Nickelodeon left quite the impression on many children growing up, particularly during the golden era of the 90's and early 2000s. There was simply nothing like sitting down to a Saturday evening block of SNICK with a bowl of popcorn, or rushing to the TV set to catch the latest adventure of Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the days before mobile phones and mainstream internet, when kids were too young to drive, Nickelodeon was their entertainment.

Though, as time went on, and other avenues of entertainment came to the forefront, Nick seemed to endure a sort of fall from grace, not just in ratings but in overall quality. Networks like the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Comedy Central rose to prominence with interesting content of their own. Kids that grew up on Nicktoons, SNICK, and Double Dare, moved on to the likes of Adult SwimSouth Park, and Saturday Night Live.

These days, Nickelodeon has been attempting to co-opt YouTube shorts by broadcasting some of their shows on their network, like Breadwinners and Fred: The Show. They've also tried to recapture an older crowd that grew up on the channel decades ago through nostalgia, replaying 90's programming in an attempt to rise to their former glory. What we're left with is a channel that seems to be mostly regarded for shows at least 10-15 years old, while much of the more modern content has proven forgettable.

This isn't to say there still isn't some quality programming in recent history. Yet now, with the revolving door of programs coming and going throughout the lengthy timeline of Nick, it's difficult to separate the gems from the duds. We will do exactly that in this piece; we'll take a trip down memory lane and reexamine some of the hits of both the recent and distant past. We'll also analyze some of the stinkers that we'd rather forget - not just from the modern era, but even past shows that might not have been as great as we remember in hindsight.

30 Lame: Rabbids Invasion

via: youtube.com (Rabbids Invasion)

It's a head-scratcher why somebody thought it would be a good idea to pluck these annoying and pointless video game characters and turn them into annoying and pointless cartoon characters. Perhaps these loud and zany Rabbids, whose origins can traced back to Ubisoft's Rayman, fit into the immature nature of Nick's brand of kid shows.

This Rabbid invasion should have been confined to the video game world...

The plot basically hinges on simplistic, juvenile shenanigans such as wielding chicken butts as egg-shooting weapons and running around trying to catch a fly. This is a classic case of all style and no substance.

29 Great: GUTS

via: themoviedb.org

Think Gladiators or Olympics for children, and you've got GUTS; a sort of extreme sports spectacle that ran during much of the 90's, and had kids everywhere wanting to win that sleek neon green trophy at the end.

Do you have it? GUTS!

The show consisted of an array of competitive events that ranged basketball and soccer to boating and swimming. This would all be leading up to a treacherous scramble to the peak of the show's star attraction, the Aggro Crag. This intimidating structure was a multicolored, artificially crafted "mountain" wrought with obstacles and steam. Quite extreme indeed!

28 Lame: Mr. Meaty

via: aminoapps.com

One has to ask when looking at this odd band of Muppets gone wrong, what exactly is the target audience? This animated puppet show, Mr. Meaty, features mostly immature humor that tries to ride the line between tame, kid-friendly jokes, along with some off-color and gross-out themes. Throughout the show, two fast-food employees spend most of their time engaging in pointless banter while getting into various monkeyshines at the restaurant. While the visual style is somewhat unique for Nick, the puppets come across as cheap and, frankly, a bit creepy.

27 Great: Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

via: nypost.com

You might describe this deliciously cheesy kids horror show as a toned-down Tales From the Crypt with some Goosebumps themes, and a tinge of Twilight Zone surrealism. It featured an entirely new and independent story each episode. You never knew what was coming when joining our fireside crew dubbed the "Midnight Society", who kick off their chilling tales by tossing some dust onto a campfire.

I ain't afraid of no dark!

Stories range from a dress possessed by a ghostly Aunt, to a cursed camera, to a creepy looking human manifestation of a computer virus that terrorizes our protagonist. While it's a bit silly looking back, this show truly unnerved many of us as kids and invoked the imagination.

26 Lame: Fan Boy And Chum Chum

via: fbandcc.wikia.com

Back in 2007, the network heads at Nickelodeon apparently had a choice to secure the rights to either Adventure Time, or... Fan Boy And Chum Chum. The Nick executives decided to opt for this CG dud, and Cartoon Network scooped up Adventure Time, which turned out to be a major hit, and a charmingly creative animated show.

Can't win em all, right?

This show banks on the idea that louder, crazier, and more obnoxious somehow makes for more enduring television. Now, hit shows can contain these qualities - just look at Ren & Stimpy. But that show also had substance, likable characters, and some clever humor, none of which are featured in this show starring these two annoying googly-eyed "heroes."

