29 Best Cartoons for Adults Streaming Right Now (April 2024)

A couple misconceptions about animation. One: It’s not a genre, it’s a medium. It’s a method of telling different stories in different genres, just like “live-action filmmaking.” So if there are any Blockbuster Video managers reading this, first of all: How are you holding up? Second of all: Organize your animated films within their actual specific genres, please! And two: While we are appreciative of the many family-friendly, kid-focused animated TV shows, animation is not just for kids. In fact, we’ve all been lucky enough to be living through a golden age of adult animated television. If you’re looking to dive into some imaginative, shocking, transgressive, often hilarious, and always entertaining animated TV shows for adults, look no further. Check out the best animated shows for adults streaming right now — and try not to turn into a pickle while you binge-watch.

For more recommendations, check out our lists of the best shows on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and HBO.

‘Human Resources’ (2022 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 7.1/10

Spun off from Big Mouth, the hit adult animated series about tweens going through puberty, Human Resources explores the world of Big Mouth’s monsters. Building on the intricate foundation set by the original series, Human Resources is a workplace comedy centering around the Lovebugs, Logic Rocks, Ambition Gremlins, and their cohort, more so than the Hormone Monsters featured in Big Mouth. In the first season of Human Resources, Lovebug Emmy (Aidy Bryant) is assigned to a human adult, Becca (Ali Wong), as she gets closer to giving birth to her first child. With neither of them prepared for the responsibilities in front of them, hilarious yet poignant shenanigans ensue. – Yael TygielWatch on Netflix

‘Inside Job’ (2021 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 79% | IMDb: 7.7/10

With an art style and sense of humor not too dissimilar from adult science-fiction comedy Rick and Morty, Inside Job hails from the minds of Alex Hirsch (The Owl House) and Shion Takeuchi (Gravity Falls). Although the animation on Inside Job is more grounded, the premise and ridiculous humor defy gravity. Inside Job follows the employees of Deep State, whose sole responsibilities are to keep conspiracies a secret. Overflowing with clever writing and bursting with talent, Inside Job employs the voice talent of Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman Is in Trouble), Christian Slater (Mr. Robot), Clark Duke, and Tisha Campbell.– Yael TygielWatch on Netflix

‘Aggretsuko’ (2018 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% | IMDb: 8.0/10

Aggretsuko is a great starter show if you’re new to the world of anime and a great option for changing things up if you’re an anime fan looking for something new to watch. Of all the cartoons to really offer some solidarity when exploring the trickiness and subtle frustrations of adulthood, I never expected to peg the anime series Aggretsuko as the one to nail it perfectly. This fresh and fun anime series follows Retsuko, a shy and polite accountant who deals with the frustrations of working in an office with a terrible boss and ignorant co-workers by going to karaoke bars after working and singing death metal. Yes, that is a very real sentence I just wrote and yes, it should immediately have you running to Netflix to binge both seasons (and a perfect Christmas special!). This is an animated series which articulates how frustrating an overbearing or terrible boss can be (Retsuko’s boss is literally a pig, FYI), what it’s like to feel like you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, what it’s like to navigate anxiety or depression while trying to remain productive, or even what it feels like when you’re trying to meet whatever dumb standards of successful adulthood look like and ultimately realizing every one of those standards are dumb, dumb, dumb. Retsuko is the metal singing panda hero we need right now because she gets it. Her rollercoaster initiation into adulthood is (probably) very similar to our own respective initiations into adulthood. Aggretsuko is the kind of slyly therapeutic animated series you need right now because of this, so just click “Play”, whydontcha? – Allie Gemmill Watch on Netflix

