History Main / VindicatedByReruns

* Music/RascalFlatts' cover of "Life Is a Highway" from the soundtrack to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' was never officially a single, but some stations played it anyway, giving it a #18 peak on the country charts. It has also remained a popular cut after the fact, getting more recurrent airplay than even some of their Top 5 hits.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' got this in the United States. The show originally aired on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, where halfway through its' run, most ads for the show stopped airing and the show was moved to Creator/{{Nicktoons}}. It was thanks to Creator/{{Netflix}} that the show would become a hit in the United States, which lead to Creator/DisneyChannel acquiring the American rights to the show.

* Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} caused numerous examples of this in the late '80s and '90s. As a cable TV network devoted to children's programming, they were naturally confronted by the dilemma of what to air at night when the kids were asleep. Their answer, inspired by oldies radio stations, was Creator/NickAtNite, a late-night block of TV shows from TheFifties through TheSeventies whose syndication rights were cheap and which those kids' parents probably remembered when they were young. The block was a hit and helped many of those shows build new audiences, particularly among kids watching Nick's daytime lineup who stayed up past their bedtime, such that it eventually spun off a entire separate cable network, Creator/TVLand, devoted to reruns of classic shows.

* ''Series/{{Gidget}}'' was cancelled by ABC in 1966 after only one season. However, reruns of the show which aired that summer garnered tremendous ratings. While it wasn't enough to convince ABC to reverse their decision and revive what had become a hit series, the network did develop another vehicle for Creator/SallyField, ''Series/TheFlyingNun'', on the strength of ''Gidget''[='=]s ratings in reruns.

* ''Series/GilligansIsland'', enjoyed only so-so ratings during its network run on CBS but became a fixture in daily syndication and subsequent pop-culture touchstone.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' 60s story "The Enemy of the World" for years was considered the odd one out of a season dominated by "MonsterOfTheWeek" and the "[[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs Base Under Siege]]" plots. The only existing episode was part 3, a slow middle episode and one which didn't give an accurate picture of the entire serial. But that was all fans had to go on. Now, with all six episodes recovered, there has been a major fan reevaluation, and the story is considered fresh for its time in integrating political intrigue with Doctor Who. ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' pointed out that in their top 200 stories poll of 2009 it was the 30th rated story of the 60s at 139 overall, but in 2014 it was the 10th rated and at 56.

* ''Series/{{Gidget}}'' was cancelled by ABC in 1966 after only one season. However, reruns of the show which aired that summer garnered tremendous ratings. Despite the fact that ABC cancelled a hit series prematurely, the network did not reverse their decision, instead developing another vehicle for Sally Field, ''Series/TheFlyingNun''.

* ''Series/TheHoneymooners'' lasted only one season of 39 episodes in 1955-56. The show aired against ''The Perry Como Show'', which kept beating the show in the ratings week after week, and critics felt the filmed show wasn't as good as the live "Honeymooners" sketches on Jackie Gleason's previous variety shows. Now it's one of the most remembered and celebrated sitcoms of its era, with a more prolific rerun history than any other series ever broadcast; the 1955-56 episodes are now known as the "Classic 39".
* Creator/JuddApatow struggled to find an audience with two sitcoms before jumping to the movies and hitting the jackpot. ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'', the teen sitcom which starred James Franco and Creator/SethRogen and in time became a syndication favorite, alienated critics and was a ratings flop in its initial airings in 1999, and ''Series/{{Undeclared}}'' also lasted only a single season. Once Apatow became more successful, though, both shows were rediscovered and recognized as classics.

* ''Series/MoneyHeist'' first aired in Spain by Antena 3, and it was a moderate success. Then it was released in Netflix, and became a worldwide hit, so much that Netflix renewed it for three more seasons, in which the show became one of the most streamed foreign shows in 2020.

* ''Series/{{Newsradio}}'' was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork jerked around by NBC]], being subjected to every trick in the book except for the FridayNightDeathSlot. It was finally cancelled in 1999 due to the drop in quality resulting from [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the untimely death of Phil Hartman]], who played one of the most important characters on the show. Through syndication, however, it was discovered by others and now is regarded as the great TV show it really was.

