Cartoon Network’s First Big Hit Turns 30 Today — And Its Creator Has Ruled Out Any Revival
Thirty years after one of Cartoon Network’s earliest breakout originals first hit the air, its legacy still looms large — but don’t expect a comeback. The creator has no interest in a revival, even as the network has transformed from a classic-cartoon refuge into something very different.
Dexter's Laboratory just turned 30. Yes, 30. And before you ask: no, a revival is not on the table. The guy who created it has a very clear reason why.
How a boy genius helped change Cartoon Network
Back when Cartoon Network was mostly a rerun house for Hanna-Barbera classics, the late 90s and early 2000s flipped the channel into an originals machine. Dexter's Laboratory was one of the first big swings that actually connected. It premiered on April 27, 1996, and helped kick off the Cartoon Cartoons era that would define the network for years.
The show started as a pilot in the What a Cartoon! showcase, where a bunch of up-and-coming creators (Craig McCracken, Seth MacFarlane, and others you definitely know now) tested out ideas. Dexter's pilot, 'Changes,' pulled in the highest ratings of the bunch, so Cartoon Network ordered a full series.
Also, a fun scheduling oddity you might not remember: for the first few weeks, new Dexter episodes actually aired on TNT a day before Cartoon Network. So while the official series launch date is April 27, 1996, the very first episode technically debuted on TNT first. TV was weird.
Dexter was the first original to wear the Cartoon Cartoons label, and its success helped clear the runway for Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and the rest of that wave.
The run, the movie, and the... other run
Creator Genndy Tartakovsky ran the show through its first two seasons, then wrapped his version with the TV movie Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip. That was intended as the endpoint. But the series came back for two more seasons under a different showrunner with a noticeably different look and feel. The main voice actor changed, designs shifted, and the vibe was just different enough that plenty of fans treat those later seasons like a separate thing.
- 1996: Series premiere on Cartoon Network (after a TNT-aired head start)
- Early days: Born from What a Cartoon!; pilot 'Changes' was the top-rated of the batch
- Branding: First original under the Cartoon Cartoons banner
- Original run: Two seasons led by Tartakovsky
- Capstone: TV movie Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip
- Revival: Two more seasons with a new showrunner, new aesthetic, and a new lead voice
About that revival everyone keeps asking for
Cartoon Network is in a nostalgic mood lately, with revivals and returns brewing for things like The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Regular Show, and The Amazing World of Gumball. And Genndy Tartakovsky still works closely with Warner Bros. on his current shows. So, on paper, more Dexter feels possible.
In reality, Tartakovsky has been politely shutting that door for years. In a 2023 interview, he was blunt about it:
"Dexter probably no," Tartakovsky said. "Because number one, the voice actress [Christine Cavanaugh] passed away and she was such the soul of Dexter I don't feel comfortable trying to replace her in a way. And we've done so many of them. I don't know why there's more to be done. You know what I mean? It's kind of a weird thing."
He has repeated that sentiment since: unless there is a genuinely fresh angle, he would rather focus on new ideas. When he does circle back to older work, it is because there is something exciting to do with it — see the most recent season of Primal.
Is that a bummer if you grew up on Dexter's Lab? Sure. But honestly, trying to reboot it without Christine Cavanaugh and that specific creative moment would almost definitely feel off. Sometimes the smartest move is letting a classic be a classic. Happy 30th, boy genius.