There is no official or universally agreed ranking of Cartoon Network’s best older shows. This list is an editorial selection: it weighs distinctive premises and visual styles, memorable characters, comedy or action, staying power, and range across the network’s eras. “Old” is used broadly here for shows from Cartoon Network’s earlier programming eras, rather than as a claim that every title premiered before a single cutoff year.
Cartoon Network’s official catalog includes many of these familiar series, but it does not establish a top 30. The order below is a curated retrospective, not a measured industry consensus.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Trigun: Complete Series Box Set (Classic) | $21.96 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Bleach Uncut: Box Set 1 Rpkg | $15.78 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
4 Kid Favorites Cartoon Network Hall of Fame Number 2 (DVD) | $10.04 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
200 Cartoon Classics | $16.61 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Bleach: Box Set 6 (Uncut) | $14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Classic Cartoon Network shows worth revisiting
The selection moves across comedy, action, surreal experiments, and serialized storytelling. The official catalog confirms many titles as part of Cartoon Network’s programming history; individual premiere dates and a definitive broadcast-era cutoff are not established here, so entries are not assigned years.
1. Dexter’s Laboratory
A boy genius hides an enormous laboratory from his family, only for experiments and sibling interference to undo his plans. Its secret-lab premise makes room for quick visual gags and compact science-fiction adventures.
#1 Best Overall
2. The Powerpuff Girls
Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup balance childhood routines with superhero battles. The show’s bright design and brisk shifts between domestic comedy and action give its central idea unusual range.
3. Johnny Bravo
Johnny’s exaggerated confidence repeatedly collides with other people’s patience and common sense. The comedy is built around a deliberately limited character whose self-image never matches the situation.
4. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage lives with Muriel and Eustace in a remote farmhouse where strange threats keep arriving. Its unnerving imagery and eerie atmosphere make it one of the channel’s most distinctive blends of horror and comedy.
5. Ed, Edd n Eddy
Three friends scheme for money to buy jawbreakers, with their mismatched personalities turning simple plans into neighborhood-scale chaos. The elastic animation and escalating cons give the series a strong comic rhythm.
6. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
After a bet goes wrong, Grim becomes the reluctant companion of two children with very different temperaments. The series draws comedy from that uneasy trio and its willingness to turn macabre ideas into absurd situations.
7. Codename: Kids Next Door
A secret organization of children fights adult rules and inconveniences with elaborate treehouse bases and improvised technology. Its spy-adventure framework makes childhood complaints feel like missions of world-saving importance.
Rank #2
8. Samurai Jack
A displaced samurai searches for a way home after an evil force sends him into the future. The action is strikingly visual and often spacious, setting it apart from faster, dialogue-heavy cartoons.
9. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
At a home for imaginary friends whose children have outgrown them, a boy helps manage the residents and their conflicts. The premise supports both inventive character designs and stories about friendship and change.
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At a summer camp, an energetic monkey and his friends turn ordinary camp life into comic misadventures. Its relaxed setting and lively ensemble offer a lighter counterpoint to the network’s more action-driven series.
11. The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
Flapjack and his companions pursue the promise of adventure and treasure from a harbor town. Its oddball humor and deliberately rough, storybook-like visual atmosphere make it a memorable offbeat entry.
12. Chowder
An apprentice chef follows his appetite and curiosity through a fantastical food world. The show’s playful visual interruptions and food-centered absurdity give its everyday mishaps an unusual texture.
13. Ben 10
A boy gains a device that lets him transform into different alien forms, then uses them to face threats. The transformation-driven action gives episodes a clear engine while leaving room for an expanding science-fiction world.
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Rank #3
- Factory sealed DVD
14. The Secret Saturdays
A family of cryptozoologists investigates hidden creatures and unusual mysteries. Its adventure setup leans into exploration and family teamwork rather than the school-and-neighborhood settings common to many cartoons.
15. Adventure Time
Finn and Jake roam a fantastical land filled with strange places, characters, and dangers. It can deliver playful standalone adventures while also building a larger world and longer-running character stories.
16. Regular Show
Two friends working at a park turn small chores into surreal disasters. The contrast between mundane jobs and wildly escalating consequences is the show’s dependable comic device.
