"Nickelodeon"

2005 · 3 Seasons · Nickelodeon · Animated Fantasy / Adventure

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of those rare shows that fully earns its reputation as an all-time great. Across 61 episodes, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko built a world that feels lived-in and layered, populated it with characters who grow in ways that would be impressive in any medium, and told a war story with the emotional complexity of prestige drama while never forgetting that it was also supposed to be fun. Zuko's arc from villain to hero stands as one of the finest character transformations in television history, animated or otherwise. A handful of filler episodes in the first season and some childish humor are the only real blemishes on a show that gets better with every rewatch and continues to find new audiences nearly two decades after it first aired.

1999 · 16 Seasons · Nickelodeon · Animation, Comedy

SpongeBob SquarePants produced one of the greatest runs in animated television history during its first three seasons, establishing characters and comedy that became permanently embedded in pop culture. The decline after creator Stephen Hillenburg stepped back is real and well-documented, with several middle seasons delivering mean-spirited, creatively bankrupt episodes that bear little resemblance to what came before. Later seasons recovered some ground but never fully recaptured the original magic. At its best, nothing in animated comedy touches it. The problem is that its best represents only a fraction of what the show eventually became.

2012 · 4 Seasons · Nickelodeon · Animation / Action / Adventure / Fantasy

The Legend of Korra is a bold sequel that chose to forge its own identity rather than repeat what came before, and that decision is both its greatest strength and the source of most of its problems. When the show is at its best, particularly across its third and fourth seasons, it delivers some of the richest storytelling in American animation. When it stumbles, mostly in its second season, the drop in quality is hard to ignore. The result is a series that rewards patience and never plays it safe, even when playing it safe would have been the easier path.