Dexter's Laboratory (TV Series 1996–2003) Poster

(1996–2003)

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10/10
Dextar
Angelus215 August 2006
This show became a regular viewing for me and my brothers we would sit down from 4 till 5 and watch the show it was different episodes all stacked up the funniest things that happened was when Dee Dee was around usually.

It had everything, class, great writing, real life examples (A annoying little sibling or older).

The way Dexter had his accent was pretty cool like a Russian scientist and his way of handling situations with research and experiments.

The funniest episode was the pig one were Dexter try's to act like a average teenager, he joins a normal dull teenager who likes to annoy a local resident.

A great show for all,
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The cartoon that had it all...
Dexter's Lab is a great cartoon of a boy and his lab and the many spoofs and pitfalls that come onto him. It's best watch when you are a bit old. The spoofs and plotlines made this show a smash. Spoofs include: Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Charlie's Angels (G.I.R.L. Squad!) and heck even Anime (Voltron). A great show for a generation.
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10/10
In my personal opinion, this was the best show on Cartoon Network before they stopped showing it
TheLittleSongbird29 December 2009
Dexter's Laboratory is so creative and fun, and is just a must watch for any animation fan. If I had a complaint, the older episodes are better than the newer ones; the newer ones seem to have lost the quality in terms of animation and wit that made the older episodes such a delight. That aside this is a great show, with a brilliant vocal performance in the title role by Christine Cavanaugh. The animation in general was sophisticated and colourful, I loved how the laboratory itself was animated the theme tune was outstanding, the story lines were original and the spoofs of Star Wars, Charlie's Angels, GI Joe all but to name a few are hilarious. The show certainly has a fantastic concept, and maintains that standard throughout. I know there were a few people who complained about DeeDee being annoying, fair enough, but I don't mind her that much. Seriously why have Cartoon Network stopped airing it?

All in all, great show and a must watch. 10/10(despite the minor discrepancies in relation to the later episodes) Bethany Cox
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9/10
Very funny cartoon!
SonicStuart23 April 2004
Dexter's Laboratory is one of the funniest cartoons on the Cartoon Network. Everyday Dexter is always working in his laboratory and he every time when he is working, his sister DeeDee (who is a funny character who is sort of an airhead), bugs him and starts wrecking mostly everything and then Dexter always says this very memorable quote,"DeeDee, GET OUT OF MY LABORATORY!" and then DeeDee is so always asking what this button do? Then Dexter is like, "NO DeeDee, don't push that button! You don't even know what it does!" and then something goes wrong. Another thing I think is hilarious on Dexter's Laboratory is The Justice Friends segments those are so funny! With Major Glory spoofing Captain America, Valhallan spoofing The Silver Surfer and The Inbragable Krunk spoofing The Incredible Hulk of course! I like the introduction to the Justice Friends where the announcer says: Three of Earth's most mightiest heroes, all in one roof to face the challenge of everyday life and then they introduce the characters and so on. I also think it is funny about Dexter's Lab is that Dexter rival Mandark has this huge crush on DeeDee! I also liked Dexter's really cool inventions and I was wishing I had some cool stuff like that but I am pretty sure everyone does. Overall funny and memorable.
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10/10
One of my top 3 favorites!
plok25313 June 2000
Dexter's Laboratory is about as good as it gets. It stars a little boy named Dexter, who is incredibly brilliant and has a secret laboratory attached to his room. Often times his experiments are interrupted by his sister Dee Dee, who will come in his lab whenever she feels like it. Often times Dexter will use his intelligence to stop dilemmas (which at times he or Dee Dee may be at fault for.) Despite Dexter's intelligence, the creators of the show remember Dexter is just a kid, and have given him many traits found in an everyday kid. For example, Dexter isn't too fond of vegetables, he's afraid of being grounded, and doesn't get along with his sister well. The writers also added some drama to the show, as well as some everday situations a kid must go through. Dexter isn't the coolest kid at school, and at times he feels very alone. I'm sure we can all relate to this. At times Dexter's Lab can illustrate childhood as well as Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! can. I recommend everyone give this show a try. Oh by the way, did I mention all of the spoofs this show has?
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A cartoon for all ages
Op_Prime13 June 2000
Dexter's Lab is one of those cartoons that can be enjoyed by adults and kids. It is has a very original premise and is filled with clever jokes. At times, the series also pays homage to Star Trek, Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Anime. They even spoof popular comic super heroes from DC and Marvel. This is a must see show.
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It just tries to be fun, and succeeds admirably
redneck-628 April 2001
Still being a kid at heart, I'm a large fan of animation. I grew up in the eighties on Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes, and the original Tom and Jerry and can remember a time before so many cartoons were just toy advertisements or committee-designed slush meant for mass appeal or message preaching that wound up completely lacking in passion. Fortunately, I'm not alone. Artists with the same sense of nostalgia as I have seen to it that animation began a slow revival in the 1990's. The Simpsons really led the way for intelligent cartoons that can appeal to adults without forgetting that animation should be a playground for the imagination. Certainly, there's still plenty of slush out there, but the ratio of quality stuff to filler has grown considerably in recent years.

