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(#1) Megas XLR
- Clancy Brown, Kevin Michael Richardson, Steven Blum, David DeLuise, Wendee Lee
Megas XLR got a full series from the network after its pilot episode won the 2002 Cartoon Cartoon Weekend Summerfest contest. The show follows a pair of slackers defending Earth with the help of mecha robot Megas XLR. While fan support was massive at the start, the show was canceled after two seasons in 2005. A number of fan campaigns have been launched to revive the series, but co-creator George Krstic stated it can't be done. In a 2014 interview with Untied magazine, Krstic said:
We've been trying everything and anything for the past ten years to try and get things going again - from buying the rights back, to licensing to a sanctioned reboot and the answer has always been "No way."
Animation company Titmouse, which would go on to work on Metalocalypse and Avatar: The Last Airbender, worked on Megas XLR's main titles.
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(#2) Time Squad
- Mark Hamill, Rob Paulsen, Pamela Adlon, Michael Gough
Time Squad follows a trio of time travelers trying to change the past to protect the future. While they're on their journey, they run into some noticeable historical figures.
Time Squad became the first cartoon produced solely through Cartoon Network Studios. During its two-season run, the show earned five Annie Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Production.
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(#3) Sym-Bionic Titan
- Tara Strong, Kevin Thoms, Brian Posehn
Animated sci-fi series Sym-Bionic Titan deals with a trio of aliens posing as humans after crash-landing on Earth. When things get intense, the aliens combine to form Sym-Bionic Titan. The show was co-created by Genndy Tartakovsky, who created Cartoon Network classics Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory. The show only lasted one season. Given the show's cliffhanger ending, Tartakovsky still hopes to revive it to resolve everything. In a 2017 interview with Polygon, he said:
If someone offered me money to finish up Titan, I'd do it. We had a John Hughes-type teenage comedy with action and it was... When you have babies, sometimes they grow up and have a life of their own and sometimes they don't find their footing. Jack grew up and moved on, and he needed an ending. I think my movie for Titan would be like... what was the name of it? Pacific Rim. Like that but without all the humor removed.
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(#4) The Secret Saturdays
- Sam Lerner, Diedrich Bader, Phil Morris
In The Secret Saturdays, the Saturdays are a family of cryptozoologists trying to protect society from cryptids. The show, which lasted two seasons, has the distinction of being the first-ever HD original series on the network. Three years after its 2010 cancellation, the Saturdays appeared on an episode of Ben 10: Omniverse.
The Secret Saturdays was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television.
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(#5) Evil Con Carne
- Frank Welker, Phil LaMarr, Grey Griffin
As a spinoff of Grim & Evil, Evil Con Carne follows the misadventures of the diabolical Hector Con Carne. The series debuted around the same time as sister series The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Unfortunately, it couldn't match the level of success of Billy & Mandy. Evil Con Carne was canceled after 35 episodes.
Three years after its cancellation, a crossover episode with Billy & Mandy was released.
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(#6) The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
- Lara Jill Miller, Alexander Polinsky, Candi Milo
Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Simpsons, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee follows Juniper Lee's quest to save the world with magic abilities. As expected, she has to do this while focusing on school.
Debuting in 2005, the show had a three-season run before concluding in 2007. In 2006, show animator Frederick J. Gardner III won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
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(#7) Chowder
- Tara Strong, Dwight Schultz, John DiMaggio, Dana Snyder, C.H. Greenblatt, Nicky Jones
Chowder revolves around the eponymous character's journey as a catering apprentice. The show managed to combine traditional animation, live-action scenes, puppets, and stop-motion animation for a unique experience. In 2009, Chowder animator Joe Binggeli won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
The show was canceled after three seasons because the network didn't see it click with its ever-changing demographic. Rapper Lil Nas X paid tribute to the series with his song "Panini," which is named after the show's cabbit (half-rabbit/half-cat).
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(#8) The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
- Thurop Van Orman, Brian Doyle-Murray, Jeff Bennett
Thurop Van Orman brought his childhood dreams to life with The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. The show follows the title character's search for Candied Island along with Captain K'nuckles and a talking whale named Bubbie. Orman decided to voice Flapjack after actor Paul Reubens neglected to attend any recording sessions.
The show's animator, Chris Roszak, won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. After the show's cancellation, storyboard artists Pendleton Ward and J.G. Quintel went on to create hit shows Adventure Time and Regular Show, respectively.
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(#9) Class of 3000
- André Benjamin, Jennifer Hale, Tom Kenny
OutKast star Andre 3000 jumped to the network with Class of 3000, which debuted in 2006. The series, which he co-produced with Thomas W. Lynch, follows Sunny Bridges, who becomes a music teacher after years of being a famed recording artist.
Several episodes of the show were written by former My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic showrunner Meghan McCarthy. Class of 3000 lasted two seasons on Cartoon Network.
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(#10) Mike, Lu & Og
- Nika Futterman, Dee Bradley Baker, Nancy Cartwright
What happens when you put a foreign exchange student, a princess, and a genius on an island? Well, you get Mike, Lu & Og, which debuted in 1999. The series only lasted two seasons before being canceled in 2001. Voice actors such as Nancy Cartwright and Dee Bradley Baker helped bring these vibrant characters to life.
In 2000, the show was nominated for Best Animated TV Show or Series at the Young Artist Awards.
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(#11) Sheep in the Big City
- Kevin Seal, Mo Willems, Ken Schatz
Sheep in the Big City deals with a sheep hiding from General Specific by traversing the Big City. Unfortunately, Specific knows Sheep is in hiding, and will stop at nothing to capture the animal.
