Brand Spanking New! Doug

The lead comment was that this show was a low point for ABC. I didn't see it that way back in September of 1996. We'd lost cable 8 months earlier and I was really missing the Nick version of "Doug". I was more the extatic to find out they were bring the show to a channel I still got. Then I saw the Trailer, and yes the show's plot, theme song, and everything else about it get turned upside-down. I maintain however the basic theme of the show was still the same. Doug still lived in Bluffington and still wrote in his Journal. That's all I needed to know.

This show depends a lot on seeing the Nick series but before long really becomes its own force as we are introduced to life at a Junior High-School that is under-construction. My favorite episode was the one where they were trapped in the school by a blizzard, and one of the kids goes off to find a secret paradise room, hidden in the Principal's Office. I've yet to find other shows that come close to story lines like that. The theme of my life for a long, long time. In fact, to this day, in my ENG classes at TCC I still will write my Narrative Stories in the "Doug" format of normal life adventures gone wrong. It works!

To be fair this review should be titled "There is no real or valid difference between Old and New Doug to jump to the conclusion that the older version was superior." But that is way too long of a title.

First, the obvious differences between the shows, just to be fair to those 90's kids with some valid points. Nick's theme song was and will be more catchy, but honestly I'm not watching the show for the theme song. Doug's little sister, Cleopetra Dirtbike Funnie, is a pointless character, and usually baby character in shows are the worst. People complain about the redesign of characters...honestly it's not as drastic as people like to make it out to be, the only exception being Patti, but honestly I like her redesign. Maybe it was me, but I always thought Patti's hair from the Nick series looked like a yellow blob compared to Disney's which actually looks like hair. The Beets breaking up...honestly, I don't care for them, but If others liked the songs than who am I to judge. The Honker Burger not being there...It's a location guys...are we really steeping that low just to find complaints? As for the Disney episodes being 30 min compared to 10, that is definitely better.

Honestly, the heart of the show is still the same in both. The "Lack of spirit" argument is kind of bogus. Really I think 90's kids complain about the two because it isn't the exact same...honestly, overlook those small differences, it's like the show never got rebooted but simply had another season.

So I never watched Doug growing up despite being a 90's kid. I started to rewatch the classic Nickelodeon Doug as an adult, and it was great. A kids show I can actually enjoy. Moving on to Disney Doug (which growing up, I did not even know existed). I was expecting it to be bad from the reviews but was pleasantly surprised. Sure there are changes but it still feels like Doug. Perhaps Doug a little grown up since he is now in middle (or is it junior high) school. The biggest change to get used to is Doug's new voice which is noticeable, once you accept that it is still a great show. Nice music, no new annoying characters (Fairly odd parents, Rugrats) that ruin the show. The episodes are longer but now there is more likely to teach you a lesson. The first episode actually teaches you to embrace change.

I love this series so much! It really didn't change that much lol just wanna hate everything cuz it's disney! That's all! I love both versions of it! I use to collect the milk cartons and read the books Disneys Doug is a gem and better than anything on tv now.

Sure, there might not be a whole lot to say about this show, but it's had a good run for almost 7 years. The reason I like this show is because it doesn't have to do with kids trying to save the world with their crazy pocket monsters or seeing how far an animated show can go.

Doug deals with problems that a lot of kids face, some that will last a lifetime or some that are just part of a phase. I've been watching this show ever since I was 6 years old, and I was saddened after watching the last episode last year. It really showed how Doug grew up over the years, instead of keeping him in 5th grade the whole time. That's how childhood is, and that's why this show really appealed to me over the years.