‘Clone High’ is an adult animated science fiction series that follows the fruits of a secret government experiment that gave birth to the clones of influential historical figures in history. These clones include the likes of Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, and John F. Kennedy, around whom the storyline revolves. Joining them from time to time are figures like Catherine the Great, Genghis Khan, Marie Curie, et cetera.
The series – created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence – first premiered on MTV in 2002 and featured a star cast that included the likes of Jack Black, Michael J. Fox, and Marilyn Manson, aside from the recurring roles of Will Forte, Michael McDonald, Christa Miller and Nicole Sullivan. A reboot of ‘Clone High’ was announced by HBO Max, given its cult following, but until the series premieres, we have a few similar suggestions to satisfy your cravings.
8. Camp Lazlo (2005-2008)
The children’s animated comedy series follows the adventures of Lazlo (Carlos Alazraqui), an anthropomorphic spider monkey, and his friends Clam (also voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), an albino rhino, and Raj (Jeff Bennett), an elephant. All three of them share the same cabin at Camp Kidney, a summer camp whose Scoutmaster Lumpus (Tom Kenny) isn’t all that happy that the kids are having fun.
Created by Joe Murray, ‘Camp Lazlo,’ much like ‘Clone High,’ is set in an environment that is only meant for the growth of the children, but also houses darker secrets. Similar to how Cinnamon J. Scudworth, the principal of Clone High, wants to use the clones for his own nefarious purposes, so too it is revealed in ‘Camp Lazlo’ that Scoutmaster Lumpus isn’t exactly who he says he is and might have ulterior motives in play at camp.
7. Inside Job (2021-2022)
‘Inside Job’ is an animated science fiction sitcom that revolves around Reagan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan) and her team in Cognito, Inc, a clandestine organization that is more secret than intelligence agencies. They cover up every conspiracy theory that surfaces or resurfaces so that the world remains in blissful ignorance of the mysterious powers that rule them from the shadows.
Created by Shion Takeuchi, the series has a secret shadow government that controls Cognito, Inc., quite like the secret government agency that seeks to use the knowledge it gains from observing the students of Clone High for its own purposes.
6. Robot Chicken (2005-)
‘Robot Chicken’ is an adult stop motion-animated comedy sketch series that involves multiple characters, often in recurring roles, across each season. Created by Seth Rogen and Matthew Senreich, the series parodies everything in pop culture – including toys, movies, video games, television shows, et cetera – similar to how ‘Clone High’ is a parody of teen dramas like ‘Dawson’s Creek’ depicted through well-known historical figures. The series also features a recurring star-studded cast that includes Zachary Levi, Katee Sackhoff, and Mark Hamill, amongst others.
5. Daria (1997-2002)
Daria Morgendorffer (Tracy Grandstaff), in this adult animated sitcom, tries to navigate through high school that is seemingly filled with every personality type that she detests – cheerful and enthusiastic teenagers who are more concerned with school drama and relationships than more important things in life, such as how to file taxes.
Weaponizing her low self-esteem, Daria hopes to survive high school till the time she can graduate. The series, created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn, explores the complex politics of teenage relationships from Daria’s more “mature” perspective, much the same way that ‘Clone High’ does through its depiction of how historical figures might act as teenagers in similar situations.
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
This animated science fiction series brings to the television screens of the viewers an epic adventure across the galaxy, where the armies of the Republic and the Separatists clash against each other in a battle of good and evil. The Republic troops are led by the powerful Jedi Knights, warriors attuned to the energy of the universe that is intrinsic to everyone but felt and used by only a few. The Separatists, on the other hand, are tools under the shadowy influence of the Sith.
The series, created by George Lucas, sees the Republic use clone troopers in its armies. The clones aren’t exactly the same throughout their ranks either – they are fleshed out quite well, each with their own personalities and idiosyncrasies. Similarly, the clones in ‘Clone High’ aren’t exact copies of the historical figures that they are based on, but have taken on slightly different personas.
3. Futurama (1999-)
‘Futurama,’ created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, follows the life of Phillip J. Fry (Billy West), a pizza delivery man, who wakes up a 1,000 years in the future after having being cryogenically preserved by accident. Now dependent on his last living descendent and his cargo delivery company for survival, Fry takes on any and all adventures that come his way in a world that is far stranger than he could have ever imagined. The series uses the “man out of time” trope to great effect, and Phillip’s confusion about the future compared to what is common sense to him in the past echoes the attempts of the clones to fit in in ‘Clone High.’
2. Young Justice (2010-2022)
‘Young Justice’ is a DC animated superhero television series that centers around the adventures of Robin (Jesse McCartney), Kid Flash (Jason Spisak), Aqualad (Khary Payton), Miss Martian (Danica McKellar), Artemis (Stephanie Lemelin) and Superboy (Nolan North), as well as other teen superheroes who are desperately trying to come out from under the shadows of their larger-than-life mentors.
Sent on clandestine missions by Batman, the team becomes far more important in the struggle between the heroes and the villains than anybody anticipated. Created by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weismann, ‘Young Justice’ has an underlying story arc involving the clones of superheroes and their protégés that are intended to kill and replace the originals in a bid for world domination, much like how Principal Scudworth wants to use the clones for his own dastardly goals in ‘Clone High.’
1. Rick and Morty (2013-)
Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, ‘Rick and Morty’ is an adult animated science fiction sitcom that revolves around Rick Sanchez, a brilliant but cynical scientist with Machiavellian tendencies, and his adventures with his good-natured grandson, Morty Smith, who is easily startled by almost everything he encounters. Both of them, voiced by Roiland himself, travel across time, space, and various other dimensions encountering beings that can be hard to define sometimes.
Rick and Morty run into different versions of each other as well, who may not be clones, but the surrealism of meeting somebody you know and then finding out that they aren’t exactly you is brilliantly portrayed in the series. The surrealism is felt by the audience in the case of ‘Clone High,’ however, as they watch overly exaggerated caricatures of people whom they know from history and try and compare the two.
Read More: Best Adult Animated Shows on Netflix
