Recommend 10/10 western animation for adults!
I just discovered BoJack Horseman, Pantheon, Primal, Invincible, and Lastman, and they are absolutely amazing. Strong character writing, deep world-building, and themes clearly aimed at adults with complex ideas that are actually well executed.
Here’s my ratings of the animation I’ve watched recently and consider absolute top tier:
Pantheon: 10/10
Over the Garden Wall: 10/10
Primal: 10/10
Invincible: 10/10
Lastman: 10/10 - have patience, it gets very good. I even bought all the comic books after watching this.
Blue Eye Samurai: 10/10
Midnight Gospel: 10/10 - the final episode is life changing.
Bojack Horseman: 10/10
Undone: 9.5/10 - first season was a 10/10, with the second losing its focus slightly.
Common Side Effects: 8.5/10
Final Space: 8.5/10 - while most of the humor didn't click with me, I still loved the ride. Even ordered the new book that's being released.
Castlevania: 8/10 - weak first season, everything else was epic.
Infinity train: 7.5 - the third season delved into a great topic, but overall, with the shift of focus every season, the format locks it from having consider depth. Plus the 4th season was the weakest.
The Venture Bros: 7.5 - while we have some 10/10 episodes, the quality varies a lot throughout the seasons.
Arcane: 7/10 - don’t shoot, first season is stellar. But the poorly written second season killed it for me.
Castlevania Nocturne: 7/10
Tear Along the Dotted Line: 7/10
Blood of Zeus: 6/10 - had it's moments, but it was mostly pretty messy.
Fired on Mars: 6/10
Gravity Falls: x/10 - On episode 4 so far. Find it a bit childish but it's growing on me.
Scavengers Reign: x/10 - Moebius is one of my favourite artists, so while I love the visuals, the lack of character development is not hooking me in. But I'm only 3 episodes in.
The Legend of Vox Machina: x/10 - Dropped it after 3 episodes. I found most of characters annoying with way too much exposition everywhere.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal: x/10 - dropping after 3 episodes.
X-men 97 x/10 - very cool, but watching it casually.
Also: Mars Express (9/10), I Lost My Body (8/10).
Can you recommend something you consider an absolute 10/10 that is clearly made for adults? 🥰
PS: I’m aware there’s incredible non-Western animation (Pluto, Edgerunners, Psycho-Pass...), but I’d like to keep this focused on Western animation only.
Long Story Short is excellent and was created by the mind behind BJ!
Can't believe more people aren't hyping up Long Story Short!! To me, it's the best animated show from last year's line up, every episode is a banger!
Bojack might be my favorite adult show overall, but I think Long Story Short has the best writing of any TV show I've seen before. Every character feels SO real.
it was pretty damn good indeed
Was going to mention this. It’s SO good.
Not as good as BJH but worth a watch for some laughs: Archer
Archer deserves to be in the conversation, for sure.
I'm also cannot believe Futurama wasn't mentioned. Smartest writing room ever assembled. Arguably the greatest animation show ever, but I'm a huge fan from Day One, so I'm biased.
Yes and yes
honestly i’m surprised i didn’t think of it too. i’ve been watching it since i was a little kid. a classic
And I have to say, the most recent Hulu seasons have been really good.
Archer is just BoJack in his 30s
I enjoyed carol at the end of the world ya can find it on netflix it's a mini series that kinda gave me bojack vibes
YES, so good. I found the animation really unappealing and hard to look at, but the story got me over that repellent. I rewatched it immediately.
Moral Oral
In my opinion “Carol and the end of the world” doesn’t get the flowers it deserves.
The premise is absolutely fascinating, and there’s such a unique bittersweet feeling to it that no other piece of media has made me feel before.
But, of course, BJ remains the OG.
Tuca and Bertie
Had to scroll too far for this given how much DNA it shares with BoJack.
100%
Aqua Teen Hunger Force! 11/10
On a more serious note, they're adapting the recent Skybound Publishing (Kirkman) "Energon Universe" Transformers/GI Joe comics into an animated series ala Invincible.
If it's faithful to the books (which anyone reading this should read) and the casting isn't cheap nonsense then we are in for a TREAT in 2027.
youre in for a treat wih gravity falls
If you like depressing, it's more claymatiomn than animation- but Moral Orel. Starts out more similar to early South Park but shifts closer to a BoJack vibe
Claymation is animation.
Ok! Neat! I didn't know if there was a difference between typical cartoons and claymation
Well there is one of course, but ultimately, stop-motion animation is a form of animation.
You've kinda already listed them all tbh there's not much more out there.
I'd gladly throw in Avatar The Last Airbender and Legend Of Korra (10/10 and 8/10 respectively imo) since you've listed Gravity Falls, but those are, similarly, shows that are primarily made for younger audiences which happen to delve into subject matter that grown audiences can relate to/understand as well.
There's also Adventure Time. Haven't watched it personally but I don't know of a single adult who doesn't rate it. I also personally knew more adults than kids who watched it lol.
Yeah, I agree with that. Some of these only click once you’ve lived a bit, otherwise they just feel slow or overly bleak.
Infinity Train is a solid pull.
Fionna and Cake S1 is a 10/10 for me and is aimed towards a more adult audience than main AT
Gravity Falls is great, but whoever told you it was an "adult" animation series is a little deceptive 😅 it was originally on Disney XD. If you end up not minding how childish it can be at times, then I'll go ahead and recommend for you to watch Steven Universe as well as Adventure Time. If you end up liking Adventure Time, the spinoff series Fionna and Cake is more adult-geared.
