Something I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older is the stigma surrounding cartoons. As a child, it’s normal to watch cartoons. In fact, it’s almost expected. Cartoons are simple to understand, they are fun to watch and they don’t require children to do an excessive amount of thinking. Most cartoons have some hidden subtext that is meant to teach children basic decencies, but usually, these hidden messages are for topics that children can relate to such as sharing with others, learning manners or doing homework.
As we grow up, the cartoon shows and movies we loved so much as children become less normalized. Suddenly, we’re “childish” if we enjoy animated shows. Labelling our past comfort shows as “childish” and “silly” hurts the inner child we have in our hearts. It’s like stomping on someone’s interests. We’re bullying ourselves.
Truthfully, do we ever really outgrow the love we had for something? Personally, animated shows are a sense of comfort. They’re easy to look at, I enjoy the bright colours and most of the time they’re far more entertaining than live-action sitcoms. So, I’ve discovered the perfect way to watch an animated show without battling the “is this childish?” internal question. How? Adult animation. It’s truly an underrated genre and often it’s hard to find a good show in this genre that doesn’t show adulthood in a bad light.
Many adult animation shows portray adulthood as a depressing, alcohol and drug-filled nightmare. Most pack in a lot of crude humour and label it as funny when it’s often just racist, homophobic and sexist (I’m talking about you, Family Guy). So, here’s my list of the top five adult animation shows that satisfy my inner child without ruining adulthood.
1. Bob’s Burgers
Bob’s Burgers is one of the most well-known adult animations. Popularity-wise, for those who don’t watch a lot of adult animation, I’d put it up there with Family Guy and The Simpsons. It’s quite honestly my favourite show of all time simply because of how loving the main family is and how inclusive the show is. There’s LGBTQ+ representation, a person of colour (POC) representation and a strong female lead character. One thing the show does very well while being representative is it does not centre certain issues or big episode-long dilemmas around these groups. For example, there are no episodes focused on homophobia because no one is being homophobic, to begin with.
It’s centred around the Belcher family and, unlike many shows in this genre, there’s no main character in the family. Instead, each character gets their turn to shine and it’s hard to imagine it any other way. While the seasons all follow the same calendar year and the characters never age, each character does experience character development. The family also breaks a lot of stereotypes that come with a typical American family.
The father of the show is a very emotional guy and isn’t scared to let his wife “take the lead” in the relationship. The mother of the show is strong and stands up for what she believes in. She does what she wants without worrying about what others will think about her, which just makes her more lovable. While the oldest daughter does follow the “boy-crazed teen girl” trope, she strays away from the “I’m cooler than my younger siblings” trope. The middle child, who is the only son, isn’t ignored by his family and he is very in touch with his emotions which shows as he loves his two sisters immensely. The youngest daughter doesn’t follow any of the common young girl stereotypes, instead she acts very tomboyishly. She, like her mother, is very strong and stands up for others and what she believes in.
The show in general is easy to watch, doesn’t require you to pay too much attention to the overall storyline and provides so much comfort. Every character has been created with so much detail and care, it’s hard not to fall in love with each one. And as a bonus, the series has Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s episodes each season!
2. Bless the Harts
There’s so much to love about Bless the Harts. The show does make a lot of references to the Catholic religion; however, I wouldn’t call it a religious show. The animation is much different from shows like Bob’s Burgers and some of the others on this list. It has a more “hand-drawn” look to it which only makes it more enjoyable. It follows a financially struggling family in America and the actions they take to pay their rent. Within the show, this struggle is not used as a way for the characters to be unkind to each other.
If you aren’t hooked yet, the main characters are voiced by none other than Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wigg, Ike Barinholtz and Fortune Feimster. Honestly, what’s better than some Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wigg comedy? Each character is filled with love for each other and while they go through personal conflicts, they work through them in a very adult manner. While the show has been discontinued, the creators of the show were able to make the last episode seem very natural.