* ''Series/OutOfTheBox'' was not as popular as other Playhouse Disney shows during its' original run, but had its fans. The show experienced a surge in popularity when the series was added to Creator/DisneyPlus, most likely due to nostalgic parents sharing the show with their kids.
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' had a [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness very clumsy first season]] that caused most critics and viewers to write it off as a pale clone of ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' (which wasn't exactly helped by the fact that ''Parks'' was originally conceived as a {{spinoff}} by the same writers and producers before they decided to make it into its own independent entity). Even though it had [[GrowingTheBeard found its footing]] by its second season and continued to improve from there, ''Parks'' was still largely a QuietlyPerformingSisterShow in comparison to ''The Office'' and struggled in the Nielsen ratings for its whole run on NBC, though it did manage to avoid cancellation and lasted seven seasons (125 episodes in total) thanks to its small but very loyal fanbase. Eventually, reruns on FXX and other networks (as well as help from streaming services) led to a bump in fans that missed the show's initial run and thanks to having lasted longer than its ratings would've normally allowed, ''Parks'' has also managed to avoid the [[TooGoodToLast "critically beloved but short-lived"]] label that usually plagues shows that go through this. Nowadays, the show is considered to be on par with its predecessor, with some critics and fans even preferring it.
* ''Series/PartyDown'' was not a major success in the ratings (due to it being an early foray into scripted series by Starz) but managed to become a huge success on Netflix Instant Viewing and got star Creator/AdamScott a lot of notice for his performance. A third season was considered due to the cult success but Starz forgot to renew the cast's contracts in time, leading production to cease. A movie is in the works though.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' is probably the TropeCodifier. Lasting only three seasons (five had been planned and were integral to the show's concept), it was a modest ratings success until Creator/{{NBC}} developed the habit of [[ScrewedByTheNetwork switching its timeslot around]]. The [[ExecutiveMeddling extensive rewriting of scripts]] and lack of immediate success made many of its more talented writers leave, which caused [[SeasonalRot the quality to slip noticeably in a short time]]. It was canceled after the second season, but quickly UnCanceled following an extensive letter-writing campaign from its fans. The third season saw even worse ratings, and NBC canceled it for real. Shortly afterwards, American television industry discovered the use of {{demographics}}. When stations noticed that, according to the new standards of how ratings were calculated, ''Star Trek'' should have been one of the most successful shows on TV (and that NBC had killed what could have been their golden goose), they were rushing to throw on ''Star Trek'' reruns to attract the young demographic that it had been popular with. It didn't take many years of reruns before the show's modest fanbase grew into a force to be reckoned with. The rest is history.

* While ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' was Playhouse Disney (later Disney Junior)'s biggest original series during its' run, it saw a massive growth in popularity once Creator/DisneyPlus launched, to the point where it's often one of the top trending series on the series, and usually it's the most popular children's series on the service (or in some cases the second-most popular, as ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' sometimes tops it).

* When the Music/ThePostalService released ''Give Up'' in 2003, their indie-electronic sound was far removed from what was being played on the majority of modern rock stations at the time, and as such, very few of them played their singles. A decade later, that same sound was all over the format thanks to the success of groups like Music/{{MGMT}} and Music/PassionPit. The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" and "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" have now become regular fixtures on most those stations' recurrents playlist.

* Music/{{Journey}}'s "Don't Stop Believin'" was a #9 hit in 1981. While one of their better showings, [[ChartDisplacement it was far from their biggest hit]]; that would be the #2 "Open Arms" a year later. In the middle of the 2000s, the song was starting to be used more and more in media, notably on an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy.'' Then, it was used at the end of ''Series/TheSopranos'', and sales of the song soared. It kept a very high profile and established itself as a generational anthem, especially after it became the first song ever covered by ''Series/{{Glee}}.'' It has sold over ''six million'' copies in the U.S. alone, by far the most of any 20th-century song. In the UK, where Journey were never a mainstream act, ''Glee'' in particular had the effect of suddenly elevating both band and song from obscure footnotes in music history to part of the classic rock canon overnight.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' 60s story "The Enemy of the World" for years was considered the odd one out of a season dominated by "MonsterOfTheWeek" and the "[[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs Base Under Siege]]" plots. The only existing episode was part 3, a slow middle episode and one which didn't give an accurate picture of the entire serial. But that was all fans had to go on. Now, with all six episodes recovered, there has been a major fan reevaluation, and the story is considered fresh for its time in integrating political intrigue with Doctor Who.
** ''[[Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine DWM]]'' pointed out that in their top 200 stories poll of 2009 it was the 30th rated story of the 60s at 139 overall, but in 2014 it was the 10th rated and at 56.