25 Great: Kablam!

via: news.avclub.com

This show often gets lost in the shuffle amongst a lineup of solid Nicktoons of the mid to late 90's, but looking back, Kablam! really was entertaining, and perhaps a bit ahead of its time. It contains hints of the bite-sized, obscure programming you might find on adult swim, but with humor that's a bit "safer".

The varying styles of animation, from hand-drawn, to stop-motion and claymation, was impressive.

The neat thing about the show is that it was really a block of several colorful and distinct animated shorts crammed into a half hour block. These included the Robot Chicken-esque Action League Now, which was significant enough to branch off into its own series, and the goofy Prometheus And Bob, starring an alien and a silent, incompetent caveman.

24 Lame: Breadwinners

via: youtubepoop.wikia.com

Dancing behinds are funny, right? This is what the creators of the insane cartoon known as Breadwinners would have you believe anyway.

Apparently, even the creator, who began this series on Youtube, thought he was being punked when the network offered him a deal on this cartoon.

The show stars two ambiguous looking "ducks," SwaySway and Buhdeuce, who, as you might have guessed, spend a good chunk of time getting down. The show seems to desperately seek the attention of high-energy kids, running with the idea that more over-the-top animation equals funny. Spongebob this is not.

23 Great: Rocko's Modern Life

via: theverge.com

When people think crude and cleverly zany Nick animation of the 90's, they usually settle on the breakout hit Ren and Stimpy, but people often forget about this wacky cartoon, Rocko's Modern Life. This situational comedy demonstrated that any day could be a dangerous one...

Rocko's Modern Life is sort of Ren & Stimpy lite in terms of its themes and graphic nature.

To give an example of how crazy this animation was - in a good way - one episode contains a plot involving Rocko's timid friend Filburt dressing up as the Tooth Fairy and extracting one of the Aussie wallaby's teeth, which comes to life, grows to gigantic proportions, and terrorizes an onlooking stadium.

22 Lame: Nick Studio 10

via reddit.com

There's a reason this programming block of sketch "comedy" only lasted 4 months on the air; it was juvenile, pointless, and just plain unfunny. In a haphazard attempt to revive Nick's live programming, a group of teens were featured at a poorly thrown-together studio set and hosted programs like SpongeBob.

The most memorable aspect of this show is that it simply hosted others more funny and endearing than its own material. Its skits included the cast drinking randomly thrown together smoothie ingredients and a music video in which they sang about flatulence in a jar.

21 Great: Nick Arcade

via: reddit.com

Thankfully, the awesomeness of this retro classic can still be seen on NickSplat's streaming channel, but back in the early 90s, we had to get up in the wee hours of the morning to watch this retro game-based gameshow.

It was one of the few things worth getting up early for, besides perhaps McDonald's breakfast.

Nick Arcade featured contestants competing head to head in old arcade games from the NES and Genesis era, along with answering video game trivia. The best of the best, however, was at the end, where the winner advanced to the "Video Zone". The contestant would be displayed on a sort of virtual reality version of a game, dodge obstacles, and earn points.

20 Lame: Yo Gabba Gabba

via: twitter.com (@yogabbagabba)

I know this show was supposed to be for younger kids, but still - the sheer degree of how cheesy, colorful, and over-the-top everything is in Yo Gabba Gabba, it's just cringe-worthy.

The show is meant to be educational, often teaching kids basic facts, social skills, or just having them let loose through annoying jingles. These can be obvious pieces of info that parents should probably just teach their own kids, like "Brush Your Teeth," or pointless bits like "Get The Sillies Out." It just seems to be desperate for attention with its crazy aesthetic and endless, tiresome dances.

19 Great: Legends Of The Hidden Temple

via: youtube.com (NickSplat)

Man, was this show awesome. Part game show and part extreme sports challenges, Legends of the Hidden Temple featured the epic themes of ancient Aztec and Mayan, while the subject matter of the trivia covered a number of topics related to mostly ancient history. In it, 6 animal-themed teams of 2 competed to make it to the temple run.

Be honest, you wanted to be a member of the Silver Snakes.

The whole show was just a blast to watch, from the intense sports competitions, to the creatively designed temple runs which the episodes built up to, and even the ominous animatronic Olmec head and his entertaining banter.

18 Lame: Roundhouse

via: imdb.com

Going way back in Nick history with this one, Roundhouse is an overtly cheesy and poorly acted sketch comedy show that began as part of the original SNICK lineup, airing in 1992 and ended just 4 years later. Think All That with sappy song and dance numbers, and episodes that revolved around rather simple morals like "family is a good thing."

