It would be hard to find a millennial who didn’t grow up watching animated cartoons. Even as adults, the appeal of these shows never fails to evoke feelings of nostalgia. This resulted in us going back to the shows we watched on television back when we were kids. If you are looking for adult animation shows worth watching in 2022, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we will be talking about the newer shows, like Arcane, Vox Machina, Invincible, and the list goes on. But, we will not cover shows that are oriented toward a younger demographic. Rather we will be looking at Adult animation shows containing unique storytelling methods that you will enjoy!
The Buzz And Mystique Around Adult Animation Shows
Adult animation has a more realistic approach to the story, characters, and overall theme. Moreover, the creators can express more through the characters they create and even make unique visuals that would be hard to develop through live-action. In the past, animated shows would always be associated with children. Hence, the plays produced in that era were always non-serious, childlike, and bland.
However, this has changed with the advent of animated shows that cater to a more mature audience. For instance, Bojack Horseman explores the themes of addiction, depression, and even dementia. Thus, in adult animation shows, heavier topics can be expressed, giving the writers more creative freedom when compared to the shows catered toward children.
Arcane
This show is based on the massively popular MOBA “League of Legends”. Unlike other shows, Arcane mainly concerns itself with political and familial conflicts where magic exists. Here, we mostly follow the characters of Violet (Vi), Powder (Jinx), Jace and Viktor. We, as an audience, can feel for these characters here.
The way each character develops here is just excellent. In addition, the side characters also have their roles to play here, and none of them feel out of place or unnecessary. Furthermore, when it comes to the show’s political themes, you can observe the show.
Invincible
The show Invincible is based on the comic book of the same name. Unlike other superhero shows, Invincible takes a more interesting approach to it. But you should also not think that this show is like other superhero shows like “The Boys” or even the movie “Brightburn.” Here, you will follow the main protagonist, a young hero named Mark, also known as Invincible.
The young hero is entirely unaware of his murderous superhero father until the end. This inevitably leads to their battle. Likewise, the show portrays the love life of the young hero. You can see how it affects his everyday life as a hero and how he tries his best to balance everything out.
Undone
The animation and the writing go very well together in this show. In addition, the animation of the show is achieved through rotoscoping. As a result, each scene resembles a painting. You can see the highly realistic animation as just as realistic as the live-action shows.
The first thing in this show you will see is the car crash. Moreover, before the car crash, Alma, the main character, had a very dull life. You can experience how frustrating it gets for her. Alma gets stuck in between a daycare center and her quiet home life. Later on, these conflicts boil over and lead to the car crash, where Alma discovers her relationship with time.
Close Enough
This animated show has the same creators as our beloved “Regular Show.” The show has not only ridiculous storylines but also great writing. However, not every bit of this show works sometimes. But, even if it misses the mark, it more than makes up for it with humor.
Here, the episodes contain two stories with a tight pace. The show is great for you if you are interested in binge-watching. You will follow the parents’ struggle to look after their children and live their adult lives.
Love Death And Robots
The best way to define this show is that it’s a collection of sci-fi shorts with unique storylines and great animation. However, none of the episodes are related. Here, you will find that every episode has its own unique storyline, characters, and animation.
The episodes could tell you about a time loop where two people are constantly killing each other due to a misunderstanding that the other is trying to kill them. Moreover, it might even showcase a story where humanity got wiped out, and now the planet is instead inhabited by robots. Here, the robots also, later on, encounter a talking cat who fools the robot into thinking that if they stop scratching the cat’s back, it will explode.
Saturday Morning All-Star-Hits
This show captures and parodies the 80s Saturday morning cartoon shows. Moreover, you will find out that this consists of live-action and animation. It also runs down the checklist of every cartoon. You will find different styles and subgenres for every family favorite.
Furthermore, this show is like making a copy of another copy and then copying that one again. As a result, you end up with a distorted final product that includes all of the overused catchphrases, toy commercials, and brand synergy plotlines. Strange ideas and neon hues from the 1980s and 1990s still make it difficult for us to comprehend this show.
Harley Quinn
You probably heard about Harley Quinn from D.C.’s live-action “Birds of Prey” or even from “Suicide Squad.” You might have even seen her with the Joker, the psychiatrist he corrupts in Batman. Now she has her own show, filled with violence and action.
But don’t mistake it for just that. This show is full of messages about female empowerment. As a fan, you can’t help but root for her to accomplish her goal to set herself free from the toxic relationship that she shares with joker.
Tear Along The Dotted Line
This is an Italian animated show where a cartoonist reflects on his choices in life. The entirety of the episode is narrated by Zero, the cartoonist who is filled with angst. You will find and relate to his concerns in life, making the wrong first impressions, obsessing about childhood memories, and finding a purpose in life.
