Staff Picks: 5 Cartoon Shows To Binge Watch from Chuck Bean
So we’re all stuck working from home or off school for the next few weeks. seems like with all this time on our hands we’ll be caught up on our shows fairly quickly. If you’re tired of all the news and need an escape here’s some cartoons to get you through!
Show: Steven Universe
App: Hulu
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 126
Quite possibly the coolest cartoon on television today, Steven universe mixes anime tropes with american cartoon style. Every 11 minute episode is full of fun, songs, and underlying tension as the history of the the Crystal Gems is slowly revealed and like any good kids cartoon lessons are learned. This is one of those shows that’s even more rewarding the second time through as you catch lines and background characters that ultimately mean more to the story than you thought they did the first time around.
Show:Harley Quinn
App: DC Universe
Seasons :1
Episodes :13
While the DC Universe app is mainly for comics this show alone is why I signed up for a subscription. It’s funny, irreverent, violent and has a great voice cast from The Big Bang Theory’s Kasey Cuoco as the lead character to guest stars like Jason Alexander, Jim Rash and Alan Tudyk. If you want to see someone poke fun at the Batman Mythos in a rated R format this is the show for you.
Show: Gravity Falls
App: Disney Plus
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 41
X-Files meets Scooby Doo, Gravity Falls follows twins Dipper and Mabel(Kristen Schall) as the spend the summer with their Grunkle Stan who runs a tourist attraction in a town beset by all sorts of monsters, aliens and supernatural happenings. While it only ran 2 seasons it is full of fun jokes and a neat mythology to the town and folks that inhabit it.
Show: Transformers Prime
App: Netflix
Seasons: 3(only 1 on Netflix)
Episodes: 65(26 on Netflix)
Netflix used to have all three seasons of my favorite interpretation of the Robots in Disguise. Now you can only catch season one there but it’s worth checking out this CGI rendered cartoon that brought the war between Autobots and Decepticons to the small screen 10 years ago while Michael Bay was putting them on the big screens. I’ve been a fan since seeing the original cartoons back in the 80’s but this is the best versions of favorites like Optimus Prime, Starscream and Soundwave. And if you find yourself wanting more the second and third seasons, where the show REALLY starts to shine, are available for rent on Amazon Prime.
Show: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
App: Hulu
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 120
In 2012 Nickelodeon also decided to reboot the TMNT with a CGI cartoon and the result was fantastic. Easter eggs from every version of the Turtles made their way into the show with vocal talent including Sean Astin(Lord of the Rings) as Raphael, David Tennant(Doctor Who) showing up in season 3 as the Fugitoid and Jason Biggs(American Pie) being replaced a couple seasons in by Seth Green(Family Guy) as Leonardo. Even the original cartoon turtles find their way into a few late season episodes for crossovers and there’s an anime sensibility to the animation style making this the best version of the Turtles to date.