2010s Retrospective: TV Edition

 

Now we enter the next phase of the 2010s retrospective: television (or streaming). Similar to my last post, the shows will be listed in the order of their premiere dates.

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1. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-2019)

Created by Lauren Faust, whose previous works include The Iron Giant, The Powerpuff Girls, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic proved to be an unprecedented hit for Hasbro and was popular not only among little girls, but by adult men who called themselves "Bronies." The unicorn Twilight Sparkle and her friends are entrusted with the Elements of Harmony, and together they defend the land of Equestria from various evil forces. The show is very well made, from the characters to the animation done on Adobe Flash. The show is mostly slice-of-life, but the beginning and ending of seasons have some story arcs that last two episodes each. This show is the best version of My Little Pony that's ever been made, at least compared to the generation that came before it which I grew up on and loathed. For anyone who's itching to give this a watch, I would suggest watching the first seven seasons and then watching the 2017 movie and then stop there. As far as I'm concerned, the last two seasons didn't happen. (Season eight adds another "Mane 6" team for no good reason, and season nine adds shameless pandering to the Bronies.)
Official rating: TV-Y / My rating: 3+ (seasons 1-8), 7+ (season 9)

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2. Sym-Bionic Titan (2010-2011)

A show that truly deserved better and ended way too soon. Sym-Bionic Titan is the brainchild of Genndy Tartakovsky who also created Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack. A princess, a soldier, and a robot escape war on their home planet and take refuge on Earth where they disguise themselves as high school students. Unfortunately the show ended after only one season of 20 episodes. The reason was that the show wasn't able to sell toys. Yeah. Sounds like the 80s, doesn't it? Despite its short run, it still offers fun, action, and humor in a way only Tartakovsky can make it, and for that I recommend you check it out.
Official rating: TV-PG / My rating: 10+

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3. Gravity Falls (2012-2016)

Alex Hirsch, who previously worked on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack on Cartoon Network, gives us a series that has a great balance between humor and mystery. Gravity Falls is about two fraternal twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, who are forced to spend their summer break in, you guessed it, Gravity Falls, Oregon with their great uncle (grunkle for short) Stan who owns a gift shop called the Mystery Shack. The show slowly evolves from a slice-of-life comedy to a suspenseful mystery and a race against time to stop a powerful demon from another dimension from destroying the world. This show is one of the best shows from Disney Channel and was praised for its clever writing and lore. What's funny is that the show is only 2 seasons with 20 episodes each, yet was aired in four years. This is a must see for fans of animation and fans of mystery stories.
Official rating: TV-Y7-FV / My rating: 7+

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4. Steven Universe (2013-2019)

Possibly the greatest series ever to air on Cartoon Network, similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodeon, Steven Universe was thought up by Rebecca Sugar who was a former storyboarder on Adventure Time. Drawing inspiration from video games, anime, and Disney movies, the show is a story about a human-Gem hybrid named Steven who, along with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, three Gems (sentient rocks with bodies made of light) who abandoned their home planet to live on Earth, protects the Earth with his various powers. Similar to Gravity Falls, the show begins as slice-of-life and turns into action-adventure with a looming threat over the planet. The series is praised for its originality, positivity, and character diversity, which apparently includes same-sex relationships and a transgender allegory involving the main character. While those last points may be a turn off for some people, this series is actually clever and nuanced on the subject. The "homosexual" relationships present in the show are in fact not. The Gems as a race are actually genderless though they use female terms and mostly appear feminine. And Steven, who is half human and male, is sometimes mistaken for his mother Rose Quartz and is sometimes referred to with female pronouns as a result by Gems who don't know his true identity. In short, the series is open to interpretation. There will never be a show quite like it, and I highly recommend it.
Official rating: TV-PG / My rating: 10+

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5. Over the Garden Wall (2014)

Created by Patrick McHale, another Flapjack alumnus, Over the Garden Wall is a 10-episode miniseries which chronicles the adventures of Wirt and Greg, two brothers who get lost in a forest on Halloween night and have to get back home while avoiding a creature known as the Beast. The backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous in this and really gets you in the mood for fall. This is perfect viewing for the season, especially around Halloween. Fun fact: Elijah Wood voices Wirt.
Official rating: TV-PG / My rating: 10+

