Old Cartoon Network shows don't connect, so this nostalgia marathon runs in premiere order, from Dexter's Laboratory (1996) through the Cartoon Cartoons era to Ben 10 (2005). For one nostalgic weekend: Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog and Samurai Jack. The Fairly OddParents was a Nickelodeon show, so it sits with the Nickelodeon classics.
- Titles
- 18
- Series
- 18
- Watch time
- 396 hours
- Avg IMDb
- 7.5
Old Cartoon Network shows in release order
Here is every Old Cartoon Network title in the order it came out, 1996 to 2005: 0 films and 18 series.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dexter's Laboratory | 1996 | Series | 27h 28m | 7.8 |
| 2 | Johnny Bravo | 1997 | Series | 24h 28m | 7.2 |
| 3 | Cow and Chicken | 1997 | Series | 16h 28m | 6.5 |
| 4 | The Powerpuff Girls | 1998 | Series | 29h 54m | 7.3 |
| 5 | Ed, Edd n Eddy | 1999 | Series | 23h 50m | 7.4 |
| 6 | Mike, Lu & Og | 1999 | Series | 9h 32m | 6.2 |
| 7 | Courage the Cowardly Dog | 1999 | Series | 19h 4m | 8.3 |
| 8 | Samurai Jack | 2001 | Series | 23h 10m | 8.5 |
| 9 | Time Squad | 2001 | Series | 26h 30m | 7.5 |
| 10 | Justice League | 2001 | Series | 20h 48m | 8.5 |
| 11 | Codename: Kids Next Door | 2002 | Series | 28h 31m | 7.2 |
| 12 | Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? | 2002 | Series | 4h 48m | 6.5 |
| 13 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy | 2003 | Series | 34h 6m | 7.6 |
| 14 | Teen Titans | 2003 | Series | 24h 55m | 7.9 |
| 15 | Megas XLR | 2004 | Series | 9h 23m | 8.2 |
| 16 | Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | 2004 | Series | 30h 9m | 7.5 |
| 17 | Camp Lazlo | 2005 | Series | 23h 8m | 6.4 |
| 18 | Ben 10 | 2005 | Series | 19h 38m | 7.6 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For Cartoon Network Classics, release order and story order are the same thing: every series picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.
Where to start
Start with Dexter's Laboratory and go in release order.
The whole thing is 396 hours. At two hours a night that is about 198 evenings.
The three highest rated: Samurai Jack (8.5), Justice League (8.5), and Courage the Cowardly Dog (8.3).
Every Old Cartoon Network title, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1996 · Series · 27h 28m
Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter, a boy-genius with a secret laboratory, constantly battles his sister Dee Dee, who always gains access despite his best efforts to keep her out, as well as his arch-rival and neighbor, Mandark.
Why it matters: A boy genius, his secret lab and his sister Dee Dee.
- Starring
- Jeff Bennett, Kath Soucie, and Christine Cavanaugh
- Creator
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8
- Episodes
- 220 across 4 seasons
No. 02 · 1997 · Series · 24h 28m
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo tells the story of a biceps-bulging, karate-chopping free spirit who believes he is a gift from God to the women of the earth. Unfortunately for Johnny, everyone else sees him as a narcissistic Mama's boy with big muscles and even bigger hair. In short, he is the quintessential guy who 'just doesn't get it.' No matter what he does, or where he finds himself, he always winds up being his own worst enemy.
Why it matters: A muscle-bound Elvis wannabe who strikes out with every woman he meets.
- Starring
- Jeff Bennett, Brenda Vaccaro, and Mae Whitman
- Creator
- Van Partible
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2
- Episodes
- 181 across 4 seasons
No. 03 · 1997 · Series · 16h 28m
Cow and Chicken
Follows the surreal adventures of a cow, named Cow, and her chicken brother, named Chicken. They are often antagonized by "The Red Guy", who poses as various characters to scam them.
Why it matters: A cow and a chicken who are siblings, and the Red Guy.
- Starring
- Charlie Adler, Candi Milo, and Dee Bradley Baker
- Creator
- David Feiss
- Scores
- IMDb 6.5
- Episodes
- 156 across 4 seasons
No. 04 · 1998 · Series · 29h 54m
The Powerpuff Girls
A series about Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, three kindergarten-aged girls with superpowers, as well as their "father", the brainy scientist Professor Utonium, who all live in the fictional city of Townsville, USA. The girls are frequently called upon by the town's childlike and naive mayor to help fight nearby criminals using their powers.
