• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

What animated TV shows should I be watching?

Conditional-Pancakes

Conditional-Pancakes

The GIFs of Us
Member
Jun 25, 2020
10,873
the wilderness
I finished watching both Hilda and Gravity Falls recently, and I'm kind of in withdrawal. These shows were so amazing!! I'm wondering what I should be watching now... Any ideas? Here is a list of animated shows I already watched that I loved:

Hilda




Gravity Falls




Adventure Time (aka The Best of All Time)
e0b6c4065b29c65532f15f2f854ca7c93b35f3a6.gif



Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra
80a92181b86fe3b6a3dca180ff65eda3.gif



BoJack Horseman




So what should I be watching next? And please tell me why I should watch the shows you're recommending :)
(Also, please note that I'm not an anime person at all, so please do not recommend anime shows as I probably won't want to watch them.)
 
Last edited:
zero_suit

zero_suit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,580
Harley Quinn (HBO Max) - if you want constant laughs
Invincible (Amazon Prime) - watch the end of the first episode
 
fontguy

fontguy

Avenger
Oct 8, 2018
16,171
Conditional-Pancakes said:
I watched about 10 episodes of the first season. It was good! But it didn't have the same emotional impact as the other shows I listed. Should I continue watching?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yes.

EDIT: I actually went back and watched the series after seeing the movie first (which spoils basically every plot development of the entire series so it's not an ideal way to start) and being emotionally demolished by it.
 
Last edited:

VAD

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,553
I recently watched Star Trek Lower Decks. Very funny and very sci-fi.
Less wholesome and also sci-fi : Final Space. It's kind of like GotG with a protagonist who is an impersonation of Chris Pratt.
Only if your IQ is above 150 : Rick and Morty. But you wouldn't get most of the jokes /s.
 
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,163
Conditional-Pancakes said:
I watched about 10 episodes of the first season. It was good! But it didn't have the same emotional impact as the other shows I listed. Should I continue watching?




Oh, yes! I know I should definitely be watching this... Is the show over?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yep. It ended last May with 52 episodes. It's a show that ramps up overtime before becoming great in Season 4 & 5.

You should also watch Owl House which is still running (recently finished season 1)


Also, every animated shows nowadays is "we watched Adventure Time/Steven Universe and want to do that" lol. Including the shows in your OP
 
jwk94

jwk94

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,434
Conditional-Pancakes said:
I watched about 10 episodes of the first season. It was good! But it didn't have the same emotional impact as the other shows I listed. Should I continue watching?




Oh, yes! I know I should definitely be watching this... Is the show over?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yes to both of your quesitons. Steven Universe takes about 25 eps to really kick off, but it's worth it.

Pretty much the top animation in the last 15 years:

Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future (the epilogue series)
Gravity Falls
Avatar The Last Airbender
Legend of Korra
She-Ra
Star Vs The Forces of Evil
The Owl House (this one is still airing)

I might be missing some Disney Channel stuff.
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,564
Amphibia for similar humor and tone to Gravity Falls.
It's my favorite non-adult animated show currently airing.

if you want something really visual and violent, though, PRIMAL is pretty good. Think "very gory Samurai Jack with dinosaurs, and no dialogue"
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Conditional-Pancakes

Conditional-Pancakes

The GIFs of Us
Member
Jun 25, 2020
10,873
the wilderness
Lotus

Lotus

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
106,329
Kipo, She-Ra (Netflix)

Steven Universe (the entire series, movie, and sequel show is all on HBO Max), Primal (HBO Max)

HBO Max also has Harley Quinn, which is straight one of the best comic book cartoons I've ever watched. If you're like me and was never a big fan of Harley to begin with, this is the show that will change that. It's freaking hilarious, but also very heartwarming when it wants to be.

Conditional-Pancakes said:
I heard about this one. It's good? How would you describe it?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It's one of the most unique post-apocalyptic shows I've ever seen. Basically humans live underground, while the surface is filled with mutant creatures, many of them sentient. And when I say mutants, it's less creepy, unnerving shit, and more really creative dope stuff like talking lumberjack cats, to name an example.

Due to an incident, the main character one day finds herself above ground for the first time ever, separated from her people, and thus has to attempt to reunite with them while fending off mutant threats.

