Cartoon Network is responsible for some of the best 1990s cartoons period, but the network’s reign of dominance didn’t end with the turn of a new millennium. The channel had plenty of holdovers from the previous decade, but more excitingly, it introduced plenty of other great animated series for kids of all ages to enjoy. 

There were absolutely cartoons that dabbled in standalone episodes where you could tune in any week and know what’s going on. Courage had new monsters to face while Johnny Bravo was getting himself into all sorts of ridiculous mishaps. However, Cartoon Network also began dabbling with more long-form storytelling. Kids could also watch “Justice League” and partake in a more serious superhero story about governmental overreach. There was something for every palate whether you wanted silly jokes or more high-octane action. 

Anyone who says animation peaked in the ’90s needs a reality check. Here are some of the best Cartoon Network shows in the 2000s that are still worth watching today, ranked from pretty great to really great. 

“Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends” follows a bunch of imaginary friends who live together in an orphanage. Mac may be too old for his imaginary buddy, Bloo, all the time, but he still visits often to keep up with him and all of his new companions. 

The show featured plenty of fun designs and colorful characters, but it’s also an appropriate entry to kick off this list for what it has to say about nostalgia. The show doesn’t shy away from the fact that, at some point, we all have to grow up. But that doesn’t intrinsically mean we have to let go of what we loved as kids. Mac recognizes the need not to have Bloo around all the time, but he makes a point to visit him every day. Madame Foster, who created the home, still has her imaginary friend, Mr. Herriman, by her side, proving you’re never too old to let go of the past. 

This show captures what it means to be a child so well. Luckily, a whole new generation will learn those lessons thanks to the “Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends” reboot that’s coming out. 

There are plenty of canceled science-fiction shows that deserve a second chance, and honestly, “Megas XLR” deserves to be in that conversation. Only 26 episodes were released, and this show has the kind of premise that could’ve sustained it for years. Slackers Coop and Jamie stumble upon a giant robot and do what we imagine anyone from New Jersey would do upon receiving a giant mech: install a muscle car for the head. They then learn the mech is part of an intergalactic war from the far future and that the mech was sent back in time along with Kiva, who instructs them on how to use the robot, as well as the malevolent alien force, the Glorft.

There’s a ton of anime influences, and the show even deconstructs anime tropes. It was sort of the perfect Cartoon Network show to come along at this time given the ever-increasing popularity of Toonami that helped bring anime to American audiences. They could have a greater appreciation of what “Megas XLR” was doing. Sadly, low ratings doomed the series, and it was written off for taxes. As such, the prospect of a revival seems slim to none, but if you know where to look, you might be able to find the episodes hanging around. 

“Chowder” feels like a throwback to the more random ’90s cartoons, like “Ren & Stimpy.” It follows the misadventures of the titular Chowder, who wants to be a great chef but frequently gets sidetracked by his own appetite. 

The show’s random in the best way and made full use of various styles throughout its run, including clay, puppets, and even live-action segments. There was plenty of juvenile humor, as evidenced by Chowder’s pet Kimchi being a sentient fart cloud, but there was ample heart to balance it out. Chowder may have gotten into plenty of trouble, but he was good-natured at heart and was more than happy to give Kimchi a chance in the first place, despite no one else liking being around him. 

In a way, “Chowder” represents the last of an era for Cartoon Network. “Chowder” was purely interested in delivering laughs in any way possible, as opposed to shows like “Adventure Time” and “Steven Universe” in the 2010s that would focus more on character development. “Chowder” offered chaotic silliness in 11-minute increments, and we can’t be mad at that. 

“Codename: Kids Next Door” feels like it was made in a lab to be a hit 2000s Cartoon Network series. The premise is so shockingly effective you almost wonder why no one had done it before, with the show focusing on a group of kids who take on the role of spies to protect other children from the forces of evil, namely dentists and mean teachers. The show’s over-the-top nature and bevy of memorable antagonists made it a ton of fun to tune in week-to-week. 

The animated show knew how to evolve and grow. While it was far more episodic early in its run, “Codename: Kids Next Door” took things to the next level in the later seasons, expanding upon the lore and having storylines spanning multiple episodes. The central organization grew with more recurring characters entering the mix and a splinter cell threatening the Kids Next Door’s very existence. It’s like a warm-up to get kids used to the “Mission: Impossible” movies. Even though the show offers total fantasy for kids, there were plenty of jokes for adults to catch onto, including references to films like “Deliverance” and “Chinatown.”

“The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” deserves a spot on this list for no other reason than the episode that parodied “God Emperor of Dune.” “Codename: Kids Next Door” parodying Chinatown is one thing, and that kind of sneaky humor is pretty common, but drawing from a book that even many adults have read is downright hilarious. It’s proof-positive we’re dealing with a post-modern animated series that wasn’t afraid to get weird with things. 

