The Carmen Sandiego franchise has been around for a long time, and not just in video game form. The character and basic storyline of Carmen Sandiego have been ported to various movie and television properties, including a game show that aired on Nickelodeon in the 1990s. There's currently an animated series airing on Netflix that serializes her adventures and includes a lot of interesting backstory information that viewers haven't seen previously.
The show might be animated, but it's not just for kids, either. We're talking about a thief with an international reputation, after all. The animation style recalls other shows intended for a variety of ages, like Samurai Jack or the shows in the DC comics animated universe. It also has some compelling things to say about what true value really is, and what that term actually means. If that sounds like the kind of show you'd like to see, then there's a lot more to choose from when it comes to animated shows on Netflix after you're done binging on Carmen Sandiego.
10 Spy Kids: Mission Critical
The live-action movie on which this series was based was a sleeper hit back in 2001 so we know the formula works, and the movie grew into a successful franchise. The latest entry in the library is Spy Kids: Mission Critical. This show follows the same premise along with lampooning a lot of old spy movie tropes. For example, the sinister organization that the main characters are pitted against is called Sinister Wrongdoers Against Mankind's Preservation (SWAMP). Other than helping their parents fight the shadowy forces of crime, the show also follows them as students of the prestigious Spy Kids Academy.
9 The Deep
Here's an example of a show that mixes fantasy with action, adventure, and science fiction. Meet the Nektons, a whole family of explorers that specialize in solving the mysteries of The Deep. The Nektons have a long history of exploring the darkest parts of the ocean. They aren't just regular middle-class folks but descended from the and ancient people are known as Lemurians. The Deep is based on a series of graphic novels by the same name from Gestalt Publishing, which won the Aurealis Award, Australia's premier speculative fiction literary award, in 2012. The animation is a stellar 3D rendering of the original artwork.
8 Johnny Test
Johnny Test overlaps into the science-fiction genre that gave us shows like Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls. In fact, the title of the very first episode, "Johnny on the Clock/Johnny X Factor" is a callback to the latter. Johnny's not the scientist, however, he's a normal precocious 11-year old. In this case, his older twin sisters are the ones with the secret lab, and he ends up being their guinea pig for most of their wacky experiments. That also explains his genetically modified talking dog and perennial sidekick, Dukey.
7 Avatar: The Last Airbender
Those who like some fantasy with their espionage and action-adventure will enjoy Avatar: The Last Airbender. Netflix is currently working on a live-action version of the show, which is one of the reasons it's currently part of the library currently featured on the streaming service, along with its sequel series, The Legend of Korra.
Even if you haven't watched the show, the main character Aang will look familiar, the Last Airbender and the Avatar, the only being who can bend all four elements. The show has a lot of intrigue and mysteries to solve as the self-dubbed "Team Avatar" searches for masters to teach the young Avatar and discover a lot about themselves and the world around them.
6 Glitch Techs
In the spirit of classic shows like Tron, the plot of Glitch Techs blends real life with the world of computers. The show has a fun and creative way of mixing features from the vintage era of arcades and Atari with jargon and hardware from contemporary gaming culture. The main characters lead a double life, fronting as retail workers in an ordinary game store. However, their true mission is fighting the monsters who have escaped the world of video games and are wreaking havoc in the real world. The art style is flashy and colorful, and it's clear the designers took full advantage of the freedom this sci-fi crimefighter crossover gave them.
5 Inspector Gadget (2017)
If you're a fan of Carmen Santiago, then you're probably familiar with the classic 1980s show that helped to inspire it, Inspector Gadget. The show currently running on Netflix is a reboot but also a sequel, complete with updated music and a modern, 3D animated style. Most of the characters from the old show reappear as if they never left, and there's plenty of comedy just like the classic version.
The very first episode in the new series sets up a continuing story in which Penny, Gadget's niece, is now an agent in training and her uncle is enjoying retirement. Once Dr. Claw appears again, however, the Inspector returns to help Penny and the Cheif try and stop him.
4 Hilda
Watch Hilda just for the stellar animation, which seems simple but is amazingly detailed and creative. The star of this show is the inquisitive and resourceful Hilda, who deals with the life of an adventurer with a level head and brave heart. She has a lot in common with Carmen herself in this regard, along with her dedicated group of friends who are reflections of the magical world in which she resides. That includes characters like the handy yet annoying Wood Man, her deer-fox sidekick, and Hilda's Mum. Nothing about the magical wilderness they live in seems strange at all.
3 The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show
Peabody's Improbable History was never even its own show, but a segment that appeared occasionally on The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. It was popular enough to start its own franchise, including a movie in 2014. The show is set up the same way a late-night talk show would be, with interviews, guests, and musical numbers. It combines that with factoids and trivia about history the same way the classic Peabody's Improbable History also did. The art style is an updated version of the old Hanna Barabara combined with modern CGI and it's perfect for the tone of the show.
2 Alien TV
Meet the extraterrestrials Ixbee, Pixbee, and Squee, the hardworking and dedicated anthropologists tasked with studying that enigmatic planet known as Earth. The first episode is entitled "Bicycle" just to give you an idea of the mysteries these honest but goofy scientists have to unravel. The end of each episode contains a quick and funny synopsis of what they learned.
This show is computer-animated and some features are intended to look real, like the alien's instruments and other accessories, while others, like the aliens themselves, not so much. Alien TV follows the template set by other comedic shows like Mr. Bean where the focus is on the physical comedy and the language is either non-existent unintelligible. In this case, the aliens speak in their own unique language without subtitles, but what they're saying is obvious.
1 Dawn of the Croods
When it feels like modern life is too much to handle, The Dawn of the Croods is a nice way to put things back into perspective. For those that have seen movies like Clan of the Cave Bear that tend to romanticize prehistoric human societies, this is also a funny bit of parody, as the Croods are portrayed as a step above most of their fellow cave-dwellers intellectually. This is played for laughs instead of as some kind of boon to humanity, and the moral of the story seems to be that the more things change, the more they stay the same.