As a case in point there is Dexter's Laboratory. It's the best thing I've seen come out of Cartoon Network's originally produced efforts so far. Dexter is a red headed third grader with a super keen intelligence that allows him to build contraptions and devices quite fantastic by our 21st century standards, but all still firmly grounded in our science fiction culture that began in the 1950's (and this is sure to appeal to any fan of sci-fi who can appreciate humor). While being smart, he is still very much a child, and prone to all of the problems that would plague your average third grader. His normal attire is a white lab coat, large rubber gloves and boots, and he speaks in a quasi-German accent (it's never explained why, which makes it all the more fun). His dress and accent are no doubt an homage to the superintelligent "mad genius" character popularized by so many horror and b-films over the years, and fits his character perfectly. He has a gigantic laboratory filled with incredible technology that, while mostly being background scenery, looks the part perfectly (think Frankenstein's lab). All of this is hidden in and under his house, and he somehow manages to keep his fantastic playground hidden from his parents, who are replicas of the 1950's sitcom blissfully married perfect couple. They love their children, but are thankfully not beyond discplining lapses in good behavior (when they see them anyway). While he keeps his lab hidden from his parents, he can't seem to keep anything safe from his sister. Deedee is the free spirited spoil to Dexter's scientific rationalism with blond hair and gigantic blue eyes. She's not the least bit malicious, just terribly curious. She always seems to inadvertantly foil Dexter's latest grand invention or scheme with her propensity to press every button she sees or randomly dance about, crashing through the scenery. Together they form a sort of ying and yang, their differences in nature successfully driving many stories along. They're still very much brother and sister, however, and sibling rivalries are constant, but hilarious against the backdrop of sci-fi plots the two are thrown into. While the show does have plenty of action, adventures, and fantastic gadgets, it would still be pretty stale without such well fleshed out characters to enjoy. They are all caricaturistic enough to be funny, yet human enough (they all have theirs flaws and foibles) that you will want to see how they act and react to the latest crisis, typically brought on by Dexter's dabbling with science.

While Dexter may deeply resent his sister's propensity for unintentional destruction and her "older sibling" status, he still cares for her and never fails to bail her out of a tight spot. While the characters might occasionally display fondness through their actions (Dexter builds a robotic likeness of his mother, the father arm wrestles truckers to defend family honor), emotions are never handled in a sappy or overly sentimental manner. The ability to display heart so subtly without having to hit audiences over the head with it is difficult and rarely done so well. The show abounds with references to popular culture any child of the 80's will be familiar with. From giant monsters to fighting robots and even to an episode dedicated to spoofing Dungeons and Dragons which is quite funny.

