13. The Angry Beavers
Series Run: 1997-2001 (63 episodes)
Network: Nickelodeon
Theme Song Rating: The opening credits give you a good idea what the show is about, but the theme song itself is pretty pedestrian 3/5. The first two shows on this list tested the limits of the medium and tried to do something different with cartoons, but Angry Beavers didn't give a spoot about testing the form. More emblematic of a traditional sitcom and a closer compatriot to the Looney Tunes era of cartoons, Daggett and Norbert were constantly fighting brothers whose one-upsmanship often led to their mutual downfall. Angry Beavers takes place in the Oregon woods and is often about the intrusion of technology onto the beaver's natural environment (oftentimes by the beavers themselves). The show is hippy-centric, but it is neither judgmental nor overly romantic about nature and therefore isn't too cumbersome. The brothers have an "odd couple" kind of relationship, with Norbert being the intelligent and sarcastic older brother and Daggett being the restless and immature younger sibling. While many episodes focus on one-off characters, Angry Beavers doesn't have the consistent large ensemble of a show like Gargoyles and essentially every episode is centered around the relationship between Norbert and Daggett. Instead of being bogged down by formula Angry Beavers excels by making the core of the show a believable sibling dynamic, even with all of the ridiculous schemes and maneuvers.