* Similar to ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' gained a new generation of fans when it was added to [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]] in the early 2010s.
** The DVD releases from Creator/HitEntertainment may have also given it a boost. Fans who grew up with the show bought the discs to relive nostalgia, while new fans were intrigued after seeing advertisements on their ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' and ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder'' discs.

* ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'' was the unwanted child of MTM Productions to the point where Creator/MaryTylerMoore herself said publicly that she wouldn't watch it, and CBS kept moving it around the schedule so much that the series only lasted four seasons. However, in syndication, it grew to be considered one of the great Sitcoms of all time.

* Music/LedZeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was never released as a single, yet received extensive radio airplay as time went on and ultimately become one of the most famous rock songs of all time. Same with "Kashmir," to a lesser extent.

** Much the same thing happened with ''Brady'' creator Creator/SherwoodSchwartz's earlier sitcom ''Series/GilligansIsland'', which also enjoyed only so-so ratings during its network run on CBS but became a similar fixture in daily syndication and subsequent pop-culture touchstone.

* ''Series/MySoCalledLife'' lasted for [[ShortRunner one season]] and was largely forgotten until it was re-aired on teen-aimed cable networks and streaming services, bringing in a new generation of fans that believe the show [[ScrewedByTheNetwork deserved better]].

* Similar to ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' gained a new generation of fans when it was added to [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]] in the early 2010s.

* Similar to ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs1993}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' gained a new generation of fans when it was added to [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]] in the early 2010s.

* Similar to ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs1993'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' gained a new generation of fans when it was added to [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]] in the early 2010s.

* Similar to ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' gained a new generation of fans when it was added to [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]] in the early 2010s.

* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' was adored enough from its constant repeats on Adult Swim in the US that they decided to collaborate with Creator/ProductionIG over fifteen years later to produce [[Anime/FLCLProgressiveAndAlternative a second and third season of the show]] (''Progressive'' and ''Alternative''). And then they did it again to [[MilestoneCelebration celebrate the 25th anniversary]]] of Creator/{{Toonami}} in 2022, ordering another two seasons of the show (''Grunge'' and ''Shoegaze'').

* Similar to DBZ above, [=DiC=]'s English dub for ''Anime/SailorMoon'' was not a hit when it first aired in syndication and actually got cancelled due to low ratings thanks to its early-morning and afternoon timeslots being unsuitable for its target audience. Then a fan petition convinced USA Network to start showing reruns and the ratings were good enough for [=DiC=] to finish dubbing the remaining episodes of the second season... only for it to get cancelled again. Then Cartoon Network got a hold of it in 1998 and started airing it in the after-school timeslot with the Toonami block and the ratings took off to sky-high heights, eventually leading to Cloverway dubbing ''S'' and ''Super S'' with less censorship and keeping the original soundtrack. The success of the dub was arguably a big reason why the 90s-00s anime boom happened.

* A variation: While new episodes of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' have always enjoyed good-to-great ratings, many credit its seemingly endless climb in UsefulNotes/PrimeTime dominance (roughly 18 million average viewers in season 6 and a minimum of 2 million new viewers each season) on its constant reruns on Creator/{{TBS}} creating new fans.

* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' was acclaimed from the start, but it always received low ratings, and wasn't that popular, so it got cancelled after three seasons airing on FOX. After the whole series got put on MSN, and started airing reruns on [=HDNet=] and G4, it got many more fans and became a huge phenomenon. Years later, it finally got a fourth season on Netflix, and even has a movie in development.

