R.I.P. Cartoon Network

We all remember the days when Cartoon Network contained the best animated shows for children on television. These shows included Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Ed Edd & Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog just to name a few. It was when these shows persisted that Cartoon Network was really worth watching. But for some reason, between 2004 and 2007, Cartoon Network went from my favorite childhood channel to trash in a very short time. Nowadays, the channel is not even worth watching as they have not put forth any kind of original material that even comes close or resembles the success of the old days. What happened to Cartoon Network?

Well, for one thing, the old president of Cartoon Network resigned in 2007, giving way to a new president and from there, they continued to descend into the abyss. Between 2004 and 2007, they had already been slowly falling down, but moving forward past 2007 was the point that their programming became unbearable and nothing that anyone would want to watch. They began replacing the old guard of great animated comedy with new cartoons that just look completely useless in their material. Some of these include, but are not limited to, Chowder, Flapjack, and their long list of now live action programming, which completely has no purpose even syndicating on Cartoon Network.

And many of you readers will comment that I feel this way because I have gotten older and I am too mature for the concepts on these shows. Well, as a little known fact, whenever I watch Tom and Jerry or the Looney Tunes, I still laugh, so that is not the correct answer. The answer is that the quality of these shows have completely plummeted to the point where the shows honestly have little to no plot anymore. I long for the days of Dexter's Laboratory, Ed Edd & Eddy, Codename: Kids Next Door, and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. But the thing that annoys me the most is that Cartoon Network rarely, if not at all, plays any of these shows anymore, not even as repeats. It completely irks me that they have cut ties with everything that has made them great and a respectable channel for cartoons.

There was still one thing I continued to watch after 2007: Toonami. Even though they had also lost some quality, Toonami was the only thing worth watching, playing reruns of old favorite Dragonball Z and new episodes of Naruto every Saturday night. The moment they made Tom sign off for the final time in September, 2008 was the moment I had lost faith in Cartoon Network for good.

As a kid, I grew up with a wonderful channel filled with the best animated shows in the business: classics like the Looney Tunes, original concept shows, and hours of hilarity that I will never forget. I guess I should thank Cartoon Network for the ride, but now I wish that children today could get the chance to grow up with the same quality Cartoon Network I knew when I was a kid. The only reason they tune in to these horrible attempts at animation is because they have never known anything else. Obviously, Cartoon Network has moved on and shows no signs of going back to the drawing board. So I guess all I can say now is rest in peace.