Pokémon, Cartoon Network, Saturdays 9am
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Caution: potential spoilers.

Kanto/Johto (Red & Blue, Gold & Silver)
Hoenn Sinnoh Unova

I find this show funny and cute, and I dunno, I just really like it. I mean, the actual quality isn't necessarily that great, but it's okay. I'm a fan of the video games (though I haven't played all of them, and often in the show I get a bit annoyed by things working differently than they do in the games). And um, the girls tend to be cute, though I feel kinda weird about that, given both how young most of them are and how the art style is just so cartoony, but whatever (though some characters, like Jessie, I feel no shame in calling hot). The stories are pretty repetitive, but it's still a fun show and I like the characters, for the most part. Anyway, as for what the show is about... there are these friends, who wander around the Kanto region (and later Johto, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh, then Unova), occasionally catching new pokemon (a wide variety of types of animals which can learn all sorts of different "moves," most of which are attacks). Once captured, pokemon are kept in pokeballs, and occasionally released to eat or play or engage in pokemon battles, or whatever. Anyway, the trainers and their pokemon wander around, having cute, amusing, silly little adventures, helping folks out and stuff. The main characters meet tons of people throughout the series, some of whom become recurring characters, themselves. Anyway, every once in awhile the main characters reach one of the towns from the games, where they can have gym battles for badges, so that they may eventually compete in various tournaments.

But the only one who really has gym battles is Ash Ketchum, a trainer from Pallet Town (in Kanto) who wants to become a pokemon master; he's the one constant throughout the series. He leaves on a pokemon journey, which in the world of pokemon, kids are allowed to do when they turn 10. Which I guess means that the world of pokemon is supposed to be safer than the real world, in spite of the fact that there are criminal organizations like Team Rocket, not to mention countless wild pokemon who are powerful and may not want to be caught. But whatevs. Kids are also more self-reliant, apparently, and parents more trusting or whatever. Anyway, Ash knew a pokemon researcher named Professor Oak, whose grandson Gary is Ash's main rival, though they do eventually become friends. Gary pops up from time to time throughout the series, as does Prof. Oak. And Ash's mom, Delia. Well, new pokemon trainers are supposed to see a pokemon researcher to choose one of three starter pokemon. This is the same as in the games, of course, and in the original series those pokemon are Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. (Even in later seasons/games with different starter pokemon, the choices will still always be grass, fire, or water types.) However, Ash shows up late, and doesn't get any of these. Instead he gets a Pikachu, who, unlike most captured pokemon, never stays in a pokeball (because he was never really captured, he just chose to join Ash). Though their relationship is a bit rocky at the start, they eventually become best friends. Ash will also eventually get Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, as well as lots of other pokemon. But since a trainer isn't allowed to have more than 6 pokemon on hand at any one time, extras are left with Professor Oak (it's a simple matter to electronically transfer pokemon from place to place, as if they were emails or something). So throughout the seasons, Ash's party of pokemon frequently changes. Pikachu is the one constant.

Anyway... Ash soon makes new friends to travel with. The first is Misty, a water pokemon trainer; her three older sisters are gym leaders in Cerulean City. I'm not sure how old she is, but she may be a couple years older than Ash. Next there's Brock, a gym leader from Pewter City, who wants to become a pokemon breeder. Not sure how old he is, but he's clearly at least a few years older than Ash or Misty, and by far the oldest of his many siblings, who he was stuck taking care of, until his absentee dad returned, thus freeing him to leave with Ash and Misty on their journey. But anyway, he is often lumped in with the two of them by others as "kids," so maybe he's not yet an adult. I dunno. He's constantly hitting on pretty girls they encounter in each episode, especially Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. It seems every town has a different Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, and while all Joys look identical, as do all Jennys, somehow Brock can tell them apart. I reckon many of the women he hits on are older than he is, anyway. But it doesn't matter, Misty will always drag him off by the ear when he hits on anyone.

