Two Generations. One Show.

L

lilkissez1015

New member
There are some popular shows that were in production long enough that ATLEAST two generations got to enjoy the mania. Yet the experiences were completely different. Have you noticed that?

For example, let's look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you were born anywhere between 1977 and 1983 you were there for the show's premiere in 1987. You were the show's original audience. Now, if you were born anywhere between 1984 and 1990 you were basically born into the hype. However, both these age groups experienced the show differently. Here's how: there's shows that maintain quality throughout its run and others that begin to decline. TMNT was definitely a show that declined after a few seasons. Here's a situation where the original audience enjoyed the show while it was at its best while the second audience were able to enjoy the reruns, but perhaps the new episodes weren't exactly the best.

So, anyway, do you guys have any other examples of long-running shows that age groups enjoyed differently? I mean...I already know the answer, but it could be an interesting discussion.
 
The Simpsons has pretty much lasted long enough for three generations to enjoy it. :p

Also on the subject of TMNT, does 2K3 count as one of these kinds of shows? It's been in production for over five years (and still going!), so I imagine it would.
 
Enjoy? This last generation would disagree. lol.



Except I don't know how many kids even watch that show. TMNT 2K3 seems like a show only popular with people who grew up on the old show.
 
The Smurfs ran for a ridiculously long time, more so in French speaking countries.

Any show can achieve that with enough reruns though.
 
Transformers is an example. Since I was born in 1987, I completely missed out on G1, which I never saw until I was 18. But I was a HUGE fan of the Beast Wars/Beast Machines saga. For me, G1 is the history behind Beast Wars. When you say "Transformers", its Beast Wars that comes to my mind, not G1.

As for TMNT, I hated it as a child. I watched a few episodes of "The Next Mutation", but I wasn't crazy about it. I didn't get into Turtles until the 2007 TMNT movie (the CGI one) and re-runs of the 2003 series.
 
The one that fascinates me the most is Rugrats. For those of us who were the show's original audience in 1991 it is shocking to see what the show accomplished. Back then the show was just this funny-looking cartoon that amused us. Then, a few years later the show becomes this HUGE success even though most of us felt like it had jumped the shark with Dil.



You're not alone there, man. That show is hated by pretty much everyone on this planet and any other.
 
Rocket Robin Hood who aired originally from 1966 to 1969, some Canadian tv stations aired reruns until the mid-1990s. Any Canadians kids born between 1965 and 1985 had saw one time an episode of RRH. To a latter extent, the Raccoons might fit the void as well first with the pilot and tv specials, the regular series (1985-91) and it still on reruns on Teletoon Retro.
 
I was born in '89,what does that tell you?

I was sort of in the midst of Rugrat hype when I was about 4-8 and we got basic cable.
 
Okay. Here's another example:

Scooby-Doo. It was in continuous production from 1969 till 1989 (if you count the TV movies). Yet we all know that the kids who grew up with the `80s stuff got screwed.



Arthur has fans? woah! :eek:;)



Except most people haven't cared about Pokemon since like 2000.



Same as above.
 
The show has declined in ratings over the years, but the games and the cards still sell like hotcakes. Plus, a new Pok?mon film is released on DVD every year, and they're easily one of the highest selling anime titles out there. Heck, even Burger King did a Pok?mon toy promotion last month. I honestly doubt that you'll find a kid aged 5-10 who hasn't heard of the franchise.
 
Guess I'll have to chime in for the "old-timers" here and cite the various theatrical and early television cartoons (Yogi Bear, the Flintstones, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Looney Tunes, etc) as being the champs of multigenerational longevity... even if (sadly) these days kids growing up now might have never even seen (or heard of) these guys...

-B.
 
But we're not talking about games and cards.



Just cause they know about it doesn't mean they care about it. Pokemon hasn't been relevant, tv-wise, since like 2000.



You're right. Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Tom & Jerry, etc were VERY popular for ATLEAST 3 or 4 decades. The same can be said for TV Hanna-Barbera. Heck, it was even popular back in the `90s. I remember most kids (myself included) would watch those shows on TNT Toons and Vault Disney.

However, many of these weren't in production when some of us were growing up. For some of us these were just old cartoons we enjoyed. So...it's kinda different, you know?
 
I think you're underestimating Pokemon's popularity. While of course its nowhere near as big when it was a fad during 1998/1999/2000, I seem to remember Pokemon getting good ratings throughout the shows last years on KidsWb and its doing fairly well on CN Saturday mornings for the last 2 years.

Back on topic, the show has been going on for 11 seasons now so there have probably been a large number of generation of kids who grew up watching different seasons.
 
Yeah, I don't really see what popularity has to do with the topic anyway. Kids are still enjoying the show 11 years later, and that's a fact.

You could probably add Batman: TAS to this list too. The show was around for five years...maybe more.
 
I think the SuperFriends could qualify as mutigenerational. It began in 1973 and was revived with various series from 1977-85. Even before the original series, Filmation had animated series starring Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and other JLA superheroes in the 60's. In the 90's, the DC Comics heroes returned with WB's Batman and Superman TAS, which led to the Justice League series from earlier this decade. Sure, there are several series listed here, but in one form or another, they feature about the same superheroes who have been around since their inception in the comic books. The same would certainly apply for the Marvel heroes as well from The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic 4, X-Men, Spider-Man, and others among them.
 
Back
Top