Top 10 Courage the Cowardly Dog Episodes, Ranked

Courage the Cowardly Dog is on the cusp of a major comeback to Cartoon Network with Adult Swim’s new nostalgic block, Checkered Past, in just a few more days, so now is the perfect time to celebrate the best episodes of the series! To this day, Courage the Cowardly Dog is one of the most memorable shows ever released on Cartoon Network as it not only blended horror with its humor, but was also full of tons of slapstick and very dark situations that you wouldn’t find anywhere else at the time. It was a very striking balance that’s still hard to be matched today. 

Courage the Cowardly Dog is about to reach a whole new generation of fans as it returns to broadcast television as part of Checkered Past on Adult Swim, so that means it’s now the best time to point out which of the episodes that you should keep an eye out for the most. This list does not have every episode that was great in the series, so please let us know which are your favorites (and whether or not any made this list) in the comments! 

Read on for our picks for the Top 10 best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog, and let us know what you think of these picks! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

10. Muted Muriel (Season 4, Episode 7B)

This list had to include Shirley somewhere in it as she’s one of the more common chaotic presences in Courage’s life, but her episodes come with an undeserving edge. Someone’s usually punished (Eustace, in most cases) when they slight her, so she curses them in some way. But the best use of her actually comes completely at random when Muriel decides to stop speaking when Eustace ignores her. As a result Courage seeks out Shirley’s help, only for her to summon a giant starfish that would destroy the world unless Muriel spoke. It ends up making for one of the funniest uses of her chaos, and helps to showcase more of Muriel as she actually sticks up for herself to Eustace’s abuse. It’s rare, but always fun when it happens. 

9. Car Broke, Phone Yes (Season 2, Episode 10B)

Courage the Cowardly Dog has a sneaky way of getting under your skin with its catchphrases. There are many instances of characters repeating the same phrases, and many of the villains in the series had their own. One that stuck out to me after all these years is “Car broke. Phone, yes?” from “Car Broke, Phone Yes.” A combination of the alien design, the way the alien says this, and the fact it leads to an alien stealing Muriel’s kindness, and it makes for one of the most memorable episodes in the series overall. Muriel acts like Eustace for an episode, and it’s honestly scary how abusive she gets to Courage and always hilarious to hear her voice actress (the late Thea White) say stupid a bunch of times. The episodes where Muriel got to play around a bit were always the best. 

8. Katz Kandy (Season 2, Episode 6B)

Just like with Shirley, there just had to be a Katz episode somewhere on this list. While “A Night at the Katz Motel” might be the more iconic with Katz’s debut, the best episode adds a bit more of a playful Muriel to the mix. “Katz Kandy” sees Katz (and his fantastic theme) return to the series and reveals that he’s actually in direct competition with Muriel for the Nowhere sweets contest. After he captures Courage and Muriel with a monster jam, he tries to figure out the secret ingredient to her famous caramel coated apples that help her win the competition each year. 

This leads to a hilarious new competition between Courage and Katz (a staring contest where Katz says “Blink” a lot to get Courage to blink), Eustace’s selfishness actually helping to save the day, and one of the best examples of Muriel’s running gag that she likes to use vinegar in her recipes. There’s a lot packed into a sweet package here.

7. Freaky Fred (Season 1, Episode 3B)

But if you want to talk iconic villains, there’s an even smaller list of iconic one-off villains that left a memorable impact. The earliest and most prominent example has to be “Freaky Fred” as it introduces a barber named Fred who had a tendency to get “naaaauuughty” as he put it. Addicted to shaving off the hair when seeing fluffy furry animals or the luscious locks of his lover, Fred was a “freaky” barber who got trapped in a bathroom with Courage and forcibly shaved him down to where only his tail (and a small goodbye note) were left with fur. It’s a wild episode that helped to establish the tone of what was coming over the rest of the series, and help to emphasize how much horror would be found yet still be in that uncanny level of appropriate for kids creepy that this show would later explore. 

