13 Classic Cartoon Network Originals From the Powerhouse Era, Ranked

I Am Weasel originally started out as a segment of Cow & Chicken, where it thrived. But when it became its own standalone series, it completely fell out of favor. The cartoon showcases a smart, noble, successful weasel and an idiotic, rude, unsuccessful Baboon that are enemies as much as they are friends. Beginning in 1999, the segments were separated into a full series, which was joined by a fifth season. Overall the series includes 79 episodes.

This underrated gen revolves around teenage slackers Coop and Jamie, that find a mecha robot called Megas that they customize with a car and Joystick in order to pilot it. The New Jersey duo, alongside the previous pilot of Megas, Kiva, must defend Earth from the alien race known as the Glorft. It was a short-lived, single-season cartoon that spoofed the mecha anime genre that its Toonami block was known for airing. Despite low ratings, the series was met with positive reception, with several fan efforts and petitions to revive the show since its cancellation.

Star Wars: Clone Wars (not to be confused with the 2008 computer-animated series) is a 2D animated series by Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky. So it’s basically Samurai Jack with lightsabers, down to a fault, even. There’s not a lot of dialogue between the very long action sequences, but a great deal of the action remains the most memorable aspect of the show. The series aired on Cartoon Network for three seasons consisting of 25 episodes altogether from November 7, 2003, to March 25, 2005, and was the first Star Wars television series since the ‘85 Ewoks show.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast is the first original series entirely produced by Cartoon Network and served as a reboot and sequel series of the original ‘60s cartoon. It also serves as the cornerstone for what would become Adult Swim and the type of content they go on to produce. Early seasons are more of a parody of late-night talk shows, while later seasons rely more on surrealism and non-sequitur humor. It also bridged the gap between the Powerhouse era and the Checkboard era, and the only reason it isn’t higher is that Adult Swim was a better home for it, despite being a delightfully risque watch for a kid.

The series follows the adventures of a diverse group of five 10-year-old children who operate from a high-tech treehouse, fighting against adult and teen villains with “advanced 2×4 technology.” In 2001, the show’s pilot episode, “No P in the OOL,” won a Cartoon Network viewer’s poll, and as a result, Codename: Kids Next Door was greenlit to become a series and remains animation studio Curious Pictures’ most popular production.

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy began as a series of segments on Grim & Evil, from which it was a spin-off, along with its sister series Evil Con Carne, on August 24, 2001. But once the show split into two, Billy & Mandy grew in popularity while the other waivered. The thought of a Grim Reaper with a Jamaican accent, an idiot sidekick, and a little girl eviler than death itself was a working formula: it’s had three spin-ff movies, a crossover episode with Kids Next Door, and a few video games.

This early Cartoon Network Original classic first appeared in the showcase series What a Cartoon! Before getting officially greenlit. The series followed the misadventures of two (somehow) biological siblings, the sweet Cow and the cynical Chicken (voiced by Charlie Adler.) The antagonist is usually the Red Guy (Adler again) in an attempt to scam them somehow or trick them into going to hell. Pretty adult stuff. It felt like one of the final kids’ cartoons that wanted to appeal to adults as well.

Coincidentally, this is the last original Cartoon Network show to be entirely produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons.

This show is centered on the titular hodgepodge combination of Elvis and James Dean, who lives at home with his mom and unsuccessfully womanizes any chance he gets. Although it was for kids, the Hanna-Barbera-produced cartoon also indulged adults with risque jokes and pop culture references. The show’s creative team went on to create many successful cartoons, including writer Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), writer/director Butch Hartman & Steve Marmel (The Fairly OddParents, and director John McIntyre (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.)

It’s a hilarious concept that could still work today, and fun fact: there was a live-action film in the works “as a potential starring vehicle” for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but it never came to fruition.

The original pilot for this show, “The Chicken from Outer Space,” was so great that it was nominated for an Academy Award. During its run, Courage the Cowardly Dog received critical acclaim and, over the years, has developed a strong cult following.  It was also nominated for three Golden Reel Awards and won one Annie Award. Equally humorous and horrific, the show follows the titular cowardly dog Courage, who lives with his owner, the sweet Merile, and her grumpy husband, Eustace.

The pup has become an icon of the Powerhouse era and is so popular he’s teamed up with Scooby-Doo in a crossover movie called Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Feeling confined to “gross” and “edgy” work, such as his series The Brothers Grunt, creator Danny Antonucci decided to produce the animated children’s show Ed, Edd n Eddy. It became one of the most popular Cartoon Network originals after Nickelodeon denied Antonucci creative control. The show follows the lives of “the Eds,” three scheming boys who all share variations of nicknames of Edward but differ significantly in their personalities.

The series ran for nearly 11 years, making it the longest-running Cartoon Network original series, and ended with a network film Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show, in 2009.

Genndy Tartakovsky’s passion project, Samurai Jack, pushed boundaries on how an American animation could pay homage to its influences at the time, akin to Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show follows an unnamed samurai (who later takes on the name Jack) in a battle throughout time to defeat the devil-shapeshifting demon lord known as Aku. The series has garnered critical acclaim and won eight Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, six Annie Awards, and an OIAF Award.

It returned twelve years after its Season 4 conclusion on Adult Swim, with more mature themes and a cohesive narrative concluding Jack’s journey.

Craig McCracken’s The Powerpuff Girls aired for six seasons, three specials, and a 2002 feature film, with its 78th and final episode airing in 2005. It also aired a Christmas special, a tenth anniversary special, and a special CGI  episode. Various spin-off media include anime, three soundtracks, comic books, a series of video games, a 2016 reboot series, an upcoming second reboot, and more. During its run, the series has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, nine Annie Awards, and a Kids’ Choice Award. TV Guide also chose the show as number 13 in a list of the 50 Greatest cartoon characters of all time.

PPG revolves around the adventures of three kindergarten-aged girls with various superpowers, defending their town from several monsters and villains.

Dexter’s Laboratory follows an enthusiastic boy-genius with a hidden science laboratory in his room full of inventions, which he keeps secret from his clueless parents and more extroverted sister Dee Dee, who blows his experiments to smithereens. It is Tartakovsky’s magnum opus and the first showcase from What a Cartoon! at Hanna-Barbera and the face of Cartoon Network for a time. Dexter’s Laboratory won three Annie Awards, with nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Reel Awards, and nine other Annie Awards. It’s also notable for helping launch the careers of animators Craig McCracken, Seth MacFarlane, Butch Hartman, Paul Rudish, and Rob Renzetti.

Dexter’s Laboratory was one of Cartoon Network’s highest-rated original series for years; it had its own balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and helped establish an overall look of popular original cartoons on the network going forward.