* ''Series/MoneyHeist'' first aired in Spain by Antena 3, and it was a moderate success. Then it was released in Netflix, and became a worldwide hit, so much that Netflix renewed it for 3 more seasons, in which the show became one of the most streamed foreign shows in 2020.

* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' was adored enough from its constant repeats on Adult Swim in the US that they decided to collaborate with Production I.G. over fifteen years later to produce a second and third season of the show.

* Similarly to Gundam above, ''Manga/AimForTheAce!'' performed very poorly in its initial run and was cancelled after a mere 26 episodes out of 52 planned. Reruns however turned out to be so popular, both a movie and a second tv show were produced.
* ''Anime/LupinIIIPart1'' had poor ratings and was cancelled, but due to popularity in reruns was later brought back as ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII''.
* ''Manga/DragonBall'' and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' had an interesting history with American audiences. The first successful attempt to get it on television after the Harmony Gold dub failed was Creator/TheOceanGroup's dub of the first story arc of ''Dragon Ball,'' but was cancelled after one season. A little while later, they tried again, but with ''Dragon Ball Z,'' but it was aired early in the morning and was cancelled midway through the Namek Saga. The ''Dragon Ball'' franchise didn't truly see popularity in the states until it started airing on Creator/{{Toonami}}. The reruns were so successful that Creator/{{Funimation}} was tasked with finishing the English dub for not only DBZ, but also the original ''Dragon Ball.''

* Anime/KinnikumanNisei was considered a failure in Japan, being cancelled at the end of a filler arc breaking off in the middle of the Chojin Crown Arc. It was [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4kids Entertainment]] that funded 26 more episodes to finish it off due to its popularity in the States. In Japan these episodes were known as "Ultimate Muscle 2", or "Kinnikuman: Ultimate Muscle".

* A variation: while new episodes of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' have always enjoyed good-to-great ratings, many credit its seemingly endless climb in UsefulNotes/PrimeTime dominance (roughly 18 million average viewers in season 6 and a minimum of 2 million new viewers each season) on its constant reruns on Creator/{{TBS}} creating new fans.

* ''Series/CobraKai'' was acclaimed by critics and had a sizable fanbase ever since it debuted on Website/YouTube Red in 2018, but it's audience was bottlenecked by the service's limited subscriber base. When the show made its ChannelHop to Creator/{{Netflix}} in 2020, it's larger audience allowed it to quickly became one of the most streamed shows of the year.

* ''Series/{{Gidget}}'' was cancelled by ABC in 1966 after only one season. However, reruns of the show which aired that summer garnered tremendous ratings. Despite the fact that ABC cancelled a hit series prematurely, the network did not reverse their decision, instead developing another vehicle for Sally Field, ''[[Series/{{TheFlyingNun}} The Flying Nun]]''.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' has maintained a strong following years after the show's end thanks to dependable daily reruns on Creator/ABCFamily. It even helped establish that network as the successor to Creator/TheWB that Creator/TheCW wishes it could have been, with truly successful original shows like ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' enjoying a fanbase who [[JustForFun/ComeForTheXStayForTheY came for the]] ''Gilmore'' [[JustForFun/ComeForTheXStayForTheY reruns and stayed for the network's primetime]]. The success of reruns on Netflix prompted the service to revive the show in the form of four TV-movies.

* ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' didn't do too badly when it premiered, but it didn't become a true breakout hit for Creator/TheCW until the first season hit Creator/{{Netflix}}, which is credited with providing the season 2 premiere with a [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cws-riverdale-quadruples-teen-viewers-netflix-run-1049687 massive bump in the ratings.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' is probably the TropeCodifier. Lasting only three seasons (five had been planned and were integral to the show's concept.), it was a modest ratings success until Creator/{{NBC}} developed the habit of [[ScrewedByTheNetwork switching its timeslot around]]. The [[ExecutiveMeddling extensive rewriting of scripts]] and lack of immediate success made many of its more talented writers leave, which caused [[SeasonalRot the quality to slip noticeably in a short time]]. It was canceled after the second season, but quickly UnCanceled following an extensive letter-writing campaign from its fans. The third season saw even worse ratings, and NBC canceled it for real. Shortly afterwards, American television industry discovered the use of {{demographics}}. When stations noticed that, according to the new standards of how ratings were calculated, ''Star Trek'' should have been one of the most successful shows on TV (and that NBC had killed what could have been their golden goose), they were rushing to throw on ''Star Trek'' reruns to attract the young demographic that it had been popular with. It didn't take many years of reruns before the show's modest fanbase grew into a force to be reckoned with. The rest is history.