Why it matters: Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup save Townsville before bedtime.
- Starring
- Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, and E. G. Daily
- Creator
- Craig McCracken
- Scores
- IMDb 7.3
- Episodes
- 135 across 6 seasons
No. 05 · 1999 · Series · 23h 50m
Ed, Edd n Eddy
Three adolescent boys, Ed, Edd "Double D", and Eddy, collectively known as "the Eds", constantly invent schemes to make money from their peers to purchase their favorite confectionery, jawbreakers. Their plans usually fail though, leaving them in various predicaments.
Why it matters: Three boys scheme for jawbreaker money in a cul-de-sac.
- Starring
- Matt Hill, Sam Vincent, and Tony Sampson
- Creator
- Danny Antonucci
- Scores
- IMDb 7.4
- Episodes
- 126 across 6 seasons
No. 06 · 1999 · Series · 9h 32m
Mike, Lu & Og
Mike, Lu, & Og features a spunky, red-haired girl named Mike, a stuck-up island princess named Lu and her cousin Og, a scientific genius.
Why it matters: A New York exchange student on a tiny island with its own customs.
- Starring
- Nika Futterman, Nancy Cartwright, and Dee Bradley Baker
- Creator
- Charles Swenson, Mikhail Aldashin, and Mikhail Shindel
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2
- Episodes
- 26 across 2 seasons
No. 07 · 1999 · Series · 19h 4m
Courage the Cowardly Dog
The bizarre misadventures of a cowardly dog named Courage and his elderly owners in a farmhouse in Nowhere, Kansas.
Why it matters: A frightened dog protects his elderly owners from the horrors of Nowhere.
- Starring
- Marty Grabstein, Thea White, and Simon Prebble
- Creator
- John R. Dilworth
- Scores
- IMDb 8.3
- Episodes
- 102 across 4 seasons
No. 08 · 2001 · Series · 23h 10m
Samurai Jack
A great warrior is displaced to the distant future by the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku. The world has become a bleak place under the rule of Aku, segregated into fantastic tribes and ruled by Aku's evil robot warlords. Jack travels this foreign landscape in search of a time portal that can return him to his home time so he can "undo the future that is Aku!".
Why it matters: A samurai thrown into the future by the demon Aku, trying to get back.
- Starring
- Phil LaMarr, Mako, and Grey DeLisle
- Creator
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5
- Episodes
- 60 across 5 seasons
No. 09 · 2001 · Series · 26h 30m
Time Squad
The adventures of the Time Squad, a team of dysfunctional characters who travel through time to rectify any deviations in history.
Why it matters: A time cop, a robot and an orphan fix history.
- Starring
- Pamela Adlon, Rob Paulsen, and Mark Hamill
- Creator
- Dave Wasson
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5
- Episodes
- 53 across 2 seasons
No. 10 · 2001 · Series · 20h 48m
Justice League
The long-awaited rebirth of the greatest superhero team of all time: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.
Why it matters: The DC animated universe's Justice League, from Bruce Timm.
- Starring
- Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, and Susan Eisenberg
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5
- Episodes
- 50 across 2 seasons
No. 11 · 2002 · Series · 28h 31m
Codename: Kids Next Door
Taking numbers instead of names, five extraordinary 10-year-olds form a covert team called the Kids Next Door with one dedicated mission: to free all children from the tyrannical rule of adults.
Why it matters: Kid operatives fight the tyranny of adults from a treehouse.
- Starring
- Ben Diskin, Lauren Tom, and Dee Bradley Baker
- Creator
- Tom Warburton
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2
- Episodes
- 139 across 6 seasons
No. 12 · 2002 · Series · 4h 48m
Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?
Robot Jones, a robotic teenager, attends a suburban middle school.
Why it matters: A robot attends junior high in the 1980s.
- Starring
- Grey DeLisle, MacInTalk, and Kyle Sullivan
- Creator
- Greg Miller
- Scores
- IMDb 6.5
- Episodes
- 26 across 2 seasons
No. 13 · 2003 · Series · 34h 6m
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
The exploits of the Grim Reaper, who has been forced into being the best friend of two children. A spin-off of the show Grim & Evil.