At the time, the show had the highest-rated series premiere in the channel's history. The show stood out for its brand of humor, which involved the constant breaking of the fourth wall. Sheep in the Big City featured guest appearances from longtime Sesame Street puppeteers Fran Brill and Jerry Nelson.
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(#12) Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?
- Myles Jeffrey, Gary LeRoi Gray, Seth Green
Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? landed on the network after entering the Voice Your Choice Weekend contest, which allowed viewers to vote for their favorite pilot episode. Though it took second place, the network chose to give it a full series.
The show follows Robot Jones trying to adapt to human life at Polyneux Middle School. While the show ended its two-season run in 2003, Robot Jones made a cameo appearance in a 2018 episode of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.
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(#13) Squirrel Boy
- Billy West, Tom Kenny, Kurtwood Smith, Pamela Adlon, Charles Shaughnessy, Carlos Alazraqui, Richard Steven Horvitz, Nancy Sullivan
Duckman creator Everett Peck landed on the network with Squirrel Boy. The show deals with the misadventures of a squirrel named Rodney, voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz. The show's unaired pilot found Rob Paulsen taking on the title role.
After two seasons, the show was canceled in 2007. The following year, however, Squirrel Boy returned in a series of shorts lasting from January through April. The show was nominated for three Annie Awards, including one for Best Music in an Animated Television Production.
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(#14) Robotomy
- Eliza Dushku, Patton Oswalt, Lewis Black, Kate McKinnon, Dana Snyder, Michael Sinterniklaas
After several failed pitches to the network, Michael Buckley and Joe Deasy hit the jackpot with Robotomy. The show follows two robots attending high school on the planet Insanus. The series, which debuted in 2010, only lasted 10 episodes. During its run, Kate McKinnon, Gilbert Gottfried, Lewis Black, Lisa Lampanelli, and Lil Jon made guest appearances.
Robotomy was added to Netflix in 2013, but it was removed two years later.
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(#15) Big Bag
- María Conchita Alonso, Kevin Clash, Fran Brill, Alice Dinnean, Cullen Douglas, James Spector
Debuting in 1996, Big Bag was co-produced by the network and Sesame Workshop. The show deals with Chelli and her friend Bag running a local store together. While working, they run into a number of human characters portrayed mostly by Cullen Douglas and Clare Sera.
The series lasted two seasons before ending in 1998. This was one of the few preschool shows aired on Cartoon Network.
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(#16) Out of Jimmy's Head
- Brian Posehn, Tom Kenny, Carlos Alazraqui, Ellen Greene, Dominic Janes, Bil Dwyer, Rachel Quaintance, Matt Knudsen
Out of Jimmy's Head became Cartoon Network's first live-action/animated hybrid series. Based on Cartoon Network's film Re-Animated, the show follows Jimmy Roberts, who is stuck seeing animated visions thanks to a brain transplant from a cartoonist. Unfortunately, Roberts is the prime target of the cartoonist's son Sonny, who wants his father's brain for himself.
The 2007 Writers Guild of America strike led to writers not being involved with the show's post-production. Following its initial 20-episode run, the show wasn't renewed for a second season. Its sole season won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series.
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(#17) Tower Prep
- Drew Van Acker, Ryan Pinkston
While Paul Dini is mainly known for his acclaimed work in animation, the producer/writer created the live-action series Tower Prep for Cartoon Network. The show deals with students harboring special abilities while attending Tower Prep. While Dini had five seasons in mind for the show, the network canceled the show after just one. One major reason for the cancellation reportedly had to do with the increased female viewership. In an interview on Kevin Smith's Fatman on Batman podcast, Dini said:
They're all for boys "we do not want the girls," I mean, I've heard executives say this, you know, not [where I am], but at other places, saying like, "We do not want girls watching this show."
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(#18) The Othersiders
- Derek Shetterly, Jackie, Kc
Inspired by Ghost Hunters, The Othersiders deals with teens discovering paranormal activity in haunted locations. Some of the areas they explore include the Mojave Airport Boneyard and the Santa Barbara Courthouse.
While the show appeared weekly during Season 1, the second (and final) season found new episodes dropping every few days. A few episodes landed exclusively online so the series finale could land the day before Halloween. The show was co-produced and written by Zig Gauthier, who went on to work for Ghost Hunters.
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(#19) The Moxy Show
- Chris Rock, Penn Jillette, Bobcat Goldthwait
The Moxy Show, which debuted in 1993, was Cartoon Network's first original series. The anthology series brought old cartoons together with the help of Moxy (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Flea (Penn Jillette). Out of 24 episodes aired, only two have been posted online. The lost series didn't air on the network again after it ceased reruns in 1996.
Nearly 23 years after the show's 1995 conclusion, Moxy resurfaced in a 2018 episode of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes titled "Crossover Nexus."
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(#20) Sunday Pants
In October 2005, Sunday Pants offered an alternative to what aired on the network at the time. Reminiscent of What a Cartoon!, this anthology series included animated shorts and pilots from around the world. The show was slated to return in February 2006, but was canceled instead.
Sunday Pants helped launch the successful animated series Bernard, which ran for six years in South Korea. Other prominent shorts featured on the show were The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers and IMP.
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About This Tool
In 1992, when President Bill Clinton first took office, the first 24-hour animation channel in the United States was launched. Although Nickelodeon also flourished soon after, Cartoon Network has become the first choice for a number of cartoon fans. Cartoon Network relies on a small group of outstanding cartoon creators and voice talents to create some of the most famous cartoons, no lack of cartoon series that have won Emmy Awards.
Cartoon Network broadcasted some of the most iconic kids' TV shows in history, such as Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, and Courage the Cowardly Dog, etc. The random tool lists 20 overlooked Cartoon Network shows you may not remember.
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