Nowadays, cartoons are more than just TV for kids with a whole genre of adult cartoons emerging that are definitely not appropriate for the eyes of younger viewers. Netflix has played a huge role in this with shows like Tuca and Bertie, Big Mouth and BoJack Horseman being aired on the streaming platform. Here, I will be ranking my favourite adult cartoons that can be streamed on Netflix right now.
5. Big Mouth (2017-)
Ranked bottom of the list, Big Mouth starring and written by Nick Kroll, is about a group of young teenagers who start puberty. Although the show did make me laugh, with Maya Rudolph being hilarious as Connie the Hormone Monster, I don’t think I will carry on watching it when the show’s season 4 is released on Netflix.
Looking back on the show, I think the concept makes less sense as it has the potential to educate and raises questions about taboo topics like female masturbation, but the shows target audience is confusing. The show fails to be educational in this way because of it being an adult show, making it inaccessible for teens that would be going through similar problems as the characters.
4. Disenchantment (2018-)
In fairness to Disenchantment, this is not my kind of show, but I did find it an enjoyable and easy watch. I don’t really have much to say about this one apart from that although I only watched it recently, I find the show really unmemorable and unremarkable, especially in comparison to the other shows mentioned.
3. Tuca and Bertie (2019)
I really enjoyed Tuca and Bertie, and not just because it was created by producers who also created BoJack Horseman. The titular characters, voiced by Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, are two 30-year-old bird women, who have wildly different personalities. The carefree Tuca (Haddish) acts as a foil for her best friend, the relatable anxiety-ridden Bertie (Wong).
I liked the show so much due to watching Bertie and her life, seeing a lot in myself in her even though she was an animated songbird. I would have ranked it higher, but the show currently only has one season which aired in 2019. Good news though, as Adult Swim picked up the show in May earlier this year!
2. Rick and Morty (2013-)
Image by Jack Zalium. Available on Flickr under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
I must have re-watched Rick and Morty more than 10 times just because of how easy it is to watch and how much it makes me laugh out loud. I wouldn’t say it’s my all-time favourite show, but episodes like Meeseeks and Destroy (season 1), The Ricks Must Be Crazy (season 2), and Morty’s Mind Blowers (season 3) are episodes that I could re-watch on repeat and never get bored of. The show’s improv style humour coupled with imaginative science fiction makes the show stand out amongst the rest.
1. BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
Anyone that knows me will know that I am obsessed with the show BoJack Horseman. The show, although an animated reality where talking animals and humans co-exist together, is the realest show of any kind that I have watched. BoJack Horseman grapples with subjects rarely dealt with in TV like depression, substance abuse, abortion and sexual assault, and addresses these issues in such a sensitive way, unlike any other show, animated or not.
There is so much that I could praise about this show, but what stayed with me after the shows end in 2019, is the changing of Diane’s character (Alison Brie) once she goes on anti-depressants. The small detail of changing Diane to have gained weight and depicting her personality slowly growing throughout the episodes of the final season is really well done, and maybe a small detail that other animators would have missed. With the star-studded cast of Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul and Amy Sedaris, I could not recommend BoJack Horseman enough!
All available on Netflix
Feature image by Rachel Lovinger. Available from Flickr under Creative Commons 2.0 license.