9 Greatest Animated Shows With Fewer Than 40 Episodes
When it comes to finding new cartoons to watch, sometimes you want something short that you can get through in a reasonable time. Other times, you may be looking for something brief that will entertain your kids. Wherever you find yourself in your search for animated media, there are plenty of great shows out there that stunned viewers in under 40 episodes — from classic cartoons to modern 3D animation.
We’ve already put together a list of the greatest animated shows under 50 episodes, but we wanted to narrow our focus even more to the 40-episode range. Whether you prefer older material or enjoy new cartoons, there’s something here for everybody. While shows like Gravity Falls, ThunderCats, and the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! all fall above that 40-episode threshold, there are still plenty of solid animated series out there worth diving into. Here are some of the best.
‘Justice League Unlimited’ (2004–2006)
When it comes to superhero animation, there are few shows that surpass Justice League Unlimited. A continuation of the original Justice League animated series, this sequel follows the newly expanded League as they battle new threats both foreign and domestic. Batman (Kevin Conroy), Superman (George Newbern), Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg), and Green Lantern (Phil LaMarr) help lead these costumed heroes in a series of standalone epics and serialized plots that lead to some epic showdowns.
As one of DC’s greatest animated masterpieces, JLU is everything a fan could want from superhero animation. Not only does the series build on the foundation of previous DC Animated Universe installments, but it offers character studies on some of the more obscure and underappreciated figures in comic book lore. Justice League Unlimited is the gold-standard for how to tell a team-based superhero story, and it continues to delight all these years later.
‘Invader Zim’ (2001–2006)
Created for Nickelodeon by cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez, Invader Zim is probably one of the most beloved cartoons of its era. Although the series only ran for 27 episodes (plus the original pilot), Zim (Richard Steven Horvitz) is committed only to the goal of universal domination — though he’s consistently his worst enemy in achieving it. Along with GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons), Zim does all he can to rule the Earth, but humorously fails at every chance.
The series was a fun mixture of sci-fi, horror, and comedy that leaned more into slapstick humor than anything else. Still, Invader Zim garnered a faithful audience over the years, and even long after its cancellation, folks returned to the underappreciated cartoon cult classic for more. Eventually, Zim returned in the feature film Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus.
‘Jonny Quest’ (1964–1965)
Yes, that’s right. The original Jonny Quest, regardless of how popular it has become, only ran for 26 short episodes. Also known as The Adventures of Jonny Quest, the program followed the young hero (Tim Matheson), his father Dr. Benton Quest (John Stephenson, Don Messick), his adoptive brother Hadji Singh (Danny Bravo), special agent “Race” Bannon (Mike Road), and their faithful dog Bandit as they found themselves investigating strange occurrences around the world. These were the type of adventures every young boy wanted.
While certainly not the only classic cartoon of its era to gain infamy despite a small number of episodes (Space Ghost was another), Jonny Quest is one of the most important of its day. Reruns ultimately made it popular with viewers from different generations, and the series was revived years later with The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (which ran a bit longer). To this day, Jonny Quest is one of the few classic animated characters without his own animated movie.
‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ (2008–2009)
Some may be rolling their eyes seeing The Spectacular Spider-Man on this list, but the truth is that this is probably the best Spider-Man cartoon ever made. Josh Keaton voices teenage Peter Parker as he moonlights as Marvel’s greatest Wall-Crawler, protecting New York City (and his friends and family) from the likes of maniacal villains who keep popping up around town. Not only does Spectacular focus on Spidey’s costumed adventures, but it does great work establishing Peter’s personal life as well.
As far as superhero cartoons go, Spectacular Spider-Man is among the most grounded. It takes its time to unveil certain aspects of Peter’s life and Spidey mythology, while also faithfully re-imagining certain aspects of the original comics for younger audiences. That said, the show never talks down to the viewer, and offers a mature tone while still maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere. For the most notable installments, here are the best Spectacular Spider-Man episodes to start with.
‘Green Lantern: The Animated Series’ (2011–2013)
Another superhero animated series starring Josh Keaton in the titular role, Green Lantern: The Animated Series is an excellent take on the Green Lantern mythos that likewise repurposes the best aspects of the comic books into a format perfect for all ages. When Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Josh Keaton) and Kilowog (Kevin Michael Richardson) steal the Interceptor spaceship to respond to a distress call in “Frontier Space,” they encounter the villainous Red Lantern Corps, whose sole desire is to destroy the Green Lanterns.