Anyway... pokemon can't speak human (though every species of pokemon has its own language, all pokemon understand each other and also humans, who for their part don't understand any pokemon language). But it is apparently possible for pokemon to learn to speak human, as evidenced by a certain Meowth (who, like Ash's Pikachu, doesn't stay in a pokeball). This Meowth works for the nefarious Team Rocket, an evil organization that steals pokemon, and tries out other nasty plots from time to time. The head of Team Rocket is Giovanni, who we rarely see (except in Meowth's imagination). There are lots of smaller teams which comprise Team Rocket, but we usually only see one of them: Jessie, James, and this talking Meowth. Another team that shows up occasionally is Butch and Cassidy. They sometimes assist a scientist named Professor Namba. Anyway, Jessie, James, and Meowth always seem fairly inept, but actually I think they're pretty cool and brilliant. They just have the incredible bad luck to always be up against the twerps (as Team Rocket calls them) who are the stars of the show. So who do you think the writers are gonna have win? Of course, I should also mention that every once in a great while, one or more of these three villains will actually do something nice for someone. And while they often insult or even hurt each other in a slapstick way, they're also often shown to genuinely care for one another. And as much as they can't stand the twerps, they may sometimes side with them against some common enemy or other.

Now, about the different seasons... I'm not clear on how they're broken up in Japan, but I'm sure it's different in the U.S. I suppose the first season is just called "Pokemon," though you might also refer to it as "Indigo League" or something like that, since the final tournament is held on the Indigo Plateau. Though the season takes place in the Kanto region, so you might also call it the "Kanto Saga," I guess. In the second season, the "Orange Island Adventures," Brock was replaced by a pokemon watcher (he draws pictures of them) named Tracey Sketchit, while Brock stayed with a pokemon researcher named Professor Ivy. Ash, Misty, and Tracey, meanwhile, travelled around the Orange Islands. At the end of the season, Tracey stayed in Pallet Town as Prof. Oak's assistant (so we'll see him again occasionally), and Brock rejoined his old friends on their new journey, in the Johto region. Johto was introduced in the Gold and Silver video games, so it includes a whole new selection of pokemon. In season 3, "The Johto Journeys," they met another recurring pokemon researcher, Prof. Elm. Ash and friends continued their journeys in Johto in the fourth and fifth seasons, "Johto League Champions" and "Master Quest." The first five seasons are, I guess, collectively the original series. Um, I should also mention, in every new series there are, among the various new species of pokemon, certain legendary pokemon, who show up rarely, and may constitute part of the ongoing plot threads. In the first series, these included Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, though you might also include Mew and Mewtwo. The seasons set in Johto included legendary pokemon Lugio, Ho-oh, and Celebi.

Hoenn (Ruby & Sapphire)

Then for the sixth season, "Pokemon Advanced," the start of the second series, Ash traveled alone (except for Pikachu) to the Hoenn region. Hoenn was introduced in the Ruby and Sapphire video games, so once again, it included a new group of pokemon. (The new legendary pokemon include Groudon and Kyogre, as well as Latias and Latios, Rayquaza, Jirachi, and Deoxys.) Misty had returned to Cerulean to become the gym leader, and Brock had left Ash, too. And Ash left all his pokemon except Pikachu behind with Professor Oak. (It is around this time that the spinoff series of stand-alone episodes, Pokémon Chronicles, is set.) But Brock would rejoin Ash after a few episodes or so. Anyway, in Hoenn, Ash met a pokemon researcher named Prof. Birch. He also met a new trainer named May, the daughter of Norman, the Petalburg City gym leader. She wanted to become a pokemon coordinator, entering pokemon in contests instead of battles. She and her little brother Max (who will take up Misty's old duty of pulling Brock away from the girls he hits on) join Ash in his journeys in Hoenn, and May will even get her own rival coordinator, Drew, who shows up occasionally for contests. Another recurring coordinator is Harley, who's constantly trying to mess up May's chances in contests. And in Hoenn, the major criminal organizations are Team Aqua and Team Magma, but since Jessie, James, and Meowth must remain part of the show, Giovanni asks them to try to establish a Team Rocket presence in the region. I don't think they'll have much luck with that. Jessie also often competes in pokemon contests, though she uses various disguises and aliases. Anyway, "Pokemon Advanced" is the start of the "Advanced Generation" series, which also includes season 7, "Advanced Challenge," season 8, "Advanced Battle," and season 9, "Battle Frontier." In the Battle Frontier (introduced in the Emerald video game), Ash will have to battle "Frontier Brains" instead of regular gym leaders. Plus a recurring character named Scott is introduced, as a sort of guide to the Battle Frontier. It's also worth noting that in season 9, the show moved from the WB to Cartoon Network. And the characters have new voice actors because... it's now being distributed by a different company, or whatever.

