The 34 Best Animated TV Series (A Fan's Guide)

Looney Tunes is one of the best-loved madcap cartoon series, with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck becoming icons recognized by nearly anyone on the street, even today close to 100 years after their initial run.

The golden age of American animation took shape around Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies (1929), one of the main inspirations for the Loony Tunes series and its sister series, Merrie Melodies, which eventually merged to become one. Though not immediately as popular, Loony Tunes soon took off on the back of their first superstar animated character: Porky Pig.

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Some characters, like Beans the Cat, have fared less-well, but it’s a testament that others have survived and thrived within the public consciousness, nearly occupying the same role as fairy tale archetypes from days of yore.

The Road Runner Show was envisioned as a parody to shows like Tom and Jerry, flipping the script and offering something new from the traditional “cat and mouse” trope. No matter how hard Wile E. Coyote tries, he never can catch the Roadrunner… and his plans always end up backfiring in the end. The animator based the design of Wile E. Coyote on a line from Mark Twain's book Roughing It, where the coyote is described as: “a long, slim, sick and sorry-looking skeleton … a living, breathing allegory of Want.”

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Unlike some of the other favorites from the old Loony Toons, like the drastically violent and dark Tom and Jerry, there’s something delightfully poignant in how, in The Road Runner Show, the coyote is always doing all the damage to himself. I might not let a kid watch Tom and Jerry, but I’d definitely let them watch this.

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show features of adventures of Rocket J. (“Rocky”) Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose as they go up against the spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, who work for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leader.

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A bit of a cult series, and rightfully so, as it stands as a strong precursor to many of the later works of animated comedy we know and love today.

The Jetsons was created as the Space Age counterpart to The Flintstones, which had proved incredibly popular with audiences already. Following the same format, it follows a “typical” nuclear American family of the future as they navigate episodic gags.

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This is an example of the uncomplicated animated comedy of the era: not intended to do anything but be laughed at and provide the most simplistic entertainment. That said, there’s a unique charm in these early works, and while some of the gags might fall flat for modern audiences, plenty still land—and it’s just enjoyable to see this classic vision of a future that was so far away from reality… but which we now inhabit today.

Jonny Quest follows Jonathan Quest and the rest of the Quest team, including Johnny’s father, a renowned scientist, as they battle international evil. From one madcap adventure to another, there’s always a new bad guy for the team to face.

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The show’s deeply racist archetypes have not aged well, that’s for sure, but it still represents one of the more important landmarks in American animation.

Scooby-Doo was actually developed in response to parent groups that wanted to keep Saturday-morning cartoon’s safe for children. Iwao Takamoto, the animator who created the look of iconic characters, went to a friend who specialized in breeding Great Danes to understand the characteristics of what makes a price-winner. He then intentionally broke them all, adding bow-legs and doubles chins to form the pup we all know and love.

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Scooby-Doo managed to do more than just please parents worried about growing violence in cartoons, it animated entire generations of kids to laughter every Saturday morning, and left a great cultural impact on the world.

The New Adventures of Batman tried to update things for the “modern” 1970s vibe, introducing Batgirl and “bat-mite” (a superpowered “fan” from another dimension). Alfred didn’t make the cut for this version, oddly enough. The series follows Batman and company as they fight all the classic villains, however, and it maintains a strong campy comedy vibe comparable to the earlier live action work.

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Not the best of the Batman series by a long shot, but campy and fun in a really old-school way. Go for Batman: The Animated Series from the 90s if you want the best Batman experience.

Star Trek: The Animated Series directly continued to adventures of Star Trek: The Original Series after the live action show’s cancellation. Ideas for an animated show had been floated for a while, but it wasn’t until the series proved incredibly popular in later syndication that the team got the go-ahead to make this happen. Intended for all audiences and featuring all but one of the voices of the original bridge crew, it offered a brilliant continuation of the series.

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The series is as good as it is largely due to two people: D. C. Fontana, who championed a series that avoided the overt romantic and sexual elements of the original series, and Leonard Nimoy, who made sure that all the members of the original series were involved in the show (and the profits) in some way.

As always, I find myself at odds with modern fans. I deeply dislike the modern animated series that’s been produced, and can’t say I hold the new live-action series in high regard, either. I view this as mainly a failure of the writing, which seeks to intensify the action, highlights horrific violence and sexual content (beyond anything TOS managed), and relies on slipshod methods of “hook” writing to add over-the-top drama. The modern shows have strayed away from something essential in Trek, namely a sense of reverence, a relatively slow pace of action, and a concentration of morality and philosophy that were its hallmarks.

Luckily, we have plenty of earlier content to enjoy, and maybe the new writers and show runners will change things before long. After all, everything else they’ve done, like ensuring cast diversity, has been wonderful.

