Unofficial Cartoon Network 2.0

The Cartoon Network name will live on, even if its franchises are scrapped for parts

We need leadership who believe in CN and don’t push [adult swim] first

Checkered Past is a good idea and a good use of the schedule, although it needs some alterations. For one thing, it should be a part of the CN lineup, which shouldn’t have to close shop at 5.

MeTV Toons is good and a welcome home for classic cartoon fans, but it’s no substitute for CN. It was never meant to be and hopefully never will be.

The CN library deserves a stable streaming home. If not Max, so be it. Let Hulu or someone else take on the shows.

Of the big shows from the Cartoon Cartoon era, I think most fans would be able to pick a handful of standout episodes from each show. Dexter's Lab has the Speed Racer parody, the one where Dexter and Computress team up to get Mandark, "Last But Not Beast", etc; Powerpuff Girls has the first Rowdyruff Boys episode, "Meet the Beat-Alls", the Boogeyman episode, etc. Cow & Chicken I don't think has as many (it's also not as popular as those previously mentioned two), but it has a couple- I'm sure "The Ugliest Weenie" (the closest thing to a full-length adventure the show did) and Sailcat would come up first.

This is another one that comes to mind, and one that I think of somewhat often. In this odd ep, the family gets pulled over by what seems like a regular, if red and bare assed, policeman, but it turns out that he's really an orthodontic policeman, and he deduces that Cow and Chicken have such hideous teeth that they need correction.

Okay, so now they have braces. As it turns out, most everyone else in town has been run over by the orthodontic police, including their teacher, and even Earl, who already had braces. Even toothless old people aren't innocent! It becomes clear that he's gone too far, so now it's Supercow al rescate!

Such a silly idea, but this is what Cow & Chicken excelled at. I won't lie, for someone who was recommended, but ultimately never received braces, this kind of makes me wince. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

The thing is, braces shouldn't be scary, many had to have them at some point in their life, and I'd say normally they're not- Earl seems happy wearing them, for instance. But the idea of a cop, already pretty scary, deciding to police your teeth, is freaky.

I'm running low on Spotlights, so let's go to one of the blog's most common wells- The Powerpuff Girls! (side note- if someone wants to recommend episodes from mid-00s era CN shows, please be my guest!).

In this one, the girls are throwing the hottest slumber party in town, and every girl at Pokey Oaks who's anyone is invited, although there's one little lady who surprises Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. Her name is Mojesha, and she's the life of the party!

Or is she? Clearly this is Mojo Jojo in drag, and the girls are suspicious, but it seems like Mojo just wants to join in on the fun and play games... until it's clear that he doesn't.

The thing that made The Powerpuff Girls special is that it didn't necessarily have a formula. It could be a monster of the week show, ripping apart comic book cliches with glee, or have just as much fun in more domestic stories, like this. The characters are strong enough to make the juxtaposition work, enough that you almost believe that Mojo wants to read gossip mags and drink tea with a bunch of preschool girls.

Still waiting for Johnny Bravo to hit DVD in full... or Max... or Checkered Past...

Anyway, let's talk about a fun one, where Johnny accidentally calls upon a Satanic figure who tries to inspire Johnny to do evil deeds. You'd think that Johnny is too dense to follow along, but the episode goes in a slightly different direction, with everything Johnny does going good for everyone else.

Fun stuff! Things get even more fun when the demon posses Johnny, which Carl and Pops take note of and try to get it out. It's enjoyable from beginning to end and I think sells what makes the show work at its best- how strong of a character Johnny is. He's a buffoon, but a lovable one.

Let's go back to Grim & Evil-era Billy & Mandy. The show got better when it went to 10-11 minutes, but there's something charming about these early episodes that I find endearing. Nostalgia, maybe? Wild to think about it, but Grim & Evil was a part of peak Powerhouse, and episodes like these take me back to when this could have still aired next to Johnny Bravo or The Flintstones.

In this one, Billy goes rummaging through Grim's private closet and finds the magic lamp that his mother hides in, who comes out and offers the trio three wishes like a Genie, one per person. After Billy wastes his, Mandy gets annoyed at his and Grim's bickering and wishes for the two to shut up. From here, the two vie for Mandy's affection so she can wish for one to possibly gain their voice back.

I remember watching "Rock-a-Bye Ed" for the first time and dying laughing at the reveal of Ed's "Mom". This is primo nightmare fuel, and I am here for it.

One of many season 3 highlights, in this ep, Ed has a nightmare where he imagines Johnny 2x4's head in the body of his mother, and now he struggles to see Johnny in person without freaking out. The only way to cure this is a taste of the hair of the dog, and you can guess how that goes.