It’s a show that dabbled in world-ending events and body horror, but for a show about two kids who force the Grim Reaper to be their friend, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks to Grim’s abilities, the kids gain access to all sorts of supernatural abilities that are typically played to humorous effect. It also opened the door for a cavalcade of other ridiculous creatures and monsters to populate this world.

It’s a show that somewhat feels like a relic of its time. It’s hard to imagine any network allowing something like this to be watched by children today, but those who grew up in the 2000s didn’t have such censors to worry about. 

“Johnny Bravo” brought down toxic masculinity before it was a popular discussion topic online. The typical episode format was that Johnny became infatuated with a new woman and ended up having his advances blow up in his face. Sure, there were the episodes where he hung out with Huckleberry Hound or Adam West, but the series was primarily a showcase of how you can be conventionally attractive but still can’t get a date if you’re a pompous jerk. 

Johnny was always the butt of the joke, and it’s yet another series that got away with plenty of adult jokes. Johnny corrects a woman who refers to him as a “virgin,” and at one point, he’s seen looking at a nudie magazine. When the central premise is about a guy trying to score a date, it’s kind of hard not to throw those kinds of remarks in there. 

Plus, “Johnny Bravo” deserves a lot of credit for launching creatives into other endeavors. Seth MacFarlane and Butch Hartman had early work on the series in the ’90s (it was still great in the 2000s though) and went on to create “Family Guy” and “The Fairly Odd Parents,” respectively. If only we could’ve gotten that Dwayne Johnson “Johnny Bravo” movie that was in the works… 

To be clear, we’re talking about the original “Teen Titans” series and not “Teen Titans Go!” that would manifest years later. The original show was a worthy addition to the DC animated pantheon among the likes of “Batman: The Animated Series” and “Justice League.” 

However, it felt more like a natural stepping stone to get younger kids invested in superhero storytelling. It was sillier, often with much more exaggerated animation compared to what one might see on something like “Batman Beyond,” but it didn’t skimp on the emotions. 

“Teen Titans” tackled important topics, like racial discrimination and mental health issues. Terra’s entire storyline, featured prominently in season 2, is one of abuse and ultimately death. But the show knew how to balance its lighter moments with darker storylines with one tone never feeling like it overshadowed the other. This iteration of the Titans would return for the 2019 film “Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans,” seeing as the multiverse was all the rage, but we’ll always wish there could’ve been at least one more season to round things out. 

“Dexter’s Laboratory” made its mark in the ’90s, but it continued its stellar run into the new millennium. A change in animation style in later episodes may have turned some off, but the inventiveness was still on display with Dexter continuing to craft all sorts of kooky inventions. Sometimes they get him in trouble; occasionally, they help him out of a jam. But it’s always entertaining to watch. 

“Dexter’s Laboratory” was really a turning point for Cartoon Network. It’s a show that proved this network was worth keeping an eye on, and that’s largely due to creator Genndy Tartakovsky placing such a heavy emphasis on the show’s visual style. “Dexter’s Laboratory” is riddled with Sam Raimi references (a touchstone you won’t find in every cartoon), and the storyboards largely came first. 

When speaking with Syfy Wire, Butch Hartman, who worked on a show for a bit, mentioned, “Rather than write a script and then hand it in to a storyboard artist, they’d give you a short premise and tell you to storyboard the entire thing.” Sometimes, the dialogue took a backseat to these more visual gags, resulting in a feast for the eyes. 

The “Star Wars” prequel trilogy left a lot to be desired, but at least it gave us some good cartoons. This began in 2003 with Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Clone Wars” series that depicts events that took place between “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.” It tends to get overlooked in the grand scheme of “Star Wars” media, so it’s certainly worth an honorable mention here. However, the true spot placement goes to “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which kicked off in 2008 to flesh out the prequel story even further. 

Created by George Lucas with close supervision by Dave Filoni, the show’s responsible for setting up the future of “Star Wars” on TV. For starters, it introduced numerous characters that have since become the virtual faces of the franchise, like Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze. Watching “Clone Wars” redeems the prequels somewhat, fleshing out characters who felt a bit too thin in the films. It makes a strong case that for some stories, episodic television really is the best medium. 

Remember when The CW tried to make a live-action “Powerpuff Girls” reboot? That was weird, especially considering the original animated series has everything you could want and pulls its concept off flawlessly. 

This is another Cartoon Network series that debuted in the ’90s but still feels appropriate putting into a 2000s list considering it continued well into the new decade. Few cartoons were as dynamic as “The Powerpuff Girls” during this era, with its bright colors and vivid action scenes. No joke, there were moments when one of the girls would punch or kick a villain and then a spray of blood and teeth would be seen coming out of them. It was gnarly stuff and something a lot of other cartoons couldn’t get away with. 

