10 Classic '00s Cartoons to Stream Right Now

10 Batman: The Brave and the Bold

As the first Batman cartoon after the highly-revered and brutally explosive The Dark Knight, The Brave and the Bold stepped into a campier direction for the superhero. Inspired by the Silver Age of DC Comics, the show features Batman teaming up with different superheroes in each episode. His comrades range from the boisterous Aquaman to the snarky Green Arrow, working together to foil the crimes of villains ranging from The Joker to Crazy Quilt.

Embodying the design of the classic comics and the tone of the 1960s Batman TV series, this is a superhero show that knew how to have fun. There was a knowing charm in how the series framed the fourth-wall-breaking Batmite and the beautifully uproarious musical episode, featuring Neil Patrick Harris as the singing villain, The Music Meister. During a time when superhero cartoons were heavier on the drama, this cartoon was more of the cheerful chaser.

9 The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack

Beyond the mere aquatic association, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack can be thought of as Cartoon Network’s surreal answer to Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. The series follows the plucky young Flapjack and the cantankerous pirate Captain K'nuckles at the grimy Stormalong Harbor. With their whale Bubbie acting as their vessel, they seek out candy treasures and track down Candy Island.

Developed by Thurop Van Orman, Flapjack had a wondrous sense of mixing media and embracing gross/weird humor in its absurd stories. The show also established a lot of cartoon hallmarks that would carry into Cartoon Network’s future cartoons, with creative director J. G. Quintel going on to create Regular Show. If you’ve already binged all of Adventure Time, consider venturing to its spiritual predecessor that sailed earlier into the waters of weirdness and candy quests.

8 Teen Titans

Based on the DC Comics ensemble, Teen Titans successfully merged the young antics of the superhero squad with the youthful appeal of anime. The team, comprised of Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, was a balanced mixture of exaggerated humor and earnest action. It was the type of show that could have daring drama in how the teens tackle the villain Slade, but also indulge in teenage appetites with cartoony gags.

Created by DC cartoon veteran Glen Murakami, this version of the Teen Titans felt perfectly suited for the young crowd, existing somewhere between the brutality of the comics and the silliness of cartoons. The levity of such characters made it easier to care about them when supervillains presented a real threat. Although absurd at times, it felt more grounded the goofier Teen Titans Go that would succeed it years later.

7 X-Men: Evolution

Contrary to the title, X-Men: Evolution rolled back the clock on the iconic superheroes to make them more relatable teenagers. The familiar characters of Wolverine, Cyclops, and Rogue are all back, but now have to deal with high school problems and bullying. All that is placed on top of the complicated civil war between mutants, which is still approached with great drama and exciting action.

Although styled much differently from the X-Men cartoon of the 1990s, Evolution managed to captivate a new generation. The redesigns of the characters had a colorful allure, and the added teen element gave the show an edge over being so easily compared to the last X-Men cartoon. With fresh animation and even a daring to craft new characters and stories, the cartoon lived up to being far more than a merging of X-Men and Saved By The Bell.

6 Kim Possible

Kim Possible's energy was as dynamic as its sharp, angular character designs. The series centered around the teenager Kim, who tried to balance her high school life while being a secret agent. She’s aided by her sidekick friend Ron and his naked mole rat companion, Rufus, while battling against the mad scientist Dr. Drakken and his superpowered cohort, Shego.

Created by long-time Disney cartoon writers Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle, the show was quick-witted with characters and charmingly colorful with its action. Great creativity was evident in how the show played with aspects of spies and superheroes, turning up the pacing to a degree that demanded attention. It’s a show that’s still fun to watch as an adult and a rare gem for being a woman-led cartoon during a time when those were severely lacking.

5 The Fairly OddParents

The only Nicktoon to hold its own amid the Nickelodeon era of SpongeBob SquarePants was The Fairly OddParents. As the catchy opening song clarifies, the series is about average kid Timmy Turner and his magical fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda. With Timmy’s parents barely being present and his babysitter being a nightmare, Timmy relies on his fairy’s magical powers to reshape his life and learn lessons about being careful what you wish for.

