List of adult animated television series before 1990

Last updated

This is a list of adult animated television series before 1990 (including streaming television series); that is, animated programs targeted towards audiences aged 18 and over in mind. Works in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include the incorporation of 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.

List

United States

TitleGenreSeasons/episodesShow creator(s)Original releaseNetworkStudio Age rating TechniqueSource
The Flintstones Sitcom 6 seasons, 166 episodes William Hanna September 30, 1960 – April 1, 1966 ABC Hanna-Barbera TV-GTraditional [16]
Joseph Barbera
Where's Huddles? Sitcom 1 season, 10 episodesWilliam HannaJuly 1, 1970 – September 2, 1970 CBS Hanna-Barbera TV-GTraditional [17]
Joseph Barbera
Wait Till Your Father Gets Home Sitcom 3 seasons, 48 episodesWilliam HannaSeptember 12, 1972 – October 8, 1974Syndication Hanna-Barbera TV-Y7Traditional [18]
Joseph Barbera
Jokebook Animated comedy 1 season, 3 episodesWilliam HannaApril 23, 1982 - May 7, 1982 NBC Hanna-Barbera TV-NRTraditional [19]
Joseph Barbera
The Simpsons Sitcom 35 seasons, 760 episodes Matt Groening December 17, 1989 – present Fox Gracie Films TV-PGTraditional [20]
20th Television Animation TV-14 [lower-alpha 1]

United Kingdom

TitleGenreSeasons/episodesShow creator(s)Original releaseNetworkStudioSource
Dick Spanner, P.I. Comedy 1 season, 22 episodesTerry Adlam1986 – 1987 Channel 4 Virgin Group [21]

See also

Notes

  1. some episodes

Related Research Articles

<i>Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law</i> American adult animated television sitcom

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. The first season of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is the first adult animated production to be produced by Cartoon Network Studios. A spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, the series revolves around Harvey Birdman, originally a superhero from Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, and his new career as an attorney, defending characters who had originally been featured in past Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

<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 animation created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and first broadcast in 1994. It takes the form of a surreal parody of talk shows, hosted by a reimagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. It incorporates surrealism and non-sequitur humor.

<i>Drawn Together</i> American adult animated television series and sitcom

Drawn Together is an American adult animated series and sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein for Comedy Central. The show premiered on October 27, 2004, and ended on November 14, 2007, after three seasons and 36 episodes. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adult animation</span> Animation aimed at adults

Adult animation, also known as mature animation, and infrequently as adult-oriented animation, is any type of animated motion media 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.

An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult audiences in most cases. The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, and Family Guy are four of the longest-running animated sitcoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Network</span> American cable television channel

Cartoon Network is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is the flagship property of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also oversees Boomerang, Cartoonito, Discovery Family, Adult Swim, and Toonami. The channel is headquartered at 1050 Techwood Drive NW in Atlanta, Georgia.

Adult Swim is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Showcase Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily airs animated and live-action comedies targeting a teenage and young adult audience. Its branding is licensed from the Adult Swim programming block broadcast by Warner Bros. Discovery's Cartoon Network; it is the first full-time television channel to use the "Adult Swim" brand.

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

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

Cartoon Network is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is part of The Cartoon Network, Inc. unit of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery which primarily focuses on animated programs.

<i>Magical Girl Friendship Squad</i> Animated television series

Magical Girl Friendship Squad is an American adult animated magical girl sitcom created by Kelsey Stephanides and starring Anna Akana and Quinta Brunson. It follows two directionless young women who must figure out how to save the Universe. The first season of the series, consisting of six 11-minute episodes, premiered on Syfy's late night programming block TZGZ on September 26, 2020.

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. 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

  1. Motamayor, Rafael (March 10, 2020). "11 Adult Animation Shows We Can't Wait to See in 2020". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  2. Vargas, Alani (October 1, 2018). "7 Animated TV Shows On Netflix That Adults Will Absolutely Love". Bustle . Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  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.
  10. Sarto, Dan (March 19, 2020). "What Future Lies in Store for Non-Comedy Adult Animation?". Animation World Network . Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  11. Silliman, Brian (November 2, 2019). "SYFY drawing in more animation with midnight-ish block of adult genre fun". SYFY . Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  12. Sanderson, Katherine (June 30, 2020). "The Future of Adult Animation (With and Without Comedy)". Animation Ave. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  13. Kunkel III, Earl Monroe (2009). Why ARE people laughing at rape? American adult animation and Adult Swim: Aqua Teen Hunger Force as contemporary humor (Masters). Lehigh University. pp. 5–6, 9. ProQuest   304916287 . Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  14. Mak, Phillip (July 10, 2020). "Why is everybody talking about adult animation?". Toon Boom Animation . Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  15. Sutton, Kelsey (April 12, 2020). "How Adult Animation Became the Hottest Genre for Streaming Services". AdWeek . Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  16. Bennett, David (October 6, 2020). "Yabba dabba do! How The Flintstones set the stage for the adult animation boom". The Guardian . Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  17. Woolery 1983, p. 308-309.
  18. Woolery 1983, p. 306-307.
  19. Erickson 2005, p. 451-452.
  20. Wells, John (November 21, 2020). "10 Of The Best 90s Thanksgiving Episodes On TV, Ranked By IMDb". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  21. Worthington, TJ (December 2002). "Comedy on Channel 4 Part Two: From Ruby Wax to Roger Mellie". OFF THE TELLY. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

Sources