But the action scenes are only part of the equation here, as the original series had puns and humor galore. The Powerpuff Girls deserve to be right up there with Kim Possible for strong female action heroes of the 2000s that showed girls could beat up bad guys just as well as any boy. 

There was a heartwarming message at the core of “Courage the Cowardly Dog.” “Cowardly” is right there in the title, but Courage never let his fear stand in the way of protecting the people he loved, which in this case was pretty much just Muriel. 

The show more or less had a monster-of-the-week format where Courage, along with Muriel and her husband Eustace, would encounter some strange new entity. Sometimes, these were forces of pure malevolence, like Katz who found sick pleasure messing with Courage and anyone else he came into contact with. But the cartoon also showed that not everything that seems scary at first is out to get you. 

Plenty of 2000s cartoons had dark imagery, like “Billy and Mandy” and “Invader Zim.” What set “Courage” apart was that it wasn’t afraid to get dark with its monsters or themes, but there was genuine heart there. More importantly, it taught how there’s no shame in being afraid now and then. It’s what makes us human … or dogs.

A kid gaining access to an immense power they use to fight the forces of evil is well-worn territory for children’s animation. There’s certainly no shortage of superhero shows, but what made “Ben 10” stand apart is how grounded it made a show about a 10-year-old transforming into various aliens feel. 

For starters, Ben Tennyson has support from his cousin Gwen and uncle Max. They’re just as significant to saving the day as Ben is during the actual fights, which leads nicely into just how awesome the fight scene animations were. And the series knew how to keep things interesting, as Ben would occasionally want to turn into a specific type of alien for the advantage its powers offer only for the Omnitrix to malfunction and turn him into something else. Ben then needs to lean on his ingenuity to figure out how to save the day under less than ideal circumstances. 

If shows like “Courage” got kids into horror, then “Ben 10” likely paved the way for kids exploring more sci-fi and fantasy series. Its deep lore ensures there’s plenty to dig into, even when watching today. Just be prepared if you watch any of the spinoffs for ample retcons. 

If you need any proof of how great “Justice League” and later “Justice League Unlimited” were, look no further than the episode, “For the Man Who Has Everything.” It’s based on one of Alan Moore’s stories, and Moore allowed himself to be credited in the episode. He notoriously hates adaptations of his work, but this one struck a chord, proving the creatives behind the scenes understood the DC universe thoroughly. 

The shows also knew how to expertly balance their massive ensembles. Everyone got their moments to shine, and despite major differences in personalities, like brooding Batman pairing up with jokester Flash, it never felt off-putting. In fact, it only made their characterizations stronger. Some could argue it has some of the best characterizations of these characters in any medium. In particular, “Epilogue” sees Batman comfort Ace right before she dies because despite how dark he might seem, Batman cares for everyone deeply and wants no one to feel as damaged as he is. 

If there’s one thing “Ed, Edd n Eddy” does better than arguably any other cartoon, it’s the sound design. The jazzy musical cues perfectly underscore every scene, lending to the air of chaos that accompanies everything the Eds do. After all, most episodes would see the Eds along with the other kids in the cul-de-sac (and later school) get into various misadventures, usually centered around the Eds trying to scam everyone else out of their hard-earned allowances. 

In a way, “Ed, Edd n Eddy” feels like the true successor to “The Three Stooges.” There’s a fluidity to their movements and a heavy emphasis on slapstick that’s gradually been siphoned out of cartoons. Every frame was filled with so much life and energy. You could rewatch episodes as often as you like and find new things to appreciate, like some goofy new face or how often the “Subaluwa!” sound effect would play. It’s simply infectious. 

“Samurai Jack” is what would probably happen if Akira Kurosawa made a sci-fi cartoon. Jack, a warrior from the past, is sent to the far future where Aku rules all. It needs to be said that Aku is such a great villain and a perfect antagonist for Jack. He’s a cartoony trickster playing off Jack’s more solemn nature, not entirely dissimilar to how Batman and Joker work well as adversaries. 

But there’s no component of “Samurai Jack” that’s lacking, despite the original story limitation placed on it. It’s a show that knew when to let things breathe, and the quieter moments are sometimes the best of the series. When the time for fighting commenced, you were immediately hooked. While Jack had his trusty sword with him, he’d find unique, innovative ways to defeat whatever new antagonist stood in his path to return to his own time. 

“Samurai Jack” is easily the best out of all Cartoon Network shows of the 2000s. It wasn’t just something to watch when you wanted to delay doing homework. It became mandatory viewing, the kind of thing you found while flipping through channels and stopped whatever you were doing to appreciate it.