‘Arcane’ (2021 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 9.0/10

An absolutely stunning animated steampunk series, Arcane is loosely based on the hugely popular video game. Building on the foundation of the game, Arcane’s writing team, led by newcomer Alex Lee, crafted a deep and intricate backstory. Starring Hailee Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect 3) and Kevin Alejandro (Lucifer), Arcane travels narratively across an upper city, a utopian place called Piltover, as well as the lower class underground dwellings of Zaun. Along with an abundance of canon to pull from, this surprisingly entertaining science-fiction fantasy series tackles topics like classism and crime while stuffing the first season with easter eggs for game fans. – Yael TygielWatch on Netflix

‘Tuca & Bertie’ (2019 – 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 7.4/10

Hailing from BoJack Horseman producer and animator Lisa Hanawalt is Tuca & Bertie, one of the best animated shows of 2019 (and one of the most irksome cancellations on 2019). The series puts Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong in the driver’s seat as best bird friends Tuca (Haddish) and Bertie (Wong). Tuca is a toucan with a big personality, big dreams, but little in the way of proper life skills. Meanwhile, Bertie is a shy bird who lives with her sweet, supportive boyfriend, Speckles (Steven Yeun) who loves to bake and has a hard time speaking up for himself. Together, these two lady friends make a dynamic duo, their adventures over the course of Tuca & Bertie’s lone season making for a thoroughly exciting watch. But Tuca & Bertie eventually peels back its zany layers to reveal a show which readily tackles pressing issues unique to the female and/or adult experience, like healing from childhood trauma, breaking free from toxic relationships, and advocating for your needs. As the series creator, Hanawalt transfers lots of things BoJack fans love about the series — a distinct animation style, great visual gags and running bits, and a heartfelt, intense narrative at the core of the show — into Tuca & Bertie, making this a must-watch series. – Allie GemmillWatch on Netflix

‘Big Mouth’ (2017 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 7.8/10

Big Mouth is a fascinating mix of a show that is, on the one hand, extremely graphic, but on the other hand aimed directly at kids. This animated series is a no-holds-barred look at impending adolescence and hormones as told through the eyes of three young pre-teens, two boys and a girl. It covers everything from periods to masturbation to young love, and while it doesn’t hold back in accurately portraying the fear and shame that come with budding hormones, there’s also a sweetness throughout the whole thing. It’s graphic but never “gross” if that makes any sense. But even though it resonates strongly with young ‘uns going through these ups and downs, it should also be mighty familiar for adults who recognize their same past struggles portrayed onscreen. Oh, and it’s also absolutely hilarious. – Adam ChitwoodWatch on Netflix

‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014 – 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 8.8/10

“Oh look!” you say, searching for something to watch on Netflix. “A silly animated comedy about a talking horse who’s now a washed-up actor voiced by Gob from Arrested Development! Sounds fun!” Stop! Because you are half-right. But the other half… will knock you on your ass. BoJack Horseman is indeed a silly animated comedy about a talking horse who’s now a washed-up actor voiced by Will Arnett. He tries to put back his career and keep his life on track, supported by cat agent Amy Sedaris, will-they-won’t-they socially progressive love interest Alison Brie, cheerfully dumb dog actor Paul F. Tompkins, and slacker roomie Aaron Paul. And all of this is bolstered by wildly imaginative visual gags (the underwater episode? Fuhgeddaboutit) and acerbic jokes about Hollywood’s worst impulses. But BoJack Horseman is also one of the darkest, deepest, and most thorough examinations of darkness in any TV show I’ve ever seen, talking horse or not. The show dives headfirst into depression, substance abuse, sexism, racism, suicidal ideation, Alzheimers, and many more potentially triggering subjects with shocking clarity and empathetic sensitivity — one episode, appropriately titled “That’s Too Much, Man!”, rendered me literally speechless for an hour or so after watching. If you like to chase your chai lattes with blacker-than-black coffee, BoJack Horseman is your new favorite show. – Gregory Lawrence Watch on Netflix

‘Cowboy Bebop’ (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes: 45% | IMDb: 7.6/10

