List of adult animated television series

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This is a list of adult animated television series (including streaming television series); that is, animated programs targeted towards audiences aged 18 to 34 and over in mind. Works in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include the incorporation of nudity, explicit or suggestive sexual content, graphic violence, profane language, dark humour, or other thematic elements inappropriate for children. Works in this genre may explore philosophical, political, or social issues. Some productions are noted for their complex and/or experimental storytelling and animation techniques. Adult animation is typically defined as animation which skews toward adults. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from" [5] or has adult humor [6] [7] and comes in various styles, [8] [9] [10] [11] but especially sitcoms and comedies. [12] These animations can also "appeal to wide swaths of viewers," including those aged 18-34. [13] [14] AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids." [15]

Contents

In North America, there is children's animation, adult animation, and young adult animation, with various mature animations in the United States, especially in television series. This page mainly includes series in North America and Europe, on programming blocks such as Adult Swim, Animation Domination, Adult Swim (in Canada), and others, with other mature animations, including web series and animated films covered on other pages. These series should not be confused with cartoon pornography or hentai. This page does not include adult-oriented animations from Japan, China, South Korea, and other Asian nations, as such animations are more common there.

Lists by decade

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Home Movies</i> (TV series) American animated sitcom

Home Movies is an American animated sitcom created by Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard. The show centers on an eight-year-old aspiring filmmaker, also named Brendon Small, who makes homemade film productions in his spare time with his friends Melissa Robbins and Jason Penopolis. He lives with his divorced mother Paula and his adopted baby sister Josie. He develops a skewed father-son-like relationship with his alcoholic, short-tempered soccer coach, John McGuirk.

<i>Space Ghost Coast to Coast</i> American animated parody talk show

Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American adult animated comedy late-night talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. It is the first TV show to be produced by Williams Street, the company to start up Adult Swim in the early 2000s. In contrast to the original 1960s series, Space Ghost, which aired as a standard Hanna-Barbera Saturday-morning superhero cartoon, Space Ghost Coast to Coast is a reboot and sequel of the series intended for teens and adults, reinterpreted as a surreal spoof talk show and animated using the original series' artwork. Early seasons are more of a parody of late-night talk shows, while later seasons rely more on surrealism and non-sequitur humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Television Studios</span> Television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment

Warner Bros. Television Studios is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros.. Since 2006, it is one of the two companies that serve as television production arms of The CW, alongside Paramount Global's subsidiary CBS Studios; it also serves as a television production arm of DC Comics and distribution arm of HBO, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Warner Bros. Television Studios also produces shows for other networks & streaming services.

<i>Drawn Together</i> Adult animated television series and sitcom

Drawn Together is an American adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein for Comedy Central. It premiered on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of house-based reality shows such as The Real World, The Surreal Life, and Big Brother, and follows the misadventures of the housemates in the fictional show of the same name and uses a sitcom format with a reality TV show setting.

Adult animation, also known as mature animation, and infrequently as adult-oriented animation, is any type of animated motion work that is catered specifically to adult interests and is mainly targeted and marketed towards adults and adolescents, as opposed to children or all-ages audiences.

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Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadventures of Rick Sanchez, a cynical mad scientist, and his good-hearted but fretful grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures that take place across an infinite number of realities, often traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and on Rick's flying saucer. The general concept of Rick and Morty relies on two conflicting scenarios: domestic family drama, and a misanthropic grandfather dragging his grandson into hijinks.

<i>Super Drags</i> Adult animated comedy web television series

Super Drags is a Brazilian adult animated comedy streaming television series created by Anderson Mahanski, Fernando Mendonça and Paulo Lescaut for Netflix.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartuna</span> American animation studio

Cartuna is a Brooklyn-based animation production company that has made animated TV Shows for Syfy, Comedy Central and Facebook Watch. The company has producers, all of which have their own unique style.

In the United States, before the enforcement of the Hays Code, some cartoon shorts contained humor that was aimed at adult audience members rather than children. Following the introduction of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, independent animation producers attempted to establish an alternative to mainstream animation. Initially, few animation studios in the United States attempted to produce animation for adult audiences, but later examples of animation produced for adults would gain mainstream attention and success. Adult animation in the United States includes shows with superhero, sci-fi, and fantasy elements. Some of the most prominent animations with these mature/adult themes include Aqua Teen Hunger Force, BoJack Horseman, South Park, Family Guy, Mission Hill, and Archer, along with other adult animated television series, feature films, and animation in other forms which helped the genre expand over the years, beyond animated sitcoms.

References

Citations

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  3. Jaworski, Michelle; Riese, Monica; Weber, Sarah (January 10, 2019). "The 17 best cartoons for adults". The Daily Dot . Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  4. Collider Staff (April 21, 2020). "The 25 Best Cartoons for Adults Streaming Right Now". Collider . Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  5. Fowler, Matt (March 25, 2019). "The 25 Best Adult Cartoon TV Series". IGN . Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  6. Krell, Jason (April 8, 2014). "Why Saying Animation Is Only For Kids Is Bullshit". Gizmodo . Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  7. Laux, Cameron (November 27, 2019). "Is Japanese Anime Going Mainstream?". BBC . Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  8. Baron, Reuben (December 23, 2019). "Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?". CBR . Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  9. Barrett, Duncan (November 2, 2020). "Animation nation: how Covid fuelled the rise of adult cartoons". The Guardian . Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
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