Let’s be fair – the adult animation genre has never been struggling for publicity. The success over a number of years of pop culture classics like The Simpsons, Futurama and Family Guy (along with basically everything else Seth MacFarlane has been involved with) has elevated the genre into a cornerstone of modern entertainment.
With that in mind, it’s worth noting that the world has unfortunately moved on from the old classics. Futurama has not been significantly heard of since 2013 and the respective 15th and 28th seasons of Family Guy and The Simpsons are commonly considered a sad reminder of the devolution of the shows.
That being said, the genre is being populated to a greater extent than ever before, with some genuine gems available to us now in various formats. Let’s take a look at the best the genre has to offer.
Archer (2009-present, FX)
Let’s keep this uncontroversial to start with. Archer already has a massive following, helped along by its availability on Netflix for the benefit of those of us outside the US.
The animated spy comedy came about as a result of creator Adam Reed imagining a James Bond-type spy who just had the perfect line, and has developed into an anarchic show about an ensemble who can never seem to find that line and resort to crude outbursts instead.
It is a rare show in the sense that is manages to marry a complete disregard for political correctness with an obvious self-awareness on behalf of both the characters and the writers. It uses its own profanity as a joke about how profane the show is, which is a difficult balancing act to pull off but one that Reed has managed with aplomb. 
A host of well-executed and adapted running jokes, along with imaginative settings for the later seasons (including Season 5’s Archer Vice, focusing on life as a Miami drug cartel, and Season 7’s branch into life as a PI), have kept the show feeling fresh all the way up to the 8th season, which is airing in America now.
Find the first 7 seasons on Netflix, and enjoy.
Rick and Morty (2013-present, Adult Swim)
This is another show that has rapidly accrued a large and dedicated following as it enters just its 3rd season.
Originally devised in the form of a short film working as an animated parody of Back to the Future (hence Rick’s resemblance to Christopher Lloyd, I guess), the show focuses naturally on alcoholic mad scientist Rick and his grandson Morty (both voiced by creator Justin Roiland). The simple way of explaining the show is that Rick pushes the boundaries of science and is always getting into mad misadventures in alternate dimensions, and Morty basically just gets dragged along for the ride, often against his will.
With the additional voice talent of Chris Parnell, Sarah Chalke and Spencer Grammer included as Morty’s father, mother and elder sister, Rick and Morty is a show that very deliberately doesn’t take itself too seriously. It sets out to be a big, colourful, irreverent rollercoaster ride through weird concepts of alternative dimensions balanced alongside a depiction of a mundane everyday life, and it pretty much nails it.
It may not be exactly as crazy in its imagination of other worlds as something like Adventure Time, but Rick and Morty makes up for it with more thoughtful characterisation and the building of the normality of the real world to better emphasise the madness that comes with interstellar adventures.
Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix, with Season 3 currently underway on Adult Swim, so you’ve got plenty of time to catch up before Season 3 hits Netflix as well.
F is for Family (2015-present, Netflix)
This one has flown somewhat under the radar for not having all the pomp and ceremony surrounding it that Netflix puts behind its biggest earners, like House of Cards or Orange is the New Black. But this little animation gem snuck onto Netflix almost unnoticed and gave us a surprisingly impactful first season.
The show is based on the Murphy family, an Irish-American working-class ensemble living in suburban Philadelphia in the mid-1970s. Frank (Bill Burr) is the head of the household, a Korean war veteran who works as a baggage handler at an airport and struggles to deal with the stresses of adult life while his household runs riot around him. He is joined by his stereotypically housewifey (that’s a word) partner Sue (Laura Dern), his delinquent eldest son Kevin (Justin Long), the younger, weedy son Bill (Haley Reinhart) and his daughter Maureen (Debi Derryberry).
F is a show that sets itself up as a standard dysfunctional family comedy à la All in the Family, but has a surprisingly heartfelt undertone to it about the difficulties of life as a working-class man. The way the characters develop across the six-episode first season gives us an emotional investment in the story, and the best comedic elements come from the Murphys’ neighbour, Vic (Sam Rockwell), a wealthy womaniser who is cheerfully oblivious to Frank’s hatred of him and continues to flaunt his extravagant lifestyle, infuriating basically everyone.
The first season is available on Netflix, and the second season has been announced to premiere there on 30th May this year – so catch up quickly!
BoJack Horseman (2014-present, Netflix)
I have tried to deliberately save what I believe to be the best of the current crop of adult animations for last.
BoJack is set in a world where many people are in fact humanised animals, and focuses on the eponymous horse, BoJack (voiced by Will Arnett), who was the star of an immensely popular sitcom in the ’90s and is now a washed-up, embittered alcoholic just trying to get everyone to love him again.
Happy stuff, right?
In all seriousness, this show gets pretty dark at times as it explores society’s obsession with the celebrity lifestyle and the isolation of fame as it delves into BoJack’s personal problems, but it is beautifully counterbalanced by some of the most razor-sharp comedy I have ever seen.
There are plenty of blink-and-you-miss-them visual gags based on the animalisation of the people in the show (including a bird attempting to commit suicide and forgetting that she can fly) which are joyous at times, and BoJack’s deadpan musings are perfectly counterpointed with the sunshine-and-rainbows happiness and boundless over-enthusiasm for life of his housemate and best friend Todd Chavez (Aaron Paul) and his canine friend and fellow former TV star Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tomkins).
This is definitely a recommendation for any searching for good, clever comedy, but also people with an eye for a show that isn’t afraid to tackle big issues, such as the military, abortion and mental health. All three seasons are on Netflix and ready to go, with a fourth season hopefully to be released sometime this year.
What are you waiting for? Go forth and enjoy all the animated genre has to offer!