To its credit, the dancing from the cast is quite impressive - it's too bad the acting or jokes are not.

You either have to be a major fan of dancing or be deeply steeped in nostalgia to still be into this one.

17 Great: Adventures Of Pete And Pete

via: in.ign.com

There aren't many shows for kids as simultaneously clever and bonkers as this comedy show. It tends to fall under the radar for anyone not well-versed in early 90's culture, as it didn't have a particularly long run, but this might be one of Nickelodeon's most underrated live-action shows ever.

It began from bite-sized clips that ran during commercial breaks, but was fleshed out into half-hour blocks of odd, random comedy and surrealism. There's even a tinge of philosophy, as one episode revolves around a cast member questioning the validity of her teachers' lectures with a simple "why?", causing them to go mad with perplexity.

16 Lame: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

via: ign.com

This may be a controversial pick, as this CG rendition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actually isn't terrible - it has some fun action, as well as charming, character-driven moments. Though when compared to the original, and even the action-oriented 2003 rendition, this one doesn't quite hold up.

The turtles act like over-the-top caricatures of themselves, particularly when it comes to Michelangelo, who's about as stereotypically "surfer dude" as you can get. The rubbery CG come off as childish, and some of the episode plots are absurd. This includes a run-in with "Napolean Bonafrog," voiced by Napoleon Dynamite actor Jon Heder, which had my eyes rolling back in my head.

15 Great: Kenan And Kel

via: elitedaily.com

When thinking of great sitcoms on Nick, people tend to point to All That, which was sort of Nick's kid-friendly version of SNL. But many often seem to neglect this charming and surprisingly funny Nick-com, starring 2 of All That's cast members, Kenan And Kel.

And how many sitcoms have featured a plot involving an entire trial revolving around Kel dropping a screw into a can of tuna?

The two's characteristics are very different in nature but equally amusing. Oh, there's also an ongoing joke of Kel's obsession with orange soda, which, despite being a pretty lame, pointless gag, just works with how hilariously random and weird it is.

14 Lame: Fred The Show

via: youtube.com (ICOShow)

What is it with Nickelodeon green-lighting obscure, mindless Youtube shorts? This live-action show, which I suppose could be loosely coined a "sketch comedy series", lasted a whopping 1 season and 24 episodes.

The show stars Fred Figglehorn, who's main quirk is that he's an overly-animated, obnoxiously loud teenager who gets into usually insignificant shenanigans around the house. This includes screeching like a maniac and tossing giant bags of popcorn around his living room. This shtick may work in bite-sized YouTube skits, but as a half hour block? It's just cringe-worthy and boring.

13 Great: Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

via: youtube.com (NickSplat)

Before Monsters Inc. took all the glory, there was Aahh!!! Real Monsters, a quirky cartoon featuring the uniquely designed Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina. The premise revolves around a monster school underneath a city dump, which teaches its students to scare humans on the surface. This premise alone opens the door to a whole world of potential creative and entertaining plotlines, and the show delivers. One of the first Nicktoons to come from the network still holds up today as one of the most creative, and despite its gritty, dark palette, one of the most colorful.

12  Lame: All Grown Up!

via: nickelodeon.wikia.com

The original Rugrats wasn't exactly a hilarious comedy or a masterful work of animation, but it had a sort of adorable charm to it, thanks to its memorable cast of characters. Despite seemingly dull surroundings, seeing through the lens of these naive toddlers allowed us, the viewer, to see things through a more epic and fun perspective, like they do.

With this sequel series, All Grown Up, the older versions of these characters just seem more toned down and typical, and no longer carry this sense of wondrous imagination. This makes for a show that lacks that certain hook, as it essentially becomes just another show about kids, their dull personal relationships, and mundane day to day events.

11 Great: Danny Phantom

via: mediamedusa.com

Something about the combination of a superhero and ghost story is just infinitely cool to me. Danny Phantom follows a teenage boy whose run-in with a portal between the human and spirit worlds has turned him into a hybrid human and ghost. With his powers, it's on him to save the world from ghost attacks.

It's a bummer this only ran for a few years, as its rich premise held great potential.

The show manages to take two typically cliche premises and melds them into an exciting and captivating action-comedy, with some crisp animation, and some imaginative world-building. This is one of the few Nick cartoons that was able to span a wide age demographic, along with Ren & Stimpy and Avatar.