Just, whatever you do: **Do not let kids watch Star Trek: Lower Decks! It’s definitely not a kids show, and, frankly, I don’t think it’s a good adult show either.

Heidi, Girl of the Alps is the story of Heidi, a young girl from the Alps who finds herself adrift by the whims of the adults in her life and who must begin to explore the world around her on her own, making new friends and facing various trials as she tries to make her way back home.

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With Hayao Miyazaki responsible for the scene design and the screenwriting, it’s an obvious must-see. Sadly, it’s quite hard to find in English, but the original is more available.

Future Boy Conan is the post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series that served as legendary director Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut. It’s the tale of a young boy named Conan, a girl he meets named Lana, and their friends, as they are caught up between a titanic struggle of good vs. Evil.

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It’s remarkable to see the great director’s earliest work, and it lends a wonderful context to all he did later. This series really stands out as being something special, and I highly recommend it, not the least because it’s quite short and easy to binge.

ThunderCats are a team of -humanoid-feline’s on a world called Third Earth, crashed-landed there after the Mutants of Plun-Darr attacked and destroyed their refugee star fleet. Now, the ThunderCats must fend off the Mutants and a local sorcerer of incredible dark power, in order to protect the natives of Third Earth and perhaps find a new home.

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Okay, if you don’t instantly fall in love with this series, then there’s something wrong with you. I’m sorry to be harsh, but there it is. On one hand, this is a simple good-vs-evil series with a great mixture of science fiction and fantasy, but on the other, it’s an incredibly clever series with one of the best soundtracks around.

Dragon Ball is where the great franchise started, as the monkey-tailed boy named Goku and his friend, the teenage girl Bulma, go on a quest to find the magic Dragon Balls, the collector of whom can have any one wish granted.

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Dragon Ball Z is undoubtedly better known and more sequel series, and it’s definitely worth watching, but this is the original series that took television by storm. I think that’s partly because these series are capable of appealing to adults and use fairly adult humor. This makes them something to not show your kids, but sure can be fun if you want to have an adult “Saturday Morning Cartoon” experience.

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The animated series offers a view into the daily lives, and antics, of Christopher Robin and his friends Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Gopher, Owl, Kanga and Roo, as they learn to overcome struggles together, and see the beauty in the little moments of the everyday.

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A.A. Milne wrote the original books in the 1920s, and the character was named after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne.

The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening as a satire of the modern American family, and American life in general. It holds the distinction of being the longest-running American animated series, the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted prime-time television series!

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This has become cliché to say, but the truth is: the earlier seasons were better. Not the earliest shorts, certainly, but there was a “golden age” in the 1990s where the series meshed its outrageous and irreverent humor style with some poignant wit about the depredations of American life and politics, and it did some heavy lifting by getting certain cultural and political ideas out to audiences who might otherwise never have encountered them. Sadly, like other modern cartoons-for-adults, the recent seasons have been lackluster and without teeth.

The Magic School Bus features Miss Frizzle, the incredible Mary Poppins-esque teacher who takes her class on wild magical adventures through, time, space, and the human digestive system, all in search of new learning experiences to help them better understand the world.

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This series is one of the few I recommend for children learning in a Waldorf-inspired environment. Lily Tomlin voices Miss Frizzle, and the series was lauded for bringing engaging science content to a much wider audience, especially those from minority backgrounds.

Sailor Moon follows Usagi Tsukino, a middle school student with the power to become one of the Sailor Soldiers who defend Earth from various supernatural evils.

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Sailor Moon represents one of the earliest international successes of an animated series featuring a female superhero in the main slot, finally offering girls around the world a character who they could look up to.

The series originally featured a lot of important content that got cut for the North American release, including a number of characters who were homosexual, more advanced themes of child abuse, and more. It’s a pity that no properly dubbed version of the original exists without these modifications.

Cowboy Bebop is a Japanese science fiction neo-noir anime that concentrates on the exploits of a group of space faring bounty hunters called “Cowboys” who operate out of the starship “Bebop”. It’s a dramatic and adult anime, with high violence and stylized aesthetics that aid in the exploration of themes of loneliness and general angst.

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Obviously, an inspiration for later works, like Firefly, and now turned into its own live-action series on Netflix. Definitely one of the most influential animated series of all time.

Pokémon is estimated to be the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. In a land where “Pocket Monsters” inhabit the land and live a symbiotic relationship with humans. Trainers, who work with Pokémon to tackle special tournaments of strength and daring, build teams that compete against one another. It’s more than a game, it’s the ultimate coming of age adventure.

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That theme song, amIright? Oh man, the nostalgia trip on that one. This series has to be one of the most iconic of the 1990s anime series, and it manages to deliver an experience that gave viewers something to expand upon the GameBoy games, delivering up a whole new dimension to the fandom.

