This is a list of adult animated television series of the 1990s (including streaming television series); that is, animated programs targeted towards audiences aged 18 and over in mind. Works in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include the incorporation of explicit or suggestive sexual content, graphic violence, profane language, dark humour, or other thematic elements inappropriate for children. Works in this genre may explore philosophical, political, or social issues. Some productions are noted for their complex and/or experimental storytelling and animation techniques. Adult animation is typically defined as animation which skews toward adults.[1][2][3][4] It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from"[5] or has adult humor[6][7] and comes in various styles,[8][9][10][11] but especially sitcoms and comedies.[12] These animations can also "appeal to wide swaths of viewers," including those aged 18–34.[13][14] AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids."[15]
In North America, there is children's animation, adult animation, and young adult animation, with various mature animations in the United States, especially in television series. This page mainly includes series in North America and Europe, on programming blocks such as Adult Swim, Animation Domination, Adult Swim (in Canada), and others, with other mature animations, including web series and animated films covered on other pages. These series should not be confused with cartoon pornography or hentai.
List
editUnited States
editTitle | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Age rating | Technique | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Æon Flux | Avant-garde | 3 seasons, 16 episodes | Peter Chung | November 30, 1991 – October 10, 1995 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-MA | Traditional | [16] |
Science fiction | |||||||||
Liquid Television | Animation showcase | 3 seasons, 27 episodes | Japhet Asher | November 30, 1991 – January 1, 1995 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [17] |
BBC Enterprises | |||||||||
Colossal Pictures | |||||||||
BIG Pictures | |||||||||
Noyes & Laybourne Enterprises | |||||||||
Capitol Critters | Comedy | 1 season, 13 episodes | Nat Mauldin | January 28, 1992 – March 14, 1992[a] | ABC | Hanna-Barbera | TV-PG | Traditional | [18] |
Steven Bochco | 1995[b] | Cartoon Network | Steven Bochco Productions | ||||||
Michael Wagner | 20th Television | ||||||||
Fish Police | Crime | 1 season, 6 episodes | based on the comic created by Steve Moncuse | February 28, 1992 – March 13, 1992 | CBS | Hanna-Barbera | TV-PG | Traditional | [18] |
Comedy | |||||||||
Beavis and Butt-Head | Sitcom | 8 seasons, 222 episodes | Mike Judge | Original series: March 8, 1993 – November 28, 1997 | MTV | J.J. Sedelmaier Productions[c] | TV-14 | Traditional | [19] |
MTV Animation | TV-PG[d] | ||||||||
Revival series: October 27 – December 29, 2011 | Comedy Central | Film Roman[e] | |||||||
2nd Revival series[f] | Paramount+ | Judgemental Films[18] | |||||||
MTV Entertainment Studios | |||||||||
The Critic | Sitcom | 2 seasons, 23 episodes | Al Jean | January 26, 1994 – May 21, 1995 | ABC[g] | Gracie Films | TV-PG/TV-14 | Traditional | [20] |
Mike Reiss | Fox[h] | Film Roman | |||||||
Columbia Pictures Television | |||||||||
Rough Draft Studios | |||||||||
Duckman | Sitcom | 4 seasons, 70 episodes | Everett Peck | March 5, 1994 – September 6, 1997 | USA Network | Klasky Csupo | TV-14 | Traditional | [21] |
Reno & Osburn Productions | TV-PG[i] | ||||||||
Paramount Television | |||||||||
Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Comedy | 11 seasons, 110 episodes | Mike Lazzo | April 15, 1994 – May 31, 2008 | Cartoon Network[j] | Ghost Planet Industries[k] | TV-PG | Traditional[l] | [22] |
Talk show | Adult Swim[m] | Williams Street[n] | TV-Y7[o] | Flash[p] | |||||
GameTap[q] | Cartoon Network Studios[r] | TV-14[s] | |||||||
The Brothers Grunt | Comedy | 1 season, 12 episodes | Danny Antonucci | August 15, 1994 – April 9, 1995 | MTV | a.k.a. Cartoon | TV-14 | Traditional | [23] |
MTV Animation | |||||||||
The Head | Action | 2 seasons, 14 episodes | Eric Fogel | September 1, 1994 – March 1, 1996 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [24] |
Adventure | |||||||||
The Maxx | Action | 1 season, 13 episodes | Sam Kieth | April 8, 1995 – June 19, 1995 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [24] |
Adventure | Bill Messner-Loebs | Rough Draft Studios | |||||||
