In recent years, YouTube has acted as a great platform for independent animators to share their up-and-coming passion projects. Many of which have since garnered critical acclaim and devoted fanbases. Some, like Hazbin Hotel, have been picked up by larger studios to be streamed as official series.
Here are some animated web series that I think are underrated.
The Amazing Digital Circus
created by Gooseworx
The Amazing Digital Circus follows a group of characters who have been trapped within a virtual reality with no memories of who they are or how they got there. Can they maintain their sanity, or will they end up becoming “abstracted”?
Spooky Month
Created by Sr. Pelo
Spooky Month follows Skid and Pump, two hyperactive kids obsessed with Halloween who obliviously wreak havoc upon the people around them during their various misadventures. From summoning a demon to foiling the efforts of a serial killer, they may end up unveiling the town’s hidden secrets…
Lackadaisy
Created by Tracy Butler
In a version of the Prohibition Era where there are anthropomorphic cats, Lackadaisy follows the efforts of a group of interesting characters fighting to keep the titular speakeasy afloat after the founder’s passing. Their bootlegging misadventures often coming into conflict with their main rival, Marigold.
Murder Drones
created by liam vickers
Produced by the same studios that brought us The Amazing Digital Circus, Murder Drones takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting where the only living beings that remain are sentient robots called Worker Drones. The Worker Drones hide from the Disassembly Drones, who have been tasked to exterminate them.
One of the Worker Drones, Uzi Doorman, ends up befriending one of the Disassembly Drones, N. Together, they decide to find answers to why the world ended, and the role that the Drones and humans might have played in it.
Helluva Boss
Created by Vivienne Medrano
Another show from the creator of Amazon Prime’s Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss follows I.M.P., a team of imps from hell who carry out the last wishes of sinners (which usually involves murder) and the crazy shenanigans that they find themselves in. From an assassin job gone wrong to having to work with a former friend to navigating relationship drama, there’s no shortage of comedic and dramatic potential in this show.