Cowboy Bebop takes all of the things that are cool in the world, puts them in a cool-ass space blender, and, wouldn’t you know it, makes a show that’s beyond cool. Following the travels and travails of Spike Spiegel and an intergalactic bounty hunting crew, Cowboy Bebop feels like classic noir, contemporary cyberpunk neo-noir, melancholy 1970s case-of-the-week TV crime dramas, and Westerns — all scored with unbelievable jazz sounds from maestro Yoko Kanno. But Cowboy Bebop ain’t just an exercise in style (though it’s very good at that). Spike’s story is fundamentally tragic, deep, and bittersweet — and his supporting characters, especially Jet Black, get plenty of opportunities to interrogate the traumas of their past, too. At a clean and tight 26 episodes, the series knows exactly what it wants to say and says it perfectly, while giving ample time for experimental, character-driven, self-contained adventures, too. Also — and I don’t mean to poke the sub/dub hornet’s nest — but this is one anime I do prefer watching with the English voice cast dubbing. See you, space cowboy. – Gregory LawrenceWatch on Netflix

‘F Is for Family’ (2015 – 2021)

IMDb: 8.0/10

F Is for Family… and it’s also for Favorite, as in, this is my favorite animated series right now, edging out fellow Netflix series Big Mouth. My only beef with the show is that we don’t get enough of it! It premiered nearly two years before Big Mouth, and yet there have been five fewer episodes! That said, the wait between seasons has been worth it, as the writers have done a brilliant job creating compelling storylines for the blue-collar Murphy family, led by co-creator Bill Burr as Frank, a miserable veteran with a quick temper and a foul mouth who works at the airport. Frank and his wife Sue (Laura Dern) have three kids, Kevin (Justin Long), Bill (Haley Reinhart) and Maureen (Debi Derryberry), all of whom are quite different and follow the Simpsons model of the delinquent, the sensitive one, and Daddy’s harmless little princess. Burr’s gruff Boston accent is well-suited for animation and serves the character of Frank quite well, given his anger issues. The title sequence alone, set to Redbone‘s catchy “Come and Get Your Love,” does an expert job of relaying the day-to-day anxieties of middle age. Meanwhile, as of February, the cast now boasts two Oscar winners between Dern and Sam Rockwell, who plays scene-stealing womanizer Vic Reynolds. A third Oscar winner, Allison Janney, is among the many guest stars who have lent their distinctive voices to the show, including Vince Vaughn, T.J. Miller and Michael K. Williams. F is for Family may play rough from time to time — especially given its time, the 1970s — but there’s an underlying sweetness to the show that makes us root for this dysfunctional family. F may be for Family, but it’s also for Funny, and personally, I can’t wait for season Four. – Jeff SneiderWatch on Netflix

‘Love, Death & Robots’ (2019 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | IMDb: 8.4/10

Executive produced by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and legendary filmmaker David Fincher, the animated anthology series Love, Death & Robots is kind of the perfect catch-all for sci-fi fans. Each episode is an animated short film that hails from a different writer and director, and the theme holding them all together is the idea of sci-fi technology. As a result you get a wide range of tone from uber-violent to romantic to hysterically funny. Some are only a few minutes long, while others are longer, offering diversity in length as well. And yes, this is a show for adults. Sex, death, and violence are recurring themes throughout, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given that the show hails from Fincher and Miller. – Adam ChitwoodWatch on Netflix

‘One-Punch Man’ (2015 – 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.7/10

One-Punch Man is, without hyperbole, the greatest anime ever made. The series follows Saitama, a superhero who can defeat literally any foe with a single punch. Consequently, Saitama is thoroughly bored with fighting, which confounds all of the professional heroes around him. The show is absolutely hilarious – Saitama achieved his incredible power by doing a bunch of push-ups, and he does battle with ridiculous characters like Crablante, a man who became a half-crab mutant after eating too much shellfish. It’s simultaneously a parody of action anime and a solid action anime in and of itself, with gorgeously animated fight sequences featuring absurd characters like Mumen Rider, a superhero who rides a bicycle. There are currently two seasons, with a third due next year, which leaves you plenty of time to memorize the current batch of episodes before the new ones drop. – Tom ReimannWatch on Netflix

