Homer looking overwhelmed at a switchboard in The Simpsons.Image via FOX
By
Liam Gaughan
Published 51 minutes ago
Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.
In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.
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Animation is a medium and not a genre, which is why it's unfair to label all animated television programs as exclusively aimed at children. It’s a medium that has served many different purposes, and the notion of “adult animation” has grown increasingly popular thanks to the unprecedented cultural impact of The Simpsons, which changed comedy forever at the peak of its influence in the 1990s.
The Simpsons has practically become an institution because of its beloved characters and iconic running gags, but it also inspired a new wave of animated shows that were aimed at telling more satirical stories. Although The Simpsons is still running strong with new episodes almost four decades after its debut, many of its descendants have also racked up an impressive quantity of seasons. Here are eight animated sitcoms that are almost as good as The Simpsons.
8 'BoJack Horseman' (2014–2020)
A scruffy and weathered looking BoJack Horseman stands on a bridge at night, the full moon serving as his backdrop as he talks on the phone in 'BoJack Horseman' (2014-2020).Netflix
BoJack Horseman may be the only animated show that is as groundbreaking as The Simpsons because it completely blew past expectations and elevated the medium. While it would have been far easier (and potentially more commercial) if BoJack Horseman had simply existed as a Hollywood satire with a bunch of animal puns and celebrity cameos, it became an ambitious series that examined guilt, loss, addiction, redemption, and other serious themes. Although there are certainly times when BoJack Horseman could send its audience into a deep existential crisis, it also had a rapid-fire sense of humor and ability to push the line that made it continuously hilarious.
BoJack Horseman was a masterclass in experimentation, as it frequently broke its own format with singular episodes that stood out; “Free Churro” existed as a single monologue given at a funeral, and “Fish Out of Water” was a dialogue-free work of impressionistic existentialism. Although it only ran for six seasons, BoJack Horseman found a perfect and moving conclusion to its strange look at Hollywood; should The Simpsons ever end, it would be lucky to have a finale that was as strong.
7 'South Park' (1997–)
Image via Comedy Partners
South Park is a popular culture juggernaut that essentially picked up the torch from The Simpsons during the 1990s; although The Simpsons eventually declined in quality after some of its original writers left, South Park is still written and directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who have shown no signs of slowing down. Even if The Simpsons was considered to be somewhat progressive when it debuted, South Park has frequently broken the status quo with its wild storylines, many of which have become quite controversial.
South Park has a satirical edge to it that's reminiscent of The Simpsons, even if Parker and Stone’s style of humor is far more edgy and willfully offensive. The Simpsons was able to lampoon the idea of the “nuclear family” with its parodical approach to the sitcom format, whereas South Park has been able to attack extremists on both sides of any given debate. Like The Simpsons, South Park also managed to conquer the big screen with a major motion picture; 2007’s The Simpsons Movie was a success that actually inspired renewed interest in the show, but 1999’s South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a genuine masterpiece that is frequently cited as being one of the best animated, musical, and R-Rated comedies ever made.
6 'Family Guy' (1999–)
Brian and Stewie in Vault in Family GuyIMage via Disney+
Family Guy has become an icon in adult animation in the same way that The Simpsons has, even if it had a more hectic behind-the-scenes process. Despite nearly being canceled several times, Family Guy eventually amassed a strong following because of the sporadic style of humor that Seth MacFarlane perfected.
Family Guy has crafted a method of making fun of current popular culture that is reminiscent of classic episodes of The Simpsons, but taken to an entirely different degree; some of the show’s greatest episodes involved recreations of iconic works like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and the original Star Wars trilogy. It became so frequently compared to The Simpsons that there was actually a crossover episode, “The Simpsons Guy,” in which the Griffins and the Simpsons finally crossed paths in Springfield for an event that brought out the best in both shows.
5 'American Dad!' (2005–)
The character Stan Smith smiling while driving a car on American Dad.Image via TBS
American Dad! began as another one of MacFarlane’s many projects, but it soon proved to be much more than just another Family Guy knock-off. Rather than using the same reference-style humor and cutaway gags that had made Family Guy so popular, American Dad! developed recurring gags and continuing storylines, and often blew up its own premise for the sake of taking the audience off guard.
