Invader ZIM

Original Air Date: 2001-2002 & 2006

Network: Nickelodeon

The Emmy Award winning Invader Zim came from Nickelodeon with its tale of a very short alien named (one guess...) Zim, from the planet Irk, who escapes from his exile on Foodcourtia and lands here, doing his best to wipe out, conquer, and otherwise rid the universe of planet Earth. Thing is, Zim isn't exactly the best and brightest (and certainly not the tallest) of his kind, so his plans are usually undone either by Dib, an expert in the otherworldly who is one of the only people who recognizes Zim for what he is, or by Zim's own ineptitude.

The show, which has developed a cult following since its debut in 2001, never fared well in the ratings and was cancelled after its first season. A partial second season was finally aired five years later. Some 10 more second-season episodes were never completed, however, including a two-part finale, though some bits and pieces of these segments have been leaked to fans over the years.