Top 10 Unexpectedly Dark Moments in Kids' TV Shows

These kids TV shows got unexpectedly dark fast. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most surprisingly unsettling scenes in kids shows. Our countdown includes "Teen Titans," "Boy Meets World," "That's So Raven," and more! Is there a dark moment that caught YOU off guard? Keep us posted in the comments!

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#KidsTV #Unexpected #Dark #SeriousIssues #Unsettling

[Omar-wqdz]

Kids’ shows used to know how to handle touchy subjects really well. Now they feel too on the nose

[rainbowrunner]

How about the episode Phineas and Ferb Get Busted? While the entire episode turns out to merely be a dream sequence (inside another dream), it's such a jaw dropping experience to see P&F have their sense of creativity forcibly removed. The Drill Sergeant was the epitome of evil, and far more than Doofenshmirtz could ever be. In addition to capturing that "what if" scenario of P&F getting busted, the symbolism of children losing their sense of creativity and imagination as they grow up is all too real, especially rewatching the show as an adult.

[trinaq]

Ginger's poem was so haunting, and I still remember it decades later. Her friends and family thinking that she's suicidal went right over my head, though.

[rami_ungar_writer]

Luz's death in The Owl House was dark AF! And that's one moment in an entire series of dark!

[trinaq]

Boy Meets World wasn't afraid to tackle tough issues, such as alcoholism, parental abandonment, cults or domestic abuse. Its spinoff tried to do the same, but because it aired on Disney Channel, they were limited to what they could discuss.

[marissamay]

Honorable Mentions:
* Jimmy Brings a Gun to School - Static Shock (2000-04)
* Belos Possessed Hunter - The Owl House (2020-23)
* Anne Sacrifices Herself - Amphibia (2019-22)
* The Loud Kids Almost Dissapear from Existence - The Loud House (2016-)
* Clarence Turns Into a Dark Bully - Clarence (2014-18)

[chelseacanales]

Boy Meet Worlds has a lot of episodes that teaches subjects to learn about life and certain consequences

[cryptghost]

I do love how Steven Universe tackled toxic relationships, but I thought if a dark Steven Universe moment would be on this list, it would be when Steven shattered Jasper

[glorianortey]

I was a huge fan of Powerpuff girls when I was a kid and seriously, that particular episode scared me to bits. None of the other villains on the show were as scary as Him. Dude was downright terrifying.

[txefstxt-iho]

What about mentioning Courage the Cowardly Dog? Particularly the episode "The Mask, " not just because of its disturbing titular mask, character design, and actions, but also how it tackles the realistic theme of toxic and abusive relationships with violent criminals.

[Rosewolf]

You guys forgot the gun violence episode of Static Shock where a kid gets bullied to the point he takes his dad’s gun to school, the entire 1986 Transformers movie which let’s be real traumatized all of us watching our favorite characters get gunned down, and the death of Vector Prime in the 2005 Transformers Cybertron episode where Vector Prime sacrifices himself so the others can return to their correct time.

[josephsharp]

I figured things like Marcy getting stabbed/possessed (Amphibia) the blood bending episode (Avatar) or something involving Hunter (The Owl House) to be on this list

[sockygaldamez]

I will always remember that Teen Titans episode Haunted it was really dark but it dived well on the issue with Robin and explored on how to cope with it.

[joshuatewolde]

(From Deleted Scene of “Nasty Patty”)

Mr. Krabs: “SpongeBob My Boy, It LOOKS Like This Is The END! I’ll SEE Ya At ‘Neptune’s Garden’.”
SpongeBob: “I Don’t Suppose I Can USE The ‘Employee Restroom’ One LAST TIME?”

[multiverse_media]

So nothing about:
- Marcy’s stabbing?
- Lunella’s near death from Molecule Man?
- Everything that happened to Luz in The Owl House?
- Or even Avatar The Last Airbender!?

[Buggy-suoy]

SpongeBob's Wormy., . especially the closeup of the Horsefly.

[SwiftieCat]

One dark moment I know in a kids show is an episode of OK K.O. where K.O. gets trapped in a room with clones of his friends and the clones die and K.O. thinks that he actually lost his friends for a couple moments.

[noelhaynes]

I think that the unexpected dark moment in Hey Arnold should've been the tale of the Headless Cabbie. That had to be one of the darkest moments in the series.

[crimsonmoonrise]

The episode of That's So Raven could have had a different story, maybe the manager knew about Raven being a fashion designer and didn't want her trying to sell her clothes to the customers.

[theamazingandtalentedblake]

The episode about Donnie in the Wild Thornberrys was quite dark about his origin of how his parents were killed by poachers and Donnie was raised by the mother orangutan which his parents studied