Being a kid in the late ’90s and early 2000s meant there was always something to watch on TV. The younger children had shows like Blue’s Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House, while the older ones could gravitate toward more mature content, such as Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Of course, the creators of all those family-friendly shows were adults trying their best to connect to a younger audience, which meant dumbing down the humor. That got old after a while, so most shows from that era would sneak in a joke that only adults would appreciate every now and then.
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Adult humor would almost always go over the heads of kids looking for nothing more than funny sounds and action. However, all these years later, some shows are harder to watch than others. Here are seven classic Nickelodeon TV shows that were actually traumatizing.
1) SpongeBob SquarePants
The adventures of the characters who call Bikini Bottom home are usually pretty tame. The worst that one can expect in a regular episode is that SpongeBob and Patrick get off at the wrong bus stop and run into some shady characters. However, SpongeBob SquarePants also houses its fair share of creepy moments, including Nosferatu’s appearance in “Graveyard Shift,” which prepared many for Robert Eggers’ horror film.
2) The Fairly OddParents
Like SpongeBob, Timmy Turner deals with wacky situations more than he does terrifying ones in The Fairly OddParents. The show takes a dark turn in Season 8, though, when it reveals that Timmy made a secret wish that kept him 10 years old for 50 years. Timmy tricked the entire world despite knowing the ramifications and went back to business as usual after getting away with it.
3) Danny Phantom
In most situations, someone has to die to become a ghost, but Danny Fenton finds a workaround when he enters a Ghost Portal. But gaining superpowers doesn’t mean Danny’s life is all that great, as he deals with plenty of powerful foes who want to conquer the real world. For a kids’ show, Danny Phantom has massive stakes and puts a lot of pressure on a teenage hero.
4) CatDog
CatDog is an underrated animated show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2005, following conjoined brothers who can’t stay out of trouble. What makes the show traumatizing is the design of the main characters, who are a cat and a dog combined at the hip. CatDog doesn’t get too into the weeds about the quality of life of its titular characters, but it’s hard not to think about it when watching them move around.
5) Avatar: The Last Airbender
It’s hard to find a list of the best TV shows of all time that doesn’t feature Avatar: The Last Airbender. Despite airing on Nickelodeon, the show tackles mature themes, such as imperialism and death. While Avatar usually finds a tasteful way to deliver its messages, things get weird when characters like Hama, who can bloodbend, and Fire Lord Ozai are around and cause trouble for the Gaang.
6) Invader Zim
Cancelling Invader Zim was one of Nickelodeon’s biggest mistakes, as its passionate fans are still calling for its return in 2025. It was just ahead of its time, delivering thought-provoking jokes and sending its titular character on a mission to enslave humanity. If Invader Zim came out today, it would fit in with the likes of Rick and Morty and probably go darker than it ever could on Nickelodeon.
7) iCarly
Most of Nickelodeon’s live-action offerings are as wholesome as they come. Drake & Josh, for example, is all about two stepbrothers who couldn’t be more different learning to love each other. iCarly walks down that same path by following a group of friends trying to run a successful web show. However, the show ends with the main character, Carly, moving with her dad to Italy and leaving her friends behind. She reunites with Freddy in the reboot, but that show is also traumatizing because it got canceled before resolving its major cliffhanger.
Which of these Nickelodeon shows traumatized you the most? Are there any others that you had trouble watching? Let us know in the comments below!
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