This is a list of adult animated television series of the 1990s (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]
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.
Title | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Age rating | Technique | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Æon Flux | Avant-garde | 3 seasons, 16 episodes | Peter Chung | November 30, 1991 – October 10, 1995 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-MA | Traditional | [16] |
Science fiction | |||||||||
Liquid Television | Animation showcase | 3 seasons, 27 episodes | Japhet Asher | November 30, 1991 – January 1, 1995 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [17] |
BBC Enterprises | |||||||||
Colossal Pictures | |||||||||
BIG Pictures | |||||||||
Noyes & Laybourne Enterprises | |||||||||
Capitol Critters | Comedy | 1 season, 13 episodes | Nat Mauldin | January 28, 1992 – March 14, 1992 [a] | ABC | Hanna-Barbera | TV-PG | Traditional | [18] |
Steven Bochco | 1995 [b] | Cartoon Network | Steven Bochco Productions | ||||||
Michael Wagner | 20th Television | ||||||||
Fish Police | Crime | 1 season, 6 episodes | based on the comic created by Steve Moncuse | February 28, 1992 – March 13, 1992 | CBS | Hanna-Barbera | TV-PG | Traditional | [18] |
Comedy | |||||||||
Beavis and Butt-Head | Sitcom | 8 seasons, 222 episodes | Mike Judge | Original series: March 8, 1993 – November 28, 1997 | MTV | J.J. Sedelmaier Productions [c] | TV-14 | Traditional | [19] |
MTV Animation | TV-PG [d] | ||||||||
Revival series: October 27 – December 29, 2011 | Comedy Central | Film Roman [e] | |||||||
2nd Revival series [f] | Paramount+ | Judgemental Films [18] | |||||||
MTV Entertainment Studios | |||||||||
The Critic | Sitcom | 2 seasons, 23 episodes | Al Jean | January 26, 1994 – May 21, 1995 | ABC [g] | Gracie Films | TV-PG/TV-14 | Traditional | [20] |
Mike Reiss | Fox [h] | Film Roman | |||||||
Columbia Pictures Television | |||||||||
Rough Draft Studios | |||||||||
Duckman | Sitcom | 4 seasons, 70 episodes | Everett Peck | March 5, 1994 – September 6, 1997 | USA Network | Klasky Csupo | TV-14 | Traditional | [21] |
Reno & Osburn Productions | TV-PG [i] | ||||||||
Paramount Television | |||||||||
Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Comedy | 11 seasons, 110 episodes | Mike Lazzo | April 15, 1994 – May 31, 2008 | Cartoon Network [j] | Ghost Planet Industries [k] | TV-PG | Traditional [l] | [22] |
Talk show | Adult Swim [m] | Williams Street [n] | TV-Y7 [o] | Flash [p] | |||||
GameTap [q] | Cartoon Network Studios [r] | TV-14 [s] | |||||||
The Brothers Grunt | Comedy | 1 season, 12 episodes | Danny Antonucci | August 15, 1994 – April 9, 1995 | MTV | a.k.a. Cartoon | TV-14 | Traditional | [23] |
MTV Animation | |||||||||
The Head | Action | 2 seasons, 14 episodes | Eric Fogel | September 1, 1994 – March 1, 1996 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [24] |
Adventure | |||||||||
The Maxx | Action | 1 season, 13 episodes | Sam Kieth | April 8, 1995 – June 19, 1995 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [24] |
Adventure | Bill Messner-Loebs | Rough Draft Studios | |||||||
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Sitcom | 6 seasons, 81 episodes | Jonathan Katz | May 28, 1995 – February 13, 2002 | Comedy Central | HBO Downtown Productions | TV-PG | Traditional | [25] |
Tom Snyder | Popular Arts Entertainment | ||||||||
Tom Snyder Productions | |||||||||
Cartoon Sushi | Animation showcase | 1 season, 15 episodes | Danny Antonucci | 1997 – 1998 | MTV | a.k.a. Cartoon | TV-MA | Traditional | [26] |
Keith Alcorn | DNA Productions | ||||||||
MTV Animation | |||||||||
King of the Hill | Sitcom | 13 seasons, 259 episodes | Mike Judge | January 12, 1997 – May 6, 2010 | Fox | Film Roman | TV-PG | Traditional | [27] |
Greg Daniels | 3 Arts Entertainment | TV-14 [t] | |||||||
Deedle-Dee Productions | |||||||||
Judgemental Films | |||||||||
20th Television | |||||||||
Daria | Sitcom | 5 seasons, 65 episodes | Glenn Eichler | March 3, 1997 – January 21, 2002 | MTV | Tenth Annual Industries | TV-PG [u] | Traditional | [28] |
Susie Lewis | MTV Animation | TV-14 [v] | |||||||
Todd McFarlane's Spawn | Superhero | 3 seasons, 18 episodes | Todd McFarlane | May 16, 1997 – May 28, 1999 | HBO | HBO Animation | TV-MA | Traditional | [29] |
Drama | |||||||||
Spicy City | Science fiction | 1 season, 6 episodes | Ralph Bakshi | July 11, 1997 – August 22, 1997 | HBO | HBO Animation | TV-MA | Traditional | [30] |
South Park | Sitcom | 25 seasons, 316 episodes | Trey Parker | August 13, 1997 – present | Comedy Central | Celluoid Studios [w] | TV-MA | Traditional [x] | [31] |
Matt Stone | Braniff Productions [y] | Digital Animation | |||||||