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Sitcom | 6 seasons, 81 episodes | Jonathan Katz | May 28, 1995 – February 13, 2002 | Comedy Central | HBO Downtown Productions | TV-PG | Traditional | [25] |
Tom Snyder | Popular Arts Entertainment | ||||||||
Tom Snyder Productions | |||||||||
Cartoon Sushi | Animation showcase | 1 season, 15 episodes | Danny Antonucci | 1997 – 1998 | MTV | a.k.a. Cartoon | TV-MA | Traditional | [26] |
Keith Alcorn | DNA Productions | ||||||||
MTV Animation | |||||||||
King of the Hill | Sitcom | 13 seasons, 259 episodes | Mike Judge | January 12, 1997 – May 6, 2010 | Fox | Film Roman | TV-PG | Traditional | [27] |
Greg Daniels | 3 Arts Entertainment | TV-14[t] | |||||||
Deedle-Dee Productions | |||||||||
Judgemental Films | |||||||||
20th Television | |||||||||
Daria | Sitcom | 5 seasons, 65 episodes | Glenn Eichler | March 3, 1997 – January 21, 2002 | MTV | Tenth Annual Industries | TV-PG[u] | Traditional | [28] |
Susie Lewis | MTV Animation | TV-14[v] | |||||||
Todd McFarlane's Spawn | Superhero | 3 seasons, 18 episodes | Todd McFarlane | May 16, 1997 – May 28, 1999 | HBO | HBO Animation | TV-MA | Traditional | [29] |
Drama | |||||||||
Spicy City | Science fiction | 1 season, 6 episodes | Ralph Bakshi | July 11, 1997 – August 22, 1997 | HBO | HBO Animation | TV-MA | Traditional | [30] |
South Park | Sitcom | 25 seasons, 316 episodes | Trey Parker | August 13, 1997 – present | Comedy Central | Celluoid Studios[w] | TV-MA | Traditional[x] | [31] |
Matt Stone | Braniff Productions[y] | Digital Animation | |||||||
South Park Digital Studios, LLC.[z] | |||||||||
The Goddamn George Liquor Program | Drama | 1 season, 8 episodes | John Kricfalusi | October 15, 1997 – 1998 | Spumco | Traditional | [32] | ||
Celebrity Deathmatch | Sports entertainment | 6 seasons, 93 episodes | Eric Fogel | Original series: May 14, 1998 –June 6, 2002 | MTV[aa] | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Stop-Motion | [33] |
Parody | Revival series: June 10, 2006 – March 30, 2007 | MTV2[ab] | The Comedy Network[ac] | ||||||
Cuppa Coffee Studio[ad] | |||||||||
The PJs | Sitcom | 3 seasons, 44 episodes | Eddie Murphy | January 10, 1999 – May 20, 2001 | Fox[ae] | Imagine Television | TV-14 | Stop-Motion | [34] |
Larry Wilmore | The WB[af] | Eddie Murphy Productions | |||||||
Steve Tompkins | Will Vinton Studios | ||||||||
Charged Productions[ag] | |||||||||
Touchstone Television[ah] | |||||||||
Warner Bros. Television[ai] | |||||||||
Dilbert | Sitcom | 2 seasons, 30 episodes | based on the comic strip created by Scott Adams | January 25, 1999 – July 25, 2000 | UPN | Idbox | TV-PG | Traditional | [35] |
United Media Productions | |||||||||
Columbia TriStar Television | |||||||||
Family Guy | Sitcom | 22 seasons, 418 episodes | Seth MacFarlane | January 31, 1999 – present | Fox | Fuzzy Door Productions | TV-14 | Traditional[aj] | [31] |
20th Television Animation | TV-PG[ak] | Toon Boom[al] | |||||||
20th Television | TV-MA | ||||||||
Station Zero | Comedy | 1 season, 20 episodes | Tramp Daly | March 8, 1999 – April 6, 1999 | MTV | Possible Worlds | TV-14 | Traditional | [36] |
Musical | C-Traze Studios | ||||||||
Upfront Entertainment | |||||||||
MTV Animation | |||||||||
Futurama | Science fiction | 8 seasons, 150 episodes | Matt Groening | March 28, 1999 – present | Fox[am] | The Curiosity Company | TV-14[an] | Traditional | [37] |
Sitcom | Comedy Central[ao] | 20th Television[ap] | TV-PG[aq] | ||||||
Hulu[ar] | 20th Television Animation[as] | TV-14[at] | |||||||
Downtown | Comedy | 1 season, 13 episodes | Chris Prynoski | August 3, 1999 – November 8, 1999 | MTV | MTV Animation | TV-14 | Traditional | [38] |
Mission Hill | Sitcom | 1 season, 13 episodes | Bill Oakley | September 24, 1999 – August 11, 2002 | The WB | Bill Oakley | TV-14 | Traditional | [39] |
Josh Weinstein | Adult Swim | Josh Weinstein Productions | |||||||
Castle Rock Entertainment |
United Kingdom
editTitle | Genre | Series/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Animals of Farthing Wood | Adventure, Drama | 3 seasons, 39 episodes | based on the book created by Colin Dann | January 6, 1993 - 21 December 1995 | CBBC | Telemagination
La Fabrique |
|
Crapston Villas | Satire | 2 series, 20 episodes | Sarah Ann Kennedy | October 27, 1995 – January 19, 1998 | Channel 4 | Spitting Image | [40] |
Pond Life | Comedy | 2 series, 21 episodes | Candy Guard | December 2, 1996 – October 10, 2000 | Channel 4 | Collingwood & Co. | [41] |