Moreover, the show also takes jabs at everyday life. For instance, when you’re trying to find a show you want to start on your streaming service but can’t find any. However, there are endless choices here. In reality, all shows are watchable, but you’re not quite in the right mood for them.
The Legend Of Vox Machina
This show is based on the popular show “Critical Show.” Here, the people would play “Dungeons & Dragons.” So, this show is like watching someone else’s DnD campaign, and you will observe this when you watch it.
Here, you follow the adventures of the heroes. They will fight zombies, humans, and many more. Likewise, they will also encounter a mind-controlling villain, where the Barbarian goes Berserk after getting controlled and turns on his team. If you like action, fantasy, humor, and violence, this is a must-watch for you.
Hit Monkey
This is a show from Marvel, produced by the Archer team. You might find the storyline a bit bizarre. The hitman initially dies amongst a tribe of monkeys. Also, the surviving monkey can communicate with the slain hitman.
Furthermore, the monkey and the ghost of the hitman communicate with each other to get revenge. The overall animation here is a bit comic book style. You will also get entertained a lot by the duo of the monkey and the hitman.
Central Park
This is another animated show produced by Bob Burger’s team. But, there is a musical twist to this show, which is musical. Likewise, the show is very well sung with great original songs. Moreover, this show has little similarity to “The Great North,” thus making it not overly adult and suitable for family viewing.
Here, you will follow the Tillerman, a family of four living in the middle of Central Park. The husband, the owner, is a devout park manager, and the wife, Paige, just got promoted to a fourth-tier New York City newspaper. Besides them, the children, Molly and Cole, are both trying to make their way through middle school.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
In this show, you get to take a peek at what the other crew members of the Enterprise do. This is a refreshing take on the franchise as they show the other crew hanging out and being themselves. The show is hilarious in itself, and we would recommend that you watch it for yourself to have the same enjoyment that we did.
Solar Opposites
This show has the same humor and sci-fi adventures as Rick and Morty. Unlike Rick and Morty, where you follow a human duo, you follow a family of aliens instead. You will see their relentless attempts to mix with Earth’s culture and their hilarious adventures.
Furthermore, here you will see the scientist Korvo trying to protect a blob-like creature known as the Pupa, which happens to be a supercomputer. The Pupa will, later on, consume the entire planet. Then, you will meet Terry, Korvo’s partner, who is less concerned about the mission. Finally, you find two smaller aliens known as Jesse and Funyulack.
M.O.D.O.K.
Some may or may not like this series. Nevertheless, it has an interesting take on Marvel’s villain M.O.D.O.K. Here, you will find him going through a divorce and trying his best to reclaim his family and destiny.
The Great North
This is another show from Bob Burger’s team, consisting of the same family-oriented comedy and dry humor. Moreover, the Alaskan setting and the characters give another dimension to the overall show.
Now, in this show, you will follow a family of fishermen. The lead of the show is Beef, the father of four. Then there’s Judy, who happens to be the one and only daughter of the Tobin clan. Finally, Wolf wants to expand his family’s business and make it a tourist attraction. Here, the show is all about support as Beef would have to adjust to his daughter’s aspiration for taking pictures and his son’s ambitions.
Human Resources
In this show, you will find that it’s more centered around workplace comedy. Here, hormone monsters, shame wizards, depression kittens, anxiety mosquitoes, and many more exist and get assigned to humans. For instance, the shame wizard tells a human how he did great by telling his wife that he had an affair.
Notable Mentions
Besides these shows that you can binge-watch by yourself or with friends, there are other shows that we did not talk about. For instance, the massively popular Bojack Horseman, South Park, and Rick and Morty. So, let us talk about them a bit.
Bojack Horseman
There is a lot to talk about with this show and tons of reasons why you should watch it. The main character here deals with depression, addiction, and even dementia. You can observe this theme throughout the entire show and how it affects the characters.
You can also find the character engaging in self-destructive behaviors. Adults, who deal with mental health issues, will find this show relatable and cathartic to say the least.
Rick & Morty
You have probably heard about this show a million times already. However, it deserves every bit of recommendation. The show’s creators tackle every single trope by using the iconic duo of Rick and Morty. Moreover, it also has many deep and yet comedic takes on various subjects. You will enjoy the duo of the alcoholic scientist Rick, who is against any form of government, and his grandson Morty, an anxious but not very smart boy.
South Park
This show is a cult classic and immediately recognizable from the rest. From clever jabs at ongoing societal themes to comedic moments, Southpark has it all. We would fail to describe the many details of the show and recommend that you watch it for yourself.
Conclusion
We hope that by reading this article, you were able to learn about the adult animation shows worth watching in 2022. Animation shows intended for adults have greater creative freedom and flexibility than animation shows aimed at children.
Fortunately, there are now a multitude of adult animation shows available in a variety of genres. All you have to do is find binge worthy shows that match your taste!
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