The Three Animated Shows of the Last 30 Years Who Deserve ALL the Attention

Thirty years old is on the horizon. As time ceaselessly thrusts me in its direction, I feel a growing sense of nostalgia for simpler times: times when my "schedule" constituted nothing more than the school day and a week's viewing schedule on my parents' TV; times when I could watch 'toons endlessly... and unironically.

Landmarks on a trip down memory lane are invariably events from animated series. My vernacular has been irrevocably Americanised by my viewing preferences. And my formative experiences with the philosophy of life have all their origins in The Simpsons. (Take Nietzsche, for example, whose 'What does not kill me makes me stronger' aphorism reached me through the ever-relatable mouthpiece of Bart Simpson.)

It stands to reason, then, that my wistfulness for days-gone-by has led me to revisit the best animated television shows from the last thirty years. They got all the critical acclaim they deserve, sure, but are now -- quite shamefully -- not part of the common experience of most people I know. This is a travesty I consider it my duty to remedy.

So, in case you missed it: the three shows from the past 30 years who deserve all the credit.

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The first ten years: X-Men - The Animated Series (1992-1997)

Marvel has gone from strength to strength in the last twelve years, since the release of Iron Man (2008) and the corresponding launch of the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it was a small-budget '90s cartoon rendition of The X-Men that proved that the scope of Marvel Comics went way beyond printed comic books.

Other than the saving grace of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, The X-Men have not had the best outing on our screens in most people's living memory, but it is remiss to forget this absolute gem of a show. It is, arguably, the definitive iteration of The X-Men.

Its boldness, in refusing to pander to children by tempering its mature themes (including pandemic-induced hysteria!) or agreeing to product-placement of kids' toys, is what makes it stand out in my head.

Oh, and just try not to fall in love with the husky-voiced, bad-ass Southern Belle, Rogue. Just try it.

The highlight of my twenties: Disney's Gravity Falls (2012-2016)

Disney+ has made (legally) reliving this absolute powerhouse of an animated show a possibility... finally! It's worth buying a subscription for a summer with Dipper and Mabel Pines alone.

Throughout what seemed like an eternity (five years) of undergraduate finals and post-graduate thesis-writing, I had Alex Hirsch's sporadic releases of gold dust to keep me sane and excited. Those dust particles eventually took form as the golden nugget that is Gravity Falls' two series. What a surprise: the perpetual student found joy in a show about a long summer holiday. Just like my back-to-back(-to-back) degrees, though, the show had to end; after just forty episodes, reality had to return.

The show is packed with fun: creepy creatures; love, both familial and fraternal; self-effacing, self-referential humour; and iconic characters, both central and side. But what truly makes this show a joy to return to, again and again (and again, probably), is the easter eggs. The two series are laden with ciphers and clues, which eventually culminated in a real-life ARG treasure hunt that spanned three continents!

If nothing else, watch this show for more twin-based humour than you can shake a stick at.

The one that's still going: Bob's Burgers (2011-present)

Like Gravity Falls, this one features family dynamics and the vocal talents of Kristen Schaal. Like X-Men, it is crudely animated and took its time to get going. Unlike both of them, it has survived nine years of airtime and shows no signs of slowing down.

The comedy of Bob's Burgers is pitch-perfect, refusing to sink to the sophomoric asininity of Family Guy, or the increasingly dated popular-culture-lampooning of The Simpsons, but instead depends on the bitingly real hilarity of working-class families in failing businesses for its laughs.

The Belcher family is lovable, from start to finish, and every side-character is a delight in his or her own right. And whilst its characters' decisions occasionally defy approval (and even credulity), its family values are nevertheless charming and aspirational.

There is no better animated show currently airing. Prove me wrong.

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So, thank you, FOX, FOX Children's Network, and Disney, for making nostalgia every bit as delicious as it should be.