The childhood of many kids involved reading comic books and watching cartoons, media filled with exaggerated expressions and streamlined sense of senses of humor that anyone and everyone's schoolteachers warned would rot their developing minds. Unfortunately, such chastisement would prove ineffective, as, the days, of growing up with cartoons not only persists to this day, but various series even follow people to adulthood.
Adult cartoons/animated series have become a new staple in the television viewing household, as studio executives eventually realized that there's a massive paying market for the industry outside of children. Rolling from the counterculture icons of Fritz the Cat and Heavy Metal and building on the influences of Ralph Bakshi and Robert Crumb, adult animated series have developed a reputation for the crude and desensitized, as cartoonists and animators would take the opportunity to create absolutely bonkers products of animations and comedy that average child may not appreciate (at least, not with parent blocks on). Adult animation really is an art form in and of itself, and this list aims to run down the best ones in history (according to IMDb).
10 Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series
The animation industry has a long history of gimmick sequels. Every beloved cartoon mascot has had a baby version. Anything vaguely action-oriented has had its edgy, 90s rendition, and, as such, a beloved movie or live-action series, such as Clerks or Napoleon Dynamite, has to have been reborn (and later canceled) as a cartoon.
Following the latter, the beginning entry here is the animated successor to beloved Canadian comedy icons. In Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series, Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles are back to wreak havoc, only with a third dimension tied behind their backs. It's the same trailer park trash antics as always, only in animated form, but any continuation of this Nova Scotian raunchiness is always appreciated.
9 The Venture Bros.
Next up is one of the original yet ongoing icons of Adult Swim. Starting with the programming block's cheap, cel animation, this series about old and rotting cartoon icons has become a full-fledged sci-fi/action-adventure within its own right, as the battle between good and evil is ever blurred and lampooned by the exploits of mad scientists, secret government agencies, and a man in a butterfly costume.
Never falling under the weight of its own references, The Venture Bros. has become a fan favorite for its fast-paced dialogue, long-running callbacks, and deep commentary about the dark realities behind American television icons.
8 Bojack Horseman
Entering into a critically acclaimed notch of Netflix's ever-expanding belt of premium shows, Bojack Horseman has more than surpassed cult status, as its tight joke writing, well-developed characters, and deep looks into the dark underbelly of the human condition have made the animated series the new standard for comedy and drama writing.
Bringing viewers into the glitzy, Hollywood world run by celebrities and literal animals of excess, Bojack Horseman has explored addiction, depression, and modern political issues with a sense of wit and seriousness that is oddly unmatched by its live-action colleagues, making it more than a fair entry on this list.
7 Bob's Burgers
Fox's "Animation Domination" block has been a hit-or-miss effort throughout its run, as the studio has struggled to produce animated series as successful as Family Guy or The Simpsons. That all changed in late 2011 when a certain Greek family moved beachside to sell burgers.
Bob's Burgers has become more than a welcome family on the Sunday lineup, as its wide range of eccentric yet loveable characters never fails to deliver quick jokes and increasingly obscene situations. It's not all just yucks and giggles, however, as the acclaimed series has managed to retain its large audience due to those eccentricities creating more realized characters that are easy to connect to, as the Belcher family themselves provide Fox a new level of humility and real personality that has been missing of late in its sister series.
6 Archer
On the note of Bob Belcher, H. Jon Benjamin has a long line of iconic voice work; and next up on the list is one of his most beloved and quoted roles. FX is a Fox subsidiary that has produced its fair share of critically acclaimed programming, but it doesn't exactly have that deep of an animation block. It more than makes up for it, however, with its leading program about spies in the office never failing to create laughs and stun with its action.
However, most notable about Archer is its tight, fast-paced, and ever impressively intelligent dialogue, as jokes, callbacks, and references just seemingly fire off in all directions, making any fan laugh their pants off while also learning about global history and politics.
5 Futurama
While Bob's Burgers has gotten more than its fair share of love from the Fox executives, the same can not be said however for sci-fi icon that is Futurama. Surviving cancellation and made-for-TV movies, Futurama, in any of its incarnations, has been a standard-bearer for what unique storytelling and nerd comedy should look like.
Sporting literal geniuses in its writing room, Futurama has brought high concept adventures, sci-parodies, and underdog romances in such an intelligent, scientifically accurate, and humanized way that it's a wonder that any other piece of sci-fi can hope to compete.
4 Family Guy
Thanks to its growing fan base and a revival on Adult Swim, Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy has beaten several cancellations and survived much longer than anyone had ever thought to expect. Infamous for its controversial humor and cutaway gags, the adventures of an Irish, Rhode Island family has delighted fans for the last couple of decades with a wide range of family humor, cynical commentary, and sci-fi adventures, What's more, beloved episodes, running jokes, and an absolutely iconic talking baby have made more than their fair share of meme material.
3 South Park
Begrudgingly opposite to Family Guy's success is an animation juggernaut that has found a brand of animation and absurd humor of its own. Dating back to Comedy Central's struggle for success in 1997, Matt Stone and Trey Parker's cheap, greeting card gag has risen through the zeitgeist as one of the most unapologetically offensive yet brutally honest products of comedy and modern commentary that has ever entered a stoner basement.
Also breaking boundaries on television limitations and language, South Park has even reached new heights as an icon for anti-censorship and free speech, as its content and humor have shown a level of intelligence revealing of those offended by it, making South Park not only one of the best, but also one of the most important adult animated series.
2 The Simpsons
A series that really shouldn't need an introduction; The Simpsons has grown as an American symbol since the late 80s, taking preconceived notions of the idyllic, nuclear family household and turning it on its head with jokes and commentary on dysfunctionality, excess, and American incompetence.
Over the past couple of decades, the yellow family of Springfield has been host to a variety of iconic episodes, immortalizing Mr. Plow in everyone's heads, stunning with the mysterious shooting of Mr. Burns, and being incredibly hypnotic with the "Bart Man." The Simpsons has earned its spot on this list as both a beast on the television landscape and a fond memory in most households.
1 Rick and Morty
Last but not least comes an adult animated series that didn't enter television quietly but rather exploded across every home, mobile device, and Hot Topic. Born from the mind of Community's Dan Harmon and nurtured in the weirdness incubator that is Adult Swim, Rick and Morty is a show like nothing else. Its crude animation, literal drunken improvisation, and admittedly nonexistent scientific research would fail in any other writing room if not for the sheer level of comedic and narrative talent that it's presented with.
Everything from its distinct, off-kilter performances to its tightly structured, high concept adventures all work together to make an animated spectacle that is just hard not to look at as the growing stakes and devolving morality of its main characters have manifested creative scenarios never before seen on anyone's watchlist. While there's still plenty left to Rick and Morty's future, it has certainly already left an amazing legacy.
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