Cartoons aren’t just for kids on Saturday mornings—they can entertain adults, too.
The term “adult cartoons” refers to a genre of animated shows with mature themes aimed at older viewers. The phenomenon began with The Simpsons in ’89, and continues today with popular shows like Rick and Morty (2013), Family Guy (1999), and Smiling Friends (2022).
Following The Simpsons, many adult cartoons feature irreverent humour, satirizing pop culture and world news. Adult cartoons were extremely popular throughout the 90s and early 2000s, but this interest is shifting as Gen Z matures to adulthood. As ratings declinefor networks like Adult Swim but skyrocket for shows like South Park (1997), long-running adult cartoons must tune in to current trends and generational tastes or risk being turned off.
Popular adult cartoons used to feature pleasant absurdity. Shows like Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers (2011) succeeded by taking a simple premise, like the family unit, and throwing them into ridiculous situations to entertain viewers. Shows like American Dad(2005) followed a similar theme but with riskier political humour. All three followed The Simpsons’ sitcom format by neatly wrapping plotlines in one or two episodes.
As adult cartoons grew more popular, viewers’ tastes became more sophisticated. Newer shows like Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman (2014) featured morally ambiguous protagonists and longer plotlines, pushing the envelope on “dark humour.” While still absurd, shows like this expanded adult cartoons’ capacity to tell intricate stories, challenging viewers to keep up with the narrative.
Recently, however, ratings for long-running adult cartoon sitcoms like The Simpsons continue to decline as they fail to improve animation or diversify plotlines. The edgy jokes and farcical storytelling of shows like Rick and Morty are getting old, especially as Gen Z rejects millennial humour. Rick and Morty, once the star program for Adult Swim, has seen an overall decrease in viewershipalong with the network.
On the whole, adult cartoons aren’t decreasing in overall popularity—but tastes are changing. Today, the most popular adult cartoons invest in unique worldbuilding and heightened animation. Shows like Arcane (2021) and Love, Death, and Robots (2019) are visually stunning. They appeal to a generation of young adults awash in an abundance of online content, who demand stimulating visuals to keep them interested.
Another interesting quirk in modern viewers is a desire to see current events directly addressed onscreen. South Park, now in season 27, continues to spike ratings as it scathingly lampoons the political state of America in 2025. No longer content with offhand remarks or vague references, Gen Z audiences demand adult cartoons to buck up and tackle political comedy head-on, or else focus on creating beautiful fantasies to escape into. Popular shows like Hazbin Hotel (2019) do just that.
However, if young viewers refuse to engage with adult cartoons that are not purely escapist or political, they miss out on the incredible animation that tackles both. Entergalactic (2022) is a mature-themed animated movie that tackles love and identity in emerging adulthood. The Midnight Gospel (2020) is a trippy, visually rich exploration of birth, death, and everything in between. Both shows seamlessly blend real-life topics and messages with unique artwork for an excellent viewing experience.
There’s no doubt the genre of adult animation will continue to change as its viewership matures alongside it. But keeping an open mind to new adult cartoons while demanding more of long-running favourites improves the health of the genre, and viewers’ experiences.
Tags
Adult, Cartoon, gen z, Politics
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