Disney’s One Saturday Morning gave kids an awesome block of cartoon and live-action series from 1997 until 2002. Here are 5 of the best animated series from their lineup.

1.) Science Court

Science Court

Science Court aired on One Saturday Morning from 1997 to 2000 with 3 seasons, adding up to 29 episodes. From the group who brought you Home Movies and Dr. Katz brought a science-based educational children’s show in the classic Squigglevision-style.

Using a similar formula to Dr. Katz but in a procedural court setting, you have lawyers arguing over funny science-based problems. The scenes are often short and intercut with type-written cards, like Law & Order might use, to give information about the witness being called. A lot of the voice work is recognizable from the Soup 2 Nutz regulars, and you get a funny, off-beat, weirdly animated show that is also educational.

2.) Recess

Recess aired on ABC’s One Saturday Morning in 1997. The show ran for 6 seasons, ending in 2001, with 127 episodes and 6 movies that followed.

The show is about a group of kids who look forward to their favorite part of school, recess. The kids explore their playground and other parts of the school that are off-limits during recess. They have to watch out for Miss Finster and her little snitch, Randall. The show explores all of the myth and lore of the playground we all remember, from swinging over the top bar to the favorite giant metal slide that led to many a broken arm. The playground is a society with a class system. The show was funny and smart and never played down to kids but related to them. This show was a favorite among myself and my friends.

3.) Pepper Ann

Pepper Ann began broadcasting on ABC on September 13, 1997 and ended on November 18, 2000. The series ran for 5 seasons, giving us 65 episodes. It is the first animated series by Disney created by a woman, Sue Rose.

Pepper Ann is about a girl trying to make it through middle school without giving up her individuality. She daydreams and imagines the worst scenario for the most mundane things. Like most teenage cartoons, it goes through the usual plot points, such as zits on picture day, skipping school, and the same kind of stuff you found in Doug. What Pepper Ann had going for it is the female perspective. You saw this later in shows like Brace Face, but Pepper Ann was the original.

4.) Disney’s Doug

On September 7, 1996, if you were a Nickelodeon kid, you were shocked. Suddenly, one of the first original animated shows on Nickelodeon was moved to ABC’s One Saturday Morning lineup. Doug would remain on Disney until June 26, 1999, lasting 3 seasons and 65 episodes. The series went on to have a movie that wrapped up the series.

RELATED: ‘Batman: The Animated Series’: 30 Years of Gotham’s Greatest

The Brand Spanking New Doug took the characters from the original Nick series and placed them in high school. While the Nickelodeon show focused on Doug Funnie trying to figure out his new town and how to navigate being a teen, the new show picks up where the original left off, though now Doug is comfortable in his town with his friends. He dealt with the social anxieties of school and still had an active imagination, fueling his worries and comics.

Doug was the show for sensitive artistic boys who didn’t have the confidence they needed as they encountered puberty.

5.) Hercules

The Hercules animated TV series from Disney is a spin-off based on the 1997 movie of the same name. It aired from August 31, 1998, to March 1, 1999, and lasted 2 seasons with 65 episodes.

The series is about Hercules as a teenager in training under Phil the Satyr from the movie. Hercules attends school and finds that he fits in more with his misfit friends, Icarus and Cassandra, than the more popular students. The show, like the film, features mythical monsters and Gods that Hercules has to navigate through while still making sure he gets his homework done.

The show was a good addition to the film as it delved further into Greek mythology and built a universe we wanted to return to every week.

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