6. The Tower of Dr. Zalost (Season 2, Episode 13)

Courage the Cowardly Dog was truly best when it made space to explore a longer story, and the first major attempt at a full half hour tale was with “The Tower of Dr. Zalost.” This episode started off with an ominous look at the rest of the town in the middle of nowhere as it’s hit by cannons with an operatic score behind it. Dr. Zalost wanted to make the rest of the world just as unhappy as he was, and when he didn’t get the money from the government he asked for, he fulfilled his promise and hit everyone with his unhappy cannons. Dr. Zalost was unique in that he wasn’t inherently a bad guy, just lonely and depressed. But when he tasted Muriel’s “Happy Plums,” everything was fine and ultimately ended in a very sweet way. One of the best endings in the series overall to be honest. 

5. Ball of Revenge (Season 4, Episode 10B)

You’re going to notice how much Season 4 of Courage the Cowardly Dog dominates the Top 5 here, and that’s because the final season of the series really went out with a bang. This ramps up especially as the series nears its end, and one of the best episodes brings back some of Courage’s most memorable villains for one final confrontation. When Eustace unites others who hate Courage just as much as he does, it all results in a dangerous kickball game (with a small time out to do the laundry) with Muriel in danger. But as Courage has done plenty of times before, he wins through what he does best, screaming. It’s a perfect kind of victory that felt earned over the four seasons and everything Courage and Muriel had been through so far. 

4. The Mask (Season 4, Episode 6)

Season 4 is also where Courage the Cowardly Dog debuted its most intriguing half hour special in the entire series overall. “The Mask” is also one of the darkest stories in the series with a very grounded story of two “best friends” caught in the middle of a scary domestic violence situation. It led to some hurt feelings, physical pain (mostly towards Courage), and ultimately had Courage help rescue someone from their violent partner. It’s wild how this got to be in a show meant for children, and a very sophisticated story of lovers escaping from harm. It doesn’t unfortunately go far enough, but for when this episode released and the series it released in, “The Mask” is a very ambitious episode that hits the mark. 

3. King Ramses Curse (Season 1, Episode 5A)

Courage the Cowardly Dog’s final season might be taking up most of the Top 5, but there’s no way this episode wouldn’t make the Top 3 at the least. “King Ramses Curse” is likely the most iconic episode of the series overall. The uncanny nature of the CG King Ramses (who threatens Courage with a curse) is still a very creepy image after all these years. It helped the series make an impact early on in its run, and it’s likely why anyone remembers Courage the Cowardly Dog to this day. Sometimes a simple, creepy idea is best and this is the best example of it all. I mean, how can you beat, “Return the slab or suffer my curse”? 

2. Remembrance of Courage Past (Season 4, Episode 12A)

Funny enough, the two best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog are also the final ones in the series overall. The final season was indeed the best in the series in terms of overall quality, and the final two episodes made sure it all went out on a high. “Remembrance of Courage Past” was finally a look into Courage’s past and revealed one of his first villains was actually a vet that sent his parents into space. Running into this same vet years later, Courage is able to save Eustace and Muriel from this same fate and it’s one of the most heartwarming endings as we also see how a baby Courage got his name and ended up with Muriel in the first place. 

There are very few actually sweet endings in this series, and this one is not only that but also very fulfilling as it’s soon revealed that Courage’s parents are still alive in space and all of the dogs the vet had kidnapped were able to get their much deserved revenge. It was a complete and utter victory needed after so many seasons of struggling for Courage. 

1. Perfect (Season 4, Episode 12B)

This final victory wasn’t truly complete, however, until Courage was able to defeat himself. “Perfect” ended the series perfectly as Courage came face-to-face with the doubt he had been fighting against this entire time. All within his head, Courage starts to stress and lose sleep over the fact that he can’t do things well and tries his best to be perfect. But in seeing Muriel and Eustace accept their relative imperfections and still be happy, Courage decides to do the same as he just chooses to be happy despite it all. The series is a rather dark introspective look for a finale with lots of different animation styles and mediums experimented with to highlight each of Courage’s nightmares. It’s oddly enough the “perfect” end to a great show. It went out with the best episode.