Stressed Eric | Black comedy | 2 series, 13 episodes | Carl Gorham | April 20, 1998 – October 11, 2000 | BBC Two | Klasky Csupo | [42] |
Absolutely Productions | |||||||
Rex the Runt | Comedy | 2 series, 26 episodes | Richard Goleszowski | December 21, 1998 – December 16, 2001 | BBC Two | Aardman Animations | [43] |
BBC Bristol | |||||||
Egmont Imagination | |||||||
EVA Entertainment | |||||||
Angry Kid | Comedy | 4 series, 66 episodes | Darren Walsh | January 1, 1999 – Nov 8, 2019 | Atom.com | Aardman Animations | [44] |
YouTube | Mr. Morris Productions | ||||||
Channel 4[au] | |||||||
BBC Three[av] |
Canada
editTitle | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kevin Spencer | Black comedy | 8 seasons, 112 episodes | Rick Kaulbars | 31 October 1998 – 6 November 2005 | CTV Comedy Channel | Atomic Productions | [45] |
Greg Lawrence |
Latin America and Brazil
editTitle | Country | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
El Siguiente Programa | Colombia | Comedy | 5 seasons, 93 episodes | Santiago Moure | October 29, 1997 – September 1, 2000 | Canal A[aw] | Gaira | [46] |
Satire | Martín de Francisco | November 14, 2019 | Conexión Creativa | |||||
Canal 1[ax] | Cenpro Televisión |
Co-productions
editTitle | Country | Genre | Seasons/episodes | Show creator(s) | Original release | Network | Studio | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob and Margaret | Canada | Comedy | 4 seasons, 52 episodes | David Fine | June 22, 1998 – December 25, 2001 | CTV Comedy Channel | Global | [47] |
United Kingdom | Alison Snowden | |||||||
Channel 4 | Channel 4 | |||||||
Philippines Animation Studios | ||||||||
National Film Board of Canada | ||||||||
Nelvana |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Episodes 1-7)
- ^ Episodes 8-13
- ^ Season 1
- ^ some episodes
- ^ Season 8
- ^ Release Date TBA
- ^ Season 1
- ^ Season 2
- ^ some episodes
- ^ Seasons 1-6
- ^ 1994–98
- ^ 1994-1996
- ^ Seasons 7-9
- ^ 1999–2008
- ^ some episodes
- ^ 1997-2008
- ^ Seasons 10-11
- ^ 1994–2001
- ^ some episodes
- ^ one episode
- ^ season 1
- ^ seasons 2-5
- ^ 1997
- ^ Pilot only
- ^ 1997–2009
- ^ 2009–present
- ^ Original series
- ^ Revival series
- ^ 2006–07
- ^ 2006–07
- ^ Seasons 1-2
- ^ Season 3
- ^ 2000–01
- ^ Seasons 1-2
- ^ Season 3
- ^ seasons 1-7
- ^ (a few episodes
- ^ season 8-present
- ^ Seasons 1-4
- ^ all Comedy Central episodes, a few Fox episodes
- ^ Seasons 5-7
- ^ credited as 30th Century Fox Television
- ^ most Fox episodes
- ^ Season 8
- ^ credited as 30th Television Animation
- ^ two episodes
- ^ Series 1-2
- ^ Special
- ^ Season 1
- ^ Seasons 2-4
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Motamayor, Rafael (March 10, 2020). "11 Adult Animation Shows We Can't Wait to See in 2020". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Vargas, Alani (October 1, 2018). "7 Animated TV Shows On Netflix That Adults Will Absolutely Love". Bustle. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Jaworski, Michelle; Riese, Monica; Weber, Sarah (January 10, 2019). "The 17 best cartoons for adults". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Collider Staff (April 21, 2020). "The 25 Best Cartoons for Adults Streaming Right Now". Collider. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (March 25, 2019). "The 25 Best Adult Cartoon TV Series". IGN. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Krell, Jason (April 8, 2014). "Why Saying Animation Is Only For Kids Is Bullshit". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Laux, Cameron (November 27, 2019). "Is Japanese Anime Going Mainstream?". BBC. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Baron, Reuben (December 23, 2019). "Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?". CBR. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Barrett, Duncan (November 2, 2020). "Animation nation: how Covid fuelled the rise of adult cartoons". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Sarto, Dan (March 19, 2020). "What Future Lies in Store for Non-Comedy Adult Animation?". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Silliman, Brian (November 2, 2019). "SYFY drawing in more animation with midnight-ish block of adult genre fun". SYFY. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Sanderson, Katherine (June 30, 2020). "The Future of Adult Animation (With and Without Comedy)". Animation Ave. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Kunkel III, Earl Monroe (2009). Why ARE people laughing at rape? American adult animation and Adult Swim: Aqua Teen Hunger Force as contemporary humor (Masters). Lehigh University. pp. 5–6, 9. ProQuest 304916287. