POLL: What Is the Best Adult Animated Comedy Series?

It’s been some time since animation was only for children on Saturday mornings. While the early days of adult animation meant tossing in some excessive swearing and crude jokes to prove it wasn’t for kids, the genre of adult animated comedies has transformed quite a bit over the decades. Whether we’re exploring sci-fi through the lens of Lovecraftian horror, watching a talking horse spiral into depression, or tuning in to the weekly antics of a quirky family, many of these shows have cemented themselves into the zeitgeist of American culture (and not just because they’ve been on the air for what feels like forever!)

Today, we’ve rounded up the biggest names in the adult animated comedy space, and we want to know which one you think is the best.

Vote for Your Favorite Adult Animated Comedy

It’s time to settle the debate: what’s your all-time favorite adult animated comedy? Let’s celebrate the shows that bring us joy! This is your chance to share your love for your favorite series. We invite you to join our poll and tell us which one is your top pick. Is it a beloved classic that has stood the test of time, or maybe a newer series that has captured your heart with its clever humor? Cast your vote to help determine which show will be crowned the ultimate king of laughs in the world of adult animation!

Here is a closer look at the contenders:

American Dad!

American Dad!; image credit: 20th Television Animation

Seth MacFarlane’s second child tends to get lumped in with its older, more popular sibling, but anyone who actually watches it knows this series stands on its own two feet. The show, which centers around the Smith family, isn’t afraid to get strange, and despite that, it holds up better than Family Guy in some ways. Underneath the CIA missions and alien in drag, there’s a surprisingly strong family dynamic that keeps the insanity grounded.

Archer

Archer; image credit: FX Productions

Archer is what happens when you blend the secret agent thriller genre with workplace comedy. The titular character was reckless, selfish, rude, and yet somehow still likable, and complements the rest of the strange, deeply flawed characters perfectly. Toward the later seasons, the show’s willingness to reinvent its setting—from noir fantasies to tropical escapades to outer space—kept us on our toes, and the writing was quick, funny, and smarter than it pretends to be.

Big Mouth

Big Mouth; image credit: Netflix

Big Mouth takes the awkward, embarrassing, and hormonal experience of preteen life and manifests it into literal monsters that scream terrible advice into the ears of struggling middle schoolers. Few shows have made viewers cringe this badly, but it does a pretty good job of portraying just how terrible it is to go through puberty.

Bob’s Burgers

Bob’s Burgers; image credit: 20th Television Animation

Adult animation is often criticized for being excessively raunchy or crass, but Bob’s Burgers proves that the genre can also be wholesome. The Belchers’ continual plight as they try to keep their struggling burger restaurant afloat is grounded in a family that genuinely seems to love each other without ever crossing into sappy territory. Along with an endless lineup of punny burgers of the day, it also serves up a phenomenal soundtrack of catchy musical numbers.

BoJack Horseman

BoJack Horseman; image credit: The Tornante Company

What started as a satirical and quirky look at Hollywoo(d) quietly morphed into an existential exploration of the horrors of drug addiction and depression. The show can give you some serious tonal whiplash, delivering some of the most devastatingly accurate portrayals of trauma and despair ever put on a screen, while also prominently featuring a golden retriever named Mr. Peanutbutter. Few animated comedies trust their audience enough to give their protagonists their just deserts, even while making us empathize with them throughout the entire journey.

Disenchantment

Disenchantment; image credit: The ULULU Company

Disenchantment follows an alcoholic princess, her naive elf friend, and her literal shoulder demon on her adventures through the kingdom of Dreamland. While it was created by Matt Groening, who created The Simpsons and Futurama, it has a very different feel and leans more heavily into the dramedy energy popular in the late 2010s. The show took a bit to find its rhythm, but it eventually blossomed into a fun medieval fantasy adventure.

Family Guy

Family Guy; image credit: 20th Television Animation

While adult animation was by no means a completely chaste affair, Family Guy gave the genre a reputation for absolute crassness, shaping an entire generation’s sense of humor with its infamous cutaway gags and loud, ridiculous humor. The Griffin family has survived multiple cancellations and still pumps out new episodes to this day. Love it or hate it, the show’s chaos, meme-ability, and throwaway pop-culture references have clearly struck a chord with viewers, which is why it has lasted so long.

Futurama

Futurama; image credit: 20th Television Animation

Nobody mixes high-concept theoretical physics with absolute, unapologetic idiocy quite like the Planet Express crew. It’s a workplace comedy set against the backdrop of a meticulously crafted, completely bizarre 31st century. The writing has a terrifying habit of lulling you into a false sense of security with goofy alien antics before leaving you sobbing over a cartoon dog. It was recently rebooted after a decade off the air, though the original series finale was a great sendoff to the well-loved characters.

King of the Hill

King of the Hill; image credit: 20th Television Animation

Hank Hill is the reason many of us can’t hear “propane” without “and propane accessories” sounding off in our heads. With few exceptions, the situations Hank and his Texan family end up in are relatable, everyman nonsense that entertains without the need for sci-fi antics or talking animals. The show’s brilliance lies entirely in its subtlety, leaning into character-driven comedy that has aged surprisingly well. Its newest season is also a rare example of a reboot that captures the magic of the original while still feeling fresh.

Rick and Morty

Rick and Morty; image credit: The Cartoon Network

The drama surrounding one of its co-creators aside, Rick and Morty was once among the smartest shows on TV. For all its crudeness, chaos, infinite universes, and reality-bending sci-fi elements, the show has something to say about existentialism and our place in the universe. Rick Sanchez is by no means a good person, but he’s an interesting character, and his high-concept rigamarole has made for one of the most popular TV shows of all time.

South Park

South Park; image credit: Park County and Paramount Global

South Park is famous for its fast turnaround, which has made it one of the most topical comedies outside late-night talk shows. What started decades ago as crude construction paper cutouts swearing in the Colorado snow has evolved into a brutally sharp mirror reflecting society’s absolute most absurd impulses back at itself. Although the creators release more sporadically these days, many episodes of South Park have completely changed public opinion on various issues over the decades it’s been on air.

The Legend of Vox Machina

The Legend of Vox Machina; image credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Blending Dungeons and Dragons fantasy with adult animation, The Legend of Vox Machina is the result of a rabid, dedicated fanbase willing to shell out literally millions to bring the show to life. While not technically a pure comedy, the show translates hundreds of hours of a live-action D&D campaign, including all the giggles and jokes, into a tight, scripted animated show. It perfectly nails the anarchic feeling of sitting around a table with friends, rolling dice, making spectacularly terrible decisions, and somehow saving the world anyway, while also having some excellently animated fight sequences.

The Simpsons

The Simpsons; image credit: 20th Television Animation

You legally cannot talk about adult animation without giving The Simpsons at least a shoutout. Even if you want to argue that its absolute best years are decades in the rearview mirror, this show shaped the genre and embedded itself so deeply in pop culture that its characters are recognizable worldwide. It’s literally the longest-running adult animated show of all time, and for good reason.

The Final Verdict

Now that we’ve taken a stroll down memory lane, it’s time to vote. Are you bringing the propane to Arlen, serving up terrible puns with the Belchers, or getting traumatized in Hollywoo(d)?

Vote in our poll and tell us which universe you believe should be named the ultimate adult animated comedy! Then, check out PixlParade for more polls and articles about your favorite adult animation, anime, movies, and more!

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