And while there's the occasional brawling and fighting, nothing is ever graphically depicted (the reason I don't let my son watch the Powerpuff Girls). Slapstick abounds, certainly, but I've never seen anything here I wouldn't let my two year old watch. To sum it up, the series really just aims to entertain against a sci-fi backdrop. And in that respect it succeeds greatly. When an episode is done, you probably haven't learned any great lesson, you've just had a good time, much like watching an old Looney Tune or Tom and Jerry short. The episodes are apparently out of production, which is a shame. I sincerely hope that Dexter and Deedee get to make a comeback someday.
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9/10
One Of Cartoon Network's Greatest
slimshady56233 December 2012
Looking back on all these old cartoon network shows I use to watch when I was a child sure brings back tons of memories. "Dexter's Laboratory" was a funny and unique cartoon. It centered around Dexter a boy genius who built a laboratory under his house without his parents knowledge, honestly I don't know why he kept it a secret from them but any who, he has an older sister named Dee Dee but she's an Idiot. His parents names are Mom and Dad although that was common for cartoons back then. Dexter has a rival neighbor named Mandark. The episodes had great plots, excellent writing, and were produced by Hanna-Barbara. It also featured a short cartoon between each episode, either Dial M of Monkey or The Justice Friends. I found the show to be pretty interesting, and i enjoyed some of the wacky/fun episodes that the series had to offer. Some of the episodes were kind of painful to watch at times , but most of them were always full of humor and wacky adventures, which made this series good. This show is way better than Jimmy Neutron which seemed like a ripoff, that show is too boring.
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What hath TV wrought upon us?
Angry_Arguer1 November 2003
Perhaps cartoons are futile in two respects. The first being that the level of detail often overwhelms the target audience--think of how the Simpsons remained popular after almost 15 years. The second is that the remaining public ignores them as "childish" despite this semi-sophistication.

Dexter's Lab, at one time the best thing on CTNW, is one of those shows, perhaps the best one since Rocky and Bullwinkle. Even the crude art styles are radically similar. Sadly, it is falling out of the inventive mode and into formula.

Overall, if you taped the earlier episodes...keep them. Animation sophistication might soon become a reality.
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8/10
Dexter's Laboratory
jboothmillard25 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is repeated a lot on Cartoon Network, but it is still a very good cartoon. It makes feel like I'm a kid again. Dexter's Lab is the many episode story about a kid named Dexter with a secret laboratory through the wall of his bedroom. In this lab he creates, mends and manufactures new, interesting and exciting inventions to help him with whatever he needs, e.g. to turn invisible, win a competition, help a superhero, etc. The only problem is his older sister Dee Dee. She is one of the most annoying characters I know, she basically stops him from his work by destroying, distracting or dancing in his lab. There have been many brilliant episodes in the old and new series. Old series there is the one where Dexter thinks he going to explode, but it's actually a fart. In the new series there is the episode where he watches a scary movie and him and his Dad are scared of everything in the house. It was nominated 4 Emmys, all for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less). Very good!
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10/10
This along with the PowerPuff Girls is a Classic
Hello again Today I Going to do a review on Dexter's Laboratory a show which premiered on Cartoon Network on Sunday, April 28, 1996. The characters are Dexter who sound like a German kid who always makes inventions while his dim-witted sister Dee-Dee is coming in his to Laboratory. Then there ManDark who is his Arch rival. This just a classic form '90s. Also this has a lot of adult jokes like in the episode 'Just an Old-Fashion Lab song Which is a parody of Just an Old-Fashion love song By Three Dog Night. There is cameos form The Flintstones in the episode Dad is Dad is Disturbed. Any this show is classic. Also R. I. P.to Christine Cavanaugh who voiced Dexter. Anyway I'm giving this show a 10 out 10 stars.
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10/10
The golden age of Cartoon Network
elonmusk-is_a_moron28 May 2022
Remember the time when CARTOON network actually aired cartoons? Yeah, I remember those good times.

Nowadays, cartoon Network airs stuff like "Crazy Rich Asians" (what the hell) and Teen Titans Go non-stop.

But shows like this were gold. Fun, clever and good for kids and adults as well.

Thank God we still have Genndy Tartakovsky with us.
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8/10
the first 2 seasons + TV movie are fantastic, the seasons 3&4 are meh...
applejosh199112 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
my introduction to the series back when i was 7 years old on the once a beloved cable channel "cartoon network" from it's prime in 1996 till 1999. i watched it during re-runs for years and i always loved the series. about a boy genius named dexter who has a secret laboratory where he does his experiments. but always foiled by his annoying hyper-active sister Dee Dee, who loves to tease him and cause chaos to his lab. the show as always known for it's bizarre mis-adventures of dexter's experiments in his lab from creating inventions that work by pure luck or always backfire from something silly or obvious. the series creator genndy tartakovsky is known for making fast-paced animation and use of clever writing. this series takes clever use of movie parodies and social satire.

genndy tartakovsky wanted the series to end on a high note, even though the last episode of season 2, "Last But Not Beast" was a really big finally, but the true conclusion to the series ended with the fun TV movie "Ego Trip".