Courage the Cowardly Dog follows the titular character as he tries desperately to protect his beloved owner from all manner of fell ghoulies, beasties, and oddities—despite the fact that he, himself, is utterly terrified of anything that moves.

“We interrupt this program to bring you “Courage the Cowardly Dog” show, starring Courage, the cowardly dog! Abandoned as a pup, he was found by Muriel Bagge, who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, Eustace Bagge. But creepy stuff happens in Nowhere. It's up to Courage to save his new home!”

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Originally conceived as a seven-minute short, “The Chicken from Outer Space”, Courage the Cowardly Dog soon became the most-viewed series on Cartoon Network at the time.

Futurama Created by Matt Groening, who also created The Simpsons, this series is a science fiction comedy concentrating on a pizza delivery guy who is catapulted forward in time by a random accident involving a cryogenic chamber. Once there, he finds himself working in the futuristic job of… delivery guy. Some things never change.

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This is easily the superior series of the two. It took all the strong points of The Simpsons and improved upon them, offering up a much cleverer series for viewers.

Inuyasha literally translates as “dog demon”, which is what the main character, Inuyasha, is: half dog-demon, half human. When teenage Kagome Higurashi falls through a portal in her family shrine, she emerges into a magical version of the Sengoku period, where she meets Inuyasha. The two then embark on an epic quest, aided by various friends, to retrieve the pieces of a magical jewel before they can be used for evil.

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An extremely impressive series that offers a more intriguing relationship arc, and more interesting characterization, than a good deal of other anime—especially in how it explores a different type of power structure. Not without flaws, it still manages to be one of my favorites.

Samurai Jack features “Jack” a samurai prince thrust into the far future by the dark magic of the evil demon Aku (voiced by the incomparable Mako for the first four seasons). The retro-future dystopia he finds himself in is ruled by Aku, and “Jack” (the slang name given to our unnamed samurai hero by the denizens of this future realm) must overcome all manner of obstacles on his way to defeating Aku once and for all… and returning to his own time.

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Samurai Jack was inspired by Kung Fu, the 1972 televised drama starring David Carradine, another amazing series that you’ll love if you love this.

Kim Possible follows the titular heroine as she fights crime, usually in the form of mad scientist Dr. Drakken and his super-powered sidekick Shego, aided by her clumsy and self-conscious best friend, Ron Stoppable (and his pink mole rat pet).

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While it is exceptionally mainstream and caters to a very upper-middle-class white audience, it also offered girls a super heroine figure in cartoon form and there’s a lot of value there. More value if they made her less shallow, but c’est la vie.

Naruto is based on the manga series of the same name and concentrates on the titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, a boy ninja and host to the magical supernatural entity The Nine-Tailed Fox. As he undergoes trials to prove himself and gain recognition and glory, Naruto encounters deep plots, great friendships, and his own inner turmoil.

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Not gonna lie, I binged this hecka hard back in the day. It doesn’t hold up incredibly well, especially when compared to things like Avatar, but it’s absolutely still worth watching.

Teen Titans was based on the original 1980s comic series and featured a number of superheros who have become mainstays of the DC universe today, such as Cyborg and Robin. It’s one of the best cartoon superhero series, and has received massive critical and audience acclaim for its themes and style.

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Don’t watch the modern Teen Titans, Go, that’s the first thing that I need to say. Due to a wonderful collection of lucky circumstances, clever writing, great art style, and themes that were highly relatable for the largely teenage audience. A show with lots of comedy and silliness, it will feel younger than some other series from the same era, but I’d say that actually makes it far more relatable and long-lasting. With the comedy in place, the show allows for self-reflexivity, as well as offering older viewers a chance to connect with their inner kid a bit easier. That, coupled with deeply emotional arcs and some more intense themes, helps this show shine.

The Venture Bros. follows “Team Venture” as they get into all manner of sticky, icky, and weird situations. Imagine Jonny Quest… but with PTSD. And, actually, that’s exactly what The Venture Bros. is: a solid parody of Jonny Quest that even specifically references that show many times.

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Adult cartoons can be a risky business, not the least because far too many parents let their children watch them (that’s terrifying). But The Venture Bros. offers some solidly intelligent humor beneath all the grime. It’s crass (all the time) and shallow (half of the time), but it also pokes some great holes in classic tropes of the action adventure genre.

Wolf's Rain is a supernatural fantasy anime set hundreds of years in the future where the post-apocalyptic world has a fairy tale legend that gives hope on the colds nights: paradise exists but can only be found by wolves. Only, wolves have been extinct for 200 years… or have they? A number of intelligent wolves with magical abilities live among humans, and as the time of prophecy arrives, they need to decide to work together or perish.

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Honestly, one of the weirder shows out there, but it manages to get across a wealth of emotionality.

