Tired of watching bad dramas and junk?. Review on Cartoon Network - TV & Cable Channels

This is one of the finest channels on the air. And, yep, I could gush on and on about it for quite some time. However, I'll try to just stick with the main reasons this channel is one of the best things available on cable television.

Let's face it, alleged ''adult'' television is often just plain junk and bad dramas. There are a million Law and Order variants clogging up the airwaves, you've got shows about juvenile judges ignoring the law and ruling based on sheer emotion, silly junk comedies and other rot. Sure, you there are some fine shows out there, but every now and again one must escape from smug, ham-fisted social commentaries that pass as entertainment and other shows that preach or show mind-numbing crud.

So, the Cartoon Network is a fine place to head when one is in need for either a good dose of nostalgia or some original entertainment.

For the nostalgia buffs, Cartoon Network is owned by Turner Broadcasting, which purchased Hanna-Barbera several years ago. Hanna-Barbera, of course, is the cartoon factory which filled television stations in the 1970s and 1980s with shows like Scooby Doo, Speed Buggy, The Flintstones, Superfriends and countless others. I grew up on those shows and still enjoy them now, in fact. Sure, the animation isn't that great in the majority of Hanna-Barbera stuff, but the shows were usually entertaining enough and stress harmless, silly fun.

And, there's plenty of original shows of interest coming out of the Hanna-Barbera studios which are exclusive to Cartoon Network. While there are a lot of those, the ones that seem most popular are Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo. While those are all cartoons aimed at kids, parents can enjoy them, too. Dexter's Lab centers around a boy genius, his idiot sister and clueless parents. Powerpuff Girls about three kindergarten girls who are constantly called into action to save the City of Townsville. Johnny Bravo is about a moron who sounds like Elvis and is miserable at picking up women.

Now, the original programs are fantastic at poking fun at various aspects of pop culture and playing on childhood phobias such as playing dodgeball, wanting to grow up and etc. And, since these are Hanna-Barbera properties, expect plenty of parodies of classic cartoons on the new shows.

Perhaps the best thing about this station is that kids are absolutely addicted to it. Indeed, I can put my five-year-old son in front of Cartoon Network, and he'll actually sit still.

This station does come with a downside, however. There are a heck of a lot of commercials on it, and they seem to all promote the latest toys for children. So, when my son is watching Cartoon Network, his favorite phrase during the commercials seems to be, ''I want that!'' That's just irritating.

While you're not going to find the best animation on Cartoon Network, you will find some good entertainment and light-hearted comedy. While other networks seem to be hell-bent on making various ''statements'' about politics, humanity and the issues of the day, Cartoon Network concentrates on pure entertainment with a slightly subversive twist to it. Sounds good to me.