American Dad! has evolved into a surprisingly experimental show that has included its fair share of surrealist episodes, including some truly amazing holiday episodes that are just as good as anything on The Simpsons or Family Guy. It’s also one of the rare shows that seems to get even more creative and audacious as it goes into the future; while both The Simpsons and Family Guy don’t quite have the same standards of quality that they did during their initial period of acclaim, American Dad! has been on a hot streak thanks to its new renewal at Fox.
4 'Home Movies' (1999–2004)
Brendon and Coach John on the bleachers in 'Home Movies'Image via Adult Swim
Home Movies never had quite the same audience as The Simpsons, but it was one of the first shows to really pop, thanks to the creative industriousness of the Adult Swim network. Although Adult Swim originally became popular with shows like Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law that were direct parodies, Home Movies was a compelling coming-of-age show that reflected a love of filmmaking and creative storytelling.
Home Movies created a unique style of “squiggle animation” that made it distinct from other animated sitcoms and has never been entirely replicated. Although the show did touch on some more serious themes about childhood bullying and divorce that were fairly well-handled, it lacks any of the R-rated content that would make it inappropriate for younger viewers. Even though HBO Max has done its best to purge much of the existing Adult Swim content, Home Movies deserves to be reclaimed as a pioneer within the medium.
3 'The Venture Bros.' (2003–2018)
Image via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
The Venture Bros. is a brilliant work of parody that managed to make references to the James Bond films, superheroes and comic books, and the classic cartoon shows like Johnny Quest and Scooby Doo. Although The Venture Bros. was often the funniest show on television during its peak, it slowly became more mature over time as it developed moving commentary on the legacy of failure and the importance of self-love.
The Venture Bros. developed an epic continuity filled with intriguing characters and was seen as a continuously underrated series before it was unfortunately canceled. Although the spinoff film The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart is about as perfect a wrap-up as fans of the show could ask for, it's unfortunate that the series was not given the time to age gracefully and spawn a different generation of viewers in the same way that The Simpsons has.
2 'Archer' (2009–2023)
The main characters of Archer are standing in an office, one holding a letter and one holding champagne.Image via FX
Archer is a masterpiece in animation that showed the same willingness to innovate and take risks that made The Simpsons such a game-changing program. While it began as a parody of slick spy franchises like Bourne and Mission: Impossible, Archer changed its premise over time to make fun of different genres; over the course of its astounding fourteen-season run, Archer became a seedy classical noir, a jungle-set adventure, a gritty crime drama, and a science fiction epic.
Archer employed an excellent cast of vocal actors who truly became their characters over time, as the series was able to hint at psychological subtext without ever taking itself too seriously. While The Simpsons has continued to the point that its new episodes rarely rise to the same level of quality as the classic ones, Archer managed to end on the right note without ever taking a false step.
1 'Clone High' (2002–2024)
Abe, JFK, Cleo, Frida, and Confucius in Clone High Season 2 posterImage via Max
Clone High was one of the original works that showed Phil Lord and Chris Miller were geniuses long before they proved themselves to the world with 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie. Instead of taking the sitcom approach that The Simpsons did, Clone High was a parody of soapy teen melodramas like One Tree Hill and Dawson’s Creek that took a slant towards science fiction with its fantastical premise. There’s a surprising degree of nuance to the show’s satire of famous historical figures and contemporary youth culture that has made it hold up very well after multiple viewings.
The first two seasons of Clone High are nearly perfect works of comedy that felt like a breath of fresh air at the time of their release. Although the show was infamously canceled, it was revived as a new series for HBO Max that also ran for two seasons. The reboot wasn’t nearly as good, but it did include some impressive new members to the vocal cast, including Ayo Edebiri.
clone-high-tv-poster-1.jpg
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Clone High
TV-14
Comedy
Drama
Sci-Fi
Release Date
2002 - 2003-00-00
Network
HBO Max, MTV
Showrunner
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Bill Lawrence, Erica Rivinoja
Writers
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Judah Miller, Murray Miller, Erica Rivinoja, Bill Lawrence
Cast
See All-
Will Forte
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Phil Lord
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Michael McDonald
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Christa Miller
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