oldie: A small town cop helping the citizens get out of wacky adventures. If they can’t bring back Andy Griffith, I’d like to see at least SOMETHING come up that’s wholesome for the family to watch. We had Touched By An Angel for a while, but even that got painfully cheesy at times. Right now we have Once Upon A Time, but that thing can make Days of Our Lives look like a simple storyline. What happened to TV you can just watch with your family without a flowchart on hand to understand what’s going on?

4: Ghostbusters

The Ghostbusters cartoon used the movie as a jumping off point to launch into what I feel is the only logical step for the franchise: Having the Ghostbusters go through wacky adventures with ghosts. The show was well written and the dialogue captured the heart of the original four, plus I can’t argue with a show that would shamelessly have someone riding a roller coaster in order to fight Cthuhlu. This cartoon was just beyond awesome and is something else I’d love to see rendered with a touch of the modern.

3: A GOOD Anime

Is there any good anime on right now? When I do flip through the channels I seem to keep finding the latest version of Yu-Gi-Oh! and some knock-off of the same. Where’s Cowboy Bebop? Where’s Fullmetal Alchemist? Whatever happened to that gal who was always with the guy with cat ears? Sure it’s premise was dumb but at least the animation was above par.

2: MST3K

I know Mystery Science Theater 3000 has found new life online supplying audio commentaries to the

masses, but why don’t these people still have a show? MST3K to me was one of the funniest things on TV, and I know that if they brought it back and put it on a channel you don’t have to pay more than your house for, it would get more laughs than How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory or Two and A Half Men combined. In one night. Compared to each of their entire runs.

1: Muppets

The Muppets got their start on TV, first on Sesame Street then on The Muppet Show for several years, and both were delightful. Youtube some of the old skits from the Muppet Show if you don’t know what I mean and I guarantee you’ll fall in love. The Muppets last movie, The Muppets, is about the Muppets returning to their roots, and I think a return to TV would be the next logical step, and I guarantee a massive fan turnout if the trailers featured “Pigs in Space”.