Many children's networks, and networks in general, are known for playing favorite when it comes to shows. Some series gain a cult following lasting just one season. Others seem to continue on, with no end in sight. Cartoon Network is no exception to this. Complicating things, a show can find itself on both ends of this scale, not just with once-adored shows eventually getting canceled.
Some shows lasted one season on the network, but were taken in by other platforms. Other shows might see continuous reboots. Either way, it's a shame that some shows were canceled when others didn't deserve their following seasons.
10 Too Soon: Some Fans Didn't Know The Life And Times Of Juniper Lee Had 3 Seasons
The Life And Times Of Juniper Lee revolved around a young girl tasked with dealing with the forces of the supernatural. Juniper Lee technically got a respectable three seasons, but Cartoon Network advertised it less and less after the first season. The final episodes were released directly to streaming. Because of this, some fans are unaware of episodes after the first season. The final episode of Juniper Lee ends on a cliffhanger, as one of Juniper's friends learns about her powers. This suggests the creators intended to make further seasons.
9 Too Much: Ben 10 Had A Slew Of Spin-Offs & Reboots
The original Ben 10 series came out in 2005. Ben 10 would see sequel series and reboots until around 2020. Ben 10 became one of the network's longest-running original, if constantly changing, franchises. The Ben 10 franchise even got a few live-action films during its run, including Race Against Time, Alien Swarm and Destroy All Aliens. There were even plans to develop a live-action series and a spin-off revolving around the character of Gwen.
8 Too Soon: A New CEO Didn't Like Megas XLR, Putting It In Legal Limbo
Megas XLR was a cartoon revolving around Coop, a video game buff and gearhead from New Jersey. Coop found himself in possession of a time-travelling mecha, and fused it with his car and video game controls. With the help of a time-traveler named Kiva and his friend Jamie, they find themselves in adventures against various alien threats.
Although Megas XLR got high ratings, it only lasted two seasons. Megas XLR had a change in management at Cartoon Network, and a new higher-up didn't like the show. Due to writing off Megas XLR as a tax loss, it can no longer be aired on the network either.
7 Too Much: Teen Titans Go! Once Got A Week-Long Marathon
Teen Titans Go! is a comedic spin-off of the network's Teen Titans, which already had something of a cult following. Teen Titans Go! soon found itself taking over the network, at one point airing around 15 times a day. At one point, around the 2015 Fourth of July, the network aired a week-long marathon to honor Teen Titans Go!'s 100th episode.
As some viewers have noted, specific episodes tend to be especially popular with the network. Viewers have considered Teen Titans Go! Cartoon Network's version of SpongeBob SquarePants. Added to this, four fast-food chains have already had tie-ins with Teen Titans Go! - Sonic, Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's.
6 Too Soon: The 2011 ThunderCats Reboot Had One Season Cut In Two
The 2011 reboot of Rankin-Bass' ThunderCats originally had a lot of promotion on Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network even briefly aired episodes of the original cartoon in anticipation. ThunderCats was even moved from airing on Fridays to Saturdays in a successful attempt to boost ratings.
Issues with the toyline, however, would mark the end of ThunderCats. The last 13 episodes of the first season were marketed as a second season, ending ThunderCats. A second attempt to reboot the series on the network, ThunderCats Roar, took a comedic take, and also only lasted one season.
5 Too Much: Johnny Test Even Got A Christmas Marathon
Technically, the American-Canadian Johnny Test series first aired on Kids' WB for a few years before being picked up by Cartoon Network. Johnny Test eventually became one of Cartoon Network's flagship shows, with constant reruns and promotions.
Not only did Johnny Test see three extra seasons on the network, each one had twice as many episodes as the original Kids' WB seasons. For many fans, this reached its pinnacle when Johnny Test was given a near-all-day marathon on Christmas 2014, dubbed "Johnny Test-Mas."
4 Too Soon: The 2017 Justice League Film Didn't Help Justice League Action
Justice League Action was intended as a sort-of reboot of the Justice League cartoons to help promote the 2017 movie. However, Justice League Action had very little advertising on the network, with one of its few promotions being a McDonald's toy tie-in.
The 2017 film was considered one of the most expensive films ever made. 2017's Justice League failed to match previous DCEU films at the box office. Because of this, Cartoon Network appeared to loss interest in Justice League Action, ending after a single season and a slew of web-shorts.
3 Too Much: Total Drama Island Is So Beloved It Led To A Spin-Off
Although it didn't originate on the network, Fresh TV's Total Drama Island franchise (and its various incarnations), has seen a lot of airtime and promotion from Cartoon Network. The network helped develop the Total DramaRama spin-off, which even premiered in the United States ahead of Canada.
Total Drama Island's popularity with Cartoon Network reached a point where there was a short-lived attempt to revive Fresh TV's 6Teen in the United States. This attempt was despite it failing to get an audience in the country years prior on rival network, Nickelodeon.
2 Too Soon: Sym-Bionic Titan Might Have Been Done In By A Recession
The sci-fi cartoon Sym-Bionic Titan revolves around an alien princess, a soldier, and a robot. They pose as high school students in Illinois to hide from a villainous general. Sym-Bionic Titan ended after a single season, although the network never gave a definitive answer.
One popular rumor was Sym-Bionic Titan's lack of a toyline, which wasn't possible due to the economic recession around the time of release. Other rumors allege office politics, toylines not being interested in a show with a female lead, and the creators moving on to other projects. Eventually, Sym-Bionic Titan was written off for financial reasons, although it did see a brief run on Netflix.
1 Too Much: For Years, The Network Couldn't Get Enough Of Scooby-Doo, Especially Velma
Iterations of the Scooby-Doo franchise seem to be endless on Cartoon Network. There were promotions, movies, and other network-exclusive promotions, like The Scooby Doo Project. The network even used Scooby-Doo in promotions for Halloween in 2021, despite no longer regularly airing the series.
Starting in the 1990s, Velma was also heavily used in commercials for Cartoon Network, with a few famously pairing her off with Johnny Bravo. This is all complicated by the fact that some series, such as Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! and Scooby-Doo And Guess Who? only lasted a few seasons each. Those mystery solving kids and their talking dog have had a long life on the network.