The lead is also a protagonist that brims with infectious positivity, she's very fun to follow. Also the entire main cast of kids are black, and the soundtrack is fantastic, made by the same person that worked on Spiderverse.

Conditional-Pancakes said:
Also, please note that I'm not an anime person at all, so please do not recommend anime shows as I probably won't want to watch them
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Anime is functionally no different provided you get the right recommendations, but I hear ya
 
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,163
Conditional-Pancakes said:
Yeah I heard of that one in a recent interview with Alex Hirsch, the creator of Gravity Falls. Apparently it has good LGBTQ+ representation? I think I'll put it on my list. It's fun?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The wife of Noelle Stevenson (the creator of the She-Ra reboot & the upcoming Lumberjanes) writes for The Owl House and wrote an episode that continued She-Ra's tradition of turning prom episodes into code for LGBTQ+ representation. So yes, it's very good with the portrayal of both LGBTQ+ and women.

also OH. WOW. SPORTS (you'll understand eventually lol)
 

Decado

Member
Dec 7, 2017
1,393
Castlevania on Netflix is among my all time favorites. Apparently DOTA is also pretty good.
 
HotHamBoy

HotHamBoy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
16,423
If we are including some older stuff and you have HBO Max I strongly recommend Home Movies. I've been rewatching it and it's so damn good.

on Netflix Aggretsuko is one of the best series out there
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,564
Decado said:
Castlevania on Netflix is among my all time favorites. Apparently DOTA is also pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I was pleasantly surprised by DOTA, not as good as Castlevania, but I was fearing it would be some dumb action piece without character. Instead it feels to me to be at the very least on par with Dragon Prince on that sense, although much less kid friendly.
 
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,272
Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal. Caveman and Dino suffer tragedy before joining forces to survive in a harsh unforgiving and relentless prehistoric fantasy world. No dialogue, no exposition, just raw animated beauty and carnage.

Primal%2B%2528Top%2BPick%2529.gif
 
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,163
Just to triple down: if you loved Adventure Time: Obsidian, you HAVE to watch She-Ra & Owl House. It's basically required reading. Obsidian & She-Ra even (sorta) reference each other lol
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,564
Conditional-Pancakes said:
Oh shit are you talking about the old show from the 90s? Wow, I have only very faint memories of it. Is it good? Does it hold up?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It does, but once it gets to season 2 the amount of episodes multiplies by four, which I assume is to have enough for syndication, and a bunch of them are kinda cliche. That said in season 2 you still get your main plot episodes, some of which get a budget boost and look incredible.
 
OP
OP
Conditional-Pancakes

Conditional-Pancakes

The GIFs of Us
Member
Jun 25, 2020
10,873
the wilderness
I'm seeing Over the Garden Wall being mentioned a lot in different articles I'm reading. Anybody here seen it? Is it good enough to put on my list of things to watch?
 

Decado

Member
Dec 7, 2017
1,393
Vulcano's Assistant said:
I was pleasantly surprised by DOTA, not as good as Castlevania, but I was fearing it would be some dumb action piece without character. Instead it feels to me to be at the very least on par with Dragon Prince on that sense, although much less kid friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That is good to hear. After Dragon's Dogma I was worried it would be like...that one. Not kid friendly is preferred.
 
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,163
Conditional-Pancakes said:
I'm seeing Over the Garden Wall being mentioned a lot in different articles I'm reading. Anybody here seen it? Is it good enough to put on my list of things to watch?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's very good. The only reason it's not being mentioned so far is because it's shorter & older. It was a part of an attempt by Cartoon Network to make a short but high quality series/special

In the same vein, I recommend Infinity Train, which is another short but high quality series from Cartoon Network (though it's been getting sorta-sequel series as networks have started embracing animation as being not a kids only affair)
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,564
Damn we been doing OP dirty by not even mentioning Infinity Train until now.

By the way OP, if you don't feel the first few episodes of Infinity Train, or if it feels a bit amateurish like the whole season is a pilot, don't worry I felt the same, but season 2 and season 3 are fantastic. Season 1 struggles, but it is still enjoyable. Season 2 is straight up unique and thought provoking sci-fi.
 
TrueSloth

TrueSloth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,069
Infinity Train is fantastic. Highly, HIGHLY recommend it. It's low commitment and deals with complicated and dark themes.
 
