The animated television series Kim Possible aired on the Disney Channel from 2002 to 2007, and followed a teenage girl, the titular Kim Possible (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano), who is also secretly a spy, along with her best friend and sidekick Ron Stoppable (voiced by Will Friedle) as they deal with the usual teen issues, like homework, and still make time to save the world from evil. Ron’s pet, a naked mole rat named Rufus (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), who travels in his owner’s pocket most of the time, also plays a huge part in the series. Kim Possible was created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle, and while it was not known for teaching life lessons, it did so in a way that felt both natural and fun at the same time.

With 87 episodes and four seasons, Kim Possible received critical acclaim, becoming one of Disney’s top-rated series of that time period. The show was so successful that two animated made for TV movies aired during its run: A Sitch in Time in 2003 and So the Drama in 2005. The series is also responsible for inspiring the live-action movie adaptation of Kim Possible, starring Sadie Stanley and Sean Giambrone, which was released in 2019 and featured a cameo from Kim’s original voice actress.

Overall, Kim Possible has become an iconic piece of Disney’s early-2000s nostalgia. But what made it so popular, and how is it still the ultimate animated spy series over 20 years later? Here’s the sitch!

What Sets Kim Possible Apart?
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What Kim Possible did that many other animated series before it and since have failed to do is make the side characters and one-off characters just as important as Kim herself. While Kim was the star and Ron was important as her friend, the people that showed up as recurring characters or guest stars were made to feel like they were so much more. The show was especially good at highlighting its villains and making us understand them in a way many animated series don’t (especially ones aimed at younger audiences).

Take the main villain for example: Dr. Drakken (voiced by John DiMaggio) is Kim’s archenemy and is the main villain throughout Kim Possible, but we know just as much about why he is the way he is and what made him go evil as we do Kim herself. Lacking in the patience and intelligence to make his schemes come to fruition, we know that it is only a matter of time before Drakken messes up his own plans, either by making a mistake or overlooking an important detail. This is all the more apparent when his sidekick, Shego (voiced by Nicole Sullivan), makes fun of him openly, even as she uses her superhuman powers against Kim.

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Kim’s parents, James and Ann Possible (voiced by Gary Cole and Jean Smart), who are both doctors, and her younger brothers, twin geniuses Jim and Tim (voiced by Shaun Fleming from 2002 to 2006; voiced by Spencer Fox in 2007), also have detailed storylines and are sometimes the featured characters of certain episodes.

Besides all of this, Kim Possible’s writing was superb at making the audience feel like they were smart enough to follow along, unlike other shows for children, which tend to dumb things down a bit. The series was also great at forging its own path in the animation world, being the first Disney Channel animated series to be produced in high-definition, allowing the viewers to relate to its characters and world with amazing storytelling. Polygon writer Petrana Radulovic said it best: Kim Possible is “a staple of many childhoods… Unlike many other action comedies at the time, Kim Possible centered around a capable heroine, and many boys and girls alike watched the show. Because it is such a beloved childhood show, the nostalgia value is high.”

Related: The Best Kids Shows From a Girl’s Perspective

Kim Possible’s Continuation and Future
Disney

“Call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me…” While Kim Possible fans are continually clamoring for more of Kim and Ron’s adventures saving the world, Disney has not made any official announcements of a future reboot or continuation of the show. Actress Christy Carlson Romano, however, posted a hilarious video to TikTok, calling out Disney for not bringing back one of her shows in a time when they are rebooting almost everything else. The video gained over 112K likes and more than 2000 comments, showcasing just how many fans seem to agree with the star.

Related: Top 15 Animated TV Shows of the 2000s

Romano also posted a more serious video on her YouTube channel, saying she “can’t let go of Kim Possible” and that “if they ever brought it back, and I wasn’t the voice and they recasted me, I would be devastated. I would be absolutely devastated… and I hope that never happens. I really hope that since it is a cartoon, and my voice is the same voice, that would be considered.”

Last year, for the 20th anniversary in 2022, a scene starring Romano and Friedle as Kim and Ron, alongside a few of the series other stars, which was written by the original writers of the Kim Possible animated series, was released on their podcast, I Hear Voices. At the time of this writing, it is unclear if there is a future for Kim Possible, so fans will just have to continue hoping and make do with watching the original series over and over again while they wait any news.

Stream Kim Possible on Disney+