The 170 Best Cartoon TV Shows

The very best cartoon series on television, ranked from best to worst. This list of the greatest cartoon series also includes pictures from the shows when available. Popular cartoon series have been a staple of television for years, so there’s often debate about what the most entertaining cartoon series of all time is. Don’t let your favorite cartoon television programs in history get to the bottom of the list- be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. The list of cartoon television shows below includes information like the program’s cast, creator and premiere date when available.

Shows here include everything from Spider Riders to Scooby-Doo.

This list answers the questions, “What is the best cartoon series of all time?” and “What are the greatest cartoon series?”

• 1

  Tom & Jerry

  February 10, 1940

  645 votes

  Is Tom and Jerry Watchworthy?

  Tom and Jerry is an American animated series of short films created in 1940, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It centers on a rivalry between its two main characters, Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse, and many recurring characters, based around slapstick comedy.
  In its original run, Hanna and Barbera produced 114 Tom and Jerry shorts for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1940 to 1957. During this time, they won seven Academy Awards for Animated Short Film, tying for first place with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies with the most awards in the category. After the MGM cartoon studio closed in 1957, MGM revived the series with Gene Deitch directing an additional 13 Tom and Jerry shorts for Rembrandt Films from 1960 to 1962. Tom and Jerry then became the highest-grossing animated short film series of that time, overtaking Looney Tunes. Chuck Jones then produced another 34 shorts with Sib-Tower 12 Productions between 1963 and 1967. Two more shorts were produced, The Mansion Cat in 2001 and The Karate Guard in 2005, for a total of 163 shorts. Various shorts have been released for home media since the 1990s.

  • Actors: Tom Kenny, Rick Zieff, Gary Cole

  • Also ranks #1 on The 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
  • Also ranks #1 on The Best Cartoons From The ’90s, Ranked

  The Best Episodes Of ‘Tom and Jerry,’ Ranked

  • 1The Yankee Doodle Mouse
    293 Votes
  • 2Tee for Two
    346 Votes
  • 3The Cat Concerto
    731 Votes
  • 4Jerry’s Cousin
    203 Votes

• 2

  Scooby-Doo

  September 13, 1969

  694 votes

  Is Scooby-Doo Watchworthy?

  Scooby-Doo is an American animated cartoon franchise, comprising several animated television series produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969. This Saturday-morning cartoon series featured four teenagers—Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Norville “Shaggy” Rogers—and their talking brown Great Dane dog named Scooby-Doo, who solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and missteps.
  Following the success of the original series, Hanna-Barbera and its successor Warner Bros. Animation have produced numerous follow-up and spin-off animated series and several related works, including television specials and telefilms, a line of direct-to-video films, and two Warner Bros.–produced theatrical feature films. Some versions of Scooby-Doo feature different variations on the show’s supernatural theme, and include characters such as Scooby’s cousin Scooby-Dum and nephew Scrappy-Doo in addition to or instead of some of the original characters.

  • Actors: Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Heather North

  • Dig Deeper The Best Scooby-Doo Episodes That Make Us Want To Hop In The Mystery Machine
  • Also ranks #1 on 190+ Saturday Morning Cartoons From The ’80s And ’90s
  • Also ranks #1 on The Best Versions Of Scooby Doo You Watched As A Kid

• 3

  Looney Tunes

  1930

  499 votes

  Is Looney Tunes Watchworthy?

  The adventures of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and friends.

  • Actors: Mel Blanc, June Foray

  • Dig Deeper Things We Just Learned About ‘Looney Tunes’ And ‘Merrie Melodies’ That Made Us Do A Double Take
  • Also ranks #1 on The 420+ Best Kids Cartoons Of All Time

  The Best Looney Tunes Characters of All Time, Ranked!

  • 1Bugs Bunny
    2,896 Votes
  • 2Daffy Duck
    2,721 Votes
  • 3Wile E. Coyote
    2,259 Votes
  • 4Sylvester
    1,939 Votes

• 4

  The Simpsons

  December 17, 1989

  669 votes

  Is The Simpsons Watchworthy?

