Fans of adult animation will be intrigued to hear that Netflix has ordered a TV adaptation of the card game Exploding Kittens, set to release some time next year (via Deadline), which will no doubt feature the same zany adult-oriented humor of the game. The explosion - pun intended - of adult animation has shown that although the medium has long been associated with children and wholesome family entertainment, over the past several decades this general perception has begun to change.
In fact, it has become increasingly recognized that animation is just as capable of appealing to adults–in both its subject matter and its language - as it is to children. There has been an increase of adult animated series on various networks and streaming services, and so it is especially helpful that the s of Ranker have identified just which of these series should be regarded as the best.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021)
Stream On HBO Max
well-regarded science fiction movies, and it’s easy to see why. With its gritty aesthetic and its questioning of what constitutes humanity, it engages with the weighty material that is key to the genre.
Though the movie (and its sequel) are quite famous, the animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus is similarly deserving of respect. Though obviously set in the same universe as the movies, and featuring some of its characters, the series charts its own territory, and its lush CGI animation is particularly notable.
The Summoner (2021)
Not Available To Stream
Though SyFy is more famous for its many drama series, it has increasingly branched out into the world of animation. One of its more notable series is The Summoner based on Charlie Hankin's hand-drawn 2017 short, which focuses on a young man, Rory, and his roommate, an alien who can bring anything to its present location.
In each of the series’ very short episodes (usually three to four minutes), mishaps ensue when the Summoner brings something to help Rory, only for it to turn out to be something random and not at all helpful. The series manages to be both charming and very funny.
The Midnight Gospel (2020)
Stream On Netflix
It is often the case that The Midnight Gospel, which focuses on a spacecaster as he journeys to various worlds and interviews their inhabitants.
The series has an otherworldly and at times absurdist aesthetic, but this is to be expected, given that one of its creators was responsible for the similarly strange animated series Adventure Time.
Housebroken (2021)
Stream On Hulu
Unsurprisingly, animals have long been one of the favorite subjects of both animated movies and TV shows. While this is well explored territory, Housebroken manages to take it in some new and exciting directions, especially since it focuses on a group of housepets who undertake group therapy sessions.
There’s a bit of an edge to this series, and it manages to address some weighty topics. What’s more, it is also grounded by a very talented voice cast, including Lisa Kudrow as its main character, a poodle named Honey.
Love, Death, And Robots (2019-Present)
Stream On Netflix
The anthology television format is one with a great deal of artistic potential, and so it makes sense that it has been utilized to create some of the medium’s most popular television series. Of particular note is Love, Death, and Robots, one of the edgiest and most daring of Netflix’s many animation offerings.
Each episode tells a self-contained story, typically focused on one of the three words in the series’ title. It is, in some ways, a throwback to an earlier period of animation, and it is a testament to how animation can be used to tell sophisticated, and at times very disturbing, stories.
Tuca & Bertie (2019-Present)
Stream On Hulu
Though it was originally canceled before its time, in the brief time that it was on the air Tuca and Bertie still managed to demonstrate why it is regarded by the s of Ranker as the best adult animated series of the last few years.
In addition to featuring its own unique art style, the series is notable for the way it explores the friendship between the two title characters. Though it has some similarities to BoJack Horseman, it is a far more optimistic series, and so it is a very good thing it was revived by Adult Swim.
Human Resources (2022-present)
Stream On Netflix
Netflix has established itself as one of the leaders when it comes to adult comedies, and it is currently home to several notable series. One of the most notable of these is Human Resources, a spinoff of the equally successful (and raunchy) Big Mouth.
This series, however, focuses on the various monsters that become attached to humans and come to represent their emotions. What makes it a standout series is how well it blends together the conventions of the workplace comedy with the raunchy aesthetic of its parent series.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022-Present)
Stream On Prime Video
The Boys is arguably one of the The Boys Presents: Diabolical.
The series focuses on various side stories from the main universe, adding texture and depth to its parent series. Just as importantly, each episode is also animated in a different style, adding a heterogeneity that still manages to attain its own form of coherence.
Harley Quinn (2019-Present)
Stream On Hulu
Few characters in the DCEU have achieved quite the level of popularity and respect as Harley Quinn. In fact, she is one of the few in his cinematic universe to attain almost universal acclaim. Though it doesn’t star Margot Robbie in the main role, it has its own personality with Kaley Cuoco voicing Quinn.
The series, like so many of the characters’ other screen appearances, is a black comedy, and it allows Harley to have as much fun as she possibly can (a fitting fate for this most entertaining of antiheroines).
Inside Job (2021-Present)
Stream On Netflix
Part of the pleasure of adult animation is its willingness to take risks when it comes to storytelling and even to coherence. Inside Job, for example, is a workplace comedy, but in this universe, various conspiracy theories are real, even as the government wants to keep them secret.
While the series does certainly have more than a healthy dose of surrealism, it nevertheless manages to address many pressing issues of the workplace. Just as importantly, it also highlights the inherently dangerous nature of conspiracy theories and the threat they pose to reality.