There’s been unprecedented development in every form of entertainment over the past decade, yet television continues to be an exciting platform for innovation and ambitious long-form storytelling. Television has become willing to take risks on more adventurous genres and styles of programming and 2021 has been full of groundbreaking television.
One area that continues to thrive on the medium is the impressive stable of adult animated content that’s gone into production. There was once a stigma that cartoons could only be for children, but there are lots of truly remarkable animated series for adults that are currently airing on TV.
10 Undone Is An Unflinching Look Into The Human Condition With An Attractive Visual Hook
Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy from BoJack Horseman, Amazon’s Undone examines a dejected sister’s struggle to mature and come to terms with her father’s death through honest and vulnerable storytelling. Undone works in supernatural elements in an effective manner and makes glorious use of a rotoscoped art design. Season one of Undone concluded before the end of 2019 and although a second season has been confirmed to be in production and still on the way, there haven’t been any more concrete details regarding when this emotionally raw and provocative animated series will return.
9 Big Mouth Shines A Light On The Absurdity Of Puberty
Big Mouth is a unique entity in the sense that it’s certainly meant for adults and benefits from having the hindsight of puberty to look back on. However, it’s also entirely possible for teenagers to enjoy Big Mouth while also genuinely learning something about sexuality. Big Mouth now has five seasons of hormonal humor under its belt and it’s been able to deliver some enlightening and absurdist commentary on the many changes that the human body experiences. Big Mouth has an absolutely stacked cast of performers and writers, which allows the broad material to get elevated in subversive ways.
8 Archer Has Endlessly Lampooned The Spy Genre And So Much More
The trajectory of the animated series, Archer, is absolutely atypical and its journey over the course of 12 seasons is bizarre. Archer started as a long lampoon of the spy genre, but the comedy started to feel growing pains, which led to the show abandoning its core concept in favor of wilder ideas.
This evolved into several imaginary “coma seasons” that turned the show into a film noir, adventure serial, and even a space adventure. Archer has since returned to its spy roots and inexplicably feels fresher than ever.
7 South Park Continues To Be One Of Television’s Smartest Satires
South Park started off as a crude and juvenile joke that nobody expected to last a full season, let alone persevere for more than two decades with nearly 300 episodes having been produced. The evolution of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s South Park is absolutely incredible and the show has gradually become one of the sharpest and most current social satires on television, animated or otherwise. South Park’s recent structure and approach to storytelling have taken some unconventional turns, but the show is set to be around for many more years, both with regular episodes and longer movie-sized installments.
6 American Dad Is A Hidden Gem That Regularly Delivers Winners
For many years American Dad unfairly stayed in Family Guy’s shadow, but the two have sufficiently diverged in terms of their styles of comedy and storytelling. American Dad often gets generalized and overlooked, but it’s quietly been telling hilarious and consistent stories for nearly 250 episodes. American Dad continues to take big swings with its stories and the show has found a second wind after its migration over to TBS from FOX. For an animated series that still delivers 20+ episode seasons, American Dad’s level of quality remains surprisingly high.
5 The Harper House Has A Strong Foundation For A Bright Future
The proliferation of streaming services has led to every new distribution channel hungry for their own adult animated hit. Paramount+ continues to develop its library of programming, but The Harper House is one of the biggest surprises to come out of 2021.
Created by Brad Neely of China, Il fame, The Harper House almost feels akin to the golden era years of The Simpsons. It crafts a truly lovable family of characters with storylines that are deeply layered and capable of tackling prescient issues while also just having fun celebrating its odd world.
4 The Midnight Gospel Combines High-Minded Philosophy With Delirious Animation
Netflix has become a major player when it comes to adult animated content. Focused on “spacecaster” Clancy who interviews different individuals throughout the universe, Duncan Trussell’s The Midnight Gospel is the perfect mix of calm and chaotic. Characters are able to engage in leisurely discussions on life, death, and everything in between, while endlessly colorful and detailed illustrations play out on the screen. It’s such a confident pairing of content with style and it’s a series that will definitely expand the audience’s mind, either with its philosophical debates or the bewildering animation.
3 Invincible Is A Mature And Brutal Deconstruction Of The Superhero Genre
Superhero storytelling and comic book adaptations have completely overwhelmed pop culture and what used to be niche territory has now become the mainstream. This has resulted in superhero fatigue and many stories that would have at one point been subversive are now just par for the course. Invincible, based on the Robert Kirkman comic, breaks this trend with a joyfully brutal and adult look at the world of superpowers. Invincible works as well as it does because of how much society has become obsessed with superheroes, yet this animated series experiments with the genre in a fresh, fearless way.
2 Rick And Morty Has Forged Its Own Path And Earned Infinite Goodwill
Adult Swim has typically been a fringe network that’s been comfortable leading the way in alternative programming, so the serious mainstream success of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s Rick and Morty has given the programming block an unprecedented level of attention. Rick and Morty has been blessed and cursed with an exorbitant renewal of episodes, which has led to the animated series taking bigger risks, for both better and for worse. When the series works, Rick and Morty is the absolute best at deconstructing story and genre, but the show’s complex relationship with its own fandom has led to occasional struggles.
1 Tuca & Bertie Brilliantly Explores Female Friendship And Adulthood
Tuca & Bertie is a rare example of a series that’s been canceled by Netflix, only to be graciously renewed elsewhere. Adult Swim has embraced Tuca & Bertie for its second season, with more on its way, and it’s become one of the network’s most thoughtful series. Tuca & Bertie continues to fearlessly navigate female friendships and the hurdles that face adults in their early thirties, yet it shines a light on topics that are rarely focused on in other animated shows, like rent hikes, therapy, and toxic sexual fantasies. Tuca & Bertie continues to grow sharper and more confident.
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