Dexter’s Laboratory

“Dexter’s Laboratory” is an American animated children’s TV series blending comedy and science fiction, created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Dexter, a young genius with a hidden lab full of his inventions. He is frequently at odds with his sister Dee Dee, who always manages to infiltrate his lab despite his efforts to keep her out, and his nemesis and neighbor, Mandark. The first two seasons also feature additional segments: “Dial M for Monkey,” which follows Dexter’s pet monkey who becomes a superhero, and “The Justice Friends,” which chronicles the lives of three superheroes sharing an apartment.

Tartakovsky initially pitched the series to Hanna-Barbera’s World Premiere Toons, drawing inspiration from student films he made at the California Institute of the Arts. Four shorts were produced and aired on Cartoon Network in 1995 and 1996, leading to a positive viewer response that prompted the network to commission a 13-episode first season, debuting on April 28, 1996. By 1999, the series had produced 52 episodes and a TV movie, after which Tartakovsky departed to work on other projects like “Samurai Jack” and “Star Wars: Clone Wars.” In 2001, Cartoon Network revived the series with a new production team, and after 26 additional episodes, the show concluded on November 20, 2003.