Pop Culture | TV

10 Cartoons Your Parents Secretly Wanted To Watch With You

We all grew up watching cartoons as kids, but who says we need to stop once we hit adulthood? Things that were once awesome often still are, and plenty of us even have our own kids to introduce to the shows we loved! In particular, these 10 cartoons are just as great now as they were when we were kids.

Batman: The Animated Series

Still considered one of the best adaptations of the Caped Crusader's adventures, the show has colorful villains and cool gadgets for the kids, and mature themes and surprisingly intelligent storylines for adults.

Animaniacs

The Warner siblings did their best to teach kids about things like state capitals and the difference between a good idea and a bad idea, but what we really remember are the adult jokes like this...

Avatar: The Last Airbender

A show that's colorful and silly but also serious and action-packed, Avatar: The Last Airbender isn't just a great show for kids and adults to enjoy together, but one of the best shows of all time.

Reboot

One of the earliest fully 3D-animated shows of the 90s, Reboot was a combination of then-awesome visuals, a different and interesting world (which takes place entirely in a computer), and storylines that took some pretty serious turns. Great then, and great now.

Seriously, there's even more great shows that you can show your kids...

Gargoyles

Disney released their competitor to Batman The Animated Series with Gargoyles, and it was enjoyable in all the same ways. Dark and serious but with lots of fun characters (most of which were voiced by the cast of Star Trek : The Next Generation), there's something for everybody in this total classic.

Rocko's Modern Life

Like most Nickelodeon shows of the 90s, it was marketed to kids thanks to its crazy characters and wacky visuals, but was DEFINITELY meant for adults. How else do you explain the scene where Rocko works for a "loveline."

Spongebob Squarepants

It's absurd, whacked out, and absolutely hilarious. Spongebob truly has something for everybody, unless you're absolutely dead inside.

Samurai Jack

A show with stellar animation and often very little dialogue, Samurai Jack is a show that people of all ages can enjoy just for the action and quiet moments alone.

Hey Arnold!

It's about a bunch of inner-city kids, but the situations they get into are anything but kid-like. Between stories about addiction, loneliness, alcoholism and abandonment, the adults are probably going to get even more out of it than the kids do.

Johnny Bravo

Because who doesn't love a giant doofus unsuccessfully trying to score a date?

What shows do you think are great for both kids and adults? Let us know in the comments!