When I was a kid, I
definitely preferred CN, if only because I watched it more. This was around the time they had the “Cartoon Cartoon Fridays” lineup of Dexter’s Lab, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls (yeah, I watched it
), Ed, Edd, n Eddy, Samurai Jack, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. I even liked some of the lesser-known CN shows of that time – stuff like Time Squad, Sheep in the Big City, and Mike, Lu, and Og. I didn’t watch much of Adult Swim or Toonami (save for DBZ, which I eventually got tired of), it was their original programming that I loved.
Looking back, I’d still give the edge to CN, but I’d have to think hard about it. At the very least, I’d put the first three seasons of Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold!, and Avatar: The Last Airbender above any of the aforementioned CN shows I just listed. CN definitely had more shows that I’d watch, but when Nick was good, there was nothing better.