Top 10 Most Disturbing Kids Shows

Meant for kids? Don't sit down with the family yet.

Image sources: IMDb, SATURDAY MORNINGS FOREVER

Clues in the name, kids’ shows are supposed to be meant for a younger audience. But it is true to say that nowhere does the term “what were they thinking?” come to mind than with these shows which gave adult viewers a run for their money, whether they meant to or not. For this list, we won’t be looking at certain moments from children's media. That list can be found here. Instead, we will be looking at entire shows that were geared towards a younger audience but likely weren't received as intended.

Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999-2002)

Many theories surround this one as to whether it actually takes place in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere or if that was just Courage’s perspective. Regardless, the house is occupied by a doting grandmotherly figure and a stereotypically grumpy old man, who are frequently visited by con men, ghosts, mummies, and more, some of which are 3-dimensionally animated, making them twice as unnerving. Courage is a lovable character, and the show is fun overall, but for any child, this show would be considered slightly terrifying at times. The dark colors and lonely farmhouse certainly come off as being creepy. The show also occasionally dives into body horror, which certainly scarred many viewers, not to mention the soundtrack behind it all, which gives an even more on-edge feeling.

Cow and Chicken (1997-1999)

Though not "disturbing" as opposed to "angering a few viewers for understandable reasons," Cow and Chicken made the list anyway. The unofficial pilot episode was pulled permanently after a single airing after showing Chicken smoking a cigarette in Hell, with executives feeling it had a negative influence on children. And that was just the start of the controversies. On June 27, 1998, a segment from season 2 was banned, again after just one airing, following a single parent's complaint, and the network pulled the episode because of its biker group presenting innuendos about lesbian stereotypes. But those two episodes weren't just it. Overall, the series was known for its bizarre humor, suggestive jokes by a character called "The Red Guy," and other innuendos that pushed the boundaries of 1990s kids' television.

Eerie, Indiana (1991-1993)

This show was named after the fictional town that a family moves to. The town serves as the location of all things paranormal and science fiction. Marshall, the main character, and his new friend Simon try to capture the paranormal entities that haunt the town. Such occurrences include trading places with a mummy, murderous garbage collectors, and Elvis Presley appearing in the town, sometimes even referencing classic horror movies. By modern standards, this one would have been meant for tweens and teens, but at the time of its release, it was put into the kid's category. It also aired on Disney Channel and Fox Kids as a Sunday morning show. The creators even had a child psychologist review the episodes prior to the episodes' release. Even though the show only had 19 episodes, some have said it partially inspired the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990-1996)

If you weren't afraid of the dark as a kid, chances are you would be after seeing this show. Since its original airing in 1990, two revivals have taken place, one in 1999 and one in 2019. The series follows a group of young teens called The Midnight Society who hunt for some scares and creeps. Each episode is told by the group around a campfire, and each tale tells of anything from classic horror entities like witches and vampires, to aspects of the teens' personal lives. And, unlike most of the shows on this list, this show was meant to scare the viewers. One entity that is talked about is a creepy clown called The Grinner, as well as rotting corpses, which definitely gave the adult viewers the chills, let alone child viewers. And at the end of each episode, the campfire is extinguished, leaving the viewer in the dark, and likely afraid.

So Weird (1999-2001)

Sometimes thought of as “The X-Files for kids,” this series follows musician Molly Phillips and her family as they tour the country in her band’s trailer. It sounds kid-friendly enough, but things take turns when you realize that each town they visit has some kind of phenomenon, like monsters and supernatural beings, and it’s up to one of the daughters, Fiona, to keep things safe. Fiona, however, is on a quest to make contact with her deceased father, leading to investigations of paranormal things. As the quest evolves, the audience is treated to aliens, vampires, angels, and Scottish Will o' the Wisps in the first season alone. The show ended in September of 2001 because Disney Channel limited its shows to a maximum of 65 episodes each, not to mention falling ratings.

The Animals of Farthing Wood (1993-1995)

Even with a premise as simple as animals coming together to prevent humans from destroying their habitat, this show saw each animal character get picked off, one by one, in a manner that can be described as Final Destination with forest animals. The animals get either run over, set on fire, shot, or swept away by floods. By the end of 39 episodes, 24 animals had lost their lives. If anything, this show could've been described as a wasted opportunity to tell kids about ecology and conservation, which instead scarred many kids for life.

Angela Anaconda (1999-2001)

Though canceled in late 2001 due to a change in ownership at the network level and shifting programming priorities, that doesn’t take away from the fact that this show looks like a fake show inside a horror movie that exists to make the world feel creepier. The unnerving animation style is the first thing that the viewers notice, and you can't really distract yourself from it, even if you somehow got invested enough in the story. The main purpose of the show was to focus on the adventures that the kids have, but the show was called the visually ugliest thing on TV by some viewers, and the voice acting was also said to be painfully bad. And, it needed to be said, but one line in this kid's show was “yeah, just like you should be tested for hemorrhoids.” No joke.

Deadtime Stories (2012-2014)

Based on a series of books and a movie from 1986 of the same name, this horror anthology series was targeted for kids, but that didn't mean it sat well with younger audiences. Not only was the material uncanny, but for many, it came out too late. It had to follow new guidelines on what could be shown that older TV shows didn’t have to follow. In the end, the show lasted for only 11 episodes, and like Are You Afraid of the Dark, this show features a scary clown called Giggles the Killer Clown. It also didn't shy away from several aspects that could easily pass for being from media meant for older audiences. So, if anything, this show served as an homage to some of Nickelodeon's older horror shows.

Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids (2000-2006)

This animated series was adapted from books written by British author Jamie Rix, and it started out as a series of 10-minute cartoons before being adapted into another 26 episodes. The show had seemingly no rules about what could and could not be shown, considering its core premise was about bad kids getting what they deserve, which would have traumatized younger audiences. In the second iteration, things took a turn for the worse when the ominous Night-Night Porter would banish ill-behaved kids to spend eternity in his hotel of horrors. The show won awards, but it also gave kids a moral lesson that, for many, hit close to home.

Mr. Meaty (2005-2009)

Often called the most bizarre Nickelodeon show there ever was, this live action puppet series was, more or less, aimed at teens rather than actual children, but don't let your guard down. The series follows two teenagers who work at a fast-food restaurant inside a shopping mall, and teenage humor ensues, along with several other moments and scenes that almost categorize the show as a body horror show. To begin with, the puppets' wide-eyed, fleshy appearances aren't the best starting point for anything on Nickelodeon. The show then leans into macabre situations such as (I kid you not), bringing back dead actors and experimenting with questionable meat that could even be human-derived. And that's not getting into one character who was revealed to be made entirely out of meat. And as for the tapeworm segment? Flat out no thank you.