Velma (2023 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 39% | IMDb: 1.6/10

From the mind of Mindy Kaling, a former writer on The Office and co-creator of the hit HBO series The Sex Lives of College Girls, comes a new take on the classic Scooby gang. Kaling lends her voice to the titular Velma Dinkley, who takes center stage in this raunchy, violent, and often meta comedy series. She also brings a host of comedians to the booth to breathe fresh life into modernized versions of the Hannah Barbera crew, including Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians) as mean-girl Daphne Blake, Sam Richardson (Veep) as straight-edged Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, and Glenn Howerton (The Mindy Project) as spoiled man-baby Fred Jones. Watch on Max

‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ (2000 – 2015)

IMDb: 7.7/10

One of the defining shows of the Adult Swim style of bizarre, absurdist humor, Aqua Teen Hunger Force demonstrated that a cartoon show can be about absolutely nothing and still be great. Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad live together in a shitty suburban house in New Jersey under the paper-thin pretense of running a private detective agency, a premise the show completely abandons within the first few episodes. The sentient fast food items encounter everything from vampires to aliens to Glenn Danzig in a series of off-the-wall storylines that come out of nowhere and wind up in the exact same place. The main characters frequently die, the world ends several times, and everything is completely reset in the very next episode. It’s impossible to overstate the impact Aqua Teen has had on the past two decades of comedy – it’s fast, it’s sharp, and absolutely anything can happen at any time. I love this show. – Tom ReimannWatch on Max

‘Harley Quinn’ (2019 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 8.4/10

Harley Quinn is one of the best-animated shows on TV right now and easily one of the greatest to come out of the DC universe. This series follows the titular villain as she breaks up with The Joker and tries to make a name for herself among the villains of Gotham City. Harley (Kaley Cuoco) gets to discover who she is and what she wants outside of her toxic relationship – just as the character does in the film Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Where the series outshines the film, however, is how absolutely unhinged it can be. Between a drunk and hilariously incompetent Jim Gordon (Christopher Meloni), Harley using a flamethrower to carve female anatomy into a block of ice, and a Tom Hardy-esque Bane (James Adomian) who blows up a smoothie shop after an employee makes fun of him, Harley Quinn is definitely not for kids.

This series excels at subverting expectations of familiar DC Comics characters in both bizarre and surprisingly compelling ways. Season One sees Harley create her own crew of baddies to impress the Legion of Doom and prove to The Joker (Alan Tudyk) that she’s better off without him. Her team consists of lovable cinnamon roll King Shark (Ron Funches), trained thespian Clayface (Alan Tudyk), misogynist telepath Doctor Psycho (Tony Hale), and occasionally Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). Even though Ivy typically prefers plants to people, she respects and admires Harley’s determination and wants to see her succeed. Harley and Ivy’s friendship provides an emotional balance to the raunchy humor, and quickly becomes the backbone of the series. I could go on and on about every little thing that makes Harley Quinn worth the watch, so please indulge this nerdy writer and give it a chance. You won’t regret it. — Brynna ArensWatch on Max

‘Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law’ (2000 – 2007)

IMDb: 8.0/10

Back in the formative years of Adult Swim, when taking a library Hanna-Barbera character and putting them in a new job or context was a good enough premise to generate hilarity, Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter made superhero Birdman his last name, threw him in a suit, gave him a law practice, and caused my guts to hurt from laughter. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is not just a fast-paced skewering of legal procedural dramas, but a cleverly postmodern imagination of all the traumas and ringers our favorite (and obscure) childhood cartoon characters have gone through. Gary Cole gives Harvey Birdman the perfect amount of schmooziness, “lawyer salesmanship,” and pathetic desperation. And his supporting voice cast? Hoo-wee, what a roster: John Michael Higgins as Judge Mentok the Mind-taker (ooooohhooooo!), Stephen Colbert as the constantly laughing Phil Ken Sebben, Paget Brewster as the more sincere Birdgirl (getting her own spin-off, too, thank goodness) — all of these talented folks and more are clearly having the most fun ever bringing this zaniness to life. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law hits me right in the sweet spot of tradition and inventiveness, and I hope it does for you, too. – Gregory LawrenceWatch on Max

