30 Years Ago Today, Cartoon Network Debuted Its First Major Hit (& Its Creator Will Never Revive It)

30 years ago today, Cartoon Network debuted one of its first real original hits, but unfortunately the original creator behind it all has no interest in ever bringing it back for more despite its iconic status. Cartoon Network started out as a much different channel than it is now. It originally was a home for Hanna-Barbera’s classic library, and would often focus on showcasing reruns throughout the day. But in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that would begin to change thanks to standout original shows from some of the most famous creators we enjoy today.

30 years ago today, on April 27, 1996, Dexter Laboratory made its original premiere and became one of the first hits of the Cartoon Cartoons era of Cartoon Network. This was the first major original series to carve out a path with Cartoon Network in the years that followed, and is still fondly loved to this day. But unfortunately, the creator behind it all has shared that he has no desire to ever bring the classic back for a revival. And it’s with a very good reason too.

Dexter’s Laboratory Premiered 30 Years Ago Today

Dexter’s Laboratory had a rather unique path to its original series premiere with Cartoon Network. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, the show first made its debut as one of the pilots within the What a Cartoon! initiative. This was a special showcase from Cartoon Network Studios that saw multiple creators (many of who would go on to major success like Craig McCracken, Seth MacFarlane and more) debut pilots for potential shows. One of these pilots, “Changes” became the highest rated pilot in the program and was thus picked up for a full series not long after.

But it had a hilarious premiere that fans might not remember. For the first few weeks, Dexter’s Laboratory would premiere its new episodes with TNT a day before its Cartoon Network release. Meaning that while the show premiered 30 years ago today, its first episode actually debuted with TNT first. It was the first original show to feature the “Cartoon Cartoons” branding that we would see later with other hits like Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy and more. It led that entire generation of new hits that would go on to define the next decade of the channel to come.

Dexter’s Laboratory also had a rather unique run through Cartoon Network over its tenure too as the first two seasons technically wrapped up Tartakovsky’s time with the show. It was going to end with the made for TV movie, Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip, but was then revived for two more seasons with a different showrunner behind it all. It featured a completely different aesthetic, main voice actor, and character designs than seen before, and is often thought about by fans as an entirely different series than the original. And part of this is why the show won’t be revived anytime soon.

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Don’t Expect a Dexter’s Laboratory Revival

Dexter’s Laboratory might have had a revival already, but that’s not why we likely won’t see it ever make a comeback. Cartoon Network has been bringing back some of their classic projects with new revivals in various stages of production like The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball and more, but there has been some desire to see Dexter’s Laboratory making its own comeback of that kind as well. But despite Tartakovsky still working closely with Warner Bros. with his most recent shows, it won’t happen.

Speaking with ComicBook back in 2023, Tartakovsky noted how he’s unlikely to make more Dexter’s Laboratory when asked about a potential revival, and it’s for a great reason. “Dexter probably no,” Tartakovsky began. “Because number one, the voice actress [Christine Cavanaugh] passed away and she was such the soul of Dexter I don’t feel comfortable trying to replace her in a way. And we’ve done so many of them. I don’t know why there’s more to be done. You know what I mean? It’s kind of a weird thing.”

This sentiment has been one he’s repeated for the last few years too as the creator seems more interested in exploring all of his newer ideas and shows, and would only revisit a past work when there’s a cool idea worth exploring like seen with Primal‘s most recent season. This might be tough news for Dexter’s Laboratory fans who have been wanting to see more of it ever since it ended all those years ago, but it’s ultimately for the best as it’s likely not going to capture that original creative spirit that made it such a hit 30 years ago.

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