BKatastrophe

BKatastrophe

Member
Oct 28, 2017
13,359
Conditional-Pancakes said:
I heard about this one. It's good? How would you describe it?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Avatar The Last Airbender meets Adventure Time with a splash of Attack on Titan

Has an entirely non-white main cast, one of whom is gay, so it deals well with representation and talks about those themes in a very light and positive way, but one that doesn't feel like it talks down to you. The characters of the show have very strong developmental arcs, the world is bery colorful and for a post-apocalyptic world it's one of my favorite takes on that kind of setting. The animation studio, Studio Mir, is the same one that did the animation for Avatar. The music is absolutely outstanding, with it being a very musical show (this along with the setting is the Adventure Time comparison). The character arcs and development plus animation is very Avatar, and there are some plot and action and mythology beats that are very Attack on Titan.

So yeah. It's good shit.

It's about a girl named Kipo who gets thrown to the surface of an apocalyptic world from her burrow, because humans live underground, and has to find her new burrow that her old burrow people evacuated to. The surface is a whole new world to her and she meets a ton of new friends, including humans and "mutes" (mutated animals) alike.
 
zero_suit

zero_suit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,580
BKatastrophe said:
Avatar The Last Airbender meets Adventure Time with a splash of Attack on Titan

Has an entirely non-white main cast, one of whom is gay, so it deals well with representation and talks about those themes in a very light and positive way, but one that doesn't feel like it talks down to you. The characters of the show have very strong developmental arcs, the world is bery colorful and for a post-apocalyptic world it's one of my favorite takes on that kind of setting. The animation studio, Studio Mir, is the same one that did the animation for Avatar. The music is absolutely outstanding, with it being a very musical show (this along with the setting is the Adventure Time comparison). The character arcs and development plus animation is very Avatar, and there are some plot and action and mythology beats that are very Attack on Titan.

So yeah. It's good shit.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Adding this to my list!
 
ArchLector

ArchLector

Member
Apr 10, 2020
7,588
I would greatly recommend "Undone" - co created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Bojack's creator. It is only 1 season (8 episodes). I think the trailer should easily sell it to you, but the simple synopsis is that it is an exploration of trauma through fantastical elements.

 
Rubber_Cat

Rubber_Cat

Member
Aug 30, 2019
122
A lot of good stuff already covered but missing a few:
Batman: The Brave and Bold - More of the Bright Knight than Dark Knight. Wonderful if you're into poking fun at the various stuff for super heroes.
Chowder - A kid with a bottomless stomach and a love of eating is a trainee chef for the master chef Mung Daal. Various wacky adventures ensue.
Helluva Boss - New YT series, only four eps so far but have been enjoying the antics of Blitzo (the o is silent) who runs a demonic assassination business and his crew. Has a slight Invader Zim tinge to it (not helped by Richard Steven Horvitz voicing Moxxie)
Samurai Jack - (To go with Primal listed above) - Genndy Tartakovsky doing his stuff as always.
The Amazing Wold of Gumball - A blue cartoon cat and his adopted fish brother go on adventures and get into trouble. Can just be downright hilarious, the mixing of the various animation styles for the different chars and how they play with that is great on top of just how fun it is.
Megas XLR - Giant robot falls through time and gets found and modified so that only Coop has any idea how to pilot it any more. Everything can be solved by punching.
Young Justice - Follows the side-kicks and young heroes as they fight to prove themselves to the Justice League.
Venture Brothers - Cruelly cut down in its prime. Follow the life and times of, now grown, child adventurer Rusty Venture, his body guard Brock and his two sons Dean and Hank as he tries to live up to his fathers legacy. First season is a bit iffy for some but once you get to thelast few eps and then S2 it really start to take off.
We Bare Bears - Three bears try to make a home for themselves in the human world (not a massive fan of the Baby Bear eps but ymmv). Just a cute fun show.

And would also second some that haven't got the same attention as others yet:
DuckTales - A great re-imagining of the original show and manages to flesh out just about every character within the series. Just recently finished its run (should've got more).
Wander Over Yonder - Wander roams the universe with is trusty steed Sylvia foiling the machinations of Lord Hater. Just a fun time all round really.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.