Summary

• Cartoon Network shows in the 2000s pushed boundaries, dominating TV with great cartoons for a decade.
• Total Drama offers a satirical take on reality TV shows, full of mature themes and hilarious antics.
• Mucha Lucha and Chowder introduced unique animation styles and storytelling with plenty of humor.

Although Cartoon Network started becoming popular in the '90s, it was in the 2000s when Cartoon Network shows really took off. The network had some great cartoons that started in the 2000s, and many of these shows carried over into the 2000s, proving that this was the best network on TV at the time for cartoons. Not only did the network have some great shows carrying into the 2000s, but it introduced some seriously memorable cartoons in the 2000s as well, giving Cartoon Network an entire decade of animated dominance.

Alongside the launch of Adult Swim in 2001 — the network's spinoff block of programs aimed at adults — Cartoon Network's regular programming simultaneously pushed the boundaries of animation for children. Today's more limited lineup presents a totally different landscape for the network, and so many continue to look back to the best Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s for next-level content and a hit of nostalgia from what was considered the Golden Age of Cartoon Network.

25 Total Drama (2007 – 2014)

A Hilarious Animated Satire Of Reality TV Shows

With several spin-offs and a revival, it's not too far-fetched to say that Total Drama continues to be one of the best Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s. The Survivor-like show is essentially a satirical depiction of reality TV, with each season revolving around a group of teenagers who join a competition and try to avoid elimination. It's certainly a show with more mature themes, as the competitors (much like on regular reality TV shows) develop relationships, fight, and backstab each other to stay in the game.

Total Drama was created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis, premiering initially in Canada before moving over the US Cartoon Network channel a year later in 2008. While it takes most of its inspiration from the show Survivor when it comes to its satire, it parodie many conventions ound across the wider genre of Reality TV — and the results are hilarious.

Total Drama is available to stream on Netflix.

24 Mucha Lucha (2002 – 2005)

Animated Luchador Adventures

Mexican wrestling is one of the country's most famous cultural exports, present in everything from WWE due to wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, through to Hollywood with movies like Nacho Libre. In 2002 Cartoon Network did its own spin on the sport with the animated show Mucha Lucha, which was also the first ever series created with Macromedia Flash. Set in the town of Luchaville, where almost every resident wears a Lucha Libre costume and has a signature move.

Not only is Mucha Lucha among the best wrestling TV shows, but it's also the first Western animated series focused on pro wrestling.

Not only is Mucha Lucha among the best wrestling TV shows, but it's also the first Western animated series focused on pro wrestling. Mucha Lucha stars Rikochet, Buena Girl, The Flea, and El Rey — students at the Foremost World-Renowned International School of Lucha. Though not as well-remembered as many of the other best Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s, Mucha Lucha's over-the-top depiction of the Mexican art of Lucha Libre makes it a must-see.

23 Chowder (2007 – 2010)

The Cartoon Network Show That Took Risks With Its Humor

The 2000s were an interesting time for animated kids shows, as the genre was moving away from some of the risqué humor of 90s offerings like Ren & Stimpy and into safer territory. This is what makes Chowder, released in 2007, feel like such an oddity. Chowder isn't about the popular soup, but it does involve an aspiring young cook named Chowder. Chowder is an interesting character that's a mix between a cat, bear, and rabbit. Despite wanting to be a chef, he gets involved in comical scenarios due to his impulse control issues.

He often eats customers' meals due to being always hungry — but that's not all. Chowder can also regurgitate items, and his stomach is basically its own storage unit. Considering Chowder's sexist jokes and oftentimes inappropriate material, there are some parts that haven't aged well, and it's more of an adult cartoon than one that's aimed at children.

Chowder is available to stream on Hulu and Max.

22 The Cramp Twins (2001 – 2004)

Sibling Rivalry Taken To The Extreme

The Cramp Twins used a unique animation style to tell the story of fraternal twins Lucien and Wayne Cramp and give life to its subtly surreal suburban setting of Soap City. While the twins' mother, Dorothy, is a germophobic mad scientist obsessed with cleaning, their father, Horace, has an even more obsessive attitude toward classic Western movies.

