This is a list of
adult animated television series (including
streaming television series); that is, animated programs targeted towards audiences aged 18 and 34 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
Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a society, socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impo ...
,
dark humour, or other
thematic elements
"Thematic elements", or "thematic material", is a term used by the Motion Picture Association and other film ratings boards to highlight elements of a film that do not fit into the traditional categories such as violence, sex, drug use, nudity, an ...
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. It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from" or has adult humor and comes in various styles, but especially sitcoms and comedies. These animations can also "appeal to wide swaths of viewers," including those aged 18-34.
AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids."
In North America, there is
children's animation,
adult animation, and
young adult animation
In the United States, before the enforcement of the Hays Code, some cartoon shorts contained humor that was aimed at adult audience members rather than children. Following the introduction of the Motion Picture Association of America film ratin ...
, 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
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
,
Animation Domination
Animation Domination (also called AniDom, Fox AD, and AD) is an American animated programming block which has aired in two iterations on the Fox broadcast network, featuring a lineup solely made up of prime-time animation and adult animation carr ...
,
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
(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
Hentai is anime and manga pornography. A loanword from Japanese, the original term ( ) does not describe a genre of media, but rather an abnormal sexual desire or act, as an abbreviation of . In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exis ...
. This page does not include adult-oriented animations from Japan, China, South Korea, and other Asian nations, as such animations are more common there.
Lists by decade
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List of adult animated television series before 1990
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List of adult animated television series of the 1990s
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List of adult animated television series of the 2000s
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List of adult animated television series of the 2010s
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List of adult animated television series of the 2020s
See also
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LGBT representation in adult animation
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Modern animation in the United States
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Lists of animated feature films
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Independent animation
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Animation in the United States in the television era
Animation in the United States in the television era was a period in the history of American animation that slowly set in with the decline of theatrical animated shorts and the popularization of television animation during the late 1950s to 1960s, ...
*
Cartoon violence
Cartoon violence is the representation of violent actions involving animated characters and situations. This may include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted. Animated violence is sometimes partitioned into c ...
References
Citations
Sources
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{{Lists of television programs by genre
Animation-related lists
Adult animated television series
Adult
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...