because of rating success and becoming even more popular during re- runs, the studio saw big profit to keep this series around so they wanted to revive the series but without original team. gone the original creator, gone the clever writing staff, gone the hanna barbera style animation and gone some of the voice-actors. a different team, animation, and some new voice-actors it was not jumping-the-shark terrible but far from the original 2 seasons. i never ever liked the new animation style. it always bugged me even when i was younger, that blends something similar to flash and cell animation, but always looks bland and boring. the jokes are not really clever or funny. there are few OK episodes but most of them lack imagination or creative jokes.

the last two season were pointless, adding nothing but milking a series should've ended back when the creator wanted to ended with.
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9/10
One of the best cartoons from Cartoon Network classic era Warning: Spoilers
This was a very entertaining animated series, being one of my favorite shows from Cartoon Network back then in the nineties.

It had funny and creative plots in each chapter, and the characters were very likable and interesting. I always liked the way in which it made several homages to comic books and classic cartoons (Including old Japanese animations like "Speed Racer" and "Voltron") having plenty of comedy but also some action and even a couple of somewhat serious moments. I liked a lot the "Dial M for Monkey" and "The Justice Friends " segments from the first season.

Many other cartoons that came later tried to imitate the same style from this series, but none of them were able to capture the charming essence of the original. And some of them like "Jimmy Neutron" and "Johnny Test" were simply awful.

For me, the series ended with the "Ego Trip" special which gave some kind of satisfying resolution to the rivalry of the main character with his arch nemesis. All the episodes that came after "Ego Trip" were pretty bad, having bad animation and almost none of the fun of the chapters of the first and second season.

Anyway, this was a pretty good cartoon from kids of all ages, and I still remember it fondly, despite the awfulness of its third and fourth season.
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One of the Very Best
atomictoyz6 April 2004
A truly great cartoon. Don't look here for great art, its classic, simple lines and bright colors are perfect for the cartoon medium. The stories are varied enough to keep one's attention and the plots are character, not "gag" driven so they bear repeated watching. The writing is hilarious and insightful and the foibles of the main characters are those any adult could identify with. If you have any perspective on the art of cartooning, or even a sense of humor, you'll LOVE Dexter's Laboratory. Along with the Powerpuf Girls, Rocko's Modern Life, Real Monsters, Doug, Wild Thornberries, As Told By Ginger, and even Ren and Stimpy, it is a modern classic. Dexter's Laboratory is a MUST WATCH.
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9/10
A True Cartoon Network Classic
smetin12 October 2017
I have fond memories of watching numerous cartoons on Cartoon Network when I came back home from school and had finished my homework. Of these, only a few stick out in my mind and given my apparent pre-midlife crisis I have attempted to re- live these memories. Of those on my list, Dexter's Lab ranked pretty high up, mainly due to the fact that I could remember various snippets that I desperately wanted to watch!

Dexter's Lab is truly representative of a time when cartoons were not just good, they were great. Creators could truly create and were under less restrictions by regulatory authorities, various social pressures and so on. Sure, cartoons of the time were considerably more senseless, violent and lacked learning points. But, why should all cartoons have to be harmless fun filled with learning when schools, parents and real- life scenarios should be doing this already? A cartoon should give the watcher a chance to be entertained and that is what Dexter's Lab does.

The series follows the antics of Dexter, his annoying sister Dee-Dee, his competitor Mandark and their respective parents. Dexter is a boy genius who ends up in the craziest of situations, whether it be travelling back in time or shrinking down to battle a virus inside a dog. Seriously, this cartoon covers all the bases without becoming repetitive. The episodes themselves were entertaining in the sense that they did not rely on the same jokes, since the creators did have more freedom. This did result in quite a few adult jokes slipping through that I could not appreciate as a child. Boy oh boy was I laughing!

The animation style is quite iconic of the time. It is simple on the surface, but the true talent is shown in Dexters bespoke inventions, battle scenes etc. Whether it be giant robots or ray guns, you could see that each component was really well thought out. It certainly beats the cartoons currently being pumped out, where the animation is so needlessly complex, ugly (in my opinion) and distracting from the cartoon itself. The success of Dexter's Lab can be seen by the career trajectories of its animators, of which Seth Macfarlane is the standout example.

