Cartoons, Ranked

A fully serialized 61-episode arc with martial-arts-based bending, a redemption story in Zuko widely cited as one of TV's best, and a near-flawless finale. Routinely tops best-animated-series lists.

The longest-running American scripted primetime series, on air since 1989 with 800+ episodes. Its 1990s golden age reshaped what animation could satirize and coined phrases now in the dictionary.

Emmy-winning 1990s series with painted black backgrounds ('Dark Deco') and Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill defining Batman and the Joker for a generation. It introduced Harley Quinn, later folded into the DC comics canon.

Nickelodeon's highest-rated series and a global merchandising juggernaut since 1999, with early Stephen Hillenburg seasons endlessly quotable and meme-generating. Its cultural footprint is enormous.

Alex Hirsch's two-season Disney series packed with ciphers, foreshadowing, and a planned ending that stuck the landing. Critically adored and fiercely rewatched for its hidden codes.

Adult Swim's flagship blends hard-sci-fi concepts with genuine emotional damage, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program twice (2018 and 2020). Its cult following once caused a McDonald's sauce riot.

Fortiche's League of Legends adaptation set a new bar for TV animation, becoming the first streaming series to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 2022. Its painterly style stunned even non-gamers.

Hanna-Barbera's cat-and-mouse shorts won seven Academy Awards, tying Disney's Silly Symphonies for the most in the Best Animated Short category. Nearly dialogue-free, it plays in any language on Earth.

Bugs Bunny, Daffy, and the Warner Bros. gang defined comic timing and the fourth-wall break for animation. Directors like Chuck Jones are studied in film schools today.

Cartoon Network's post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo started as absurdist comedy and grew into surprisingly deep lore about loss and identity. Won eight Emmys across its run.

Rebecca Sugar's series broke ground on LGBTQ representation in kids' TV and used its magical Gems for genuine emotional storytelling. Its songs earned real critical praise.

Its crude cutout look hides a turnaround so fast it can lampoon news within days, running since 1997 with five Primetime Emmys. Consistently one of the sharpest satires on television, if wildly uneven.

The 1969 original launched a franchise that has never really stopped, spawning dozens of series and films. Endlessly comforting, but the mystery-of-the-week template rarely surprises.

Seth MacFarlane's hit has run 20+ seasons since 1999 on the strength of rapid-fire cutaway gags. Its reliance on non-sequitur jokes over story wears thin over long stretches.

For over a decade the longest-running Cartoon Network original series, defined by rubbery hand-drawn animation and scam-of-the-day plots. Beloved for its style, though its one-note premise limits it.

This comedy spin-off drew heavy fan backlash for ditching the original 2003 show's action and character depth for gag-driven filler. It is commercially successful but critically dismissed.

A feature-length ad for smartphone apps that scored 6% on Rotten Tomatoes and swept the Razzies, becoming shorthand for creatively bankrupt animation. A cautionary tale for the whole medium.

Adult Swim's gore-soaked series about a demonic dog leans almost entirely on graphic violence over craft or story. Its notoriety comes from being repellent rather than clever.