Nearly every era of Cartoon Network has a legion of fans that would consider it the best. The most popular of all is undoubtedly the CN City Era, which boasted an outstanding line-up of animated series and a collection of iconic bumpers between them. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the lone era that no one would ever claim to be their favorite.

Infamously remembered for its focus on live-action programming, Cartoon Network’s CN Real Era remains the most controversial in the channel’s history. To most fans, live-action series have no place on the channel, and their conception was a mistake from the start. To others, the era’s faults don’t lie in its concept but in its largely poor execution. Yet, like with everything, some fans remember this era fondly, primarily for the few series far exceeding their contemporaries’ quality.

13

The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange is Painful to Look Back At

Debuting in 2009, The Annoying Orange began life as a YouTube series. Loved by some and hated by others for its unusual art style and immature humor, the show is still ongoing, with the Channel it’s hosted on having over 13 million subscribers. This is leagues more success than was ever found by Cartoon Network’s bewildering adaptation of the property.

The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange fails to appeal to fans and haters of the YouTube series alike. Distinguished as a live-action series by the presence of its lone human character, Nerville, the show is just as gross, irritating, dumb, and repetitive as its online counterpart. And, by virtue of the limits that come from being on Cartoon Network, the supermarket adventures of Orange, Apple, Grapefruit, and the rest of the oddly animated cast are unable to even capture the outrageousness that’s central to the original series’ success.

12

Bobb’e Says is One of the Shortest CN Real Series

Many of Cartoon Network’s live-action series are simple knock-offs of other, better shows. This includes one of the initial core CN Real programs, Bobb’e Says. Hosted by Bobb’e J. Thompson, Bobb’e Says is little more than a less funny version of American’s Funniest Home Videos.

Thompson had gained popularity in the 2000s through his work on shows like That’s So Raven, and he’s able to bring his typical charisma to Bobb’e Says. However, this isn’t enough to make up for the lackluster writing he’s given as the show’s host or how simply unfunny most of the clips he shows are. Bobb’e Says was one of the first two CN Real series to be canceled, and nothing of value was lost.

11

Incredible Crew is a Mediocre Sketch Comedy Show

Shortly after Disney Channel’s failed sketch comedy show, So Random!, ended, Cartoon Network launched their own failed sketch comedy show, Incredible Crew. Incredible Crew is notable for being created by Nick Cannon, and for starring a young Shameik Moore, as well as for being the final live-action series CN produced. In terms of its actual content, Incredible Crew has nothing of interest to offer.

There are funny jokes in Incredible Crew; it would be irredeemable if it didn’t, but they’re so few and far between that they’re almost more surprising than they are enjoyable. No surprises can be found in the musical sections of the show, which are consistently slogs to get through. These portions of Incredible Crew are still better than the prank skits, which embody the worst of early 2010s humor.

10

Dude, What Would Happen Was One of CN Real’s Flagship Series

Dude, What Would Happen is what happens when MythBusters is knocked off and re-tooled to be targeted towards middle-schoolers with short attention spans. The result is a show that’s more annoying than it is funn, and that’s incapable of making the antics of three teens doing the most wacky experiments they can think of engaging. The hosts try too hard to seem cool, and because this is a kid’s show and the leads aren’t scientists, none of the experiments they do are exciting, dangerous, interesting, or memorable.

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Dude, What Would Happen was one of the most popular CN Real series and one of the two faces of the programming block. Because of this, it isn’t just a boring reality show, but a boring reality show with dozens of episodes. Because of its length, getting through its entire run is akin to an endurance test. Had Dude further leaned into being a knock-off, and worked to make the scientific aspects of MythBusters appeal more to kids, rather than barely utilize them, it could have had a chance at appealing to a wider audience.

9

Out of Jimmy’s Head Pre-Dated the CN Real Era

Spinning off from Cartoon Network’s first live-action film, Re-Animated, Out of Jimmy’s Head was the first live-action series to premiere on the channel. Like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel’s most popular live-action series, Out of Jimmy’s Head is a sitcom. Unlike the sitcoms produced by Cartoon Network’s chief competitors, the series features ample animation, as the titular character possesses the brain of a Walt Disney parody, and sees and hears his creations.

Out of Jimmy’s Head could have been the template for a live-action series on Cartoon Network. Along with integrating animation, everything about the show is cartoonish, from the strange occurrences that happen around Jimmy to the alien and supervillain living in his house. Sadly, the show fails to live up to any of its potential, being mean-spirited, overly random, and thoroughly lacking in likable characters.

8

Hole in the Wall is Perfectly Watchable

Hole in the Wall did not begin as a Cartoon Network series. This simple game show about teams attempting to fit their bodies through odd shapes in walls originally aired on Fox, and was merely picked up by CN. There is no more to the show than its basic premise, but for what it is, it can be amusing.

The biggest issue with Hole in the Wall is how repetitive it is. The only things that differentiate episodes from each other are the symbols that contestants have to control themselves to fit through, and the contestants themselves. There’s no variety in the humor of seeing people get knocked into water after failing a challenge, and not a single contestant has a stand-out personality.

7

The Othersiders is Hilariously Bad

There are few legitimately good ghost-hunting series. The idea of making one centered around a group of child ghost-hunters, ones lacking in both expertise and equipment, never had a chance of being among the treasured few. Despite how obvious this should seem, The Othersiders was still created to be a part of the initial CN Real block.