South Park Digital Studios, LLC. [z] | |||||||||
The Goddamn George Liquor Program | Drama | 1 season, 8 episodes | John Kricfalusi | October 15, 1997 – 1998 | Spumco | Flash/Traditional | [32] | ||
Celebrity Deathmatch | Sports entertainment | 6 seasons, 93 episodes | Eric Fogel | Original series: May 14, 1998 –June 6, 2002 | MTV [aa] | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Stop-Motion | [33] |
Parody | Revival series: June 10, 2006 – March 30, 2007 | MTV2 [ab] | The Comedy Network [ac] | ||||||
Cuppa Coffee Studio [ad] | |||||||||
The PJs | Sitcom | 3 seasons, 44 episodes | Eddie Murphy | January 10, 1999 – May 20, 2001 | Fox [ae] | Imagine Television | TV-14 | Stop-Motion | [34] |
Larry Wilmore | The WB [af] | Eddie Murphy Productions | |||||||
Steve Tompkins | Will Vinton Studios | ||||||||
Charged Productions [ag] | |||||||||
Touchstone Television [ah] | |||||||||
Warner Bros. Television [ai] | |||||||||
Dilbert | Sitcom | 2 seasons, 30 episodes | based on the comic strip created by Scott Adams | January 25, 1999 – July 25, 2000 | UPN | Idbox | TV-PG | Traditional | [35] |
United Media Productions | |||||||||
Columbia TriStar Television | |||||||||
Family Guy | Sitcom | 22 seasons, 418 episodes | Seth MacFarlane | January 31, 1999 – present | Fox | Fuzzy Door Productions | TV-14 | Traditional [aj] | [31] |
20th Television Animation | TV-PG [ak] | Toon Boom [al] | |||||||
20th Television | TV-MA | ||||||||
Station Zero | Comedy | 1 season, 20 episodes | Tramp Daly | March 8, 1999 – April 6, 1999 | MTV | Possible Worlds | TV-14 | Traditional | [36] |
Musical | C-Traze Studios | ||||||||
Upfront Entertainment | |||||||||
MTV Animation | |||||||||
Futurama | Science fiction | 8 seasons, 150 episodes | Matt Groening | March 28, 1999 – present | Fox [am] | The Curiosity Company | TV-14 [an] | Traditional | [37] |
Sitcom | Comedy Central [ao] | 20th Television [ap] | TV-PG [aq] | ||||||
Hulu [ar] | 20th Television Animation [as] | TV-14 [at] | |||||||
Downtown | Comedy | 1 season, 13 episodes | Chris Prynoski | August 3, 1999 – November 8, 1999 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [38] |
Mission Hill | Sitcom | 1 season, 13 episodes | Bill Oakley | September 24, 1999 – August 11, 2002 | The WB | Bill Oakley | TV-14 | Traditional | [39] |
Josh Weinstein | Adult Swim | Josh Weinstein Productions | |||||||
Castle Rock Entertainment |
Title | Genre | Series/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Animals of Farthing Wood | Adventure, Drama | 3 seasons, 39 episodes | based on the book created by Colin Dann | January 6, 1993 - 21 December 1995 | CBBC | Telemagination La Fabrique | |
Crapston Villas | Satire | 2 series, 20 episodes | Sarah Ann Kennedy | October 27, 1995 – January 19, 1998 | Channel 4 | Spitting Image | [40] |
Pond Life | Comedy | 2 series, 21 episodes | Candy Guard | December 2, 1996 – October 10, 2000 | Channel 4 | Collingwood & Co. | [41] |
Stressed Eric | Black comedy | 2 series, 13 episodes | Carl Gorham | April 20, 1998 – October 11, 2000 | BBC Two | Klasky Csupo | [42] |
Absolutely Productions | |||||||
Rex the Runt | Comedy | 2 series, 26 episodes | Richard Goleszowski | December 21, 1998 – December 16, 2001 | BBC Two | Aardman Animations | [43] |
BBC Bristol | |||||||
Egmont Imagination | |||||||
EVA Entertainment | |||||||
Angry Kid | Comedy | 4 series, 66 episodes | Darren Walsh | January 1, 1999 – Nov 8, 2019 | Atom.com | Aardman Animations | [44] |
YouTube | Mr. Morris Productions | ||||||
Channel 4 [au] | |||||||
BBC Three [av] |
Title | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kevin Spencer | Black comedy | 8 seasons, 112 episodes | Rick Kaulbars | 31 October 1998 – 6 November 2005 | CTV Comedy Channel | Atomic Productions | [45] |
Greg Lawrence |
Title | Country | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
El Siguiente Programa | Colombia | Comedy | 5 seasons, 93 episodes | Santiago Moure | October 29, 1997 – September 1, 2000 | Canal A [aw] | Gaira | [46] |
Satire | Martín de Francisco | November 14, 2019 | Conexión Creativa | |||||
Canal 1 [ax] | Cenpro Televisión | |||||||
Title | Country | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob and Margaret | Canada | Comedy | 4 seasons, 52 episodes | David Fine | June 22, 1998 – December 25, 2001 | CTV Comedy Channel | Global | [47] |
United Kingdom | Alison Snowden | |||||||
Channel 4 | Channel 4 | |||||||
Philippines Animation Studios | ||||||||
National Film Board of Canada | ||||||||
Nelvana | ||||||||
