Anyone who grew up watching Cartoon Network knows it had a golden era with shows that everyone still remembers: The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Codename: Kids Next Door — the kind of shows that basically defined what it meant to turn on the TV on a weekend morning or after school. But the network had way more going on than just the big hits, and in the middle of all that success, several solid series ended up kind of hidden, eventually erased from most people’s memory. Many of them had creative ideas, a unique sense of humor, and even some that might have just come out at the wrong time.
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The network was easily one of the most experimental on TV, but unfortunately, not every show hit big. Here are 5 awesome Cartoon Network series that very few people remember and practically nobody talks about. They absolutely deserved a spot next to the classics.
5) Total Drama
While not completely forgotten, Total Drama still falls into the category of shows that never quite hit the level of success needed to make it one of those series everyone remembers vividly. That’s kind of surprising, considering it was one of Cartoon Network’s boldest projects in the 2000s. In the end, it became more of a niche hit. The show was basically a parody of reality competitions like Survivor, putting a group of teens in a camp full of absurd challenges, broken alliances, and all the drama you’d expect — narrated by the absolute most toxic host imaginable.
The series had a sharper, more biting sense of humor, with scenarios that often teetered on the ridiculous, and it was incredibly addictive. It was basically an animated reality show, only way more fun and way more edgy. The network stretched the formula across multiple seasons and spin-offs (even a reboot), and over time, the general audience kind of lost interest. But looking back now, it’s clear Total Drama was ahead of its time, built to make fun of everything TV took too seriously.
4) My Gym Partner’s a Monkey
This is the kind of show most people only remember when someone drops the title and goes, “Oh, I used to watch that!” My Gym Partner’s a Monkey had a completely ridiculous premise: a human kid accidentally transferred to a school full of animals — but it worked precisely because it leaned into that absurdity. The show was loud, chaotic, and full of dumb jokes, yet it stood out thanks to its pacing and personality. It was the kind of humor Cartoon Network did best: simple enough for kids, but fast and clever enough for older viewers to get a laugh.
Even though it won an Emmy, the show somehow slipped from collective memory. It’s hard to say why, but one guess is that it came out at a time when The Powerpuff Girls and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy were dominating the network, leaving little room for a sillier, messier show to stand out. But My Gym Partner’s a Monkey deserves credit as one of the last Cartoon Network shows to fully embrace that kind of no‑filter comedy that defined the 2000s — it never tried to be deep, just genuinely funny, and that was enough.
3) Mike, Lu, and Og
You know what a true gem is? Mike, Lu & Og is definitely one of them. Released in the late ’90s, it makes sense that almost nobody remembers or talks about it, but there’s still a generation that recognizes the art style. The show followed Mike, a city girl who ends up on a remote island full of eccentric characters like the spoiled princess Lu and the genius inventor Og. Compared to other series, it was simple, but weird, with an energy that completely broke away from the network’s usual style.
The truth is, because it didn’t grab attention and wasn’t physical comedy, it was hard to appeal to the majority, which probably explains why it disappeared from the schedule so quickly. Looking back now, Mike, Lu & Og feels more interesting than it did at the time, because it was a show about cultural differences and learning to get along, all disguised as light comedy. Its calm style and drier humor didn’t match the chaos the network would soon be pumping out, but it’s worth remembering as the kind of project willing to take risks with ideas outside the mainstream.
2) The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
If you grew up watching Kim Possible or The Powerpuff Girls, you probably skipped The Life and Times of Juniper Lee — and that’s a shame. It’s remembered by a few people in online forums, but it never really had the appeal to become unforgettable. The show followed Juniper, a girl trying to balance a normal life with the responsibility of protecting the human world from magical creatures. It was funny, packed with well-executed action, and had a charismatic lead who honestly deserved to become a channel icon.
The biggest problem was that Cartoon Network never knew how to sell the show properly, which hurt its chances, and it disappeared without leaving much of a mark. It was one of those shows that came on right after your favorite ended, and you’d kind of zone out because you didn’t know anything about it. What’s most frustrating is realizing just how much Juniper Lee got right: representation, solid writing, and a world full of potential. It just came at the wrong time, when audiences were already saturated with teen heroes. If it had aired a few years later, it probably would’ve turned into a cult classic. Who knows?
1) Sheep in the Big City
Cartoon Network had a really diverse lineup, and that included shows that were bolder and aimed at a more niche audience. Almost nobody remembers Sheep in the Big City, but it was exactly the kind of animation only this network would dare to make in the 2000s. The show follows a sheep that escapes to the big city and is hunted by a military organization that wants to turn it into a “sheep-powered weapon.” It’s so bizarre that it actually works. The humor was packed with puns, fourth-wall breaks, and jokes about the script itself.
However, audiences back then didn’t really know what to do with it (again, Cartoon Network pushing something ahead of its time). Sheep in the Big City was too clever for viewers just looking for easy laughs, and too weird for those expecting a normal cartoon. The result? Lukewarm ratings, quick obscurity, and almost no one talks about it today. Looking back, it’s obvious how perfectly the show exemplified the network letting its creators do whatever they wanted — and the “whatever” ended up being brilliant.
Remember these old Cartoon Network shows? Got a favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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