10 Best Animated Shows For Adults

Summary

• Animation has evolved beyond children's movies, with adult-focused animated shows like South Park and Harley Quinn.
• Shows like Spawn: The Animated Series and Castlevania push boundaries with adult themes and imagery.
• Animated shows like Samurai Jack and The Legend of Vox Machina appeal to adults with their mature storytelling and stunning animation.

It used to be the case that animation was almost exclusively the realm of children's movies and Saturday morning cartoons. Animation has long since evolved past those restrictions, with some of television's biggest hits in recent memory being animated shows.

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Sometimes though, it can be hard to tell until you're partway through the first episode of a show just who the target audience is. It might look like it has an adult edge but be aimed at viewers much younger than you, or have a childish animation style but hand you the raunchiest humour. We're taking the risk out of things, so below you can find some of the best animated shows specifically for adults.

10 South Park

The First One You Think Of

When it comes to an animated show for adults, the first one that springs to mind for most of you will be South Park. That makes sense since the show is currently on track to hit the incredible milestone of 30 seasons, keeping its trademark 'edgy' humour all the while.

If you're a fan of either South Park or gaming, you really should check out South Park: The Stick of Truth and the sequel South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Not only are they the best South Park games, but they're also great games in general with solid gameplay systems.

9 Harley Quinn

Good For A Laugh

Harley Quinn seems to turn up just about everywhere. Starting out in Batman: The Animated Series voiced and inspired by the late, great Arleen Sorkin, she made the jump to comics and eventually back to TV and movies. A modern pop culture icon she even appears in video games like the Injustice series or Fortnite.

One of the best versions of Harley Quinn appears, appropriately, in her own television show. This animated show focuses on her as a main character, freeing herself from the shadow of The Joker and exploring her relationship with Poison Ivy.

8 Spawn: The Animated Series

A Show Of Many Names

No one can quite agree on whether the show is called Spawn, Spawn: The Animated Series or Todd McFarlane's Spawn. Whatever you call it, Spawn is one of the best Image Comics characters there is, and the 1997 series reflects that.

Dark and moody like almost nothing seen before, Spawn distatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/'t shy away from adult themes or imagery. Although sadly cancelled by HBO before reaching a natural conclusion, the show is still more than worth your time.

7 Castlevania

A Bloody Good Time

Whether you're a fan of vampires in general or Castlevania specifically, the Netflix Castlevania show is going to be the next fang-filled fix you're looking for. The animation is stunningly beautiful and the cast does an incredible job of bringing the characters to life.

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Castlevania was one of the first video game adaptations to be considered good not just as an adaptation, but as a show in its own right. If you love particularly vicious fight scenes, then you're going to feel right at home with Castlevania's blood-soaked brand of action.

6 Samurai Jack

A Man From The Past, In The Future

Many of you may have watched Samurai Jack when you were kids, but we promise it's a show best enjoyed as an adult. The dystopian future, the themes of isolation, and even the constant nods to true samurai films all click so much more when you have a few extra years behind you.

Samurai Jack isn't a show talked about enough. Even when it is brought up it doesn't feel as though it truly gets its due as the groundbreaking piece of Western animation it truly was. How many other shows of the time were both so beautiful and willing to poke fun at themselves?

5 The Legend Of Vox Machina

Take A Chance, Roll The Dice

Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever before, with Critical Role helping to spearhead that charge. Their first animated show, The Legend of Vox Machina, has been a hit. After raising a record-breaking amount on Kickstarter, the show went on to become one of Amazon's biggest hits.

Filled with bombastic fantasy battles, memorable characters, raunchy humour and, of course, stellar voice acting from the main cast, the show is just as good as the hype would lead you to believe. And with guest stars like David Tennant, what more could you ever want?

4 Archer

The Spy Who Loved Himself

Archer is a particular show. It's a spy sitcom, but the spy motif is set dressing for what is essentially a workplace comedy. With an A-list voice cast behind the show's characters, every episode is filled with wit and quips.

It's a shock that such a successful show hasn't had a proper video game adaptation yet, not counting the idle phone game. The aesthetic, setting and humour would all be a great fit for a point-and-click adventure game. Still, the show is plenty good enough by itself and more than worth a rewatch. Or seven.

3 Rick And Morty

Get Schwifty

Rick And Morty has become something of an ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail. It was originally subversive of pop culture and TV tropes, something creator Dan Harmon is well known for. As the show became a pop culture phenomenon, spawning comics and Dungeons & Dragons tie-ins, it had to poke fun at itself even harder.

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And yet somehow, the show pulls it off. It spends almost as much time making fun of itself as it does anything else, and is recovering from a co-creator and their controversy smoothly. You might have written Rick And Morty off as that show people won't stop talking about, but you owe it to yourself to see what all the fuss is about.

2 Bob's Burgers

Today's Special

Bob's Burgers straddles the line between family-friendly sitcom, and a show aimed specifically at adults. Most of the humour is liable to go far over the heads of younger viewers, especially as the show progresses and focuses on more character nuance.

The best thing about Bobs Burgers is its heart and that it's always about the Belcher family caring for each other. This gives Bob's Burgers an entirely different feel than other animated shows for adults; it keeps the wit without any of the cynicism.

1 Invincible

Cut To Title Card

Invincible is one of the best animated shows around, based on the outstanding comic of the same name. It's a superhero show that is both a love letter to, and at times a parody of, classic comic book tropes. With colourful characters and mature themes, it's an excellent watch.

It even has a game that is better than anyone expected, following Atom Eve. With characters crossing over to Fortnite, it seems inevitable that we'll see a bigger budget game come along sooner or later, something you'd be right to keep an eye out for.

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