Pretty much everyone has a long list of Disney movies that they absolutely love. But when it comes to Disney TV shows, things can be a bit different, and as a result, there are plenty of fantastic shows that are seriously underrated.
Due to the nature of Disney programming, which is basically always oriented toward kids, most shows don’t end up lasting too long. Despite many shows only running for one or two seasons, they’ve grown devoted fanbases that try to show the world just how great their underrated Disney show is.
10 Dave The Barbarian
While it only ran for a single season, Dave The Barbarian was an absolutely delightful gem from Disney’s animated line-up. Telling the story of a silly family of barbarians in Udrogoth as they battle against Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy, this is one show you should check out if you haven’t seen it.
It does feature a fairly standard cast of Disney characters, but this silly show that ran from 2004 to 2005 managed to put a creative spin on familiar characters. The show is a great marriage of fantasy and modern sensibility, making it a perfectly underrated show.
9 The Weekenders
This fantastic four-season show ran from the year 2000 until 2004 and followed a group of young teenagers as they went on their weekend adventures. This show also features a brilliant theme song that was performed by the always-great Wayne Brady.
This show likely ran for so long because the characters were varied and unique, the concept of each episode being contained to the weekends kept things interesting and fast-paced, and both the characters and situations were relatable to people of just about any age.
8 American Dragon: Jake Long
American Dragon: Jake Long ran for two seasons from 2005 to 2007 and is still regarded as one of the better action-oriented Disney shows to ever air. It follows the adventures of Jake Long, a kid who is capable of turning into a dragon to battle the forces of evil.
This was another show that had incredibly relatable characters despite the fantasy aspects, and it did a good job of setting younger viewers up for what their school adventures might be like. The voice cast here was excellent, and it even included the heavy hitter John DiMaggio, who’s famous as Bender, Dr. Drakken, Jake The Dog, and so much more.
7 Even Stevens
While many of Disney’s animated shows are regarded as underrated, there are a few hits that were live-action that get the same treatment from fans. Even Stevens is one of those shows, and it’s the show that launched the career of Shia LaBeouf.
It was a fairly standard sitcom setup about a quirky family, but the focus was heavily put on the brother-sister dynamic of Shia LaBeouf’s Louis Anthony Stevens and Christy Carlson Romano’s Ren Stevens. While a simple setup, there was a unique charm to this series that even resulted in it getting its own TV movie.
6 Recess
While there are some aspects of this show that may be seen as troubling to some today, that doesn’t take away from how excellent this 1997 to 2001 series was. Focusing on a group of kids and their adventures during recess, this show was a great introduction to growing up in school for young kids.
This six-season show was popular enough to receive multiple movies, but it’s never gotten the attention it truly deserves. Most people who watched the show as a kid acknowledge how important it was in helping to teach them important lessons early on, making it a must-watch even to this day.
5 Lloyd In Space
The successor to Recess, for whatever reason Lloyd In Space often feels like one of those strange lost-media things by Disney fans. Despite running for four seasons from 2001 to 2004, it can be hard to find anything surrounding this fun little show about an alien kid just trying to live his life.
It’s another show that uses the familiar Disney formula, but it had a lot of charm, and it was a fun way to appeal to kids who enjoyed sci-fi. The show managed to do a lot with the simple idea of an alien living on a space station with others, making it a show everyone should check out if they can find a way to do so.
4 Phil Of The Future
Another live action show, Phil Of The Future was vastly underrated, despite its killer premise. This show only ran for two seasons from 2004 to 2006, but it told the story of a family from the future that came back in time on a time-traveling vacation, and ended up getting stuck in the 21st century..
The cast is absolutely stacked, and any Disney fan will surely be surprised by all the familiar faces that make appearances throughout its run. The show could dive into some seriously emotional beats too, something that may have you reaching for something to wipe your eyes with.
3 Kim Possible
While Kim Possible is widely loved by Disney fans, there is a shocking amount of people who never viewed this excellent four-season and multi-movie series. It tells the story of a young girl who’s just trying to live an ordinary life, while doing some spy work on the side.
This is easily one of Disney’s best efforts in the animated show department thanks to how deep the characters could be and just how inventive the episode concepts were. There was a great balance of ridiculous with realism making the entire thing a naco-gobbling delight.
2 The Emperor’s New School
While the show couldn’t get everyone back from the hit movie The Emperor's New Groove, it did get most of the star-studded cast back for an excellent two-season run. This show follows the events of the movie, and sees Kuzco having to go to school in order to become emperor.
It features all of the excellent characters from the movie while also adding the fan-favorite Malina to the mix. If you somehow missed this show, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor by checking it out as soon as possible.
1 Fillmore!
This show might just be the most underrated Disney show of all time. Fillmore tells the thrilling story of a group of detective hall monitors as they keep their school safe. It sounds ridiculous, and it could be at times, but it was amazing.
Running for only two seasons, Fillmore used its crime-parody style to tackle some surprisingly heavy topics for children's programming, though put through a more simplistic and relatable lens. Also, everybody who's ever seen Fillmore! is deeply jealous of how cool the school is.