On October 1st, 1992, a brand new channel launched that mainly broadcasted animated television series for children and pre-teens. It was founded by Ted Turner, the founder of CNN and the pioneer of the channel TBS, but it was also later owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment. This channel has grown and changed over the years and has even spawned some iconic cartoon characters and even became a huge competition for Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. After all there is no other network that showed more cartoons than Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network has broadcasted so many classic cartoons and even some huge original cartoons. My childhood and I guess many other childhoods wouldn’t be complete without this network as it was our first place where we got to watch Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and even Scooby-Doo. For me when I think of Cartoon Network I think of all of the iconic/nostalgic cartoons that came from the network or even the weird cartoons/shows that came out. This is going to be such a hard list to create because there are so many cartoons from this network but some ground rules will be ahead. I will not be including Adult Swim shows with exception to the Toonami block as some of the Toonami shows were later broadcasted during the Adult Swim block. Also I will not be including shows that were broadcasted on the network that once aired before 1992. Shows that used to air on Boomerang like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and even Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? or any show that was broadcasted because of reruns or from Boomerang will not count for this list. However if a certain production created a show and Cartoon Network aired the show on their network then I will count it as well. Let me know in the comments what your favorite Cartoon Network show of all time is and let’s get Looney and let’s countdown the Top 10 Cartoon Network Shows of All Time.
Top 10 Cartoon Network Shows of All Time 10. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (2001 – 2007) – One of the most popular shows in the network’s history, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy became a favorite to many who grew up in the 2000’s. The show’s concept was rejected by Nickelodeon but soon picked up by Cartoon Network. At first the show began as a segment on the Grim and Evil show but because of the massive success from both segmented shows Cartoon Network decided to create two separate shows, Evil Con Carne and well obviously our first entry on the list. The show follows the adventures of two friends, a dimwitted boy named Billy and a cynical girl named Mandy, and of course the Grim Reaper. In the original Grim and Evil the two kids won a game in limbo against Grim and because of this Grim would become their best friend/servant/slave. It’s a weird concept yes but in the end he was more their friend. The show had a very creepy vibe to it with the animation but also character creations and it had a very unique sense of comedy using both dark humor and slapstick mixed with its supernatural/horror genre. For 6 years the show and its characters were beloved by the Cartoon Network community, so much so that the show itself had two TV movies, a crossover event with another popular show at the time, Codename: Kids Next Door and a what could had been spinoff series that was later cancelled and caused the creator of the show and multiple other creators for CN shows to leave the company. That’s how big this show was for CN as the show helped gain viewership to the network but it also was beloved by many of the staffed creators on the network. More importantly was its fan base as the show to this day is loved by many that watched the show when they were kids and has become a cult favorite for the newer generation that grew up on Cartoon Network and got to see the show thanks to the amount of times CN aired re-runs for the show. The show to this day is still popular thanks to its longevity of staying relevant thanks to its popularity but also how nostalgic the show is. Plus it also helps that new and old fans of the show can re-watch the entire show on HBO Max and relive how funny, strange and unique the show is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR1qnEN1j2E
9. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (2004 – 2009) – Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is popular for many reasons from the jokes, the animation, the loveable and relatable characters and even the iconic opening theme song. Most of all the show was very popular because it knew it’s general audience and knew how to gain a big fan base by just being itself; a light hearted show that is based on friendship and day to day adventures between its characters and everyday life. The show is about an imaginary friend name Bloo and his former owner Mac and their adventures in the foster home for imaginary friends and outside of the foster home. Each character in the show is very different but is equally relatable as they are all in a sense outcasts to society. And that kind of makes sense when the show’s main characters are simply imaginary friends with very unique characteristics and designs. It was so popular that the show was able to be a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from 2006 – 2008 with a float that included the main cast including Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco. Speaking of the characters, these 4 characters in general became some of the most beloved characters on the network and in cartoon history. Each character on the show was unique. Wilt was very tall and can play basketball but only has one arm. Coco is energetic and has prizes come out of the eggs she lays. Eduardo is a very loveable monster who biggest flaw is he gets afraid very often. I would say that these characters are very relatable when comparing them to many other CN cartoon characters as like I said they all have something unique about them and most kids can relate to these characters and that’s what makes this show so amazing is it can be very relatable to its key demographic. To this day Foster’s continues to stay relevant and be known as one of the more iconic cartoons on the network’s history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZiB_S9VpiU
