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Dexter's Laboratory poster

Shows that feel likeDexter's Laboratory (1996–2003)

Dexter, a boy-genius with a secret laboratory, constantly battles his sister Dee Dee, who always gains access despite his best efforts to keep her out, as well as his arch-rival and neighbor, Mandark.

If you loved Dexter's Laboratory, the closest series we have are Samurai Jack (2001), I Am Not an Animal (2004) and The Middle (2009). Most of the picks below share Dexter's Laboratory's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Eureka (2006).

★ 7.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗4 seasons · Cartoon Networkcreated by Genndy Tartakovskywittyplayfulcerebraldreamlike
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

Not on subscription streaming right now. Rent or buy below.

If Dexter's Laboratory hit the spot, these will too

Samurai Jack poster
Samurai Jack
2001–2017 · 5 seasons · Cartoon Network
★ 8.5sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · animation

Both are Genndy Tartakovsky's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Trades the wit of Dexter's Laboratory for an angle of its own

A great warrior is displaced to the distant future by the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku. The world has become a bleak place under the rule of Aku, segregated into fantastic tribes and ruled by Aku's evil robot warlords. Jack travels this foreign landscape in search of a time portal that can return him to his home time so he can "undo the future that is Aku!".

I Am Not an Animal poster
I Am Not an Animal
2004 · 1 season · BBC Two
★ 7.9animation · comedy · sci-fi & fantasy

The same mix in both: wit, then play

I Am Not An Animal is an animated comedy series about the only six talking animals in the world, whose cosseted existence in a vivisection unit is turned upside down when they are liberated by animal rights activists.

The Middle poster
The Middle
2009–2018 · 9 seasons · ABC
★ 7.7comedyPrime VideoPeacock

The same preoccupation in both: family

The difference: Takes it somewhere less cerebral than Dexter's Laboratory does

The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.

Drake & Josh poster
Drake & Josh
2004–2007 · 4 seasons · Nickelodeon
★ 7.7comedyNetflixParamount+

One thread runs through both: family

Fifteen-year-old Drake and Josh are schoolmates, but not close friends. Drake views Josh as weird and a bit of a goof. So, imagine Drake's shock when he finds out that this "goof" is about to become his new step-brother and roommate when his mother marries Josh's father. A spin off of The Amanda Show.

Eureka poster
Eureka
2006–2012 · 5 seasons · Syfy
★ 7.9sci-fi & fantasy · comedy · drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: scientist

The difference: Leans harder into drama than Dexter's Laboratory does

The sleepy Pacific Northwest town of Eureka is hiding a mysterious secret. The government has been relocating the world's geniuses and their families to this rustic town for years where innovation and chaos have lived hand in hand. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter stumbles upon this odd town after wrecking his car and becoming stranded there. When the denizens of the town unleash an unknown scientific creation, Carter jumps in to try to restore order and consequently learns of one of the country's best kept secrets.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid poster
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
2017–2021 · 2 seasons · TOKYO MX
★ 7.7animation · comedy · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Both land ideas and dream logic at once

The difference: 21 years apart, and the 2010s show

Kobayashi lives alone in an apartment, until one day, Tohru appeared and they ended up living together. Tohru looks down on humans as inferior and foolish, but having been saved by Kobayashi-san, she does everything she can to repay the debt and help her with various things, although not everything goes according to plan. A mythical everyday life comedy about a hard working office lady living with a dragon girl.

Harley Quinn poster
Harley Quinn
2019–2025 · 5 seasons · DC Universe
★ 8.3action & adventure · animation · comedyMax

Common ground: villain

Harley Quinn has finally broken things off once and for all with the Joker. Now, she's trying to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City, with help from Poison Ivy and a ragtag crew of DC castoffs.

The King of Queens poster
The King of Queens
1998–2007 · 9 seasons · CBS
★ 7.4comedyParamount+Peacock

Comedy built on wit, twice over

Life’s good for deliveryman Doug Heffernan, until his newly widowed father-in-law, Arthur, moves in with him and his wife Carrie. Doug is no longer the king of his domain, and instead of having a big screen television in his recently renovated basement, he now has a crazy old man.

Jackie Chan Adventures poster
Jackie Chan Adventures
2000–2005 · 5 seasons · The WB
★ 7.4action & adventure · animation · comedy

Both lean on play more than on animation

Archaeologist Jackie Chan joins forces with his adventurous 11-year-old niece, Jade, to race around the world in search of twelve powerful magical talismans before they fall into the hands of the sinister Dark Hand crime syndicate. Along the way, they're aided by Uncle, Jackie's eccentric yet brilliant uncle, whose ancient knowledge and mystical expertise often prove to be the key to defeating dark forces.

Misfits poster
Misfits
2009–2013 · 5 seasons · E4
★ 8.1sci-fi & fantasy · drama · comedyHuluPeacock

Sci-fi & fantasy with a pulse of ideas, in both cases

When five young outsiders on Community Service get caught in a strange storm, they discover that they have developed superpowers.

Curb Your Enthusiasm poster
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000–2024 · 12 seasons · HBO
★ 8.8comedyMax

Witty comedy in both cases

The off-kilter, unscripted comic vision of Larry David, who plays himself in a parallel universe in which he can't seem to do anything right, and, by his standards, neither can anyone else.

My Name Is Earl poster
My Name Is Earl
2005–2009 · 4 seasons · NBC
★ 7.8comedyHuluDisney+

Playful animation, and it commits to that

When petty criminal Earl Hickey wins the lottery, he sets off on a quest to repair his questionable karma.

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The best-reviewed series that share Dexter's Laboratory’s defining feeling.