Not Only 'Arcane': 8 Best Adult Animated TV Series With 90% & Higher RT Scores
From realistic satires and psychological dramas to futuristic noirs and black comedies.
Arcane has proven that animated worlds can tackle the most complex adult topics, rivaling and sometimes surpassing the depth of the best live-action titles. However, the cult Netflix series is far from the only gem.
There's a whole universe of brilliant adult animation that has explored the dark corners of psychology, politics, philosophy, and society for years.
1. 'Archer', 2009-2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Special Agent Sterling Archer has worked for the International Secret Intelligence Service for a long time. He loves women and alcohol, has no special talents, and only got his job because his mother runs the organization.
Despite his shortcomings, Archer remains one of the best superspies, uncovering the most insane conspiracies.
2. 'Star Trek: Lower Decks', 2020-2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
The USS Cerritos is a starship that belongs to the global Starfleet. Admittedly, it's not a particularly important one – the small crew is tasked with establishing relationships with civilizations with which Starfleet has already made first contact.
Four young ensign friends – the headstrong Beckett, the nerdy Brad who dreams of a promotion, the cheerful alien D'Vana, and the cyborg engineer Rutherford – travel the galaxy aboard the Cerritos, trying to improve the world around them.
3. 'The Legend of Vox Machina', 2022-...
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
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It's a fantasy story about a group of misfits trying to protect the world from evil. The show is based on a story campaign from the YouTube show Critical Role, in which voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons.
The Vox Machina crew is a motley group of misfits: a cunning half-elf, a dwarven bard, and a Goliath giant. This crew travels the fictional world of Exandria trying to earn money for booze.
However, one of their tasks turns out to be very serious – the fate of the entire kingdom quickly falls on these irresponsible heroes' shoulders.
4. 'Invincible', 2021-...
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Mark Grayson has loved superhero comics since childhood. When he turned 17, he discovered that he had superpowers, including superhuman strength and endurance, flight, and regeneration.
He inherited these abilities from his father, Nolan Grayson, who is also known as Omni-Man and is considered Earth's greatest protector. Nolan plans to personally train Mark to prepare him for a career as a professional superhero.
Mark, who has adopted the alias Invincible, soon begins to fight evil. However, little does he know that Omni-Man is not as kind and fair as he seems.
5. 'Solar Opposites', 2020-2025
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
The planet Shlorp was an ideal place for life until it was destroyed by a giant asteroid. After this terrible disaster, a group of surviving aliens moved to Earth and began a new life among humans.
Gloomy Korvo didn't like Earth, but the optimistic Terry really liked it. The young aliens Yumyulack and Jesse had the hardest time of all because they started attending a regular school.
Fortunately, all of the aliens' problems will soon end when their pet, The Pupa, grows up and turns Earth into a new Shlorp.
6. 'Primal', 2019-...
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Primal is made by Genndy Tartakovsky, the master of adult animation,who tells a story of unexpected friendship here.
After predatory dinosaurs attack and kill his family, the ancient man Spear is left alone. He soon finds a new ally in Fang, a female Tyrannosaurus rex who tries to save her children from the same predators.
Though it seems strange, the union of these two dissimilar creatures works perfectly. Man and dinosaur don't need words to understand each other as they strive for survival.
7. 'Scavengers Reign', 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
The interstellar cargo ship Demeter 227 has malfunctioned. Some of the crew managed to abandon the spacecraft before it was completely destroyed, and escape pods carried the survivors to the nearby planet Vesta.
This strange world is filled with fantastical flora and fauna, and most of the native species try to exterminate the aliens.
Two crew members, Sam and Ursula, managed to regain control of the ship and land it remotely on Vesta's surface. The survivors – Sam, Ursula, technician Azi, and her robot assistant – set out to search for the rescue ship Demeter.
8. 'Over the Garden Wall', 2014
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Two brothers wander through a creepy forest where very strange things happen. The older brother, Wirt, is a shy teenager who worries about everything. His younger brother, Greg, is the complete opposite – he is an optimistic boy who carries a frog and wears a teapot as a hat.
On their way home, Greg and Wirt encounter many dangerous adventures. Their main goal is to avoid the gaze of the forest's master, the terrifying Beast.
