Courage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated comedy television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Films. The eponymous character is an anxious dog who lives with an elderly couple, Muriel and Eustace Bagge, in a farmhouse in the middle of Nowhere, a fictional town in Kansas. In each episode, the Bagges are repeatedly thrown into bizarre, frequently disturbing, and often paranormal or supernatural adventures, with Courage often having to rescue his owners. The series is known for its dark, surreal humor and atmosphere.

Dilworth pitched the series to Hanna-Barbera's animated shorts showcase What a Cartoon! and a pilot titled "The Chicken from Outer Space" aired on Cartoon Network on February 18, 1996. The segment was nominated for an Academy Award but lost to Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave. The short was greenlit to become a series, which premiered on November 12, 1999, and ended on November 22, 2002, with four seasons consisting of 13 episodes each. It was nominated for three Golden Reel Awards and won one Annie Award.