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Mak, Phillip (July 10, 2020). "Why is everybody talking about adult animation?". Toon Boom Animation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Sutton, Kelsey (April 12, 2020). "How Adult Animation Became the Hottest Genre for Streaming Services". AdWeek. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Satenstein, Liana (November 6, 2020). "Revisiting the Dystopian Beauty of the '90s Animated Show Aeon Flux". Vogue. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (June 14, 1991). "What is Liquid Television". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c Cerone, Daniel (February 28, 1992). "'Fish Police' on Endangered Species List : Animation: Prime-time cartoons are an expensive, time-consuming venture. Networks are wary after troubles encountered by post-'Simpsons' projects". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Cohen, Karl F (1997). "Beavis & Butt-head and the S&P Rules". Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 146–148. ISBN 0-7864-0395-0.
- ^ Cudmore, Libby (January 22, 2019). "It Didn't Stink, So Why Did The Critic Fail to Become a Hit Show?". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Kendall, G. (December 15, 2020). "Duckman: How One of the '90s Edgiest Cartoons Was Forgotten". CBR. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "'Space Ghost Coast to Coast' Is Still Influential and Funny, 25 Years Later". Geek.com. April 12, 2019. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Mendoza, N.R. (October 30, 1994). "Nickelodeon offers monsters in training". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ a b Erickson 2005, p. 568.
- ^ Perlmutter 2018, p. 167.
- ^ Perlmutter 2018, p. 114.
- ^ Cubillas, Sean (November 26, 2020). "King Of The Hill: 10 Ways The Series Changed Since Season One". CBR. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Cabilas, Sean (February 11, 2020). "10 Best Romances In Adult Animation". CBR. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Pursell, Chris (March 23, 1997). "Spicy toons spawn life on HBO". Variety. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Solomon, Charles (11 July 1997). "'Spicy City': Adolescent Humor for Adults". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ a b Bruncati, Danielle (November 18, 2020). "10 Longest Running Animated TV Shows Of All Time, Ranked By Duration". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Pacheco, Dan (November 7, 1997). "Web-toons: Hot Flash?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Down for the Count: Who's Going to Take the Next Fall in MTV's 'Celebrity Deathmatch'?". Hartford Courant. April 25, 1999. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ AWN Staff Editors (January 13, 1999). "P.J.s arrive on Fox". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ Cubillas, Sean (November 12, 2019). "10 Adult Animated Series That Need a Revival". CBR. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "We Watch Station Zero". Vibe. April 1999. p. 168. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ Cabilas, Sean (September 30, 2019). "Top 10 Adult Animated Series (According to IMDb)". CBR. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Erickson 2005, p. 567-568.
- ^ Perlmutter 2018, p. 399-400.
- ^ Rees, Jasper (October 28, 1995). "TELEVISION Crapston Villas (Channel 4)". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Crump 2019, p. 244.
- ^ Perlmutter 2018, p. 602.
- ^ "Animation archive up in smoke". BBC News. October 10, 2005. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Angry Kid". Aardman. Archived from the original on September 16, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, Prairie Regional Council, CBSC Decision 98/99-1173, 1 (Canadian Broadcast Standards Council November 18, 1999) ("Kevin Spencer is an animated series about a young boy from a dysfunctional family, who, according to the title song, is a "chain-smoking, alcoholic sociopath." The program airs at midnight on CTV. It is rated "14+" and an on-screen icon appears to that effect at the beginning of the show.").
- ^ "Vuelve 'El siguiente programa'" ['The next program' is back]. Channel Thirteen (in Spanish). November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ Perlmutter 2018, p. 85-86.
Sources
edit- Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. ISBN 9781476672939.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved January 3, 2021.