Samurai Champloo is set in a hip-hop-inspired version of Edo-era (1603–1868) Japan and the story of two competing swordsmen who end up agreeing to accompany a young woman named Fuu as she searches for her father. Shinichirō Watanabe, the show’s director, previously worked on other hits like Cowboy Bebop, and he wanted Samurai Champloo to tackle similar themes of death and identity, with special attention paid to highlighting minorities in Japan (Christians, indigenous Ainu, and members of the LGBT community).

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The series was mostly constructed piece by piece, with the main plot points discovered more than planned. As such, there’s a unique and organic flavor to the story, and when it wraps up it feels somehow more realistic than many more structured shows.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is the story of Aang, a young “Avatar” who possesses the ability to control all four supernatural elements, and his journey to stop the Fire Nation from destroying the people of the other lands. But… it’s also so much more.

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Avatar is set in a world of Asian-inspired cultures, ancient moral and philosophical dilemmas, heart-moving relationships, and piles upon piles of humor. It’s a series that directly connects real-world issues within its own storylines, doing so in a flawless manner that never draws attention to itself (whether it’s commenting on colonialism or cloistered societies that feature scary “cultural ministries”).

There’s something vital and wonderful about this series, something that taps into the true heart of a deep storytelling tradition. There’s silliness and action as well, but there are always deeper explorations of the characters, and even the “bad guys” aren’t rendered as simplified beings.

I honestly wish more shows would take their cue from Avatar and go in for deep, reverent stories; action-packed and silly, too—but in ways that help engender a greater care and compassion in the viewer. That’s something too rare these days, and it makes this series a shining gem.

The Boondocks explores the racial and political issues surrounding a black family, the Freemans, who move into a mostly white suburb. It’s a snarky, irreverent, and highly-intentional series that tries to shed light on a number of social issues even as it lounges into various styles of humor.

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Moderately terrifying that people ever let kids watch this show—it’s most certainly not a show kids should be watching—but for adults it’s got the sort of bleak irreverent humor that’s perfect for poking holes in society, politics, and so much more.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars tells the story of the events between Star Wars: Episode II and Star Wars: Episode III, a massive gap in the cinematic timeline that was one part of the myriad ways in which the prequel movies failed nearly every criterion of good writing. Following Anakin Skywalker and his new Jedi apprentice Ahsoka, other Jedi like Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and new characters who are members of the Clone Army of the Republic, this groundbreaking show chronicles the fall of the Old Republic and the rise of a new Galactic Empire.

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This series started off as something unique but still cartoonish, but even from its earliest episodes there was the sense that it possessed an urge toward greatness. The series fills in important gaps in the films, actually making parts of the third prequel film make sense (a mighty feat to be sure). Some parts of the series are still notably simplistic, but as the seasons progressed, the stories became darker and more complex.

There’s honestly a lot about this show I could gush over, from the hand-painted art, to the carefully crafted storylines that dissect issues of militarism and war. There’s a moral center to this show which is, frankly, superb, and that’s what makes it shine. It’s also what sets it apart from juvenile money grubbing products like Star Wars: Rebels, which early on established itself as a show with a far weaker grasp of reverence for life.

This isn’t a show young kids should watch (just like with the Star Wars films themselves, save this for at least 12-years old, and restrict them to two seasons per year), but it’s definitely one that I would share with my kids once they reached the right age.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga of the same name, and centers on two brothers with alchemical powers who are searching for a way to regain their damaged bodies after a horrible alchemical disaster when they were children. Their search leads them into the path of vast conspiracies and supernatural dangers from which they may not escape with their lives.

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This is the far more faithful adaptation of the manga, and is generally considered the better of the two. Personally, I liked some aspects of the earlier anime, though the storyline did go pretty wonky in the end. This is undoubtedly one of the best true anime’s out there.

The Legend of Korra is the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of the best animated series of all time, and concentrates on a time period some 70 years after the original events of Aang’s adventures. With Aang now dead (of old age), a new Avatar has been found, a young girl from the Water Tribe named Korra. Now, with unrest in Republic City, and elsewhere in the world, threatens the tenuous peace that Aang built, and even Korra isn’t sure if she’s up to the task of holding it altogether.

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Really, really good. It’s rare for a sequel series to be as good as the original, but I think Korra manages that, in part because it differentiates itself enough from the original. It feels like the older continuation of that original series, a little darker and more heady, and perfect for an audience that watched the original but has aged as well.

The Dragon Prince follows prince half-brothers Callum and Ezran, and the elf Rayla, as they protect the last dragon egg and seek to put an end to a thousand years of conflict between the magical inhabitants of Xadia and the human kingdoms.

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Easily the best modern animated series I’ve seen, with a deeply emotional story arc, wonderful representation, great fantasy action, and a true moral core that’s sadly lacking in much of modern media. Since it’s created by the team responsible for Avatar, you just KNOW it’s got to be amazing.