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6. Osomatsu-san (2015--)

Osomatsu-san (or Mr. Osomatsu in English) is an anime series that serves as a reboot/sequel of the 1960s manga and anime Osomatsu-kun. The show is about 6 brothers, sextuplets in fact (RIP their mom's lady parts), who live their wacky lives as NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). Each brother has a distinct personality and the side characters are just as zany as they are. This is not your typical anime; it feels more like an American cartoon, which is what anime from the mid-20th century were like.
Official rating: NR / My rating: 13+

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7. Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016-2018)

Talk about wasted potential. Voltron: Legendary Defender is a Netflix original produced by DreamWorks Television Animation and is a reboot of the original Voltron series from the 80s. Five people are chosen to be paladins, riders of five robotic lions that when combined form Voltron. The show starts off good but cliche, then becomes better and more exciting over time, then deteriorates in the last few seasons. The ending was such a downer that the show has no rewatch value whatsoever. Fans have accused the show of "queer-baiting." Before the seventh season premiered, the producers stated that one of the male paladins had a same-sex partner, only for the flashback scene featuring them to be super ambiguous. To make matters worse, they kill off said partner later in the season, making one wonder why they mentioned him in the first place other than to get eyeballs on the screen. (This is not surprising in hindsight as many of the crew worked on The Legend of Korra, which also had an ambiguous scene between two female leads who apparently become a couple in the last minute of the show.) There are also a lot of deus ex machinas, especially near the end. Trust me when I say it's better to skip this one and not set yourself up for disappointment.
Official rating: TV-Y7-FV / My rating: 7+

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8. OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes! (2017-2019)

OK K.O.! Lets Be Heroes! is created by Ian Jones-Quartey, a Steven Universe alumnus and long-time partner of Rebecca Sugar. The show follows K.O., a six-to-eleven-year-old (not joking here) boy who gets a job at Gar's Bodega in Lakewood Plaza and learns to fight alongside his two co-workers Enid and Rad as they battle against Lord Boxman and his robots. It's not original and borrows heavily from other works, but that doesn't take away from its enjoyment. The show unfortunately came to an untimely end with a short third season. Thankfully the crew were given enough time to finish the story, even if it was rushed. (Some words of caution if you're thinking of showing this to a young child: the main character is born out of wedlock and is raised by a single mother. There is an implied homosexual relationship in the third season and a same-sex kiss in one episode. The last episode, which I recommend you skip over, shows an implied but brief same-sex "wedding" between two male characters.)
Official rating: TV-Y7-FV / My rating: 7+

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9. Aggretsuko (2018--)

Another Netflix original series, Aggretsuko is about the life and times of Retsuko, a red panda girl who works in the office and tries to get through the work week. While on the surface, she seems like a normal person, at night after work, she goes to the local karaoke bar and screams heavy metal as a coping mechanism. The show is surprisingly complex for a Sanrio property and details the struggles of workers and young people. The show is still ongoing with season three on the way, so I would suggest getting through the first two seasons. The Christmas special is optional.
Official rating: TV-14 / My rating: 13+

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10. Infinity Train (2019)

The final show on this list, Infinity Train (Book 1) features Tulip, a redhead girl who becomes bitter following her parents' divorce. She leaves home to go to a technology retreat, and happens upon a mysterious train that sucks her into the Infinity Train where each train car is a whole universe. With the help of a robot named One-One and a talking corgi named Atticus, Tulip journeys through the train to find a way out. Similar to Over the Garden Wall, this is only 10 episodes, but unlike that miniseries, the series is ongoing with Book 2 on the horizon that will have a new protagonist. Until then, enjoy the suspenseful adventure that is Book 1.
Official rating: TV-PG / My rating: 10+


...And that ends my list of TV shows from the 2010s. Hopefully the 2020s will give us great talent and showcase more awesome content. See you all in 2020!