The comedy of The Fairly OddParents was on a level so manic that it’s hard to imagine another cartoon that could keep up with it. The fast-paced staging of comedic stories about growing up, bullying, and dealing with the weird politics of fairy rules. There was wit and zip to this wild little cartoon that lasted longer than most Nicktoons and was recently revived with a new series.

4 Invader Zim

As the undeniable underdog cartoon of Nickelodeon, Invader Zim would gain a massive cult following for its darkness and dorkiness. The loser alien Zim and the dimwitted robot Gir are assigned to conquer Earth from the humans. Despite Zim’s ambitions, he makes big mistakes trying to merge with human culture and comes into the crosshairs of the conspiracy theorist kid, Dib.

Created by cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez, this darkly comedic cartoon impressively weaves horror and sci-fi. Episodes weren’t afraid to get bizarre, such as the nightmarish episode in which Zim tries to pass as more human by hoarding the organs of his classmates. While the show didn’t last long in the ratings, it has since gone on to have a massive appeal in reruns and merchandise to survive cancellation, leading to the finale special, Enter the Florpus.

3 Samurai Jack

After creating the Cartoon Network staple Dexter’s Laboratory, Genndy Tartakovsky migrated to action by developing the iconic Samurai Jack. A Japanese warrior is named Jack after he is flung into the far future. This dismal world is ruled by the evil demon Aku, forcing Jack to find a way back to the past and undo the damage to the future.

There is no other action cartoon like Samurai Jack, and few have matched it since. The series drew great inspiration from media like Kung Fu and Lone Wolf and Cub, as well as from classic Japanese paintings with eye-popping artistry. Some episodes rely entirely on the spectacle, sacrificing dialogue for visual splendor. In addition to being fun, inventive, and genuinely thrilling with its sci-fi violence, Samurai Jack was such a divergent cartoon that its legacy eventually led to a fifth and final season many years later, finally answering whether Jack truly got back to the past.

2 Avatar: The Last Airbender

Merging the youthful interests of anime and young-adult fantasy, Avatar: The Last Airbender was such a fascinating adventure to get lost within. Set in a realm where different tribes control elements, the oddly eccentric Ang is a bender of air believed to be the Avatar, capable of wielding all four elements of earth, water, fire, and air. With his water-bending friends Katara and Sokka, he’ll be thrown into a complicated war with the intimidating Fire Tribe.

With a world as fully realized as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, Avatar stood out as more than just the only successful action-adventure show on Nickelodeon that could've passed for an anime. The characters were quirky, the animation featured thoughtful martial arts, and the serialized story was engaging as a fantasy epic. The Last Airbender left a lasting legacy that carried in the form of the lackluster live-action movie and the uniquely distinct sequel series, The Legend of Korra.

1 Justice League & Justice League Unlimited

Following the Batman and Superman cartoons of the 1990s, Justice League was the perfect extension of the maturation of the DC Comics animated universe. With a bigger hero ensemble, the Justice League fights back against a host of villains, including villain team-up groups like the Secret Society and Legion of Doom. The stakes grew so high that the sequel series, Justice League Unlimited, expanded the ranks to over 50 superheroes, with an astonishing number given compelling personalities.

Justice League was built for primetime Cartoon Network with high-quality animation and surprisingly mature writing. The show felt as grand as the massive cast, with intriguing arcs such as Lex Luthor’s presidential campaign and CADMUS finding a defense against the League. In the same way Batman redefined superhero cartoons for the 1990s, Justice League set the bar so high with its astute levels of comic book referencing and writing so brilliant you don’t even need to crack open a comic book to appreciate the romantic drama between Green Lantern and Hawkgirl.

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The cartoons of the 2000s really pushed the limits of what animation could do on television. The animation became more varied and alluring, the writing grew much wiser, and real drama could be found in everything from superhero affairs to fantasy epics. These classic cartoons remain a highlight of the decade and paved the way for a new millennium of cartoons not afraid to embrace horror, fantasy, superheroes, and samurai fights against robots.