Television series

ThunderCats

Name: ThunderCats
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Released: 1985
Cast: Larry Kenney, Doug Preis, Lynne Lipton, Lynne Lipton, Earl Hammond

ThunderCats is a gleefully earnest 1985 action-fantasy series about alien cat warriors rebuilding civilization on a hostile planet. It's colourful, inventive, and unashamed about its own ridiculousness—think synthesizer heroism and elaborate costumes played completely straight. Made for kids who loved He-Man but wanted something weirder.

TVMaze rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you have a soft spot for bold, sword-swinging cartoons where good and evil are drawn in primary colours and a quest keeps pulling you forward.

Skip it if you find old-school animation stiff or prefer slow, character-driven drama, since the stories are simple, the dialogue is broad and the battles recur constantly.

What it asks of you: Each half-hour episode is a quick burst of action, so it asks for little commitment per sitting but a long run of 125 episodes to get through over four seasons.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe1983

The spiritual sibling: same studio, same energy, same absolute commitment to the bit. If you love ThunderCats' mix of cosmic stakes and toy-line worldbuilding, this is the obvious next stop.

But Skeletor can overshadow the plot, and some episodes lean heavily into filler. The writing is simpler and less inventive than ThunderCats' best work.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe poster

SilverHawks1986

Same DNA, same era, same animators—but set in space with cyborg cops. It doubles down on the aesthetic that makes ThunderCats work: retro-futurism played with zero irony and unbridled imagination.

But It's even more scatter-brained with plot. Some episodes feel like storyboards that were never quite finished, and the premise barely holds together.

Dungeons & Dragons1983

Adventure fantasy with the same Saturday-morning sincerity. A group of misfits trapped in another world, learning to work together, facing increasingly cosmic threats. More grounded but equally committed to the bit.

But The tone can be genuinely dark in places—there's real peril and sometimes genuine tragedy. It's more serious than ThunderCats, which might read as slow if you're after pure spectacle.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from ThunderCats

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Transformers1984

Both are shows about displaced aliens building civilization on a new world while fending off a seemingly unstoppable enemy; both succeed through sheer commitment to their own absurdity rather than irony about it.

Giant alien robots, civil war, a planet they've adopted as home, villains with depth. Same era, same commitment to intricate toy-lines and epic scale, but with better character writing—Starscream alone justifies the series.

But Early episodes are cheap-looking animation even by 1984 standards. It's dense and continuity-heavy; random episodes won't make sense. Asking an adult to sit through it requires confidence.

Voltron: Legendary Defender2016

Giant robots, alien invasions, a team that has to work as one. Same Japanese animation sensibility that makes ThunderCats hum. Episodes build to genuinely satisfying payoffs.

But It's a 124-episode commitment. The formula gets repetitive, and the dub work is inconsistent. You need patience.

Defenders of the Earth1986

A ragtag group of heroes (Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake) defending a city from cosmic evil. Same colour palette, same synth-driven energy, same commitment to elaborate action scenes.

But It lacks ThunderCats' character development. Episodes are more disposable, and the crossover nature means individual heroes get short shrift.

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future1987

Live-action humans fighting cyborg invaders—it's ThunderCats' scrappier cousin. Ambitious in ways the genre rarely managed: interactive toys, genuine continuity, real stakes. Worth it for the sheer ambition.

But The live-action and animation mixes unevenly. It takes itself extremely seriously, which can tip into unintended camp. Production design sometimes doesn't match the budget.

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future poster

Young Samson1967

Underrated Hanna-Barbera gem about a boy and his dog fighting crime and the supernatural. Surprisingly imaginative design and genuinely eerie villains. The foundation that everything like ThunderCats is built on.

But Animation is basic and cheap even by 1967 standards. Episodes are short and disposable. It's more cute than cool, which might feel slight if you want ThunderCats' scale.

Natsume's Book of Friends2008

Both are episodic adventures where a young leader builds community with misfits and monsters; both understand that world-building is about relationships, not just threats.

A young man inherits the ability to see supernatural creatures. Quiet, beautiful, surprisingly moving. Monster-of-the-week structure with genuine character arcs. Japanese animation done with restraint and grace—the opposite of ThunderCats but working from the same engine.

But It's deliberately paced and melancholic. No action sequences or explosions. If you're watching ThunderCats for spectacle, this will feel like you've walked into someone else's show.

Flash Gordon1980

Both treat the aesthetics of 1980s sci-fi adventure as not ironic or retro but genuinely cool—that confidence is what makes them work and what makes them, now, genuinely beautiful.

A pulp-serial space adventure played with total conviction—ridiculous costumes, retro-futurism, impossibly earnest heroes. Directed by Mike Hodges with the same commitment to colour and spectacle as ThunderCats' best moments.

But It's campy by design, which means it hinges entirely on tone. Sam J. Jones isn't a great actor. If you watch it waiting to laugh rather than watching it laugh with you, it collapses.