Tuca and Bertie were made by the same people who wrote Bojack Horseman, so I'd check that out. The Amazing Digital Circus also is pretty good, too.
Bob's Burgers is wonderful
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: 10/10. Takes everything great about the movie, turns it into an animated series, and basically does an alternate timeline that's even better!
Creature Commandos: 10/10, this officially launched Gunn's version of the DCU. Very great first season, and a fantastic sound track.
Harley Quinn (and Kiteman, Hell Yeah, spinoff): 10/10, fun, mature DC comics take.
Fiona and Cake: 10/10, Adventure Time, now all grown up, with cussing and everything.
The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy: 10/10, like if House and Scrubs were combined and set in a Rick and Morty sci-fi setting.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (and Revolution): 10/10, not exactly a traditional series, but taken together, a really grown up and serious take.
True 10/10 is hard, and you already hit Pantheon (the only perfect 10s I think I'd give), but let's try a few top tier I haven't seen mentioned.
Hilda: 9/10, and I don't care it's "for kids" as it's fantastic and has a lot of life lessons most adults I know still need to learn.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: 9/10, batshit insane, but a really fun ride/mashup for ubisoft properties. Lots of "Wait, did that just happen!?" moments.
Twilight of the Gods: 9/10. I don't like most any of Snyder's movies, but this animated series is very good.
Inside Job: 9/10, again more humor focused, but gets pretty deep, IMHO toward the end.
Pacific Rim: The Black: 8/10, Very good spin off, with far more depth than the movie(s.) May technically be "anime" but based on western movies with original audio being english, so putting it here.
Terminator: Zero: 8/10, Same as above... disqualify if you want.
Disenchantment: 8/10, but mostly comedy based (from the creator of the simpsons)
Rick and Morty: 8/10, you know what it is.
Haunted Hotel (Netflix): 8/10... sitcom format, but like a teen/adult rated version of Gravity Falls with a bit more horror in it.
Kipo and The Age Of Wonderbeasts: 8/10, "for kids" but so are several you list above (like over the garden wall, gravity falls, etc.) (Also see WondLa, as it's a similar setting, with a bit more fairy tale plot in it.)
I recommend Fionna and Cake. It really only works if you’ve seen all of Adventure Time, but it’s an adult show and it’s very mature
When BoJack first aired I was very excited about the next generation of adult animation.
Other than BoJack, I have been sorely disappointed
I don't understand this thread. Literally never heard any of the shows OP mentioned or others mentioned. I am not saying I haven't seen.
I haven't heard.
I am from India btw. Only saw BH.
Bee and PuppyCat is a great one! It’s not as adult themed as BoJack, but it’s definitely not a children’s show either.
Inside Job is more funny but so good and gets deep on the finales
The Amazing World of Gumball
Steven Universe
Moral Orel
Archer Afro Samurai
Afro samurai
I would give Tear Along the Dotted Line a full 10/10!!! That show made me wonder if Italian and American culture was FAR more alike than I thought, perhaps due to internet cultural homogenizing, or if people that live in NYC/Rome have more in common with each other than they do the rest of their own countries. I felt like the story could absolutely happen as written here and the bits about apartment clutter/dirt being akin to war and the pipe dream of the mythical ‘second bedroom’ were hilarious.
I didn’t see the twist coming and OOF. Hit me like a truck.
Attack on Titan. The animation is beautiful, and the voice acting in both Japanese and English feels really authentic. The story is fleshed out from the start with great foreshadowing, and it has a clear resolution. The resolution isn't necessarily, "the good guys win, and everyone lives happily ever after," but the situation is handled, and then life and struggle continues, kinda like Bojack. The character development is phenomenal. The soundtrack makes you ascend to another plane.
If we open the list to anime, it will quadruple
Oh yeah, I didn't even notice the last part where OP didn't want these suggestions lol. But OP is missing out on half the shows if we're only working with one hemisphere.
I mean, if OP was asking about the best female soccer player you wouldn’t say they’re missing out on Messi. It’s just a limmited question for a specific subset of answers.
Otherwise: - Cowboy beebop - Lost Canvas - Ghost in the shell - Akira - Gurren Lagan - Berserk - One Piece - etc, etc, etc
Duckman is peak.
Not really an adult animation, but she ra and the princesses of power is incredible as well
Hellava Boss is outstanding, and the quality is amazing for a donor-supported free series on Youtube. Amazon picked it up after it was free, and is paying for early access to new episodes which will be free soon after.
And as for the music, well, here's an excerpt from episode two: https://youtu.be/34PEPTjPfiI
Another vote for Carol at the End of the World, I loved the story enough to put up with the unappealing (putting it mildly) animation style.
I'm probably biased about Gravity Falls since I watched it with my kids at a very emotional/horrendous Covid time in the fall of 2021, and we still rewatch it now that they're 8&10. But it's fucking dynamite and if you don't cry at the last episode, we are not the same sort of people.
Neither are similar to bojack (or really “adult animation”) but watch Avatar and keep watching Gravity Falls those are the top 3 western animated stories i’ve seen. Both of them cover more mature themes than a lot of “adult” series just still having goofy kids jokes in it
Gravity falls is the perfection, my infance was that serie, every day i wacthed it, i love that stage
Heavy disagree on the ratings but I’m saving anyway
if you liked bojack and want more you shluld watch long story short. it is from the aame creator and in my opinion has the same quality (still hasn't reached the hights of the best episodes of bojack, but it is only at it first season).
Saving the post, this list is 💣!!
Not new under the sun but King of the Hill is pretty solid as well.
American Dad, love the characters and absurdist humor, only gets better as the seasons go on vs other shows which tend to fall off.