8. Steven Universe (2013 – 2019) – Considered by many as one of the greatest animated series of all time, Steven Universe has become one of Cartoon Network’s biggest shows of all time. The series is Cartoon network’s first series to be created by a woman and it is one of the first animated series to include LGBTQ characters. Steven Universe ran for 6 years (5 seasons) and found a huge fan base quickly as the show is watched by both kids, it main demographic, but also by young adults and adults in general. The show tells a coming of age story of a boy who lives in Crystal Gems and the many adventures he has with his friends, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Steven Universe is a very important series for Cartoon Network as while it as one of the first shows to include characters from LGBTQ but it had taught its viewers many lessons including the importance of love, acceptance, family, self-love, self-care and friends. Critics and the fans praise the show for its amazing character development, amazing storyboard building and the very impressive animation. While the show was cancelled back in 2019, its fandom and beloved creators kept the show alive with a movie, a sequel miniseries, video games, and comic books. Steven Universe is a show for everyone as anyone can relate to the show’s themes, characters or even the lessons that the series’ creators try to teach their viewers. The show’s fandom continues to grow to this day even if the show was cancelled and it may well continue to grow. And you never know if Steven Universe is completely over as we may see more in the upcoming future but only time will tell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSaoXwQzHnY
7. Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999 – 2009) – No Cartoon Network show aired longer than this next entry. Ed, Edd n Eddy had only 6 seasons but the show lasted 10 years on the network and was watched in over 31 million households in 120 different countries. The show is about three friends who live in a suburban cul-de-sac and their frequent schemes towards the other kids that live in the neighborhood. Generally their schemes fail but on rare occasions they take enough money from the kids and are able to buy jawbreakers. Now if you grew up with this show like I did then you know how popular this show was back in the day when it first broadcasted. Cartoon Network was always running the show and including it in big marathon weekends for “Cartoon Cartoons”, considering they were one of the last few shows that ran on the Cartoon Cartoons for Cartoon Network. Now while the Ed boys were targeted towards children under the age range of 7 – 14, adults would also be a big part of the ratings within key demographic. During its run it was one of the highly rated shows and did so amazing that it was even nominated for some awards including a Kids Choice Award, Leo Award and Reuben Awards, in which it won Best Television Animation in its first year running on the air. While there have been so many shows that helped give Cartoon Network it’s ratings, Ed, Edd, n Eddy somehow schemed their way into being one of those big shows on the network and was able to bring in all age ranges to the network and well in the end of the day the Ed boys are living life well with their jawbreakers thanks to their success of their show. This was my favorite CN show growing up and it still is today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BPLXepRC8E
6. Samurai Jack (2001 – 2004, 2017) – While the show’s final season technically aired on Adult Swim, Samurai Jack’s first 4 seasons aired on Toonami, the network’s more teen oriented block. Cartoon Network found themselves a huge hit when this first aired as while the network always had comedic, weird shows with some unique characters, Samurai Jack was mostly an action show with some slight comedy used in some episodes. The show is about a Japanese samurai named Jack who sets out to free his kingdom from the evil shape shifting Aku but Aku send Jack to the dystopian future and now Jack most go on a quest to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku. The show was very popular on Cartoon Network, some even calling it the best animated series on the network, but it also brought in some awards including 8 Primetime Emmys and 6 Annie Awards. While the show may have had one of the greatest heroes/villains in animation history and a story that was well beloved and pretty much the entire show was critically acclaimed, it never got to air Jack’s conclusion and was cancelled and left it with no conclusion. That was until 2017 when Samurai Jack would be revived for one final season and when it came back the fan base of the show quickly made a big deal about it as did the creator Genndy Tartakovsky. The final season was more mature, graphic and pretty much not able to run on Cartoon Network so it aired on the adult oriented block, Adult Swim. The series has a 93 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is considered by many to be one of the most stunning animated shows visually and one of the greatest animated T.V series to ever air on television. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iBU_D36-AA
