Another thing I've noticed (and I'm not 100% sure this is a thing) is the intro style. Cowboy Bebop has a particularly iconic one, but other shows (Archer e.g.) have something very similar. What's the progenitor of this? Are these both homages to some previous intro I'm not aware of?
It's a faux-nostalgia pastiche. It probably spread to Archer et. al. through the Incredibles: Brad Bird, for his part, has said that his whole intention with The Incredibles was to fulfill his childhood dream of making a Johnny Quest feature so it's definitely the same cultural reference.
Surprisingly I cannot find anything on TVTropes, other than Animated Credits Opening which led me to the iconic intro for Catch Me If You Can; I'd argue this would fall in with the same themes, if not a bit slower paced.