It has all the hallmarks that made the network's original content so popular during the decade, and almost every episode hits the mark when it comes to including laugh-out-loud humor.

Dorothy, Horace, and the other colorful residents of Soap City serve as supporting characters to the conflicts between the nerdy and nature-loving Lucien and the aggressive and blue-skinned scrap rat Wayne. While The Cramp Twins is one of many forgotten Cartoon Network shows from the era, though that doesn't stop it ranking among the best 00s Cartoon Network shows. It has all the hallmarks that made the network's original content so popular during the decade, and almost every episode hits the mark when it comes to including laugh-out-loud humor.

21 Time Squad (2001 – 2003)

Historical Hijinks And Outrageous Sci-Fi Abound

From the lovable Otto Osworth to the excitable Larry 3000, the Time Squad is tasked with maintaining the flow of time and ensuring that the future remains a flawless utopia. Undoubtedly one of the best Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s, Time Squad served almost like an after-school history class in the best ways possible, as the team of travelers meet figures like Abraham Lincoln and Sigmund Freud on their adventures.

The squad had to correct history's course by guiding these significant people down the right paths. Notably, while the comic book debut of Marvel's Kang the Conqueror far predates Time Squad, the cartoon aired over two decades before the Time Variant Authority debuted in Loki. Time Squad portrayed a far more lighthearted take on the idea of guardians of history, however, and while it's not as popular as some other Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s, it is certainly among the most imaginative.

20 Xiaolin Showdown (2003 – 2006)

Anime Tropes Repackaged With A Cartoon Network Aesthetic

Xiaolin Showdown was a 2000s Cartoon Network show that capitalized on the popularity of anime on the network thanks to shows like DragonBall Z, as well as elsewhere with offerings like Sailor Moon and Pokemon. In a world where martial arts and magic have become the norm, it's up to a group of Xiaolin warriors to make sure that evil forces don't steal the mystical artifacts known as the Shen Gon Wu, which can change everything in a good or terrible way, depending on who wields them.

The series also raises some surprisingly mature questions about morality

One of the best Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s, Xiaolin Showdown shows the struggles of brave characters like Omi and Kimiko Tohomiko as they travel the world to look for powerful artifacts and take on formidable enemies along the way. The series also raises some surprisingly mature questions about morality, with some of its heroes being tempted to use the artifacts for their own benefit.

19 Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends (2004 – 2009)

A Genuinely Emotional And Heartwarming Show

With original series creator Craig McCracken already working on the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends reboot, there's no better time to rewatch what many consider one of the best 2000s Cartoon Network show. Foster's Home represents the onset of truly surreal storytelling in Cartoon Network's regular programming. In this world where imaginary friends are physically real and coexist with humans, a young boy named Mac is pressured by his mother to abandon his imaginary friend, Bloo.

They soon discover a foster home for abandoned imaginary friends. As long as Mac visits Bloo there, he is safe from adoption, a heartwarming premise that gives way to hilarious narratives. Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends was also notable not just for its hilarity and incredibly unique animation style (even by Cartoon Network's standards), but also because it had more tearjerking and genuinely emotional moments than any other show on the network.

18 The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy (2001 – 2007)

The Grim Reaper Gets Thwarted By A Little Girl

Few Cartoon Network shows from the 2000s, or any other decade for that matter, feature a trio of characters as memorable as Billy, Mandy, and Grim. Echoing Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, Grim, the personification of death, loses a limbo match against the dim-witted and cheerful Billy and his ego-driven and cynical best friend Mandy, forcing the grim reaper to be under the servitude of these children.

The scenarios and characters in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy are incredibly horror-flavored, though the show isn't scary, instead portraying some dark concepts in an incredibly upbeat light.

As would be expected from the premise, the scenarios and characters in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy are incredibly horror-flavored, though the show isn't scary, instead portraying some dark concepts in an incredibly upbeat light. Unsurprisingly, many consider The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy to be foremost among the classic Cartoon Network shows that deserve movie adaptations. Curiously, viewers may not have realized Grim's constant desire to kill the two children at the beginning of the show.

17 Duck Dodgers (2003 – 2005)

Looney Tunes Goes Full Sci-Fi