The Simpsons:

Although often accused of being lowbrow, The Simpsons is unique among successful TV shows in that it's never afraid to make jokes it knows will go waaaaaaaaaaaaay over (or simply waaaaaaaaaaaaay off to the side of) entire key segments of its demographic. (Witness the elaborate 'The Prisoner' episode. Hey, kids... remember The Prisoner? Didn't think so!) Like most "veteran" TV shows, the Simpsons has become a sick, sad, self-referential parody of itself in its later years, but unlike most shows, it's very good at it.

Rules for watching: Preface viewing by reading all the cards in Trivial Pursuit, any edition, followed by six random volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, followed by a random sampling of pop (and off-pop) culture, like what you would find in the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series. Otherwise, you're liable to miss a lot of the "in" jokes.

Powerpuff Girls:

This hilarious send-up of both American and Japanese cultural phenomena is often underappreciated by those who either have not enough or too much appreciation for either, or both. (Translation: to fully get this cartoon, you have to "know" the subject matter, but not take it too seriously.) I myself derided this show as another lame Cartoon Network offering until my younger sister shanghaid me into watching a Thanksgiving weekend marathon a few years ago.

Rules for watching: Gasp along the characters. It's more fun if you do.

Daria:

Was much better before it was a soap opera.

Rules for watching: Try to catch the earlier episodes.

Justice League:

Although the extra-long premiere episode contained the one obligatory reference to "Super Friends," it was also loaded with allusions, subtle and gross, to such disparate sources as War of the Worlds and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. The episodes since then have been as intelligent as the very best episodes of the modern Batman and Superman cartoons, and have something that both of those lacked: an interesting interpretation of Wonder Woman.

Rules for watching: Whenever Aqua Man appears in any context, you must say "My ability to speak with fish is of no use in this situation" in a very serious voice. Whenever Wonder Woman ropes someone/thing (golem, tentacle, monster, robot, etc.), you must yell "Make it tell the truth!"

Dragon Ball:

This Japanese import has been dumbed down so far in translation that the American television viewing population would no doubt be insulted if they were not, in fact, American television viewers. I gather it has something to do with "ki force," which in this context at least is apparently a Japanese word for testosterone, and has actually managed to convert a disturbing number of pre-and-barely teens to an unrecognizable hybrid form of eastern mysticism. I plan on making my own cartoon, where Galactic Warriors use scented candles and feng shui to increase their power level, then opening a New Age store to capitalize on the boom.

Rules for watching: Don't.