It’s funny, it’s easy to watch and on top of it all, the characters are relatable. The young teenage daughter struggling to figure out her self-identity is relatable, as is the mother who tries to keep all her relationships stable while working on loving herself. It does a great job of showing how the expectations we set for ourselves, and our lives are not always attainable. At the end of the day, the most important thing is the people you surround yourself with.
3. Disenchantment
Disenchantment is definitely one of the lesser-known adult animations. It’s a bit cruder (there are obvious references to sex, drugs and alcohol) than some of the others on this list however, the show itself isn’t centred around putting others down. It takes place during the medieval period and follows 19-year-old Princess Tiabeanie (Bean). Bean’s character doesn’t follow the stereotypical “princess” tropes, instead she enjoys going to the bar and annoying her dad.
One thing that’s really great about this show, besides the colourful animation, is how it deals with heavy topics. Parental loss, racism, sexism, sexual identity and mental health are all topics of conversation in the show. The thing that makes these heavy topics watchable is how simply the terms are put. There is no walking on eggshells or sugar-coating. The characters talk about things that bother them and help each other work through personal struggles.
Disenchantment is the perfect mix of cartoon and adult humour. On top of all that, the main family and Bean’s close friends actually care about each other, something a lot of adult animation shows don’t show. It follows one storyline which makes it easy to binge in 3 days (and I know it’s possible to do that because I’ve done it myself! I promise, it’s worth it!).
4. The Great North
The Great North is a newer Adult Animation from FOX based in Alaska. It follows the Tobin family and focuses on the middle child of the family, Judy. The show’s animation style is a pretty even mix between Bob’s Burgers and Disenchantment. It’s colourful and easy to watch. Like all the shows on this list, what allows this show to fulfill my inner child is the fact that the family cares so deeply for each other. The characters truly love each other and there is never a moment where one member of the family seems less important than the rest (yes, this is another reference to Family Guy. Justice for Meg).
The show, like many of the others, is also great at showing diversity. One of the main characters is a young gay teen whose partner is a young POC, while another main character is married to a person of colour as well. The best part is the characters’ differences are not their only personality trait. No episodes focus on homophobia and racism, simply because there’s no homophobia or racism present. The show is representative without trying to prove and point out how inclusive they are.
If you’re still undecided on whether to watch the show, the father, Beef Tobin, is voiced by Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation). The entertaining part is Nick Offerman’s character in The Great North is incredibly similar to Ron Swanson, almost as if the characters are the same person, just from different universes.
5. Central Park
This is another less popular show that appeared during the pandemic. Central Park follows the Central Park manager and his family as they try and stop a rich old woman from buying the park. It’s funny to watch and the animation style is almost identical to Bob’s Burgers (can you tell I have a type when it comes to adult animation?). One thing that makes this show so different than the others is the amount of singing. It definitely gives off more of a Disney vibe as a result of this (plus one of the main characters is voiced by Josh Gad).
What makes this a good show for fulfilling the inner child? Representation. The daughter of the show, a mix raced teen, was originally voiced by Kristen Bell. Bell quit the show in order for the character to be voiced by a POC. The character is now voiced by Emmy Raver-Lampman. These small details make the show that much better. Secondly, and I can’t say this enough, the family cares about each other. They lift each other up and they are proud of each other’s accomplishments. It makes the show easy to watch because there’s no “this is so mean; I shouldn’t be watching this” guilty feeling.
As I mentioned, it is very musical which, for some people, is something they avoid and that’s fair. I’ll be the first to say that sometimes the excessive singing is a bit much. However, I find that singing in shows like this allows the characters to express themselves and their emotions in a way that seems catchy. I can’t tell you how many of these songs get stuck in my head. I also can’t tell you how many of these songs end up being relatable.
At the end of the day, you should watch shows that excite you! You should watch shows that make you laugh, make you happy and you should watch them because you want to watch them, not because everyone around you is watching them. Adult animation may not be for everyone, but if you give it a chance, you might discover your new favourite genre. These types of shows aren’t going to give you a lot to think about. So, if you ever find yourself thinking, “wow, I wish there was a show I could watch that’s fun and doesn’t require a lot of thinking,” I implore you to give any of these five shows a try!