“Avatar” is Back — Here’s Why That Matters
This children’s cartoon is one of the greatest and deepest TV shows of all time.
The Avatar has returned.
This time, he’s not here to save the entire world from an pyrokinetic imperialist dynasty, but instead from our collective quarantine boredom. Avatar: The Last Airbender (the beloved animated series, not the blue-people movie) has dropped on Netflix, marking its resurgence for an entire new generation of fans.
And not a moment too soon. Despite its cheery exterior and marketing to children, Avatar is a deeply complex show — filled to the brim with love, hope, and tolerance.
The original series ran from 2005 to 2008 on Nickelodeon for three seasons. After its series finale, it languished in streaming purgatory, notoriously difficult to watch online. Not until its Netflix distribution in May 2020, no doubt to generate buzz for an upcoming live-action remake, has it now fully available online.
Despite its difficulty in access, it has created a verifiable cultural impact for children and adults alike. It created a spin-off series, The Legend of Korra, a (truly terrible) movie, and created an entire…