Sinnoh (Diamond & Pearl)

The tenth season is "Pokemon Diamond and Pearl" (also airing on Cartoon Network), the start of the third series, named after the Diamond and Pearl video games. It's set in the Sinnoh region, and introduces yet another bunch of new pokemon. (The new legendary pokemon are Palkia and Dialga, as well as Darkrai and Arceus.) Once again, Ash left behind all his pokemon except Pikachu, though one of his newst, Aipom, followed him. Brock had left, but he rejoins Ash again very soon. May and Max had also left, but Ash and Brock are joined by another new trainer who soon becomes a coordinator, Dawn (whose mother, Johanna, was a former top coordinator, herself). Another coordinator we occasionally see is a girl named Zoey. And Brock gets a pokemon called Croagunk, which assumes the role of pulling Brock away from the girls he hits on (after hitting Brock with poison jab). At one point, Meowth says to Dawn, "We've been in Pika-pursuit since you've been alive," which brings up an interesting point. Since she did just turn ten, and this is the tenth season (at least as seasons are counted in the U.S.), he may be about right. But while people in this show often talk about years passing, the characters never really seem to age much. It's possible Ash might be a few years older than when he started his first journey, but he's clearly not ten years older, so... I dunno. I suppose cartoons are always like that, talking about years passing without bothering to have characters age. But it's just weird, and weirder still to imagine that Dawn could theoretically have been born around the time of the first season, even if the original characters haven't significantly aged. But whatever. The season also introduces a new pokemon researcher, Professor Rowan. Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth are still chasing the twerps, so they'll also try to establish a Team Rocket branch in Sinnoh. Plus there is a new rival for Ash introduced, named Paul, who likes to just catch pokemon that are already strong instead of raising them to become strong, the way most trainers do. He really doesn't treat his pokemon well at all, and simply releases them if he decides they're not strong enough. By the end of the season, he does this with his Chimchar, which Ash then takes on for himself.

The eleventh season is "Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension," which is much the same as season 10, but there are new villains in the form of Team Galactic, who show up from time to time. They have a big plan for world domination (of which Palkia and Dialga are an important part). We also sometimes see a character called Pokemon Hunter J, who sometimes works alone (or rather with her own team of hunters) and sometimes does jobs for Team Galactic. Season 12 is "Pokemon DP: Galactic Battles." It's much the same as season 11, but by the end of the season, Team Galactic is defeated. Season 13 is "Pokemon DP: Sinnoh League Victors." There are more random adventures, battles, and contests. At the end of the season, Dawn remains in Sinnoh while Ash and Brock return to Kanto. Brock decides to head off on his own to study to become a pokemon doctor.

Unova (Black & White)

Season 14 is "Pokemon Black & White," the start of the fourth series, based on the Black and White video games. It's odd that the narrator says Ash is 10 years old, but like I said, it's not unusual for cartoons to fail to age their characters. I will say so far the animation looks sort of... shinier, or something. I'd almost say Ash looks younger than he has in recent seasons, and also acts less experienced, though maybe that'll change as the season progresses. Anyway, Ash, his mom, and Professor Oak take a trip to the Unova region, so of course there'll be plenty of new pokemon for Ash to encounter. He only brings Pikachu with him, and it turns out that Kanto pokemon are quite rare in Unova, so everyone seems excited to see a Pikachu. Ash meets Professor Juniper, as well as a boy named Trip, who I'm assuming will be Ash's main rival in Unova. He also soon meets a spunky girl named Iris, who becomes his new travelling companion. A bit later, after winning his first Unova region gym badge in Striaton City, one of the three gym leaders there, Cilan, joins Ash and Iris on their journey. Also, Giovanni sends Jessie, James, and Meowth to Unova to set up a Team Rocket presence in the region, though he actually is hoping their actions will lead to some secret organization revealing itself. Meanwhile, they're not allowed to bring their old pokemon with them, as the rarity of non-Unova pokemon would draw too much attention, so they have to catch new ones. It seems like they may actually pose a more serious threat than they have in previous seasons, where they were mostly comic relief. Oh, and early on, Ash sees a legendary pokemon called Zekrom, which will no doubt be important later. And that's all I can say for now....