IGCU'S MOST WANTED SHOWS LIST

Hello, my fellow NeoTopians! I'm InsertGenericUsernameHere back at 'cha with a new article for you to enjoy. This time, however, this article is going to be very different from what I usually post on here, because it includes me gushing about TV shows that I desperately want a VHS recording of. Let's get started on my most wanted list!

1. THE ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE SHOW (1959-1964)

At the very top of the list is what is perhaps my favorite television show of all time - The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. First airing in 1959 on ABC-TV as Rocky & His Friends (the series later moved to NBC-TV starting in the fall of 1961 and was subsequently known as The Bullwinkle Show), it follows the adventures of Rocket J. Squirrel, an All-American Boy in the form of a squirrel, and Bullwinkle J. Moose, a hillariously idiotic bullmoose who carried the bulk of the show's humor (and even recieved his own segments, too!) as they try to stop the exploits of Pottsylvanian spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. After the show's unfortunate cancellation in 1964, the series moved back to ABC-TV and was later placed in syndication. As for cable television, the show was picked up by Nickelodeon and aired as Bullwinkle's Moose-O-Rama from 1992 until Cartoon Network bought the broadcasting rights to it in June of 1996, where it continued to air until March 2002. The show was last seen airing on an unidentified local TV station in 2016, and it was never seen again....until it started airing on Weigel Broadcasting's MeTV Toons channel in June of 2024. And that show is.....

2. UNDERDOG (1964-1967)

Created by Joe Harris and first debuting on NBC-TV in 1964, The Underdog Show follows the exploits of....well, Underdog. When he isn't foling the plans of an evil villain, he spends his time working as a shoeshiner named Shoeshine Boy in order to make a living. Joining him in his half-hour program are Tennessee Tuxedo (voiced by the late Don Adams) and Chumley (voiced by the also late Bradley Bolke) as they try to live like ordinary people (much to Stanley Livingston's dismay; Tennessee Tuxedo used to be its own program), Klondike Cat (who I guess was Total Television's attempt to compete with Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties [even though they have almost nothing in common]), the Go Go Gophers (a show featuring the exploits of Ruffled Feather & Running Board, who are the last surviving Gopher Indians; they got their own show in 1968) Tooter Turtle, and the Hunter, both of which were originally seen during episodes of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects (In addition, Commander McBragg appeared in between segments; The King & Odie would be apart of Underdog as part of Golden Books' package starting in 1996). After Underdog won his final battle against Simon Bar Sinister in 1967, the show was syndicated, and just like Rocky & Bullwinkle, it too was eventually picked up by Nickelodeon before airing on Cartoon Network and later Boomerang. I'm not sure exactly when the show last aired before it arrived to MeTV Toons, but it was most likely around 2011. Regarding MeTV Toons, I do not have acess to that channel unfortunately, so both Underdog & Rocky & Bullwinkle, as well as all of their suppourting segments will remain uncaptured. I'll get you one day, moose and squirrel..

3. THE ALVIN SHOW (1961-1962)

Another '60s cartoon. Debuting in October 1961 on CBS-TV during the height of the Chipmunk's renewed popularity, this amazing series follows Alvin, Simon, and Theodore trying to live like everyday people despite being celebrities. Joining their show are Clyde Crashcup (an idiotic scientist who "invents" things that were already invented) and his far more intelligent sidekick Leonardo. Despite being made in color, the show aired in black-and-white in order to compete with a western. That decision ultimateley led to the show's cancellation in 1962. After that, it was rebroadcast in color from 1962 until it was put in syndication in 1965. Unlike the last two shows, the show never aired on cable outside of Nickelodeon, where it was broadcast for the final time on New Year's Eve 1995.

4. TAMA & FRIENDS (2001)

Debuting in syndication almost immediately after all 6 of the major networks at the time halted their continuous coverage of the 9/11 attacks, the english dub of Tama & Friends (known in Japan as TAMA of the 3rd District) was the first and only attempt at getting the character's namesake franchise into the 'States. It was massive failure, as despite all 26 of the show's episodes being dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment, the show was abruptly cancelled after only 13 weeks on the air. Its last reported airing was in 2005, but the last confirmed date I've been able to find was an listing on New York City's WPIX-TV in January of 2002. The 13 unaired episodes, as well as 4Kids' dub of the TV movie have never resurfaced in full, unfortunately.

5. THE RUFF AND REDDY SHOW (1957-1960)

First airing on NBC-TV way back in 1957, The Ruff & Reddy Show followed the adventures of Ruff (who, despite his name, is a cat) and Reddy (who, despite his name, is a dog). Just like the aforementioned Rocky & Bullwinkle Show, each story arc was split into 3 seperate parts per episode. After Ruff and Reddy had their last adventure in 1960, the show was left in the dark for over 30 years until Boomerang picked it up in April 2002. The show stopped airing alltogether in January 2004.

6. GARFIELD AND FRIENDS (1988-1994)

This show was the first consecutive animated series to feature that loveable fat cat. Prior to its 1988 debut, numerous animated TV specials featuring the lasanga-loving cat were aired on CBS-TV staring in 1982. The show follows the exploits of Garfield, as he lives with his sidekick Odie and his owner, Jon. Despite the fact that the synopsis I gave for this show was extremely boring, it actually had a lot of funny and clever humor, which were mostly located in the show's opening gags. After the show stopped airing on CBS in 1995 (the specials stoped airing on TV altogether in 1999), it moved to Cartoon Network in 1996 until Nickelodeon picked it up in 1998. After that, the show's broadcasting rights remained dormant until Starz began airing it in 2017, which is were I actually saw the show for the first time! Unfortunately, it stopped airing in 2019. However, Boomerang picked it up in 2020; it last aired on the netwrk in 2021.