17. The Amazing World of Gumball
Gumball and his family navigate school, home, and an unpredictable town. Its mix of animation styles and visual techniques helps everyday misunderstandings become inventive comic set pieces.
18. Steven Universe
Steven grows up alongside the Crystal Gems, learning about their history and his place in it. Its emotional focus and serialized storytelling make it a distinctive choice for viewers looking for more than episodic comedy.
19. Over the Garden Wall
Two brothers journey through a strange, storybook-like wilderness while trying to find their way home. Its compact, atmospheric adventure offers a different pace from the channel’s long-running episodic comedies.
Rank #4
- Movie dvd
20. We Bare Bears
Three bear brothers try to fit into human society and build a life together. The show’s gentle humor comes from their contrasting personalities and the awkwardness of navigating everyday social life.
21. Time Squad
A mismatched team travels through history to correct events they believe have gone off course. Its time-travel premise provides a framework for comic clashes between the team’s expectations and the past.
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A clever, accomplished weasel is constantly accompanied by the less capable Baboon. Their unequal partnership supplies a compact, recurring contrast that drives the comedy.
23. Cow and Chicken
Siblings Cow and Chicken get caught up in bizarre situations, often involving the scheming Red Guy. Its deliberately absurd logic and exaggerated characters put it among the channel’s more surreal comedies.
24. Mike, Lu & Og
A city girl living on a remote island adjusts to life with the island’s children, including the inventive Og. The culture-clash setup gives the series a distinct setting among Cartoon Network’s family comedies.
25. My Gym Partner’s a Monkey
A paperwork mix-up sends a boy to a school for animals, where his closest friend is a monkey. The animal-school setting turns ordinary student life into a steady source of comic mismatches.
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26. Generator Rex
Rex uses his ability to create mechanical machines from his body to fight dangerous mutations. Its action-focused premise and science-fiction stakes broaden the list beyond comedy-led series.
27. The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
Juniper balances ordinary childhood responsibilities with her role protecting the boundary between the human world and a magical one. That double life gives the series a clear mix of fantasy action and family comedy.
28. Secret Mountain Fort Awesome
A group of monstrous friends share a hideout and stumble through chaotic adventures. Its intentionally strange premise makes it a less conventional pick, included here to represent the network’s willingness to pursue oddball comedy.
29. The Problem Solverz
Three eccentric investigators take on bizarre cases in a highly stylized, visually intense world. It is a divisive-feeling choice by design: its unusual look makes it stand apart from the smoother house styles of many other cartoons.
30. The Moxy Show
An early Cartoon Network original built around Moxy, a cartoon character who introduces short animated segments. Its place on this list recognizes a less conventional format in the channel’s history, rather than treating every entry as a standard half-hour series.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose a show to rewatch
Start with the kind of cartoon you want rather than treating the ranking as a single measure of quality:
- For quick, self-contained comedy: try Johnny Bravo, Ed, Edd n Eddy, or Regular Show.
- For eerie or surreal storytelling: try Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow and Chicken, or The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.
- For action and adventure: try Samurai Jack, Ben 10, or Generator Rex.
- For a larger world or character arc: try Adventure Time, Steven Universe, or Over the Garden Wall.
- For an unusual format or visual approach: try The Moxy Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, or The Problem Solverz.
Where to watch older Cartoon Network shows
Cartoon Network’s official device page describes full episodes and video clips and lists Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and Xbox support. That general service information does not confirm that any particular older show is currently available. Streaming rights can vary by title, country, and date, so check the service available in your region for the specific program.
Why this is an editorial list, not an official ranking
Cartoon Network’s official ratings inventory and trademark catalog can help confirm program names and rights context, but neither is a comprehensive broadcast history or a ranked list. The trademark catalog also shows why rights should not be generalized across every property. TV Insider and JustWatch have published retrospective rankings with different scopes and title counts; their lists establish that these rankings are editorial choices, not a shared canonical order.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe sequence here reflects a balance of premise, visual identity, character dynamics, storytelling, and range across eras and genres. It is not based on a survey, viewership statistic, or industry-wide consensus.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