%%* ''Series/WhatsHappening''.
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' 60s story "The Enemy of the World" for years was considered the odd one out of a season dominated by "MonsterOfTheWeek" and the "[[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs Base Under Siege]]" plots. The only existing episode was part 3, a slow middle episode and one which didn't give an accurate picture of the entire serial. But that was all fans had to go on. Now, with all six episodes recovered, there has been a major fan reevaluation, and the story is considered fresh for its time in integrating political intrigue with Doctor Who.
** ''[[Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine DWM]]'' pointed out that in their top 200 stories poll of 2009 it was the 30th rated story of the 60s at 139 overall, but in 2014 it was the 10th rated and at 56.
* The GameShow ''Series/PressYourLuck'' was a modest hit by game show standards, lasting for three years in its original run on Creator/{{CBS}}. However, its status as a CultClassic game show was cemented throughout TheNineties, when it was rerun heavily — first on Creator/USANetwork, then on Creator/{{GSN}} in the following two decades. It was also on Creator/{{Buzzr}}'s schedule when it debuted in 2015; it has never left Buzzr, still getting plenty of airplay into TheNewTwenties. It even got a primetime revival on ABC in 2019!
* ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' was already a big hit for ABC, but its popularity doubled when reruns of the show started airing on Nick At Nite, gaining ratings on par with the [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants original]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse series]] [[Series/GameShakers of]] [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} the network it shares time with]].
* Similar to ''Animaniacs'' and ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' gained a new generation of fans when it was added to The Hub in the early 2010s.

* Fort Minor, the hip hop side project of Music/LinkinPark's Mike Shinoda, had a top 5 hit in 2006 with "Where'd You Go?" The follow-up, "Remember the Name," stalled at #66. For the next several years, the latter track would gain new life from use as a sports anthem and its inclusion in multiple movies, whereas the former largely faded from public consciousness.

* The Romantics' "What I Like About You" was only a moderate success at the time of its release, hitting #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was only towards the end of the 1980s, after the song was licensed to appear in television commercials, that it grew to become one of the most popular rock anthems of all time. Their 1984 hit "Talking in Your Sleep", which hit #3, still gets a decent amount of airplay.
* Music/BobSeger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" only got to #28, yet it is one of his most famous songs (partly because of its use in the film ''Film/RiskyBusiness'').
* Music/TheWhiteStripes' "Seven Nation Army" was a big hit on alternative radio, yet made no noise on the pop side and fizzled out at #76. Its reputation increased dramatically as the decade went on, often appearing in top-10 lists for the decade, ultimately becoming one of the most acclaimed rock songs of all time.
* Music/KennyChesney has two. His cover of Mac [=McAnally's=] "Back Where I Come From" has eclipsed the original, even though Mac's version was a single and Kenny's wasn't. This is due to both popularity in concert and occasional radio play. There's also Kenny's 1999 single "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", which only got to #11 but is far more popular than some of his #1 hits due to fan demand.
* Music/BillyRayCyrus's "Some Gave All" was never officially released as a single, and charted very low due to unsolicited spins as an album cut. However, it is one of his most popular songs, and is often played on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
* "Whiskey River" by Music/WillieNelson was not one of his bigger hits, only getting to #12, but it's also one of his most famous. (It's also an example of CoveredUp, as Johnny Bush released it six years prior.)
* Juice Newton's 1982 hit "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" only got to #30 on the country charts, but it's one of her most popular songs on the classic country format. This is probably because it fared much better with pop and AC.
* The same is true of "Let Your Love Flow" by the Bellamy Brothers. It only got to #21 at country in 1976, but as it was also a #1 pop smash and a Top 10 hit in many countries, it has remained popular on classic country.

