Cartoon Network's 25 Best Original Series

16. THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY AND MANDY (2003–2008)

Once Cartoon Network figured out that zero people wanted to watch a show about a world-dominating bear, they ditched the Evil half of Grim & Evil, leading to this spinoff about a boy, a girl and their new best friend, the Grim Reaper. Much better.

15. SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY (2000–2002)

Puns abounded in this too-often-overlooked series about a simple sheep who ditches life on the farm to join the rat race of the big city. With characters like Lisa Rental and General Specific, maybe this one was just too smart for its young audience.

12. JOHNNY BRAVO (1997–2004)

Styled, sculpted and able to dance the monkey at the drop of a hat — not that he'd ever wear one — Johnny Bravo wasn't even remotely appropriate for children. And that's what we loved about him.

14. CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR (2002–2006)

This delightfully diverse cartoon about a group of secret-agent kids fighting teens and adults on a global scale came about as the result of an audience vote — so don't lose faith in democracy just yet!

13. ED, EDD N EDDY (1999–2009)

Few shows captured the bizarre creativity of bored suburban kids as accurately as this squiggly little show, which also featured the bravest performance by a plank of wood I have ever seen.

19. UNCLE GRANDPA (2013–2017)

18. BEN 10 (2005–2008)

17. SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST (1994–2001)

22. CLARENCE (2014–)

21. CHOWDER (2007–2010)

20. BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE (2008–2010)

25. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE (2005–2007)

24. THE MARVELOUS MISADVENTURES OF FLAPJACK (2008–2010)

23. WE BARE BEARS (2015–)

11. COW AND CHICKEN (1997–1999)

Easily television's greatest show about two humans who inexplicably give birth to a cow and a chicken, only for those children to grow up tormented by a pants-less devil. (Also, the cow is secretly a Spanish-speaking superhero!)

10. THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL (2011–)

Never have I seen so many different forms of animation blended together into one show. In addition to being smarter and funnier than most people give it credit for, Gumball is also the most adorable acid trip you can imagine.

9. REGULAR SHOW (2010–2017)

You know who else loved this show? My mom!

8. FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS (2004–2009)

The only thing more beautiful than this show's concept — a foster home filled with kids' abandoned imaginary friends! — was its smooth flash animation.

7. COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG (1999–2002)

Any kid who said this show didn't give them nightmares was a damn liar, you hear me? This was not to be watched after 9 pm on a school night.

5. SAMURAI JACK (2001–2004)

Pretty much any still from this dark, gorgeous number was worthy of being hung at the damn Smithsonian. Is it any wonder why Adult Swim revived it earlier this year?

4. STEVEN UNIVERSE (2013–)

Hands down, you won't find a cartoon on this list with more heart than Steven Universe. I guess you could say it's a real *ahem* gem of a show.

3. DEXTER'S LABORATORY (1996–2003)

Before Stewie Griffin came along, Dexter had pretty much cornered the market on inexplicable accents, secret laboratories and annoying older sisters.

2. ADVENTURE TIME (2010–)

Funny, touching and deeply mythological, Adventure Time consistently pushes the boundaries of what a "children's" cartoon can be — and you'd better believe I almost gave it the top spot on this list. But the truth is...

1. THE POWERPUFF GIRLS (1998–2005)

...that none of Cartoon Network's creations have impacted our culture quite like Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. Girls love 'em, boys love 'em, and they're the only ones to successfully make the leap from TV to the big screen. (Just, you know, don't ask about those box office numbers.)

6. STAR WARS: CLONE WARS (2003–2005)

From Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory, this Emmy-winning series set in the Star Wars universe was arguably better than the big-screen prequels it was designed to bridge.