It's hard to make a list of the best Venture Bros. episodes because there aren't any bad ones. Across seven seasons and counting, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer have created one of the best Adult Swim shows and don't show signs of slowing down.

What first seemed like a simple parody of Johnny Quest grew and warped into a serialized epic featuring a comic book universe comparable to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans got used to extended delays between seasons so the creators could make sure the animation and stories met their rigid standards. This sounds a lot like another Adult Swim show, one with a rabid fan base and a tendency to subvert sci-fi cliches: Rick and Morty.

Premiering nine years after the first visit to the Venture compound, Rick and Morty turned into an animated sensation. Fans love to analyze and explain intellectual Rick and Morty jokes. But they rarely take into account the debt their favorite show owes to The Venture Bros. for laying the groundwork on how to produce a smart, thoughtful animated series. Across the board, The Venture Bros. is the superior animated series about a cynical, self-centered scientist who goes on adventures with his sons/grandson.

Read on to find out what the show gets right about science fiction and fandom.