Biggest News of Decade

Do you remember Game Over? Baby Blues? The PJs? These were only a few cartoons that burst into life during the animation boom of the decade. Before 2000, there were few cartoons on TV geared toward adults. The success of The Simpsons spurred networks to look for other gems. Though many animated shows lasted only a few episodes, such as The Critic, Clerks and God, the Devil and Bob, others swam swiftly into the mainstream, such as Family Guy, American Dad and Robot Chicken. Not only do cartoons draw viewers from the coveted young adult demographic, they also lend themselves easily to merchandising. Before you bemoan the declining quality of Family Guy, remember there was a time when the show and its ilk didn't exist.

• 'Toons Take Over TV

Contract negotiations came to a halt for the main cast of The Simpsons when the actors demanded more than double their salary. Some cried foul, breaking down their hourly wage to $20,000. Others in the industry recognized the truth: The Simpsons was one of the biggest cash cows on TV and the recognizable voices of those famous characters were too valuable not to pay. Fox had been funding their network on the back of Homer Simpson for 16 seasons by then. Who could blame Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer and Julie Kavner for wanting a bigger slice of that gigantic pie?

• Boo Hoo for The Simpsons actors?

It seems like old news now, but the return of Family Guy to Fox was nearly unprecedented. After shuffling Family Guy around the schedule for three years, Fox canceled the show in 2002. When Family Guy earned healthy ratings on Adult Swim and drew big sales on DVD, Fox perked up its ears. Finally in 2005, Family Guy premiered -- again -- on Fox and has been a ratings success since. Plus, Famiy Guy has made a brand name of creator Seth MacFarlane, allowing him to broadcast two more creations: American Dad and spin-off The Cleveland Show.

• Full Story of Family Guy's Death and Resurrection

Take your mind back to 2001, when a strange but hilarious block of cartoons aired from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. every Sunday night on Cartoon Network. This late-night time brought back characters like Space Ghost and Brendon Small, with scratchy bumpers of old people swimming in a pool and "adult swim" being announced over the p.a. system. Adult Swim aired every night on Cartoon Network, with parents racing for the remote as soon as the clock struck 10. Adult Swim became its own network in 2005, tracked separately from Cartoon Network for ratings and demographics. Now a force of its own, the network discovers new talent and gives life to canceled-too-soon fare, such as King of the Hill.

• Adult Swim Becomes Network
• Adult Swim 101

Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, are no strangers to controversy, generally relishing in any lambasting they take from the suits or the press. However, when Tom Cruise was offended by South Park's portrayal of Scientology and some of its most famous followers, they drew the line. The rumor was that Cruise, who had a production company under Paramount, Comedy Central's parent company, pressured the network to remove "Trapped in the Closet" from rotation. Cruise denied it. Then the episode was nominated for an Emmy, and still appears in re-runs.

• Controversy Over "Trapped in the Closet"

Part of the fallout from the "Trapped in the Closet" controversy was that Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, quit the show. Being a Scientologist, he was offended by the episode and decided not to work for Trey Parker and Matt Stone anymore. In an interview with CNN, Matt Stone said, "In ten years and over 150 episodes of South Park, Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim, Mormons or Jews." He continues to say, "He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show." Chef was brutally killed off the show during the tenth season. Sadly, Isaac Hayes died in 2008, with no reconciliation.

• Isaac Hayes Quits South Park
• Profile of Isaac Hayes

The scene was Space Invaders come to life. In 2007, motorists in Boston panicked when they spotted what they believed were carefully placed bombs around the city. Police bomb squads and other personnel were called into action to negate the threat. Turns out, the LED boxes weren't bombs but simply lit up Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, flipping off drivers on their way to work. Though the Mooninites had peacefully invaded other major cities, the terror in Boston overshadowed Adult Swim's attempt to market Aqua Teen Hunger Force. To make reparations, Cartoon Network's General Manager at the time, Jim Samples, resigned.

• Panic Over Mooninite Terrorists in Boston

Another victim of Fox's inconsistent scheduling and lack of faith was Futurama. As the second TV cartoon from Matt Groening, it premiered to high expectations and good ratings in 1999. But Fox moved Futurama around the schedule, sometimes yanking it for weeks and bringing it back with no promotion. Fox canceled Futurama in 2003. Fans followed the show to Adult Swim, where it earned top ratings. Then, four Futurama movies were released on DVD, and the cartoon moved from late-night Adult Swim to primetime on Comedy Central. Now Futurama is back in production, airing new episodes on Comedy Central in 2010.

• Rumors About Futurama's Return Begin
• Futurama Moves from Adult Swim to Comedy Central
• Futurama Officially Back in Production

Fans had been begging for years. The media had been asking for years. Matt Groening, James Brooks and the rest stalled for years. Realizing The Simpsons wasn't going to be canceled any time soon, the creative team relented. Thus, The Simpsons Movie premiered to much ballyhoo in the summer of 2007, grossing nearly $200 million in the U.S. What had been a fan's pipe dream had become reality, with yellow carpet premieres and a subsequent DVD release. After such a success, rumors already exist about another movie. Here's hoping.

• The Simpsons Movie Review
• History of The Simpsons Movie

For 13 seasons, King of the Hill quietly, but fully, filled the timeslot on Fox between high profile cartoons The Simpsons and Family Guy. Though the show won 2 Emmys and maintained its high-quality content throughout its run (Fox even withheld a unique domain!), King of the Hill received a pink slip in 2009, being pushed aside to make room for Seth MacFarlane's new addition to his brand, The Cleveland Show. I can honestly say there are no cartoons, and very few live shows, with the wit, heart and talent King of the Hill gave us every week.

• King of the Hill is Canceled
• 10 Things I'll Miss About King of the Hill