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and the first original series for the channel under the Cartoon Cartoons moniker. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a hidden science laboratory in his room, which he keeps secret from his unsuspecting parents. Dexter is at constant odds with his older and more extraverted sister Dee Dee, who regularly accesses the laboratory and inadvertently foils his experiments. Mandark, a nefarious boy-genius classmate who lives next-door to Dexter, attempts to undermine him at every opportunity. Prominently featured in the first and second seasons are other segments focusing on superhero-based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey with a superhero alter ego, and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.
Adam Maxwell Burton, known professionally as Maxwell Atoms, is an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He is the creator of the Cartoon Network series Grim & Evil and its subsequent spin-offs, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne.
Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO is a 1985 animated television series spin off from the original Star Wars trilogy. It focuses on the exploits of droids R2-D2 and C-3PO between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC with its sister series Ewoks.
Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV is an American animator, illustrator, writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known for creating the animated television series The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy, and Bunsen Is a Beast for Nickelodeon. He founded the company, Billionfold Inc. in 2003, to produce the shows. Hartman was an executive producer on The Fairly OddParents for the entirety of its 16-year run.
Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" is an animated television series created and directed by John Kricfalusi and produced by Spümcø for TNN / Spike TV. The series was developed as a more "extreme" revamp and spin-off of Nickelodeon's The Ren & Stimpy Show, which Spümcø produced the first two seasons. The series premiered on June 26, 2003, and was removed from the network on July 24, after airing only three episodes; the remaining episodes were released on DVD. During its run, Adult Party Cartoon was heavily panned by critics, audiences and fans of the original series. It has been referred to as one of the worst animated series of all time.
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.
Anime-influenced animation is a type of non-Japanese work of animation that is noticeably similar to or inspired by anime. Generally, the term anime refers to a style of animation originating from Japan. As Japanese anime became increasingly popular, Western animation studios began implementing some visual stylizations typical in anime—such as exaggerated facial expressions, "super deformed" versions of characters, and white radical lines appearing on the screen when something shocking happens or when someone screams, etc.
The Marvel Action Hour, later Marvel Action Universe, was a 1994–1996 syndicated television block from Genesis Entertainment featuring animated adaptations of Marvel Comics superheroes Fantastic Four and Iron Man, with Biker Mice from Mars added for the block's second season. It aired in syndication for two years before being cancelled.
The Amazing World of Gumball is an animated sitcom created by Ben Bocquelet for Cartoon Network. The series follows the lives of 12-year-old Gumball Watterson, an anthropomorphic blue cat, and his adoptive goldfish brother Darwin, who attend middle school in the fictional city of Elmore, California. They often find themselves in various shenanigans around the city, during which they interact with fellow family members—younger sister Anais, mother Nicole, and father Richard—along with an extended supporting cast of characters.
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.
Cartoon Network, an American TV channel which launched in 1992, and Adult Swim, its adult-oriented nighttime programming block which launched in 2001, has regularly featured lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) characters in its programming.
Zach Hadel, known by his pseudonym psychicpebbles, is an American animator, writer, director, voice actor, and YouTuber. He and Michael Cusack are co-creators and co-stars of the Adult Swim animated series Smiling Friends. He is also known for his Internet animations and for being a co-host of the Let's Play web series OneyPlays.
The pilot episode of the American animated musical television series Hazbin Hotel, entitled "That's Entertainment", premiered to YouTube on October 28, 2019. Written and directed by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano, it was independently financed and animated over the course of three years by Medrano's independent animation group, SpindleHorse Toons.
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