GL:TAS not only establishes why Hal is often considered the greatest Green Lantern, but it also introduces new additions to the mythos in the form of the redeemable Red Lantern Razer (Jason Spisak) and the A.I. known as Aya (Grey DeLisle). Some have counted Green Lantern among the best superhero cartoons ever made, and we can’t argue with that. It’s one of the few that got better with each episode.
‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ (2003–2005)
No, we’re not talking about Star Wars: The Clone Wars here, but rather the original animated epic by Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky simply titled Star Wars: Clone Wars. The animated microseries was released in segments between the theatrical runs of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, chronicling the battle between the Jedi Knights and their clone army and the Separatists’ battle droids. As far as Star Wars is concerned, this installment is nearly perfect.
Between the stunning animation and excellent character work done with Anakin Skywalker (Mat Lucas) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) in particular, Clone Wars was every Star Wars fan’s dream back when it first aired on Cartoon Network. It was the best piece of marketing that Lucasfilm ever released regarding the prequel trilogy, and certainly holds up all these years later. The Clone Wars is great, there’s no doubt about it, but Clone Wars was truly something special.
‘Freakazoid!’ (1995–1997)
When it comes to action-adventure sci-fi comedy programs in the mid-’90s, Freakazoid! certainly wasn’t the only game in town. The Tick and Earthworm Jim were other popular superhero satires that gained notoriety at the time. However, it was Freakazoid! that has gone down in infamy as one of the best of its kind, invented by Batman: The Animated Series scribes Bruce Timm and Paul Dini (and produced by none other than Steven Spielberg). The catchy theme song was no doubt a help.
Freakazoid! was originally meant to be a superhero show with comedic undertones, but it quickly morphed into a bonkers animated series that rarely let up. It’s the type of cartoon that has no problem with meta humor or self-referential gags. Freakazoid (Paul Rugg) himself is always living up to the name, making the life of his alter-ego Dexter Douglas (David Kaufman) a bit more hectic than the teenage computer wiz ever anticipated. But he always did it for our amusement, and amused we were.
‘The New Scooby-Doo Movies’ (1972–1973)
We weren’t able to include the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! on this list due to its slightly high episode count, but there was no way the Mystery Inc. gang wasn’t going to make it on this list in some fashion. The second series in a long run of Scooby-Doo cartoons, The New Scooby-Doo Movies were extended 40-minute mysteries that paired up Scooby (Don Messick) and the gang — including Shaggy (Casey Kasem), Fred (Frank Welker), Daphne (Heather North), and Velma (Nicole Jaffe) — with every popular celebrities, fictional or otherwise, every week.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies were a blast. Want to watch the Mystery Inc. gang team up with Batman and Robin? No problem! The Harlem Globetrotters? Sure! The Three Stooges? Absolutely! The sky was literally the limit when it came to who this Scooby-Doo series would bring on — even Dick Van Dyke made an appearance. Though it only ran for 24 episodes, The New Scooby-Doo Movies is one of those cartoons that you can’t believe happened, but you’re better off having seen. For its modern equivalent, check out Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? for more!
‘X-Men ’97’ (2024–Present)
Okay, this one may be a bit of a cheat… X-Men ’97 is not only still running (having been renewed already), but it’s technically a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series. As such, the show relies heavily on pre-established Marvel Animated Universe lore and mythology that comes back into play here on this program. That said, newcomers can still enjoy this animated epic that follows the battle between mutants who wish to coexist with the world and those who wish to subject mankind to their whims.
What’s great about X-Men ’97 is that it expertly captures the tone and feel of the original show while still making itself accessible to new fans. Unlike most X-Men media, it doesn’t so narrowly focus on Wolverine (Cal Dodd) that it looses sight of its best cast members. In fact, Cyclops (Ray Chase) finally gets his due as the leader of the X-Men. With two seasons under its belt thus far, X-Men ’97 continues to remind us that one can both honor the source material and tell original stories simultaneously if one has the care to do so.
X-Men ’97
- Release Date
-
March 20, 2024
- Network
-
Disney+
- Directors
-
Jake Castorena, Emi Yonemura, Chase Conley
- Writers
-
Charlie Feldman, Anthony Sellitti, Beau DeMayo, JB Ballard
