Doug (Nickelodeon era, Seasons 1-4)

Doug is an American/French animated sitcom that was created by Jim Jinkins and produced by Jumbo Pictures for the Nickelodeon. The series premiered in 1991 on the cable network Nickelodeon, as the channel's first original animated content alongside Rugrats and The Ren and Stimpy Show. The series' original run consisted of 52 episodes over four seasons that were broadcast from 1991 to 1994.

Plot
Doug revolves around Douglas "Doug" Funnie, an 11 (later 12)-year-old boy who wants to be another face in the crowd, but by possessing a vivid imagination and a strong sense of morality, he is more likely to stand out. He keeps a journal, which he treats as an autobiography, as he records numerous experiences over the series, which range from learning to dance to getting a bad haircut. Doug Funnie and his family (which consists of his parents Theda and Phil, sister Judy, and dog Porkchop) move from the town of Bloatsburg to Bluffington after his dad receives a job promotion. Bluffington is in the United States but not in any specific U.S. state. However, Bluffington is loosely based on the city of Richmond, Virginia, where creator Jim Jinkins was born and raised.

Why This Era Rocks

 * 1) One of the first of their successful line of Nicktoons, in fact it's the very first Nicktoon to ever air on television.
 * 2) Some likable characters like Doug Funnie, Porkchop, Skeeter Valentine, Patti Mayonnaise, Roger Klotz, and the others.
 * 3) Being the first nicktoon in history, the animation did smoothly great with beautiful contours.
 * 4) Great voice acting, especially for Billy West, Fred Newman, Constance Shulman.
 * 5) While Doug just wants to fit in with his peers, he has a vivid imagination and an unparalleled sense of morality that both make him stand out amongst them. Doug narrates every episode, and writes his experiences in his journal.
 * 6) Great episodes for this Nickelodeon version, like "Doug Can't Dance", "Doug Bags a Neematoad", "Doug Rocks", "Doug to the Rescue", "Doug's Runaway", "Doug Is Quailman", "Doug's Halloween Adventure" and "Doug Graduates".
 * 7) The theme song is pretty cool and memorable.
 * 8) Some heartwarming moments.
 * 9) While not intended to be the last episode of the series, the episode where Doug graduated from middle school was a perfect way to end the Nickelodeon series as a whole.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The series went severely downhill in quality when it was revived on ABC in 1996, due to the absence of Billy West (the original voice actor for Doug and Roger), Doug's new voice actor, Tom McHugh, not living up to West's performance, pointless changes such as the replacement of Honker Burger (the gang's hangout in the original show) with a cheap French restaurant, Chez Honque, and creator Jim Jinkins not being as involved as he was in the Nickelodeon version.
 * 2) Even before the revival, the Nickelodeon series had some bad episodes, such as "Doug's Christmas Story" (the Christmas special), "Doug is Slave for a Day", "Doug's New Teacher", "Doug's Babysitter", "Doug Didn't Do It" (depending on your view), "Doug's Math Problem" and "Doug's Cartoon".
 * 3) It can get boring often.
 * 4) Some of the characters can be bland or unlikable.

Trivia

 * Nowadays, Disney's purchase included the Doug trademark and all rights to future merchandising, but Nickelodeon retained the rights to the first four seasons.
 * The show originated as a potential series of children books before Jenkins turned it into a cartoon. The story of "Doug's New Shoes" was the original intended premiere book.
 * The Nickelodeon version is available on Amazon and Paramount+, and while the Disney version (along with the movie) are available on mh:freshwebsites:Disney+.