13. Archer (2009)
Adult cartoons love meta references andArcheris chock-full of it. Adam Reed first established his love of meta and adventure comedy in his Adult Swim showFrisky Dingo, which he built upon withArcherfollowingFrisky Dingo’s cancellation.
Archerstands out for its comic book visuals and its satirical motif of espionage and Cold War aesthetics woven throughout. Its actual time setting is vague and hard to place, but falls somewhere between the 1960s and 1980s—you know, the era of James Bond.
Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin to much critical praise) is the main 007-esque secret agent. Except he lacks the grace, brains, and sobriety of a real Bond spy. But he certainly has the ego!
12. King of the Hill (1997)
Almost every American sitcom—animated or not—revolves around an idea of what the average American family might be like. Perhaps a suburban everyman father and his pesky kids, or a dysfunctional nuclear family and their annoying neighbors.
King of the Hillfollowed in the footsteps of earlier 90s sitcomThe Simpsons, and the two shows often nodded to each other with subtle references. But the Hill family looks a little more like real humans than their yellow Simpson predecessors.
Mike Judge and Greg Daniels (who also worked onThe Simpsons) conceivedKing of the Hillwhile Judge was still makingBeavis and Butt-Head(another adult cartoon that I recommend checking out).
King of the Hilldepicts the working-class life of Hank (voiced by Mike Judge) and his family as he drinks beer on his ranch lawn and sells propane. It sounds a bit meh, butKing of the Hillgarnered critical acclaim and a cult following. Most shows only clinch one or the other.
Related:The Best Animated TV Sitcom Families, Ranked
11. Big Mouth (2017)
When you really think about it, most cartoon caricatures don’t really look like humans at all. From talking horses (BoJack Horseman) to cut-out animation (South Park), it can all be quite… strange. AndBig Mouthis one of those shows that distorts its characters' features.
In fact,Big Mouthmakes this exaggerated character design a staple part of the series, which is itself named after the characters' big mouths, which is in turn inspired by the creators' childhoods.
AsBig Mouthis a coming-of-age sitcom about the woes of puberty, it makes sense that parts are drawn from the animators' own experiences. As Nick Kroll once put it: “I physically just had a big mouth. If you look at a picture of me from that age, I’m like two-thirds mouth […] But also I had a big mouth because I was a bit of a wiseass.”
Nick Kroll voices 13-year-old protagonist and late bloomer Nick, who—alongside his middle school friends—navigates teenagerhood with the help of invisible “hormone monsters.”
Related:The Best Modern Animated Comedy TV Series, Ranked
10. F Is for Family (2015)
Another sitcom, another everyman father. But Frank, King of the Murphy, is far more uptight. Voiced by co-creator Bill Burr, Frank is a Korean War veteran with a hot head and fragile masculinity. He’s the epitome of insecure, stiff-upper-lip, working-class men.
Ah, the American Dream. Just what Frank was promised but deprived of in this perfect satire of 1970s American suburbia. He lives with his wannabe feminist wife, stereotypically moody teenage son, “princess” daughter, and other awkward pre-teen son in Pennsylvania.
It seems our end is always self-made, and Frank manages to rage himself into rock bottom again and again. It’s his ultimate hamartia, shared by many emotionally ignorant men of the era.
Masculinity and gender roles play a huge part inF Is for Family, but its allegorical nature is made digestible with breezy comedy. Had it been live-action,F Is for Familywould probably be depressing to watch…
9. Adventure Time (2010)
Adventure Timeis unusual because it was originally made for kids, but ended up attracting older viewers. Its absurdist nature meant that teenagers could appreciate the show more than children, and adults eventually joined the bandwagon for its complexity, irony, and humor.
Its mind-bending and space-invading vibe, populated by colorful creatures around one central human protagonist, is what makesAdventure Timethe perfect show for anyRick and Mortyfan.
Alongside Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) is his companion Jake the Dog (voiced by John DiMaggio). Dogs are, after all, man’s best friend!
Together, the two explore the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, which originated as a Nicktoons short film that went viral in 2007. Insane how different the pilot looks to the actual show!
Related:The Best Cartoons and Animated Kids Shows of the 2000s, Ranked
8. Daria (1997)
Daria,King of the Hill, andBeavis and Butt-Headare all linked not only by time frame but by animator Mike Judge. Tracy Grandstaff reprised her role as Daria fromBeavis and Butt-Head, taking center stage as the protagonist of her own show.
Of course,Dariawas polished up from the amateur visuals of earlyBeavis and Butt-Head. And Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn were responsible for creatingDaria, which was an immediate MTV hit.
Daria herself is smart, sarcastic, and cynical—a great symbol of the 90s feminist surge among teens. (Think Lindsay Weir, Kat Stratford, Donna Pinciotti, and Lisa Simpson, whose bedroom even has aDariaposter in the episode “Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy.")
She’s a straight-talking, anti-social high schooler, and like most of our picks, acts as a satire of American suburbia, especially the dynamics of high school and values of a consumerist society.
7. Futurama (1999)
Hardcore fans ofThe Simpsonsare usually horrified by the increasingly popular opinion thatFuturamais better.
Both shows were created by Matt Groening (which you can tell from the animation styles) but people who loveThe Simpsonsoften ignoreFuturama’s existence. You know, a lot like howHarry Potterstans tend to deny theFantastic Beastsfilms.
However,Futuramais a great show in its own right, bagging six Emmy Awards and extensive critical acclaim. It’s a workplace sitcom—likeParks and RecreationorThe Office—but set in the year 2999.
