dexter's laboratory (commonly abbreviated as dexter's lab) is an american comic science fiction animated television series created by genndy tartakovsky for cartoon network, and the first of the network's cartoon cartoons. the series follows dexter, a boy-genius and inventor with a secret laboratory in the basement of his house, who constantly battles his sister dee dee in an attempt to keep her out of the lab. he also engages in a bitter rivalry with his neighbor and fellow-genius mandark. the first two seasons contained additional segments: dial m for monkey, which focuses on dexter's pet lab-monkey/superhero, and the justice friends, about a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.

tartakovsky pitched the series to fred seibert's first animated shorts showcase what a cartoon! at hanna-barbera, basing it on student films he produced while attending the california institute of the arts. three pilots aired on cartoon network from 1995 to 1996; viewer approval ratings convinced the network to order a half-hour series, which ran for two initial seasons from 1996 to 1998. in 1999, a television movie titled ego trip aired as the intended series finale, and tartakovsky left to begin work on his new series, samurai jack. however, from 2001 to 2003, cartoon network revived the series for two more seasons, under chris savino and a different production team at cartoon network studios.

dexter's laboratory received widespread critical acclaim and high ratings, and became one of cartoon network's most popular and successful original series. during its run, the series won three annie awards, with nominations for four primetime emmy awards, four golden reel awards, and nine additional annie awards. the series is notable for helping launch the careers of several cartoonists, such as craig mccracken, seth macfarlane, butch hartman, and rob renzetti. spin-off media include comic books, dvd and vhs releases, music albums, collectible toys, and video games.