Dexter’s Laboratory

Dexter built the secret laboratory. Dee Dee needed approximately three seconds to wreck whatever he was doing in it. That was enough to fuel inventions, explosions, sibling warfare, and some beautifully ridiculous cartoon logic. Dexter’s Laboratory gives the bracket a different flavor from the Nickelodeon-heavy field, with The Powerpuff Girls waiting for the obvious Cartoon Network showdown. Against Rocko, it becomes two completely different brands of weird. The question is whether Dexter’s combination of laughs, characters, and after-school nostalgia can survive the bigger franchises.