What’s up, fellow animation fans! So here’s the thing – cartoons have totally grown up, and honestly, it’s about time. We’re living in this amazing era where animated TV series for adults are absolutely crushing it with stories that hit different. Whether you want something that’ll make you cry, laugh, or question everything, there’s probably an animated show that’ll do exactly that.
1. BoJack Horseman
Platform: Netflix
Listen, BoJack Horseman isn’t just another animated TV series for adults – it’s basically therapy disguised as entertainment. This show about a depressed horse actor will mess you up in the best possible way. The writers somehow managed to create something that feels more real than most live-action dramas, even though half the characters are animals walking around in clothes.
What gets me about this series is how much it refuses to give you an answer easily. BoJack makes terrible decisions, he hurts people he cares about, and he also struggles with addiction in painfully authentic ways.
If you’re hunting for R rated animated series that actually respect your intelligence, this one delivers emotional punches that’ll stay with you for weeks. Trust me, you’ll finish watching and immediately want to call your therapist.
2. Big Mouth
Platform: Netflix
Okay, so Big Mouth is definitely one of those R rated animated series Netflix shows that makes you go “did they really just show that on screen?” But here’s why it works – beneath all the crude humor and hormone monsters, there’s actually some brilliant commentary on what it’s like growing up.
The genius of this show lies in how it turns abstract concepts like shame, anxiety, and sexual awakening into actual characters. Your teenage years probably felt like having literal demons and monsters controlling your emotions, right? Well, this show just makes that literal.
Sure, it’s not appropriate for kids, but if you watch it as an adult, you probably find yourself alone, thinking, That’s exactly what puberty felt like.
3. Love, Death & Robots
Platform: Netflix
Love, Death & Robots is like that friend who always has the savage stories to tell; every story comes with mind-blowing animation. This series throws you into completely different worlds, and honestly, you never know if you’re about to watch something beautiful, terrifying, or both.
What makes this one of the standout animated TV series for adults is how each episode feels like a small movie. Some episodes will have you questioning the nature of consciousness, others will just blow your mind with incredible action sequences. The variety keeps things fresh – you might get a hilarious story about sentient yogurt taking over the world, followed by a heartbreaking tale about war and loss.
The animation styles range from photorealistic to completely abstract, proving that adult animation can be absolutely anything it wants to be. It’s basically a showcase for what happens when creators get unlimited creative freedom.
4. F Is for Family
Platform: Netflix
F Is for Family hits different because it’s basically what The Simpsons would be if it actually showed how stressful family life can get. Set in the 1970s, this shows how families dealt with financial stress, social changes, and personal demons without all the resources we have today.
The main character, Frank, is a deeply imperfect dad who loves his family but also struggles with anger management and outdated ideas about masculinity.
What works about this adult animated series on Netflix is how it balances nostalgia with reality. Yes, some things were simpler back then, but other things were harder. The show captures that difficulty without being annoying about it.
5. Disenchantment
Platform: Netflix
Coming from the minds behind The Simpsons, Disenchantment takes everything you loved about that show’s humor and drops it into a fantasy world filled with actual consequences. Princess Bean is not like other fairy tale princesses; she drinks too much, has problems with her dad, and has a demon friend who’s pretty nice.
The show starts it feels like a typical fantasy parody, but slowly reveals layers of political things, family drama, and character development. Bean’s journey from great princess to someone trying to figure out her place in the world feels surprisingly authentic.
What sets this apart from other animated TV series for adults is how it uses its fantasy setting to explore real themes about power, responsibility, and finding your identity. Also, having a female protagonist who’s allowed to be dirty and complicated feels refreshing in the fantasy genre.
6. Inside Job
Platform: Netflix
Inside Job is basically The Office meets every conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard, and somehow it all works perfectly. The show takes place inside the secret government organization that is responsible for covering up all the weird things that happens in the world, and honestly, the workplace dynamics are more terrifying than the actual conspiracies.
Reagan, the main character, is a brilliant scientist who just wants to save the world but keeps getting slowed down by office politics and her coworkers’ uselessness. The show manages to make fun of both government bureaucracy and conspiracy culture without taking sides or getting too political.
What makes this one of the smarter R-rated animated series is how it uses familiar conspiracy theories as a jumping-off point for exploring themes about friendship, ambition, and finding your place in an organization that doesn’t always make sense.
7. Paradise PD
Platform: Netflix
Paradise PD isn’t for everyone, and that’s the whole idea. This show uses very rude humor about a police station that’s bad at its job and only good at making trouble. If bad language and crude jokes upset you, don’t watch this.
The jokes are too much, and they often say things that other shows would never say. Some people like this wild style of comedy, while others think it’s too much. People either love it or hate it.
For R-rated cartoons on Netflix, this one definitely gets its rating by being very bold and shocking. The people who made it clearly wanted to create a show for viewers who want comedy with no limits, and they made something that people will definitely remember.
Tuca & Bertie is like if you and your best friend were having crazy adventures together, except you’re both bird-women living in a weird world where anything can happen. This show shows what real friendship looks like, even when the characters are dealing with worry, plants, or songs about their feelings.
The show talks about serious topics like sexual assault, work stress, and relationship problems, but it does so with this special visual style that can go from fun to sad really fast. The animation style perfectly matches how it feels to be an adult woman trying to figure things out.
What makes this series among animated TV series for adults is how it focuses on women’s experiences without making them feel like side characters. Both main characters feel like real people you might know, just with colorful feathers.
9. Twilight of the Gods
Platform: Netflix
Twilight of the Gods is what you get when someone takes Norse mythology and doesn’t tone down the violence, drama, or complicated stories. This show looks amazing – every scene looks like beautiful art – and the story is just as good as how it looks.
The show doesn’t try to change the old myths or make them nicer for today’s viewers. Instead, it shows the harsh, complicated world of gods and people where having power costs something and everyone has bad reasons for what they do. It feels both very old and like it could happen anytime.
If you want R-rated cartoons that handle mythology the right way with respect and complex stories, this gives you big, epic tales that most real-actor shows couldn’t afford to make.
10. Mating Season
Platform: Netflix
Mating Season comes from the same people who made Big Mouth, so you know it will be shocking and make you feel awkward in a good way. We’re still waiting for this show to come out, but early news says it will talk about adult dating and love with the same direct honesty that made Big Mouth so popular.
The idea seems to be about how phones and social media have totally changed how people date, which sounds both funny and scary. Based on what they’ve done before, they’ll probably turn dating apps and social media into actual characters you can see. As one of the most exciting adult TV series coming in 2025, this show will likely keep starting talks about sex, relationships, and what it means to be human when everything is online.
