5. Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
Knock-Off Of: The Powerpuff Girls/Teen Titans
Sporting one of the longest names in the cartoon buisness, SRMTHFG was an absolute blast to watch as a kid. Mixing some pretty hefty violence with some lovable and crazy characters, the series was created by Teen Titans director Ciro Nieli and infused a lot of wit, action, and humor into its 52 episodes.
Why It'd Be Successful Today: Because kids love manic energy and robots. Turning on Cartoon Network, you'll find dozens of cartoons that delve into weird, absurdist humor; and while SRMTHFG never goes that far, it's funny enough and action-packed enough to sort of serve as a bridge between shows like that...ninja show thingy and
Adventure Time.
4.
Sherlock Holmes in the 22 Century
Knock-Off Of: Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?/Scooby-Doo
There are plenty of reasons why this
shouldn't work. You're not only modernizing Holmes, you putting him into the Star Wars-esque era. Watson is a cyborg. Lestrade is a female. But all the characters return 10x more badass than they originally were. The episodes are smart, poignant, and very entertaining.
Why It'd Be Successful Today: We're in the midst of Sherlock mania. With Guy Ritchie's films,
Sherlock with BBC, and NBC's upcoming
Elementary, why should kids be left out of the fun?
3.
Big Bad Beetleborgs
Knock-Off Of: The Power Rangers
BBB has a lot working against it. The original series is by far one of the corniest things you'll ever watch. Injecting the series with movie monsters...for...no reasons I can come up aside from the fact that the best way to hide acid is to use it all up, was probably a stupid move. That being said, look at how awesome the BBB are.
Why It'd Be Successful Today: Because these are kids given Iron Man suits. And maybe if the show turned down the corniness, we'd be able to accept the entourage of classic movie baddies. They're all sort of on the rise, too, with a Mummy remake in the midst, America in the middle of vampire season, and with
Hotel Transylvania and
Paranorman making a splash in theaters.
2.
Shinzo
Knock-Off Of: ...Digimon?/Yu-Gi-Oh?
Shinzo was an incredibly engaging show. The characters never really go against the cliche, but there's so much to like about everything: the tone, the action, and the story. If you've never seen the show, I suggest checking it out.
Why It'd Be Successful Today: It's easy to market. Awesome action figures, a possible trading card game, and a very original story that separates it from the regular "play the game" series like Bakugan and Beyblade.
1.
Street Sharks
Knock-Off Of: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Seriously. Why does this need a description? The show followed four teenagers that were mutated into sharks. They skate. The eat stuff. They swim
underground.
Why It'd Be--really? Really? Because Street Sharks, that's why. Because mother*ucking Street Sharks in a mother*ucking Street Shark-y world with mother*ucking Street Sharks. They might be the only thing to shift Kristen Stewart's face from uninterested to terrified. They're responsible for earth's tectonic plates. Simply uttering their names causes your unborn sons to grow a full chest of hair. At the end of the day, we need the Street Sharks.