Why it matters: Two kids win the Grim Reaper as their best friend in a game of limbo.
- Starring
- Vanessa Marshall, Greg Eagles, and Richard Steven Horvitz
- Creator
- Maxwell Atoms
- Scores
- IMDb 7.6
- Episodes
- 184 across 7 seasons
No. 14 · 2003 · Series · 24h 55m
Teen Titans
Fighting for truth, justice and the last slice of pizza, these five superheroes are living proof you're never too young to save the planet. Protecting Earth and beyond, the Teen Titans use martial arts and gadgetry to battle villains.
Why it matters: Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy in Titans Tower.
- Starring
- Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, and Khary Payton
- Scores
- IMDb 7.9
- Episodes
- 65 across 5 seasons
No. 15 · 2004 · Series · 9h 23m
Megas XLR
Megas XLR is a series about an overweight couch potato named Coop who stumbles across a giant robot in a junkyard. He soon discovers that the robot was sent from the future when a woman named Kiva returns to the past to claim what is rightfully hers, though Coop made so many modification to the machine so he's the only one who can fully operate it. Things also heat up when Coop learns that an alien race called the Glorft are also after his MEGAS robot, so he teams up with Kiva and his best friend Jamie to fight them off, though mostly so he can keep his new toy.
Why it matters: A slacker from Jersey finds a giant robot from the future.
- Starring
- Steve Blum, David DeLuise, and Wendee Lee
- Creator
- George Krstic and Jody Schaeffer
- Scores
- IMDb 8.2
- Episodes
- 26 across 2 seasons
No. 16 · 2004 · Series · 30h 9m
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
What happens when a child outgrows his trusty Imaginary Friend, the pal that stuck with him through all of the highs and lows of growing up? Well, these creations pack up and head for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends! Foster's is a one-of-a-kind Victorian mansion filled with hundreds of unique characters from all over the world, thought up by completely different children for completely different reasons. These creatures all live together in this vast, sprawling home with more rooms than you could ever dream possible! Mac, a clever but somewhat shy 8-year-old boy, discovers Foster's when his mom tells him he's too old for his Imaginary Friend Blooregard. Not ready to part with his trouble making best buddy, Mac takes Bloo to Foster's with the hope of giving him a safe place to live, while still being able to visit every day.
Why it matters: A home for imaginary friends whose kids have outgrown them.
- Starring
- Keith Ferguson, Sean Marquette, and Grey DeLisle
- Creator
- Craig McCracken
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5
- Episodes
- 82 across 6 seasons
No. 17 · 2005 · Series · 23h 8m
Camp Lazlo
The series is set in a universe inhabited solely by anthropomorphic animals of many species and focuses on a trio of campers attending a poorly run summer camp known as Camp Kidney. The trio consists of Lazlo, the eccentric, optimistic spider monkey; Raj, the timid Indian elephant; and Clam, the quiet albino pygmy rhinoceros, and their multiple surreal misadventures.
Why it matters: A spider monkey at a scout camp full of animals.
- Starring
- Steve Little, Carlos Alazraqui, and Mr. Lawrence
- Creator
- Joe Murray
- Scores
- IMDb 6.4
- Episodes
- 114 across 5 seasons
No. 18 · 2005 · Series · 19h 38m
Ben 10
When 10-year-old Ben Tennyson discovers a mysterious device, he gains the power to change into ten different alien heroes, each with uniquely awesome powers. With such abilities at his disposal, Ben realizes a greater responsibility to help others and stop evildoers, but that doesn't mean he's above a little superpowered mischief now and then.
Why it matters: A boy finds the Omnitrix, a watch that turns him into ten aliens.
- Starring
- Tara Strong, Meagan Moore, and Paul Eiding
- Creator
- Duncan Rouleau, Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, and Steven T. Seagle
- Scores
- IMDb 7.6
- Episodes
- 52 across 4 seasons
The best and worst rated Old Cartoon Network shows
Across 18 rated titles, Cartoon Network Classics averages 7.5 on IMDb. The top of the list is Samurai Jack at 8.5, then Justice League (8.5) and Courage the Cowardly Dog (8.3). At the bottom: Mike, Lu & Og (6.2) and Camp Lazlo (6.4).