* Many CountryMusic stations play "Work Song" by Corbin/Hanner on Monday mornings and "Finally Friday" by Music/GeorgeJones on Fridays. However, the former never came anywhere close to the top 40, and the latter was never even a single.
* Lee Greenwood had 7 Number One hits on the country music charts, with 5 other songs hitting the Top 5 - none of which was "God Bless the U.S.A." (which peaked at #7 in its initial chart run). That song has become an iconic patriotic anthem for the United States.
* Music/RascalFlatts' cover of "Life Is a Highway" from the soundtrack to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' was never officially a single, but some stations played it anyway, giving it a #18 peak on the country charts. It has also remained a popular cut after the fact, getting more recurrent airplay than even some of their Top 5 hits.
* Strange example with Craig Morgan's BreakthroughHit "Almost Home". The song limped to the #33 position on Hot Country Songs and then fell off, as it met the requirements at the time for doing so (at the time, songs were removed from the chart if they were more than 20 weeks old, below the #20 position, and did not experience a gain in airplay from the previous week). However, radio stations continued to play it after it fell off, causing ''Billboard'' to reinstate it at the #25 position three weeks later, with an eventual peak at #6. Several years later, the same thing both "Carolina" by Parmalee and "Love You Like That" by Canaan Smith, which both fell off after limping into the Top 40, suddenly gained in airplay to the point of re-entering the charts... and both of which went all the way to #1. A few other songs have been re-added to the charts for similar reasons[[note]]"Wild at Heart" by Gloriana; "Happy Endings" by Music/LeeBrice; "Good to Be Me" by Music/UncleKracker with Music/KidRock; "Next Boyfriend" by Lauren Alaina; both "God Made Girls" ''and'' "Love Triangle" by [=RaeLynn=]; and "California" by Music/BigAndRich, which actually re-entered ''twice''[[/note]], but none rebounded as successfully as those songs did.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' was reasonably popular during its run on Fox, but suffered from ExecutiveMeddling as the network constantly shuffled its timeslot and forced writers to abandon its ongoing storylines. Thanks to reruns on ''Creator/AdultSwim'' it's gained a devoted following years after its cancellation.
* Many WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes animated shorts that weren't fully appreciated or respected in their original big-screen showings were kept alive with ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' (and its countless spinoffs), and obscure characters such as the Tasmanian Devil and Michigan J. Frog have joined Bugs and Daffy as comedy legends.
** And not just [[Creator/ColumbiaPictures Columbia]] or Creator/WarnerBros, either. If any motion picture company had a theatrical short to its name, an anthology series was sure to spring up. Anyone for ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'' (Creator/UnitedArtists), ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' (Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer), ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' (Creator/{{Paramount}}), or ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' (Creator/{{Universal}})?
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Animaniacs}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' were already popular shows (the latter [[VindicatedByHistory getting more popular after its initial run]]) but when [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]] aired the series, both shows found a whole new audience getting as popular as ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' at one point. This attributes to them airing frequent marathons and giving tons of promotion despite both shows being over 20 years old. However, the former got [[ScrewedByTheNetwork canned]] in October 2014 when The Hub was changed to Discovery Family and the latter stood around, with less promotions, before also getting canned in July of the next year.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' was positively received, but it was never considered as good as predecessor ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. Reruns on Cartoon Network and later The Hub have helped boost its reputation, especially among those who like the darker side of Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse.
* Despite continuing with, and even improving upon, the high production value of its predecessor ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'' was decried by ''Transformers'' fans for various reasons, including depicting certain characters inconsistently with their established personalities, the "epic novel" style of how the story unfolded which made it harder for newcomers to jump into the show through a random episode, and being much [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] than ''Beast Wars''. As time passed, though, and the Anime/UnicronTrilogy came and went with lukewarm reception, hostility towards ''Beast Machines'' has died down and the show has received more positive light since.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', which was in re-runs from 1994-1997, steadily gained in popularity until it returned with new episodes and evolved into the CashCowFranchise it became.
** History has repeated itself. After the show (and the brand as a whole)'s popularity crashing and burning in the mid to late 2000s, Nickelodeon started to bring Rugrats reruns back to the network to commemorate its 20th anniversary in late 2010 to mid 2011, followed by regular reruns on Creator/TeenNick's The '90s Are All That (Now called "The Splat") starting from late 2011. This ended up creating a whole new generation of Rugrats fans who had never seen the show when it was first airing while bringing back long time viewers, enabling the show to regain its popularity and become a cult hit. Since then, the show has seen memes spawned off of it, new DVD releases, multiple airings of the first two movies on the main network thanks to popular demand, a marathon to coincide with the Superbowl in 2013, syndication on other Viacom related networks (It aired on Nick Jr during the NickMom block in 2013, and aired on primetime in mid 2014), new merchandise, clothing, fans reciting quotes from the show on a regular basis, references in popular media and several fan campaigns to resurrect the show. This has caught the eye of Nickelodeon's executives, as in addition to greenlighting ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie'', they created an AllCGICartoon revival of the series.
* During the original run of ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'' on Nickelodeon, the show managed to get forty-seven episodes across four seasons, but suffered from low ratings, and didn't have much of a fanbase (it was polarizing at best in the '90s). The show gathered a bit of a cult following and gained a number of fans once it began airing on the Nicktoons TV channel in 2002. Since then, it's been considered one of the best Nicktoons of the 1990s.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jetsons}}'' lasted just one 24 episode season on ABC from 1962-1963 during the early 1960s boom of primetime animated sitcoms, but it became a favorite Saturday morning offering for over 20 years afterwards on all 3 major networks, despite recycling those same 24 episodes over and over again. An early 1980s surge in popularity finally got new episodes made for syndication from 1985-1987, along with a handful of full-length movies.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' was quite popular while it was airing, but its fan base dwindled following its abrupt ending in 2004 following inconsistent airing schedules and its [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie theatrical film]] disappointing many. However, once the show was added to ''[[Creator/NickRewind The '90s Are All That]]'' block on [=TeenNick=], it regained its popularity and the previously-cancelled sequel film ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie'' was Uncancelled a few years later.

