Cartoons are for kids… or so some people think. But even when an animated show is actually made "for kids," that doesn't mean it's stupid, disposable slop. Some of the greatest cartoons ever made are standout epics regardless of their intended audience. But what are ac🐷tually some of the greatest animated TV shows ever made?

While the history of animation dates back to the dawn of cinema's golden age, the first animated televisi🐼on show is often considered to be Crusader Rabbit (1950-1959). The series paved the way for animation in the newfangled business that was television, unlocking an industry that has survived and thrived ever since. The advent of cable, the internet, and streaming has turbo-charged animation, with seemingly more animated shows made now than ever♚ before.

With anim༒ation still a powerhouse in the realm of television, it begs the question of what are actually some of the greatest of all time. (A quick note that we'r🐟e excluding anime from Japan, but only because that is a prolific category worthy of its own list.) Here are just 32 of the greatest animated TV shows ever made.

32. Johnny Bravo

Whoa, mama! From 1997 to 2004 on Cartoon Network, dimwit narcissist Johnny Bravo swung (and usually missed) with a bevy of beautiful ladies in his smash hit cartoon. While the premise of a so-called ladies' man who lives with his mother and strikes out with gals is an odd thing to make a🧜s a show for children, this creation by animator Van Partible (with episodes directed by Butch Hartman)  was a major hit for Cartoon Network, with several Annie Award nominations to its name. 

31. Voltron Legendary Defender

In 2016, Netflix unleashed one of the greatest animated reboots of the streaming era: Voltron Leg🐻endary Defender. A reimagined take of the original '80s hit cartoon Voltron (itself an English dubbed version of the Japanese anime GoLion), Voltron Legendary Defender blasted off with its fresh spin on the original show's mythology and characters, adding new dimensions with plentiful heart and༒ humor. Boasting breathtaking animation and an expansive sci-fi universe that would have made Frank Herbert take notes, Voltron Legendary Defender proved that reboots can be just as blazing as the iconic originals.

30. Young Justice

Who said sidekicks have to play second-fiddle? In this critically acclaౠimed series from Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman, the sidekicks of the Justice League from the DC Universe take center stage in this action-packed young adult epic. Based on the Teen Titans and Young Justice comics published by DC, teen heroes Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and more form their own superhero squad to work in parallel with the Justice League. But saving the world ain't playtime, as Young Justice challenges its maturing heroes in ways that would bend and break men of steel. Once canceled on Cartoon Network due to its majority female viewership – which executives lamented because they believed they didn't buy toys – Young Justice eventually found new life on the short-lived DC Universe app and later Max.

29. Clerks: The Animated Series

It lasted only six episodes, but it wasn't even supposed to be there anyway. In 2000, the lethargic protagonists from Kevin Smith's seminal 1994 indie drama Clerks – namely Dante, Randall, and Jay and Silent Bob – found themselves on the ABC network, starring in an outlandish cartoon series with an adult-oriented sense of humor that foreshadowed future giants like Family Guy and American Dad. While the vulgarity of Smith's acclaimed movie was toned down to suit broadcast TV standards, Clerks: The Animated Series ran buckwild with whatever it could get away with. Clerks was not long for this world, but there's simply too mucꦚh hysteria – and razor-sharp satirizing of the pop culture zeitgeist circa 2000 – to not check it out.

28. Static Shock

The superhero Static comes from the comic book publisher Milestone, an appropriate name given the publisher's history-making strides towards diversity and representation in mainstream comics. In 2000, Static electrified viewers on The Kids' WB with his epic series Static Shock, executive produced by comics creator Dwayne McDuffie. Lasting four seasons and over 50 episodes, Static Sho🧔ck followed the adventures of Black American teenager Virgil Hawkins, who taps into his electromagnetic superpowers to protect Dakota City. With exciting action, lively characters, and occasional dives into important issues, Static Shock lit up Saturday mornings like few others before and since.

27. Scavengers Reign

Beautiful, haunting, imaginative - these are just a few words that can describe this mesmerizing science-fiction epic from creators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner. In Scaven𒆙gers Reign, the survivors of a damaged interstellar cargo ship find themselves at the mercy of an alien planet with strange, and at times menacing fauna. As the survivors work tirelessly to get back to their ship and continue their voyage, they become drawn into the planet's many mysteries. Featuring gorgeous animation and hypnotic sequences that sometimes feel like watching a hand-drawn nature documentary, Scavengers Reign stands out as one of the most beautiful shows ever crafted. Originally made for the Max streaming service, it later landed at Netflix.

26. Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

The launch of the Disney Channel in the 1980s inspired a slew of original television cartoons with some unexpected leads. Among the first wave of Disney Channel shows included DuckTales, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, Timon & Pumbaa, and more. But among th♛e best of them is undoubtedly Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. This series stars the titular chipmunks who start a detective agency to take on cases deemed (literally) too small for conventional police. While the show only lasted a year, between 1989 and 1990, an astonishing 65 episodes were produced and made Chip and Dale household n♉ames. In 2022, the heroes got their hybrid live-action/animated reboot movie that was aimed at both kids and adults with its hilarious commentary on Hollywood reboots and millennial nostalgia.