Very little happens in any given episode of The Othersiders. Most of the runtime of each one is dedicated to the main cast wandering around dark spaces, attempting to contact ghosts, and the group arguing over their findings. There’s so little to the show that it actually becomes unintentionally funny, in large part because of how out of place the enthusiasm of the stars is compared to their mundane activities.

6

Level Up Had the Potential to Be Better

One of the final live-action series to premiere on Cartoon Network, Level Up isn’t nearly as bad as most of its predecessors. Spinning out of a film with the same name, Level Up follows a group of high school students who fight to defend the Earth from the video game characters attempting to invade it. The premise isn’t too original, nor is the writing especially funny, but there’s a clear effort put into the show that many of its contemporaries clearly lacked.

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Level Up benefits from a clear focus, defined characters who aren’t actively annoying, and decent CGI for the era. Its greatest strength is also its biggest weakness; it’s laughable how little the show actually understands the gamer culture it bases itself around. It isn’t worth looking back at, but as far as shows purely for kids go, one could do far worse.

5

BrainRush is a Mildly Entertaining Game Show

BrainRush has one of the most simple concepts a series could have; it’s a game show where contestants are forced to answer trivia questions while riding roller coasters. Compared to other trivia shows, BrainRush lacks tension, interesting questions, and enjoyable contestants. However, by virtue of having a premise that’s difficult to make completely dull, it’s much more entertaining than the actively bad shows included as part of CN Real.

BrainRush was one of the first CN Real series to be canceled, but its concept had greater longevity than most that outlasted it. Game shows are timeless and, with more interesting contestants, and clearer focus on questions that kids would know the answer to, it could have become a fun series. It also would have benefited from finding more ways to draw comedy out of the contestants rather than just bringing them to eat before getting on a roller coaster.

4

Destroy Build Destroy is the Most Iconic CN Real Series

Andrew W.K. is the face of the CN Real Era, and he’s unsurprisingly one of the best things about it. In every commercial and bumper he did for the network, the charismatic rock star gives everything he has to make its live-action programming seem more exciting than it actually is. W.K.’s own show, Destroy Build Destroy, is largely no better than most of CN Real’s other reality shows, but the energy he brings to it elevates the series above most of them.

Destroy Build Destroy is a game show where two teams of contestants destroy each other’s vehicles, rebuild them into something new, and then use them to compete in a unique contest, with the losers’ vehicle being blown up at the end. Apart from W.K.’s presence, this series has nothing to offer. DBD is repetitive, the contestants are all overly awkward, and don’t get to do any of the building or destroying themselves, and the competitions that close out each episode are dull.

3

Survive This is an All-Around Solid Reality Show for Kids

Survive This is a Canadian reality series not created in-house by Cartoon Network. It’s most likely because of these origins that the series is leagues better than any of CN’s original reality shows. Survive This follows a group of teenagers attempting to briefly survive in the wilderness with limited supplies, and while nothing terribly thrilling ever happens, it’s mostly enjoyable.

Compared to CN Real’s other reality series, the direction is solid, the kids it stars all stand out, and the challenges they participate in are diverse and engaging. Les Stroud hosts the show well, bringing the same energy that made his previous series, Survivorman, a success. Being a show where teenagers regularly kill animals, it’s bizarre to see Survive This next to the significantly more sanitized CN Real series, but that’s entirely to its advantage.

2

Unnatural History Deserved a Second Season

Following the initial failed wave of CN Real series, Cartoon Network produced two live-action, hour-long dramas, both of which stood head and shoulders above every other live-action program they had made or would ever make. While Unnatural History wasn’t anything special, it has a decent premise, solid acting by the standards of the time, likable characters, and plenty of charm. The series follows Henry Griffin, a teenage boy with a host of unique skills picked up from his time traveling the world, as he uses his talents to solve mysteries around his new home.

Unnatural History is episodic and formulaic, but it consistently finds ways to keep things fresh and interesting. Accompanied by his two best friends, Henry takes on thieves, mobsters, and assassins, with his brain as his only weapon, and solves cases related to cultures from across the globe. While the series lacks the budget necessary to make the most of some of its big ideas, it still captures the spirit of adventure and blends it with adequate teen drama.

1

Tower Prep is the Only Legitimately Good Live-Action Cartoon Network Series

It’s debatable that the entire CN Real debacle was worth it just for Tower Prep. Worthy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with most of Cartoon Network’s programming, Tower Prep is a serialized sci-fi drama about a school for teenagers with superpowers and four kids who have no memory of how they got there. The writing is strong and clever, the constant tension is palpable, the four lead characters are all well-realized, and the story and world are both exceptionally realized.

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Created by Paul Dini, best known as one of the lead writers and producers of Batman: The Animated Series and the co-creator of Harley Quinn, Tower Prep offers just as entrancing an atmosphere and as gripping mysteries as his prior work. Its teen drama is blended seamlessly into its ongoing storyline, drawing viewers fully into the lives of Ian, CJ, Gabe, and Suki and making them genuinely care about them. Unlike with every other live-action series produced by Cartoon Network, there was a dedicated fan-following around Tower Prep, and a massive backlash occurred when it was canceled after its first season ended on a cliffhanger.