* Several of Creator/HannaBarbera's series were just overlooked [[note]]remember, their earliest series are from the 50s and 60s, a time when television animation was still considered ''odd'' to regular viewers [[/note]] and ruthlessly criticized for their LimitedAnimation and sound effects, especially ones that were just [[RecycledInSpace rehashes of their more popular series]]. However, reruns on Creator/CartoonNetwork and later, Creator/{{Boomerang}} gave several of those shows, including their biggest series, like ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'', newfound popularity and more recognition. There are still some critics (and hardcore animation fans) that criticize the shows, but most people have generally warmed up.
* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' only saw weak ratings during its original run on Creator/{{MTV}} and the protests it received in India over the portrayal of clone Gandhi as a party dude gave the network a convenient excuse to pull and cancel the show before it could even air all of its thirteen episodes. Then, reruns on Canada's [[Creator/TeletoonAtNight Teletoon Detour]] (technically its home network[[note]]The show debuted on Teletoon Detour on November 2, 2002 and came to MTV on January 20, 2003[[/note]]) gave it a cult following, while an announcement of a reboot in 2020 and clone JFK suddenly becoming a FountainOfMemes shortly afterwards led to an even wider audience watching it via uploads on Website/YouTube. Tellingly, Creator/ViacomCBS, MTV's parent company, later put the entire series on Creator/ParamountPlus.

* Website/YouTube user Benthelooney was unpopular during his original run of videos, and had support from very few fans to keep his videos going (his original intention was only to make videos once in a while). When more people found out about the user via his rants on Cartoon Network, he was ruthlessly criticized. However, this was also when he started to gain a wider fanbase. Ben Tannehill ended his rants segments in 2011, after running out of topics to talk about but the outcry from fans was so monumental that the series was UnCancelled in 2012, where he blossomed in popularity and became one of the most popular ranters on Website/YouTube.

* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' only saw weak ratings during its original run on Creator/{{MTV}} and the protests it received in India over the portrayal of clone Gandhi as a party dude gave the network a convenient excuse to pull and cancel the show before it could even air all of its thirteen episodes. Then, reruns on Canada's [[Creator/TeletoonAtNight Teletoon Detour]] (technically its home network[[note]]The show debuted on Teletoon Detour on November 2, 2002 and came to MTV on January 20, 2003[[/note]]) gave it a cult following, while an announcement of a reboot in 2020 and clone JFK suddenly becoming a FountainOfMemes shortly afterwards led to an even wider audience watching it via uploads on Website/YouTube. Tellingly, Creator/ViacomCBS, MTV's parent company, later put the entire series on Creator/CBSAllAccess.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', which was in re-runs from 1993-1997, steadily gained in popularity until it returned with new episodes and evolved into the CashCowFranchise it became.

* Website/YouTube user Benthelooney was unpopular during his original run of videos, and had support from very little fans to keep his videos going (His original intention was only to make videos once in a while). When more people found out about the user via his rants on Cartoon Network, he was ruthlessly criticized. However, this was also when he started to gain a wider fanbase. Ben Tannehill ended his rants segments in 2011, after running out of topics to talk about but the outcry from fans was so monumental that the series was UnCancelled in 2012, where he blossomed in popularity and became one of the most popular ranters on Website/YouTube.

* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' only saw weak ratings during its original run on Creator/{{MTV}} and the protests it received in India over the portrayal of clone Gandhi as a party dude gave the network a convenient excuse to pull and cancel the show before it could even air all of its thirteen episodes. Then, reruns on Canada's [[Creator/TeletoonAtNight Teletoon Detour]] gave it a cult following, while an announcement of a reboot in 2020 and clone JFK suddenly becoming a FountainOfMemes shortly afterwards led to an even wider audience watching it via uploads on Website/YouTube. Tellingly, Creator/ViacomCBS, MTV's parent company, later put the entire series on Creator/CBSAllAccess.

* Several anime shows have gotten vindicated through premiering and rerunning on other countries' TV networks. ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' being the biggest example. When it was dubbed and ran on Creator/AdultSwim as the first anime on the block, it got a vast amount of attention from people who saw both the first run and reruns and has become what most people consider the best anime series in history, which successfully vindicated it after a poor first run in Japan.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' performed so badly the first time around that the series was initially cut down to 39 episodes, only to be brought up to 43 to wrap up the series. When it was shown in reruns, the show became a hit (combined with [[MerchandiseDriven model sales]]), giving a greenlight for a movie. When the movie became a hit, [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam the]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ rest]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack was]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 his]][[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam tory]].

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' was quite popular while it was airing, but its fan base dwindled following its abrupt ending in 2004 following inconsistent airing schedules and its [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie theatrical film]] disappointing many. However, once the show was added to ''[[Series/NickSplat The '90s Are All That]]'' block on [=TeenNick=], it regained its popularity and the previously-cancelled sequel film ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie'' was Uncancelled a few years later.

* ''Series/LaCasaDePapel'' first aired in Spain by Antena 3, and it was a moderate success. Then it was released in Netflix, and became a worldwide hit, so much that Netflix renewed it for 3 more seasons, in which the show became one of the most streamed foreign shows in 2020.

* The GameShow ''Series/PressYourLuck'' was a modest hit by game show standards, lasting for three years in its original run on Creator/{{CBS}}. However, its status as a CultClassic game show was cemented throughout TheNineties, when it was rerun heavily — first on Creator/USANetwork, then on Creator/{{GSN}} later in the decade. The fact that GSN ''still'' airs reruns in TheNewTens says something for the show's status. ABC also put out a primetime revival in 2019.

* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' only saw weak ratings during its original run on Creator/{{MTV}} and the protests it received in India over the portrayal of clone Gandhi as a party dude gave the network a convenient excuse to pull and cancel the show before it could even air all of its thirteen episodes. Then, reruns on Canada's [[Creator/TeletoonAtNight Teletoon Detour gave it a cult following, while an announcement of a reboot in 2020 and clone JFK suddenly becoming a FountainOfMemes shortly afterwards led to an even wider audience watching it via uploads on Website/YouTube. Tellingly, Creator/ViacomCBS, MTV's parent company, later put the entire series on Creator/CBSAllAccess.