‘South Park’ (1997 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 80% | IMDb: 8.7/10

It’s insane that not only has South Park been on the air since 1997, but that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been the creative voices in charge of the series ever since. Usually a creator will leave for greener pastures, and the show becomes a shell of its former self (see: Family Guy, The Simpsons), but not with South Park. As a result, this Comedy Central series’ signature brand of off-color humor and social commentary has continued to evolve over the years, tackling various major issues, trends, and presidencies. Some episodes succeed more than others, but what’s most admirable about South Park is how Parker and Stone have continued to grow up along with the show. It’s not a coincidence that as both entered middle age, the character of Randy became far more of a protagonist than the kids. – Adam ChitwoodWatch on Max

‘Rick and Morty’ (2013 – Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb: 9.1/10

You wouldn’t necessarily expect an animated Adult Swim series to be home to some of the best hard sci-fi on TV, but Rick and Morty is one of those shows that proves that the rules of genre are only set by the imagination of those creating it. While you’ve probably heard no end of praise for Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s insane, brilliant series by this point, Rick and Morty seemed to come out of nowhere at first, thriving on that rampant word of mouth and blossoming into one of the most beloved animated series on TV.

Following the title duo – a vulgar and alcoholic but equally brilliant scientist and his unassuming young grandson, the series follows them on adventures through time, space, and parallel dimensions, each excursion more bonkers and imaginative than the next. Veering between graphic raunchy humor, sometimes horrifyingly dark existential meditations on humanity, and an awe-inspiring imagination for science fiction concepts, Rick and Morty somehow never loses the thread, tying it all up into a one-of-a-kind emotional, visual, and intellectual experience unlike anything else on TV. – Haleigh‌ FoutchWatch on Max

‘Samurai Jack’ (2001 – 2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 8.5/10

“Gotta get back, back to the past, Samurai Jack.” Whenever I heard these words, rapped (by will.i.am!) over a deliciously swung funk-hip-hop beat, I knew I was in for a treat. I grew up watching Samurai Jack on Cartoon Network, and fell in love swiftly. The Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Laboratory, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) show told a simple story of a Samurai (Phil LaMarr) against an evil overlord (Mako Iwamatsu for seasons 1-4, Greg Baldwin in the final season) using incredible, experimental animation techniques and uncommonly mature themes. In direct dialogue with classic samurai films, Hollywood remixes like Kung Fu, and the casual, freaky, wild postmodernism burgeoning in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Samurai Jack is a breath of fresh air, an animated extension of auteur theory that delves into pure darkness, daffy digressions, and “case-of-the-week” episodes that rival the best of them. While the 2017-produced Adult Swim season might traffic a little too much in “being adult for being adult’s sake,” it still sticks the landing in a remarkably emotional way. – Gregory LawrenceWatch on Max

‘The Great North’ (2021 – Present)

IMDb: 6.8/10

The creative team behind the beloved animated family sitcom Bob’s Burgers delivers another wholesome and humorous banger, this time set in the northernmost state of the United States: Alaska! With a cast list stacked higher than a moose’s back, the series follows the Tobin family and their misadventures in the fictional small town of Lone Moose. Lending their voices to the boisterous family members are Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) as the patriarch of the family alongside Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Jenny Slate (Big Mouth), Paul Rust (Love), and Aparna Nancherla (Mythic Quest) as his four kids. – Tauri MillerWatch on Hulu