Johnny Bravo was ahead of its time with its treatment of women, but why was it ever a kids' show?

Mel Magazine

What makes the 1997-2004 Cartoon Network show "enjoyable is that the perspective of Johnny Bravo the series is different from that of Johnny Bravo the character," says Brian VanHooker. "I’m sure some jokes have aged poorly over the last 20 years, but Johnny Bravo the show generally portrayed women as smart and strong, resoundingly rejecting Johnny’s objectification. Johnny’s ignorance is also why series creator Van Partible decided to surround Johnny with women, so that they could constantly educate him on what he’s doing wrong (unfortunately, Johnny was too stupid for any of it to stick). This dynamic, reportedly, also played out at Cartoon Network when episodes of the show were first shown internally: The men in the room were lukewarm on the series, but the women loved it. And though people today might remember the lustful pursuits of Johnny Bravo, the forward-thinking perspective of the series seems to be underappreciated. Case in point: The show premiered in 1997, so while Joey on Friends was still picking up chicks with a well-timed 'How you doin’?,' a kids’ show on Cartoon Network was offering a scathing rebuke of that culture."