Invader Zim, branded as Invader ZIM, is an American animated television series that was produced by and subsequently aired on Nickelodeon. The series is centered around an alien invader named Zim who is attempting to conquer and/or destroy a dark and satirical version of Earth at some point in the future. Zim's schemes are usually foiled by his enemy Dib. Dib is a paranormal enthusiast who cares about saving humanity and seems to be the only person aware of Zim's intentions. The show has no clear distinction of a "protagonist" or "antagonist" as the protagonist is the villain and the antagonist is the hero.

Last broadcast on March 30, 2001, Nickelodeon had desired a show for their older demographic when Invader Zim was greenlighted. Nickelodeon promoted Invader Zim for this purpose to much critical acclaim, but did not provide a consistent time slot that the creators of the program thought suitable for the demographic. Consequently, the show suffered in the ratings after an initially lukewarm viewership. When it was obvious that Nickelodeon would drop the show, the crew requested that Invader Zim be moved to MTV as Ren and Stimpy had been, but this did not occur even after the show entered syndication. Before the second season was completed, Nickelodeon cancelled the series, leaving at least seven episodes and a planned television movie series finale unfinished.

Because of its continued fan base and above average DVD sales since series production ended, various observers have labeled Invader Zim a cult hit.[http://www.newgrounds.com/collection/invaderzim Invader Zim ]The show completed its run in European and South American territories normally, and can currently be seen in syndication on Nicktoons Network, which started airing the completed season two episodes in Summer 2006. In Canada, YTV began airing the series on its Bionix programming block on September 8, 2006. The Invader Zim DVD collection has been released by Media Blasters in North America. The series has also been translated into several different languages for foreign broadcast in more recent times. Reruns return on Nicktoons Network on September 8, 2008.

Premise

Invader Zim revolves around the life of its title character, Zim, and the humans who are aware of him. Zim is a member of the imperialistic Irken race, an extraterrestrial species whose social hierarchy is based on height. The Irken leaders, known as the Almighty Tallest, are named Purple and Red, and serve together because they are exactly the same height. As recounted during the series premiere, "The Nightmare Begins", Zim, who is both very short and very naïve, was banished to the planet Foodcourtia for overzealously attacking his own planet and allies during Operation Impending Doom I.