The harsh reality is that SpongeBob just wasn't very good, even going back to the beginning. It sanded off the cynicism of Rocko's Modern Life and replaced it with cheap lolsorandom humor. It had gay little songs and dance numbers that felt forced in by an executive. The adult jokes were juvenile even by the standards of the 90s. SpongeBob was better than whatever the fuck Klasky Csupo was doing, but only because the bar was that low after Nick foolishly decided to stop investing in weird live action shows and go all-in on cartoons. SpongeBob's worst offense is that it partitions the network's classic era from its modern one. Where instead of tight dialogue and relatable characters, everything is wacky and crazy and your parents feel bad for you for still watching it past the age of ten.