In 31st century New York, a pizza delivery guy wakes up after falling into cryogenic pod that frozen him for a thousand years. Fry (voiced by Billy West) is like a dumb sidekick given his own show, who now works alongside mutant-humans at Planet Express.
Related:Smart, Nerdy TV Sitcoms That Are Hilarious for Geeks
6. Family Guy (1999)
Family Guyis a love-it-or-hate-it kind of show. Most of the hate it gets is generated by offensive jokes—ranging from homophobic to anti-Semitic—but fans will argue that that’s the entire point ofFamily Guy: to satire and critique American culture.
Seth MacFarlane’s controversial sitcom is a metafiction about the Griffin family led by Peter Griffin, a bumbling, overweight, and somewhat obnoxious blue-collar worker.
Although he’s well-intentioned, viewers may find Peter to be more annoying than the average sitcom father. But again, that’s sort of the point. You can see him (and other characters) appear in several crossover episodes of various shows.
Despite all its backlash,Family Guystill reels in millions of viewers to this day and was the first cartoon to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy sinceThe Flintstones!
Related:The Best Nerdy TV Characters of All Time, Ranked
5. Bob’s Burgers (2011)
Following its rocky start,Bob’s Burgersgrew into a beloved modern sitcom that blends home with the workplace. The title refers to a family hamburger restaurant in New Jersey, where the Belchers get into all kinds of antics and trouble.
Bob’s Burgersmight not be as witty or satirical as the other picks on this list, but its characters are far more likable than the ones in, say,Family Guy. It’s also less absurdist than most adult cartoons and considerably less crude as the seasons go on.
Bob (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, the same voice behind Sterling Archer inArcher) is the overworked father to socially awkward Tina (voiced by Dan Mintz), musician wannabe Gene (voiced by Eugene Mirman), and mischievous anti-hero Louise (voiced by Kristen Schaal).
4. South Park (1997)
It might have (roughly) 10-year-old protagonists, butSouth Parkisnotmade for kids. Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny (who dies every episode before inexplicably reappearing) are foul-mouthed 4th graders residing in a small fictional town in the Rocky Mountains.
Funny enough, it’s actually the kids who are the voice of reason inSouth Park. They might swear a lot, but they aren’t nearly as irrational as their parents, hyperbolic of the panic-prone recklessness of the West.
The gang’s exploits are championed by dark humor, surrealism, slapstick gags, and sarcasm, with a typical boyish fondness for the scatological. Because of this, some people findSouth Parkuncomfortably vulgar while others find it hilarious.
South Parkis known for a lot of things, but most of all its profanity. Trey Parker and Matt Stone bleep out the curse words so it can be aired on Comedy Central, which they make a point of in “It Hits the Fan” where they bleep 162 words to ridicule TV censorship.
Related:The Best South Park Episodes of All Time, Ranked
3. BoJack Horseman (2014)
Drunk cartoon characters are everywhere in modern TV. (Think Barney Gumble, Bender, Rick Sanchez.) They’re usually there as the comic relief sidekick or problematic anti-hero, much as they are in live-action shows. (Think Frank Gallagher, Charlie Parker, Klaus Hargreeves.)
But BoJack Horseman (voiced by Will Arnett) takes the biscuit for best cartoon addict, with “best” meaning that he’s funny, relatable, and heartbreaking all at the same time.
BoJack headlines Netflix’s first animated Original as a washed-out ex-actor from a famous 90s TV show. He’s a character of self-loathing and addiction, with avoidant detachment, childhood trauma, and abandonment issues. But he’s also half-horse and cracks a good joke.
Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg reimagined the standard sitcom forBoJack Horsemanand gave rise to a new TV trend known as “sadcom.” This recent hybrid genre takes subjects like depression and the dark side of pop culture, only to package them up in comedy.
Related:The Best Scenes in BoJack Horseman, Ranked (And Why They’re Great)
2. Rick and Morty (2013)
Spend a few minutes scrolling through Etsy or Amazon and you’re bound to come across something related toRick and Morty. From personalized posters to ashtrays to rolling sets,Rick and Mortymerch is the adult equivalent ofBarbieorPaw Patrol.
Rick and Mortyis also a frequent top pick amongst stoners for funny background television—which is interesting because even sober viewers may find it hard to keep up with the show’s trippy, fast-paced, and outlandish storytelling.
At the center is Rick Sanchez, a humorous alcoholic twist on the mad scientist archetype. (Did you know Rick was created as a parody ofBack to the Future’s Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd? Lloyd then portrayed Rick in a live-action meta short by Paul B. Cummings!)
The burping, dribbling, sociopathic inventor can surf the multiverse with his array of space gadgets, but his sidekick through all of those adventures is his dim-witted grandson Morty.
Related:The Most Dysfunctional TV Show Families of All Time, Ranked
1. The Simpsons (1989)
The Simpsonsis the oldest and longest-running show on our list, and the one that literally everyone has heard of (and most likely seen). AlthoughThe Simpsonsis kid-friendly, its TV-PG and TV-14 ratings mean half the jokes will fly over the heads of younger viewers.
Bursting with innuendoes and smart jokes that wiggle around the censorship board in clever ways,The Simpsonswas pretty much an overnight hit for Fox when it debuted.
This dysfunctional yellow family populates a satirical yellow town called Springfield. Creator Matt Groening and his team of animators use the Simpsons and townspeople to poke fun at America, balanced with lovable characters and heartfelt moments.
Following their 90s boom, whenThe Simpsonsmerch flooded every store, the sitcom dwindled in viewers due to Flanderization (a process named after one of the show’s own characters, Ned Flanders). In spite of this, the show is still on the air, defying all odds.
Related:The Dumbest TV Characters Whom We Can’t Help but Love
