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Sixty-Five-Episode Cartoon: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
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Many Western cartoon series have had original runs lasting 65 episodes, because 65 episodes equals 13 weeks (or three months) of material to syndicate at one episode per weekday. This is because of an FCC rule that requires syndicated shows to run for at least 13 weeks, but also because these cartoon series are often not renewed for a second season. (Those which are renewed may have 65 additional episodes, or fewer if they are mixed in with repeats from earlier seasons.)
 
This was typical with cartoons produced for first-run [[Syndication]], and adopted as policy by the [[Disney Channel]] (which has a similar 65-episode cutoff for its live-action [[Kid Com|Kid Coms]]s) and [[Kids WB]], although some syndicated shows did air weekly originally. It is now increasingly difficult for shows to achieve this goal, since most have gone with a smaller episode number due to the economy.
 
It should also be noted that this trope really only applies to cartoons aimed towards children, rather than Adult cartoons.
 
See also [[Twelve-Episode Anime]] and [[British Brevity]], both of which should remind fans of any of the shows listed here of how lucky actually they are. For some shows that went well past 65, see [[Milestone Celebration]].
 
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{{examples|suf=s}}
=== Retired at 65: ===
* ''[[101 Dalmatians|One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]: [[The Series]]'': 65 episodes with one short first season (the [[One Saturday Morning]] episodes), and one ''long'' second season ([[The Disney Afternoon]] episodes)
* ''[[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]]'': 65 episodes over one season, excluding one [[Christmas Episode]] produced years later.
* ''[[The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin]]'': 65 episodes over one season.
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* ''[[The Busy World of Richard Scarry]]''
* ''[[Captain Harlock]] and the Queen of a Thousand Years''
* ''[[Cat DogCatDog]]''
* ''[[Centurions]]'': 65 episodes over two seasons.
* ''[[Challenge of the Go Bots]]'': 65 episodes over two seasons.
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* ''[[The Comic Strip]]'': 65 episodes over one season.
* ''[[Conan the Adventurer (animation)|Conan the Adventurer]]'': 65 episodes over two seasons.
* ''[[COPS (animation)|C.O.P.S.]]''
* ''[[Count Duckula]]'': 65 episodes over four seasons.
* ''[[Daria]]'': 65 episodes over five seasons, not counting 2 [[Made for TV Movie|Made For TV Movies]].
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* ''[[Eagle Riders]]'' (though only Australia saw all 65 episodes)
* ''[[Filmation's Ghostbusters|Filmations Ghostbusters]]'': 65 episodes over one season.
* ''[[Hercules (Disney1997 film)|Hercules]] [[The Series]]''
* ''[[James Bond Jr.|James Bond Jr]]''
* ''[[Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors]]''
* ''[[Jem]]''
* ''The Legend of [[Prince Valiant]]''
* ''[[Lilo and& Stitch: The Series]]''
* ''[[The Marvel Superheroes]]''
* ''[[Mona the Vampire]]''
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* ''[[Tom and Jerry]] Kids''
* ''[[The Wacky World of Tex Avery]]''
* ''[[Widget, the World Watcher]]''
* ''[[Yin Yang Yo!|Yin Yang Yo]]''
 
=== Renewed after the original 65 episodes: ===
* The first 65 episodes of ''[[Animaniacs]]'' ran on Fox Kids, as did four more episodes cobbled together out of unused segments. Then came the [[Channel Hop]].
* The ''[[Babar]]'' cartoon is counted as being [[Un CancelledUncancelled]] despite the sixth season being produced ''nine years'' after the fifth season brought it to 65 episodes.
* The original ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' season was 65 episodes long. It was continued by 20 episode second season (under the title ''The Adventures of Batman & Robin'') and two seasons of ''The New Batman Adventures''.
* ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]''
* ''[[Dennis the Menace US]]''
* ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]''
* ''[[Darkwing Duck (animation)|Darkwing Duck]]'' and ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' both had episodes that ran independent of their [[The Disney Afternoon]] syndication.
* The first two seasons of ''[[Gargoyles]]'' had 65 episodes in all. The third season, retitled ''Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles'', suffered from [[Seasonal Rot]] and wound up in [[Canon Discontinuity]].
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* ''[[Goof Troop]]''
* ''[[Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats]]'' did 65 episodes in its first season and 21 in its second.
* ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' originally had 65 episodes, but was successful enough to merit another 65 for a total of 130.
** ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'''s [[Spin-Off]], ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power]]'', was also renewed after 65 episodes, but its total only came to 93.
* ''[[Inspector Gadget]]''
* ''[[Kim Possible]]'', though it had to be [[Uncanceled]] to get a fourth season after reaching 65 episodes.
* ''[[MASK|M.A.S.K.]]'' had 65 episodes in its first series, which was followed by the short and very different racing series.
* ''[[Pinky and The Brain]]'' had 65 episodes, not counting a few compilations of their ''[[Animaniacs]]'' segments. However, itIt was continued as ''[[Pinky, Elmyra and& Thethe Brain]]'', [[Fanon Discontinuity|though many fans would like to forget that.]]
* ''[[Recess]]'' was a subversion. The series ended with 65 episodes (due to Disney's rule), but had four unaired episodes. They were released to DVD two years after the show ended.
* The original 1991-93 run of ''[[Rugrats]]'' lasted 65 episodes. It was [[Uncanceled]] and resumed in 1996.
* ''[[Sabrina the Animated Series]]'' lasted one season of 65 episodes from 1999 to 2000 (like a number of Saturday morning cartoons as well), but got a spin-off, ''Sabrina's Secret Life'' in 2003, with twenty-something episodes. Fans... [[Fanon Discontinuity|like to forget that series]], though.
* The original North American dub of ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' stalled for two years in the middle of ''Sailor Moon R'', after 65 episodes had been dubbed by [[DiC Entertainment]].
* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (original)]]'' [[Channel Hop|Channel Hopped]]ped to CBS after producing 65 episodes for syndication.
 
* ''[[Thundercats]]''
* ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' followed its first syndicated season of 65 episodes with 13 more episodes in syndication and 20 episodes on [[Fox Kids]].
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Formats]]
[[Category:Sixty Five Episode Cartoon]]

Latest revision as of 17:50, 9 February 2023

Many Western cartoon series have had original runs lasting 65 episodes, because 65 episodes equals 13 weeks (or three months) of material to syndicate at one episode per weekday. This is because of an FCC rule that requires syndicated shows to run for at least 13 weeks, but also because these cartoon series are often not renewed for a second season. (Those which are renewed may have 65 additional episodes, or fewer if they are mixed in with repeats from earlier seasons.)

This was typical with cartoons produced for first-run Syndication, and adopted as policy by the Disney Channel (which has a similar 65-episode cutoff for its live-action Kid Coms) and Kids WB, although some syndicated shows did air weekly originally. It is now increasingly difficult for shows to achieve this goal, since most have gone with a smaller episode number due to the economy.

It should also be noted that this trope really only applies to cartoons aimed towards children, rather than Adult cartoons.

See also Twelve-Episode Anime and British Brevity, both of which should remind fans of any of the shows listed here of how lucky actually they are. For some shows that went well past 65, see Milestone Celebration.

Examples of Sixty-Five-Episode Cartoons include:

Retired at 65

Renewed after the original 65 episodes

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