  Homer and Marge Simpson raise Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie in Springfield.

  • Actors: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria

  • Dig Deeper The Best Female Characters On “The Simpsons”
  • Also ranks #1 on The Most Important TV Sitcoms

  Sideshow Bob’s Greatest Hits: 15 Must-Watch Episodes

  • 1Brother from Another Series
    51 Votes
  • 2Cape Feare
    83 Votes
  • 3Sideshow Bob Roberts
    42 Votes
  • 4Krusty Gets Busted
    47 Votes

• 5

  The Bugs Bunny Show

  October 11, 1960

  536 votes

  Is The Bugs Bunny Show Watchworthy?

  Animated adventures of Bugs Bunny and his pals.

  • Actors: Mel Blanc

  • Also ranks #1 on The 90+ Best Cartoons from the ’70s
  • Also ranks #2 on The 50 Best 1960s Cartoons, Ranked
  • Also ranks #2 on The Best 1970s Animated Shows, Ranked

• 6

  The Flintstones

  September 30, 1960

  531 votes

  Is The Flintstones Watchworthy?

  Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty have misadventures in Bedrock.

  • Actors: Alan Reed, Jean Vander Pyl, Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick

  • Dig Deeper Brilliant Flintstones Comics from DC
  • Also ranks #1 on The Best TV Theme Songs of All Time
  • Also ranks #1 on The 50 Best 1960s Cartoons, Ranked

Tom & Jerry

• Actors: Tom Kenny, Rick Zieff, Gary Cole

• Also ranks #1 on The 500+ Best Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked
• Also ranks #1 on The Best Cartoons From The ’90s, Ranked

The Best Episodes Of ‘Tom and Jerry,’ Ranked

• 1The Yankee Doodle Mouse
  293 Votes
• 2Tee for Two
  346 Votes
• 3The Cat Concerto
  731 Votes
• 4Jerry’s Cousin
  203 Votes

Scooby-Doo

• Actors: Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Heather North

• Dig Deeper The Best Scooby-Doo Episodes That Make Us Want To Hop In The Mystery Machine
• Also ranks #1 on 190+ Saturday Morning Cartoons From The ’80s And ’90s
• Also ranks #1 on The Best Versions Of Scooby Doo You Watched As A Kid

Looney Tunes

• Actors: Mel Blanc, June Foray

• Dig Deeper Things We Just Learned About ‘Looney Tunes’ And ‘Merrie Melodies’ That Made Us Do A Double Take
• Also ranks #1 on The 420+ Best Kids Cartoons Of All Time

The Best Looney Tunes Characters of All Time, Ranked!

• 1Bugs Bunny
  2,896 Votes
• 2Daffy Duck
  2,721 Votes
• 3Wile E. Coyote
  2,259 Votes
• 4Sylvester
  1,939 Votes

The Simpsons

• Actors: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria

• Dig Deeper The Best Female Characters On “The Simpsons”
• Also ranks #1 on The Most Important TV Sitcoms

Sideshow Bob’s Greatest Hits: 15 Must-Watch Episodes

• 1Brother from Another Series
  51 Votes
• 2Cape Feare
  83 Votes
• 3Sideshow Bob Roberts
  42 Votes
• 4Krusty Gets Busted
  47 Votes

The Bugs Bunny Show

• Actors: Mel Blanc

• Also ranks #1 on The 90+ Best Cartoons from the ’70s
• Also ranks #2 on The 50 Best 1960s Cartoons, Ranked
• Also ranks #2 on The Best 1970s Animated Shows, Ranked

The Flintstones

• Actors: Alan Reed, Jean Vander Pyl, Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick

• Dig Deeper Brilliant Flintstones Comics from DC
• Also ranks #1 on The Best TV Theme Songs of All Time
• Also ranks #1 on The 50 Best 1960s Cartoons, Ranked