- Samurai Jack8.5
- Justice League8.5
- Courage the Cowardly Dog8.3
- Megas XLR8.2
- Teen Titans7.9
- Dexter's Laboratory7.8
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy7.6
- Ben 107.6
- Time Squad7.5
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends7.5
Who appears in the most Old Cartoon Network shows
Tom Kenny leads with 9 appearances as Lucky and Pirate Kid, ahead of Jeff Bennett (8) and Dee Bradley Baker (8). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Kenny | Lucky / Pirate Kid | 9 | Dexter's Laboratory (1996) to Camp Lazlo (2005) |
| Jeff Bennett | Dad / Johnny Bravo | 8 | Dexter's Laboratory (1996) to Camp Lazlo (2005) |
| Dee Bradley Baker | Man #2 / Billy | 8 | Dexter's Laboratory (1996) to Ben 10 (2005) |
| Candi Milo | Elsie / Granny | 6 | Dexter's Laboratory (1996) to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004) |
| Jennifer Hale | Ms. Keane / Princess Morbucks | 6 | Johnny Bravo (1997) to Codename: Kids Next Door (2002) |
| Tara Strong | Bubbles / Little Girl | 6 | The Powerpuff Girls (1998) to Ben 10 (2005) |
| Phil LaMarr | Samurai Jack / Green Lantern | 5 | Samurai Jack (2001) to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004) |
| Kath Soucie | Mom / Margery | 4 | Dexter's Laboratory (1996) to Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999) |
| Rob Paulsen | Gold Fish / Wolf | 4 | Dexter's Laboratory (1996) to Time Squad (2001) |
| Grey DeLisle | The High Priestess / Crab Soccer Coach | 4 | Samurai Jack (2001) to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004) |
| Tom Kane | Announcer / Roman Soldier | 3 | Cow and Chicken (1997) to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004) |
| Kevin Michael Richardson | Woolie / Mammoth | 3 | Samurai Jack (2001) to Megas XLR (2004) |
Old Cartoon Network directors and creators
20 filmmakers have directed or created Cartoon Network Classics; Genndy Tartakovsky has the most, with 2.
- Genndy TartakovskyDexter's Laboratory (1996) and Samurai Jack (2001)
- Craig McCrackenThe Powerpuff Girls (1998) and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004)
- Van PartibleJohnny Bravo (1997)
- David FeissCow and Chicken (1997)
- Danny AntonucciEd, Edd n Eddy (1999)
- Charles SwensonMike, Lu & Og (1999)
- Mikhail AldashinMike, Lu & Og (1999)
- Mikhail ShindelMike, Lu & Og (1999)
- John R. DilworthCourage the Cowardly Dog (1999)
- Dave WassonTime Squad (2001)
- Tom WarburtonCodename: Kids Next Door (2002)
- Greg MillerWhatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (2002)
- Maxwell AtomsThe Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003)
- George KrsticMegas XLR (2004)
- Jody SchaefferMegas XLR (2004)
- Joe MurrayCamp Lazlo (2005)
How long it takes to watch every Old Cartoon Network show
All 18 titles add up to 396 hours. That is about 198 two-hour evenings, or 40 days of ten-hour binges.
Start the first series and see if it hooks you.
Everything takes about 13 months.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Old Cartoon Network shows in?
Old Cartoon Network shows don't connect, so this nostalgia marathon runs in premiere order, from Dexter's Laboratory (1996) through the Cartoon Cartoons era to Ben 10 (2005). For one nostalgic weekend: Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog and Samurai Jack. The Fairly OddParents was a Nickelodeon show, so it sits with the Nickelodeon classics.
How many Old Cartoon Network movies and shows are there?
There are 18 titles in the Cartoon Network Classics franchise: 0 films and 18 series, released from 1996 to 2005.
How long does it take to watch all the Old Cartoon Network shows?
About 396 hours for all 18 titles, counting every episode.
What is the first Old Cartoon Network title in chronological order?
Dexter's Laboratory, set in A secret lab. In release order the first is Dexter's Laboratory (1996).
What is the best Old Cartoon Network title?
By IMDb score, Samurai Jack (2001) at 8.5, followed by Justice League at 8.5.
Who has appeared in the most Old Cartoon Network shows?
Tom Kenny, in 9 of them as Lucky.
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