Movies Gallery 10 best Cartoon Network shows: We rank 'em! We salute the best Cartoon Network shows that aren't part of Adult Swim from good to great, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, and more. By EW Staff Updated on December 4, 2023 07:27AM EST Trending Videos Close this video player 'Regular Show'; 'Dexter's Laboratory'; and 'Adventure Time'. Photo: Cartoon Network; Everett Collection; Cartoon Network Since launching in 1992, Cartoon Network has had a wild history. Through its early years, it was probably best known for kids programming with shows like The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory. That changed as the channel found hits with its evening and late-night programming geared toward older kids and adults with Adult Swim. That's even continued into the 21st-century with hit shows like Rick and Morty. But right here, we're looking into the zaniest, most surreal, and unquestionably entertaining shows in Cartoon Network history that were not part of its Adult Swim programming. These are the absolute best Cartoon Network shows. 10. Chowder Cartoon Network Adventurous, multi-faceted, and a little bit unhinged: C.H. Greenblatt's show about the shenanigan-prone employees of a catering company was unlike any other show on TV before or since. The coolest thing about Chowder is how it mixed together different styles: 2-D animation, stop-motion, and even puppetry. More shows have tried to seamlessly integrate styles like this since, but few did it as recklessly and wonderfully as Chowder. —Darren Franich Where to watch Chowder: Hulu 9. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy Cartoon Network The character combination of a halfwit, an evil genius, and a Jamaican-accented Death — all of whom seem to be just barely tolerating each other — was pretty much perfect in this Cartoon Network show that ran for six seasons. Billy and Mandy get the Grim Reaper — a.k.a. Grim — as their "best friend forever" after winning a bet in Limbo. Grim's begrudging acceptance grants the kids access to his supernatural abilities and offers the creators the ability to do just about anything they want with Billy and Mandy. —Keith Staskiewicz Where to watch The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy: Hulu 8. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Lucasfilm Maturing every successive season following its inauspicious 2008 pilot movie, The Clone Wars became a cinematic actioner as enjoyable for adult fans as its target youngling audience. Drawing from the vast Expanded Universe of George Lucas' space opera, the series invariably inspired the same response from legions of disaffected Star Wars geeks: ''Why couldn't the prequels have been this good?'' Fortunately for fans, the Clone Wars world has started making incursions into the live-action Disney+ series. —Christian Blauvelt Where to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Disney+ 7. Regular Show Cartoon Network While it's got its fair share of talking animals — and gumball machines, yetis, and gentlemanly lollipop people — Regular Show is one of the rare cartoons that is actually about lazy, aimless twentysomethings and not just frequently watched by them. The show follows bluejay Mordecai and raccoon Rigby, who work as groundskeepers at the local park. Yes, it does resemble an adult sitcom setup, but with animated animals. And, yes, it's just as great as that sounds. —K.S. Where to watch Regular Show: Hulu 6. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Cartoon Network Much of the fun of Foster's came from its catchy magical-realist setting: an orphanage built for imaginary friends whose children have outgrown them. But Foster's real pleasure came from how effectively it balanced an outrageous goofball sensibility with characters you genuinely learned to care about. —D.F. Where to watch Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Amazon Prime Video (to rent) 5. Courage the Cowardly Dog Everett Collection Overcoming formula with a thick atmosphere of creepy surrealness, as well as some genuinely menacing villains, Courage the Cowardly Dog was one of a kind, and so was its ever-tremulous (and yet, in the end, aptly named) titular character. —K.S. Where to watch Courage the Cowardly Dog: Max 4. Dexter's Laboratory Everett Collection A big hit for the network when it debuted in the mid-'90s, Genndy Tartakovsky's first series was both hilarious and accessible, as well as smart. Thanks to Dexter's Lab, an entire generation can now incorrectly order a cheese omelet in French. While the series is definitely for kids, adults will enjoy clear signs of the kind of headier work Tartakovsky was moving toward with his next projects. —K.S. Where to watch Dexter's Laboratory: Amazon Prime Video 3. Samurai Jack Everett Collection Cartoon Network doesn't really have a house style, but most of its shows veer toward frenzied candy-colored eccentricity — that magic medium point when a sugar rush suddenly becomes an acid trip. And then there's Samurai Jack, which took a fantastical concept (time-tossed samurai) and gave it a stark cinematic style. Heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa movies and anime, Jack remains an utterly unique action series, and it is Genndy Tartakovsky's masterpiece. —D.F. Where to watch Samurai Jack: Max 2. Adventure Time Cartoon Network Did someone mention ''frenzied candy-colored eccentricity''? The Cartoon Network favorite has a wealth of influences — fantasy epics, video games, dance music, Calvin & Hobbes — but Pendleton Ward's relentlessly fascinating series about a boy and his magical dog established a completely new mythos. And the show doubles as a genuine coming-of-age story: Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) is slowly growing up, and the show's portrayal of the messy emotions of adolescence adds layers of pathos to its fantastical cartoon world. —D.F. Where to watch Adventure Time: Hulu 1. The Powerpuff Girls Everett Collection Mixing together action, comedy, pop culture, girl power, and a little bit of Chemical X, The Powerpuff Girls had something for everyone. Perhaps the most iconic of Cartoon Network's series, it was also tremendous fun and possibly the height of the channel's early UPA-inspired aesthetic. It's probably not surprising that this show tops the list, as it has become a cultural force all its own, even more than a decade after the show concluded its sixth season in 2005. (Though, it was rebooted in 2014 for a three-season run that wrapped up in 2017.) —K.S. Where to watch The Powerpuff Girls: Netflix