In a nutshell, nostalgia did not disappoint here. Dexter's Lab is even better watching it as an adult, as the jokes that used to make me giggle still make me giggle, with the added naughty adult jokes! If you are a parent wondering whether this cartoon is 'safe' for your child, believe me it is. It is great fun and certainly blows current cartoons out of the water!
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9/10
One of the best shows of all-time!
definitelynotyaseen25 June 2018
I love animation and humor, and this show does it so well and so interestingly. I love this show and its plots, its humor, its characters, its art-style and just the way the show is managed and written. Honestly, this is by-far one of the best shows of all time and I would really recommend it. I really don't care about the haters of the show, saying that its "bad" or that "its so boring" or that "It doesn't deserve its place among of the legendary cartoon, it DOES INDEED deserve its spot in the hall of fame for best cartoons of all time.

I will give this cartoon a 9/10. I don't plan on watching it anytime soon but rest-assured, this show is indeed INCREDIBLE.
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10/10
A classic cartoon that is packed with fun,imagination and humor.
haroldcheese9 October 2015
Dexter's Laboratory was a favorite cartoon of mine as a kid. It was about a 8-year old called Dexter. Dexter was a very intelligent child for his age and loved making zany experiments in his secret laboratory. However his dumb sister Dee Dee loves breaking into his lab and causing chaos and mayhem. It also had references to Star Trek, James Bond,Star Wars and many other elements of pop culture so the show still holds up almost 2 decades later. The show even had a TV movie in 1999 that was incredibly entertaining and funny although it wasn't as good as the cartoon. I guess Dexter works best in small doses.

I give Dexters Lab a 10/10. I also recommend The Powerpuff Girls which the creator of Dexter's Laboratory worked on.
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8/10
Shame about those later seasons
purplehpurple1 June 2018
If I could rate them separately, I would give the original two seasons a 10/10, and the later two seasons a 6/10. As it stands, I'm giving the entire series an 8/10. People think bad reboots are a new thing, but they've always been around, and the later seasons of Dexter's Laboratory are one of those. It's a shame, considering how great the original series was.
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9/10
Classic Cartoon Missed!
ShelbyTMItchell8 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This cartoon is still missed. As now a lot of cartoons on the Cartoon Network are going to CGI and other new tech things. But this cartoon was just plain and simple. And really just one of the brilliant ways at the time for CN where they used to be.

Dexter is a genius despite his small size. As he is with a German accent despite his family being American. He has a zany and wisecracking sister Dee Dee who is the only one that knows about the lab. He keeps this a secret from his parents.

But still Dexter's main concern is fighting off Dee Dee as he is the straight man to her funny antics. The good ole days of CN is still missed by people like me.
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10/10
10+
arielsiere12 May 2022
Oh boy Dexter's Laboratory was such a great show from 1996-2003 the series follows a smart boy named Dexter and his sister named Deedee that love to go on great adventures. But the only episode i hate from this show is Sore Eyes.
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6/10
A Quirky and Clever Animated Series
sufyaanrashid9519 June 2023
Dexter's Laboratory is an animated series that follows the adventures of a boy genius named Dexter who has a secret laboratory hidden beneath his family's home. The show is known for its quirky humor, imaginative storytelling, and clever writing.

One of the strengths of the series is its use of humor. The show features a mix of slapstick comedy, clever wordplay, and pop culture references that will keep viewers of all ages entertained. The humor is often absurd and over-the-top, but it never feels forced or out of place.

The show's imaginative storytelling is also a standout feature. Each episode features a new invention or experiment that Dexter creates, with each one leading to a new and exciting adventure. The show encourages creativity and curiosity in its young viewers, making it not only entertaining but also educational.

The characters are also well-developed and memorable. Dexter is a lovable and relatable protagonist, with his sister Dee Dee providing great comedic relief as his frequent foil. The supporting characters, including Dexter's arch-nemesis Mandark and his parents, add to the show's charm and humor.

But what sets Dexter's Laboratory apart from other animated series is its clever writing. The show's creators have done an excellent job of crafting stories that are both entertaining and smart, with each episode featuring a unique and memorable plot.

Overall, Dexter's Laboratory is a quirky and clever animated series that is sure to delight viewers of all ages. Its imaginative storytelling, clever writing, and lovable characters make it a standout in the world of children's programming. It's a great choice for families to watch together and a must-see for anyone who appreciates a good laugh and a dose of creativity.
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