20 Stellar Adult Animated Series Worth Seeking Out

You won't find these cartoons on Saturday morning...

With the success of Smiling Friends and The Legend of Vox Machina in recent weeks, adult animation is poised to dominate the zeitgeist once again.

Netflix / Via media.giphy.com

Anime may be more renowned for catering to adult audiences for many years now, but there are plenty of adult animated series for stateside television that are worth seeking out. Here are my top 20 that I think are worth a binge-watch!

1. Primal

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

From Samuai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky, Primal is a brutal and surprisingly emotional story of a caveman and T. Rex that form an unlikely bond in a dangerous and predatory world.

2. Moral Orel

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

A biting satire of Davey and Goliath created by Mr. Show producer Dino Stamatopoulos, Moral Orel will keep you bouncing from belly laughing to gasping with shock over the course of its bite-sized runtime.

3. Invincible

Amazon Studios / Via Gfycat

Based on the beloved comic book from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, Invincible's ultraviolent send-up of classic superhero archetypes quickly cemented its status as one of the best new series of 2021.

4. Close Enough

HBO Max / Via Gfycat

Regular Show mastermind J.G. Quintel is able to blend his irreverent humor with more adult-oriented subject matter in his latest laugh-heavy animated series.

5. Archer

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A hysterical and often absurd parody of the spy genre, Archer impressively builds upon its universe and the characters within it while mining memorable moments from lampooning the likes of James Bond and Mission: Impossible.

6. M.O.D.O.K.

Hulu / Via Gfycat

Patton Oswalt headlines this funny and referential Marvel animated series that features enough inappropriate language and explosive violence to keep parental content locks working overtime.

7. Clone High

MTV / Via Gfycat

Before entering the Spider-verse, Christopher Miller and Phil Lord made a splash with fans of adult animation on MTV's Clone High, a clever yet absurd teen melodrama parody ripe with risqué subversive humor.

8. The Life and Times of Tim

HBO / Via Tumblr

Equipped with a subtle mean streak and witty cringe humor, The Life and Times of Tim played as HBO's animated equivalent to Curb Your Enthusiasm with its penchant for drowning its titular character in embarrassing nightmares of his own making.

9. Todd McFarlane's Spawn

HBO / Via Gfycat

With graphic violence, sexuality, and foul language, Todd McFarlane's Spawn was certainly ahead of its time and has since found a growing cult audience via DVD releases and streaming.

10. Love, Death, and Robots

Netflix / Via Gfycat

A reimagining of Tim Miller and David Fincher's unproduced Heavy Metal reboot, this animated anthology series packs a punch with its variety of freaky, frenetic, and NSFW visions.

11. Rick & Morty

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

This sardonic adult comedy series has been a smash hit on Adult Swim for good reason, as it often is more innovative and impactful than many of its contemporaries.

12. The Venture Bros.

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

Though it may be the most tame project on this list, The Venture Bros. is definitely for more mature audiences, from its themes and subject matter to its explosions of ridiculous violence.

13. Mr. Pickles

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

Equal parts gory and vulgar, Mr. Pickles is an exhibition of bad taste that deserves a lot of credit for boldly existing in all of its shamelessness.

14. BoJack Horseman

Netflix / Via Gfycat

Bojack Horseman is not only an adult animated series in its content, especially in its sexual references and coarse language, but it often handles matters such as addiction, trauma, sexual identity, and loss in an emotionally considerate manner.

15. Metalocalypse

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

If you love Easter eggs to heavy-metal culture, outrageous explosions of viscera, and some legitimately awesome music, Metalocalypse is more than capable of melting your mind.

16. The Boondocks

Adult Swim / Via Gfycat

Aaron McGruder's jaw-dropping, boundary-pushing animated series remains a high point in Adult Swim's catalog, so much so that calls for a modern reboot almost came to fruition prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

17. Undergrads

MTV / Via Gfycat

Though this one-season-wonder was a standout on MTV's short-lived adult animation block, Undergrads accrued an incredibly vocal fanbase between its syndication on Canada's Teletoon as well as the long-gestating feature film follow-up that allegedly remains in development.

18. Clerks: The Animated Series

Buena Vista Television / Via Gfycat

While some elements of Clerks: The Animated Series have not stood the test of time, there's no denying that the program had so much potential packed into six hilarious episodes prior to its cancellation.

19. Star Trek: Lower Decks

Paramount+ / Via Gfycat

Even if you're not the biggest Star Trek buff, Lower Decks is extremely entertaining as it balances the core themes of the franchise with plenty of off-the-wall and suggestive humor that may not be fitting for younger audiences.

20. Duckman

Klasky Csupo / Via Gfycat

The forefather of every major adult animated comedy series, the crude and crass Duckman broke barriers in terms of what could be acceptable in modern American animation and remains esteemed in this regard nearly 30 years later.