5. Teen Titans (2003 – 2006) – Cartoon Network was always airing former WB Kids shows that contained DC superheroes including Batman: The Animated Series, Superfriends and Superman. So Cartoon Network decided to air its own original show based off the DC superheroes but instead of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman as the main characters, they decided to use a group of young vigilantes better known as the Teen Titans. Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy became some of the most popular characters on the network and the same can be said for the show as it quickly became one of Cartoon Network’s popular shows. Critics and fans of the show loved the show’s character development, humor and serious themes. I remember when this show first aired and how everyone in school within the next few months was talking about Teen Titans and how awesome they were. While the action packed show was amazing it wouldn’t be nothing without its amazing voice cast and of course that beloved theme song. The show was very much a critically acclaimed show and was quickly becoming Cartoon Network’s biggest show, until it was cancelled. Many fans of the show were furious about this decision but thankfully CN and later Boomerang would air re-runs of the show and it’s still like that today. While the original Teen Titans might be over, the show found itself a spinoff series in 2013 called Teen Titans Go!, which is still airing today. It isn’t as great as the original and is more kid friendly but it is popular with today’s generation and even gained a feature length film back in 2018. Teen Titans will forever be remembered as one of, if not, the most popular series to ever air on Cartoon Network and their legacy continues to live on today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL75mtNZ6PA
4. Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999 – 2002) – Courage the Cowardly Dog is the only show on this list to be nominated for an Academy Award. Let me explain. What a Cartoon was an animation anthology series created by Fred Siebert and Cartoon Network and the segments on the show were produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. One of the segments that was on this show was Courage the Cowardly Dog and in 1996 the popular Courage segment was nominated in the Academy Awards and because of the success of that segment on What a Cartoon, Courage the Cowardly Dog got his own show that would later become one of the most successful and popular shows in the network’s history. The show follows an anthropomorphic dog and his owners, an elderly couple who lives in the middle of “Nowhere” and the many supernatural misadventures that happen with the three characters. Most of the time on the show, Courage is saving the couple from something bad happening to them. The series is one of the more creepy shows in the network’s history and while it does have some horror elements in the show, it’s backbone is the amazing dark humor that works well with the supernatural elements in the show. While the show only had 4 seasons, it somehow managed to have a long lasting legacy on the network and even after 2 decades the show still manages to find new fans because of it streaming on HBO Max or the re-runs airing on Cartoon Network from time to time. Not only that but the show had multiple returns including a crossover film with another huge comedy/supernatural series, Scooby-Doo. It goes to show you that many people back then and even today love to watch creepy things that happen in Nowhere and see Courage save the day each time. The show has had multiple revival rumors over the years but there may just be a prequel series coming to HBO Max in the near future but only time will tell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxz5_OlpbUI
3. Dexter’s Laboratory (1996 – 2003) – While The Moxy Show and Space Ghost Coast to Coast might had been the first two original series on the network, Dexter’s Laboratory was the network’s first smash hit to air on the network. Dexter’s Laboratory follows Dexter, a boy genius with a hidden lab in his room. Pretty simple concept to be honest but more happens as he needs to hide his lab from his parents and he is always at constant odds with his sister, Dee Dee, who always finds a way to access his lab, touch all the buttons and ruin his experiments. The show was a huge success for the network as it is one of Cartoon Network’s highest rated shows and because of the show’s success it was nominated for many awards including winning three Annie Awards. The series also launched the careers of some very huge animators including Craig McCracken, Butch Hartman, Rob Renzetti and Seth MacFarlane. The show had multiple segments including a segment of Dexter’s Pet monkey being a crime fighting super hero, the Justice Friends (a trio of superheroes who share an apartment together) and for a short period of time Puppet Pals. Now the show originally ended in 1999 after the television film Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip aired on Cartoon Network but the show would be revived for two more seasons in 2001. While the show ended in 2003, it still manages to gain so many new fans thanks to the amount of years of re-runs on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, but also because it is available to stream on HBO Max and it left a huge legacy for itself and Cartoon Network because it was technically the network’s first successful original series. To think the short segment show that first aired it’s pilot on TNT and later be a part of the What a Cartoon block would go on to have a huge success all these years later and manage to still be loved by so many people today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya3Q9OLk25g
2. The Powerpuff Girls (1998 – 2005) – While at the time most of the shows on the network like Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory or even Cow and Chicken might have been centered to an age range of 5 – 12 year olds, most of those 5 – 12 year olds that the show was centered around were kind of for boys because the main character was a boy character, however that all changed with one show. All it needed was some Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice, but also some Chemical X. Thus the Powerpuff Girls were born and by god did this show blow up. The show was centered on three little girls who had super powers and fought crime and the forces of evil. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercups became stars really quickly and the entire show was the first Cartoon Network show to empower girls. The show got its start as a segment on What a Cartoon/Cartoon Cartoons and later found itself its own original series. The show is praised for its amazing animation, action packed scenes, incredible characters including probably the coolest/most iconic villains in animated shows history and of course there was that amazing theme song. The show was so successful that it became the first Cartoon Network original series to have a full length feature film. This was my sister’s favorite CN show and I’m not going to lie I freaking loved this show and might have had a crush on Blossom when I was 4 years old. But I mean I also loved MOJO JOJO!!!! This was such an important series for Cartoon Network at the time as while the series was the first show centered towards girls, it was a part of the CN original shows (Dexter, Johnny Bravo, Ed Edd, n Eddy, Courage, Cow and Chicken) to put Cartoon Network on the market and make it a competitor with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. The original show ended in 2005 but it has made several comebacks including a revival in 2016. However the original Powerpuff Girls continues to be a success today thanks to its huge fan base that continues to grow today. Powerpuff Girls might be here to stay for a while and you can pretty much thank Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network for that one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7MiaSr-0ug
1. Adventure Time (2010 – 2018) – There have been so many shows on this list that made Cartoon Network what it is today but Adventure Time somehow managed to become successful and raise the bar for Cartoon Network in just its first year running on the network. Adventure Time quickly became a huge success thanks to its likeable characters, amazing storytelling and of course the beautiful animation, but it was able to be a cartoon for both kids and adults. It didn’t have a key demographic as while the show was mainly created for children, all age ranges fell in love with this show and it quickly became Cartoon Network’s most successful show. The show follows the adventures of a boy named Finn and his adoptive brother who is also a magical dog named Jake. The show was inspired by the fantasy role playing game Dungeons and Dragons and it was produced using hand drawn animation instead of the usual norm CGI animation or animation created on a computer as the show used storyboarding for its animation. Now while Steven Universe was one of the first shows to have any representation of the LGBTQ community, Adventure Time also included some representation including a couple of their characters being gay (Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum). I never got into this series when I was in my teens as at the time I was falling out of love with Cartoon Network as many of my favorite shows I watched on the network ended and I was watching more adult rated shows like Family Guy or The Simpsons. But even I can agree that this show took off in the best way as everywhere you looked you would see Adventure Time. It was in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a giant balloon, it’s creators went on to create some more huge successful shows including Regular Show, Over the Garden Wall, Steven Universe and more and simply put the show had so much merchandising from shirts, lunchboxes, comics, video games, etc. The fandom for this show is huge as you can’t go to any comic con without seeing Adventure Time being represented. The show was constantly airing on the network when it was on and while the show ended in 2018 it somehow manages to stay in the spotlight as it has a spinoff series on HBO Max and a special which also was released on HBO Max. Simply put, Adventure Time is Cartoon Network’s most successful show and one of its most popular, possibly even the most popular to be honest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMDaAcfCYow
Honorable Mentions:
Johnny Bravo (1997 – 2004) - Johnny Bravo was a simp way before the slang was even popular. The show had more adult humor than any show in the network’s history. Plus we followed a sun glass/black shirt wearing, man of muscle get rejected by so many woman while also living his daily life with living with his mom….yeah this show was freaking awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_46a4va40Ns
Codename: Kids Next Door (2002 – 2008) – While the show had a pilot back in 2001, Codename: Kids Next Door didn’t officially begin its run until 2002 but from there it became one of the more popular shows on Cartoon Network. Simple concept, a group of kids who are a part of a global organization called Kids Next Door. If you grew up on Cartoon Network in the 2000’s then you know for sure how awesome this show is. Plus RAINBOW MONKEYS!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u4ZBtFKsZM
Regular Show (2009, 2010 – 2017) – While the pilot of the show came out in 2009, from 2010 – 2017 this show became one of the most popular shows on the network. From the weird looking characters to it’s very sitcom type of comedy, Regular Show was anything but regular as simply put it was very unique and even weird at times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l13QI3mzRXE
Cow and Chicken (1997 – 1999) – Momma had a chicken, momma had a cow, dad was proud, he didn’t care how. While the show only lasted 3 years, Cow and Chicken became one of the most impactful shows on the network during its run. I consider this one of CN’s more underappreciated shows as not many people give this show love considering it came out around the same time as Dexter and Johnny Bravo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vii7Tkejrfg
Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1994 – 2001, 2001 – 2004) – The very first original series fully produced by Cartoon Network, Space Ghost Coast to Coast was an American parody talk show using characters from the 1960’s Hanna-Barbera show, Space Ghost. While many people forget that the show originally aired on Cartoon Network, many remember the show airing on Adult Swim as it was quickly revived and moved to that time slot. Regardless Space Ghost is one of the impactful shows in the Network’s history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0v_Ckb0xAY
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