Having lasted over 80 years, Tom and Jerry is no stranger to zig-zags in quality. For that reason, the following series have just as many fans as detractors.
- After Fred Quimby retired in 1955, the subsequent Hanna-Barbera shorts have increasingly lower background quality, despite being filmed in CinemaScope. This is especially jarring when some of the shorts are remaking the old ones, like "Feedin' the Kiddie" compared to "The Little Orphan", possibly attributed to lower budget (as it's the last batch of Hanna-Barbera shorts). Some fans still appreciate the later 1950s cartoons for perfecting the characters and chemistry, as well as downplaying the more mean spirited elements of the earlier 1940s shorts.
- The Deitch shorts are even more contested, if not outright hated. While the slapstick was kept and in some instances being Denser and Wackier, the background, animation, and other characters often suffer in quality. The final five Deitch shorts (starting with "The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit") are widely seen as an improvement, though even then there's some debate as to whether they're genuinely good, or only better by comparison to Deitch's earlier efforts.
- The Chuck Jones shorts, while generally considered better than most if not all other post-Hanna-Barbera installments (and even some of the last few Hanna-Barbera shorts), are either loved or hated, chief reason is because of the blatant Art Shift (especially where in many of the shots, Tom looks more Ugly Cute than cute) and how the chase pace is slower where in many cases Tom and Jerry rely more on tools and wits than chases, possibly due to the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner spiritual influence, which Jones were famous of. Jones himself didn't care much for the Tom and Jerry shorts he did, but they did give him practice for when he created the TV adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
- There is also the fact that both in Gene Deitch's and Chuck Jones' rendition of the duo, it is clear the duo Took a Level in Jerkass toward each other.
- Further muddying the waters are the later shorts in this era, where Jones produced, but Abe Levitow and then Ben Washam took over as directors. Some consider Levitow's and Washam's efforts to be just as good as those of Jones, but others feel they suffer from weaker timing on their gags, and lack the visual flair that Jones brought when he was directing. If nothing else, the two Clip Show shorts directed by Tom Ray are near-universally agreed to be the low point of this era, due to their lazy set-ups and the fact that the new footage looks so different to that taken from the older Hanna-Barbera shorts (even if they did at least use the older character designs) that it very quickly becomes distracting.
- The 70s era dumps the iconic slapstick in favor of walking together in a row and apart from few, usually competition-based episodes they Took a Level in Kindness, but those who watched it might found it better than Deitch and Filmation these days. It's also held in higher esteem by general Hanna-Barbera fans.
- The Filmation Tom and Jerry, despite the return of traditional cat-and-mouse formula, was generally disliked due to each episode reusing the same music and repetitive slapstick, giving the low budget impression. It started the trend of other MGM cartoon characters entering into the franchise, but it seems people think it was better handled later.
- Tom & Jerry Kids is neck and neck with the Jones era for second best by most, as it retains the original cat-and-mouse slapstick formula. But it still has some detractors, mostly due to the Totally Radical The '90s aesthetics.
- And finally, the recent incarnations, the DTV features and Tom & Jerry Tales are in decent standing with plenty of people on the other side.
- To the same extent, the DTV line is still running with that good old fashioned HB polarizing attitude in full effect, with some questioning why it even still continues to exist, while others support it every year and dismiss the haters as an internet periphery.
- Similar to others, The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) seems to be very well-liked by certain people and viewed as inferior to the DTV line by others.
