The Venture Bros. (2004)

The one to pick if you want stories and characters that pay off. Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer started with a satire of early-1960s boy-adventure fiction, with Jonny Quest as the main reference, and grew it into a sprawling world of failed scientists, bodyguards and professional supervillains. Unlike most of the block, episodes run 22 to 24 minutes, across seven seasons and 81 episodes between 2003 and 2018. Adult Swim canceled it in 2020, but the 2023 film Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart gives it a proper ending. Baffling level: low.