You’re an adult. You value things like the New York Stock Exchange and being able to swear. You drink cappuccinos. You pay your taxes. You go to bed at a reasonable hour. You don’t have time to waste on childish things. That’s why when you watch cartoons, you make sure those cartoons were made with adults like you in mind. There aren’t any kids shows with adult themes on the list, no Avatar The Last Airbender or Over The Garden Wall. These are shows that no sane parent would allow a child to watch, but you stopped giving a hoot about what your parents thought long ago, didn’t you? These are the 10 best animated series for adults, for a mature cartoon watcher like you.
Primal
From the mind of Genndy Tartakovsky – the man responsible for “kids’ show with adult themes” titles like Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars – comes a show made for mature eyes only. Set in a primeval world, Primal follows a caveman who bonds with a dinosaur after both suffered the loss of their loved ones. Yes, dinosaurs can love. In a carnivorous world with no one to depend on but each other, Spear and Fang become an apex predator made up of man and beast. The beauty and brutality of Primal‘s story is explored with barely any dialogue whatsoever – dinosaurs aren’t exactly a chatty species, and I’m not sure Spear has discovered language himself. It’s basically How To Train Your Dragon for adults, if the dragon was something out of Jurassic Park. Who wouldn’t want to ride a T-rex to work?
Daria
A sophisticated spinoff of Beavis and Butthead, Daria is the story of the best friend we all wish we’d had in high school. Daria is a teenage iconoclast, a young woman who refuses to conform to the rigid standards of 1990s America. She doesn’t give a hoot about being popular, she’s not even concerned about being well liked. Cynical and satirical, Daria is a takedown of superficial society, as its lead character uses her scathing, understated wit to cut to the heart of what’s real. Daria is concerned about her relationships with those closest to her: her workaholic mom, her neurotic dad, her vapid younger sister, and her best friend Jane – who holds her down through it all. Clever, raw, and honest – Daria is one of the greatest animated bildungsroman series around. And if there’s anything a literary adult like you can’t resist, it’s a bildungsroman.
Bojack Horseman
BoJack Horseman takes place in a world where anthropomorphic animals live alongside humans, and where its titular protagonist was once a household name. The star of late 80’s sitcom Horsin’ Around, BoJack became a victim of his own success, as fortune and fame lead him down the path of addiction and alcoholism. A bleak portrait of sunny Los Angeles, the series is a deep dive into the vapidity of celebrity culture and the negative effects it has on those wrapped up in it. This is a world of burned out child stars and has-beens, trying to make a comeback in a world that moved on long ago – and BoJack is one of them. It’s equal parts dark and darkly funny, and dysfunctional, depressed, angry, and poor BoJack is usually the butt of the joke.
Smiling Friends
The bright and beaming face of adult animated absurdism, Smiling Friends is the story of Pim and Charlie – two employees of a company meant to spread happiness to a troubled world. Run by the emotionally labile Mr. Boss, Smiling Friends opens its doors to anyone in need of a good grin – and Pim and Charlie aren’t allowed to rest until a smile is on a client’s face. In a world full of sociopathic frog emperors, carnivorous demons, evil doppelgängers, and panhandling witches, smiles are in short supply, but the plucky Pim and the cynical Charlie will do their best anyway. The charm of the series comes from its fast-paced and frenetic humor and ever changing animation style. It’s raunchy, violent, funny, and surprisingly tender – this series just can’t make up its mind, and that’s what keeps the smiles coming.
Cowboy Bebop
The show that elevated the anime series into the lofty realm of high art, Cowboy Bebop remains one of the greatest animated stories ever told. A space western set in a colonized Solar System, the series follows bounty hunters Spike and Jet as they attempt to enforce the law in a lawless universe. Though the pair have a checkered relationship with authority themselves, they’ve come to realize that they can’t be picky about where the money comes from in this dog eat dog galaxy. Sometimes it comes from turning in interstellar drug dealers, or ecological terrorists, or escaped government experiments, and sometimes it comes from chasing down a space cowboy cut from the same cloth they are. Combining high octane action, a moody tone, and a stellar space jazz score, this series is the pinnacle of cool.
The Veture Bros.
An animated cult classic, The Venture Brothers serves as a send up to superhero culture and nerdy cinema. A pastiche of Johnny Quest, the series follows the lives of the Venture family – spearheaded by mad scientist Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture with his dimwitted sons Hank and Dean along for the ride. Accompanied by their bodyguard Brock Sampson (essentially a homicidal version of Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove), Hank and Dean set off on harebrained adventures that result in death and destruction for everyone else involved. While the series starts off cynical, the plot soon softens – detailing the complexities of the characters’ relationships between each other and their supervillain arch nemesis The Monarch – a butterfly themed evildoer. Sweet, smarmy, satisfying – it’s one of the best.
Futurama
While The Simpsons may have more cultural impact, there’s something special about Matt Groening’s sophomore show Futurama. It’s the story of Phillip J. Fry, a dimwitted pizza boy who ends up cryogenically frozen in a delivery gone wrong. After waking up in the year 3000, the 90s era Fry finds a new job helping a mad scientist, a cyclops mutant, and a homicidal robot make deliveries across the stars. A delightful pastiche of early 2000s America, Futurama is a comfort show to its core. Madcap humor combines with a deep emotional heart to make this series one of the most impactful pieces of animation ever created. Just try to watch the episode “Jurassic Bark” without sobbing your eyes out, it simply isn’t possible.
Scavenger’s Reign
One of the greatest sci-fi series ever made, the short-lived Scavenger’s Reign follows a group of survivors stranded on an alien planet after their cargo ship crash landed. Teeming with strange animals and plants, planet Vesta feels as vibrant as our own, with complex ecosystems worthy of David Attenborough’s nature documentary narration. As the survivors of the Demeter 227 struggle to make their way back to the wreckage of their ship, they’re forced to contend with the beauties and dangers of the extraterrestrial world they now call home. Though the show only lasted one season, it does alien sci-fi better than any other – a true masterclass in world building worthy of a season two, three and four.
Devilman Crybaby
One of the most shockingly disturbing anime ever made, Devilman Crybaby is set in a world plagued by carnivorous demons that possess and devour humanity. After attending a debauched sex party that attracted demonic attention, the teenaged Akira becomes the host of a powerful evil spirit – transforming him into a human/demon hybrid called a “devilman.” As Akira struggles to understand his newfound power, he’s equally confused by his relationships with those around him – exacerbated by raging teenage hormones. It’s a bloody and brutal puberty metaphor with tragic consequences. As demonkind runs rampant across a powerless world, Akira will do his best to stop the threat, but his best might not be good enough.
South Park
Perhaps the greatest work of adult animation ever made, South Park remains one of the most culturally relevant shows in circulation. It’s the story of four foul-mouthed middle schoolers in small town America, and the dimwitted adults that serve as anything but role models. Fearlessly funny, there’s no subject matter too taboo for South Park to take on. No one is safe from the show’s scathing social satire- not celebrities, politicians, or everyday people like you and me. It’s depraved, disturbing, and absolutely debauched. A product of American mean spiritedness reflected back on itself. South Park works because of humanity’s inner darkness, our propensity to be selfish, cruel, vain, and egotistical. We can’t blame Kyle, Eric, Stan and Kenny for their abominable behavior – they learned it from the society that they grew up in. They are a product of their time, just like the show itself. Until humanity stops being awful, South Park will always be relevant – and I don’t see our species making a change anytime soon. Do you?
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
