Sayak Basu
With the increasing popularity of streaming platforms where adults generally look for content they can watch alone, bold, unconventional adult animated shows have been on the rise. However, this does not mean such shows were not popular earlier. ‘Simpsons‘, ‘Family Guy‘, ‘South Park‘ and others are extremely popular adult animated shows that have been around for quite some time now. Netflix, a company which is always interested in trying its hands in newer products in order to gain a substantial amount of subscribers, is the first online streaming platform to bring out an original adult animated series of their own in the form of ‘BoJack Horseman‘, which became extremely popular for its intriguing dialogues and philosophical themes.
Following Netflix’s footsteps, now Amazon Prime has also decided to try out their hands in the world of adult animated shows with their latest venture, ‘Undone‘. The best thing about this series is that unlike most adult animated shows, ‘Undone’ is not a sitcom. The series centers around the life of a young girl called Alma Winograd-Diaz, who notices an incredible change within her after she gets involved in an accident. Alma can now visualize her late father and can also travel through space-time if necessary. She is determined to use her newfound ability to prevent the untimely death of her father in any way possible.
The series makes use of wonderful visuals and intriguing dialogues to tell a time-bending story which we’ve never come across in any other adult animated series. If you have enjoyed watching ‘Undone’ and are looking for more similar shows, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s the list of best shows similar to ‘Undone’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these series like ‘Undone’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
7. Futurama (1999-2013)
Matt Groening, the creator of the iconic series ‘The Simpsons‘ is the mastermind behind the creation of this futuristic adult animated series centering around the life of a man who was cryogenically preserved for a thousand years from 1999 to 2999, and only wakes up in the 31st century. The character in question, Philip K. Dick, starts working as a pizza delivery executive for an intergalactic pizza company. The city that he lives in is modeled upon today’s New York City, and according to the show, the old city is now underground and works as a sewage facility for this scientifically superior urban area.
‘Futurama’ creates its world rather dutifully, and does not merely introduce scientific marvels just for the sake of it. Moreover, the series makes deep comments regarding religion, as here we see new religions like Robotology and Oprahism have sprung up. Religion is evidently unable to answer the problems of the 31st century, and thus is being replaced by those religions which address the future’s problems more directly.
6. BoJack Horseman (2014-)
One of Netflix’s greatest creations, ‘Bojack Horseman‘ is a series set in Hollywood and chronicles the life of a has-been TV star. The eponymous character is a horse who was hugely popular as the star of the sitcom ‘Horsin’ Around’, but when the series ended, BoJack could not find any other job and now spends most of his days complaining about life and drinking heavily. He has an on-again-off-again relationship with Princess Carolyn, a pink Persian cat who is also his agent. The story begins at a point of time in BoJack’s life when he wants to reignite his memories in people’s hearts by publishing a tell-all autobiography. The series offers us a look at the life of a nihilist who was once quite popular, and thus we can understand from his perspective how inconsequential someone starts feeling once his/her popularity starts diminishing. BoJack also makes scathingly critical comments about modern society and how TV shows and creators themselves use social norms to make money.
5. Disenchantment (2018-)
Matt Groening tackles problems faced in the modern world in ‘The Simpsons’, problems that might occur in the future in ‘Futurama’; and with ‘Disenchantment‘, he steps into the past for the first time. ‘Disenchantment’ is also the only fantasy series in Groening’s repertoire. The series follows the life of a princess called Bean who lives in the medieval kingdom called Dreamland. We all have read books or watched films about princesses of medieval times during our childhood, and have an impression of how these girls generally are. Groening sets about to destroy our preconceived notions and makes Bean into a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking woman who goes around with a personal demon called Luci and an elf called Elfo. The trio goes through various misadventures as they come in contact with several mythical creatures which are usually associated with the medieval period. The series shines because of its sharp humor and the writers’ ability to poke fun at historical fantasy stories.
4. Archer (2009-)
This is another animated series which makes brilliant use of adult themes. From nudity to swearing to violence, ‘Archer‘ has it all. The show centers around the adventures of Sterling Archer, a James Bond-esque character who works for the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). His mother Malory is the head of the organization. The supporting cast includes other agents or office staff of ISIS. The early seasons of ‘Archer’ take place in a world which is going through a Cold War, but the exact time in history is left vague. The showmakers introduced an interesting change in the later seasons; each season would have a different setting and tone. One season occurs in a retro-futuristic world, one occurs in 1940s Los Angeles with film noir-ish aesthetics, and so on. The characters of this series are rather crude, and so is the humor. And this, of course, is the hallmark of the show.
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3. Chozen (2014)
Rappers usually tend to boast about the material aspects of their lives in their songs. The eponymous central character of this adult animated series chooses to attack that very concept. Chozen is a gay, white rapper who attacks the core principles of rap music and wants to climb to the top of the hip-hop world. After being released from prison, he challenges the supremacy of Phantasm (played by rapper Method Man) in the world of rap music. It must be mentioned here that the concept of the series is rather interesting. Most of rap music is about machismo and treats women as sex objects. By making the central character white and gay, the showrunners attack the stereotypes associated with rappers.
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2. Moonbeam City (2015)
‘Moonbeam City’ is a homage to the 1980s‘ crime dramas which were filled with a lot of sex, corruption, and excess. The series is centered around Dazzle Novak, a police detective who is rather corrupt and commits more crimes than the criminals he catches. Pizzaz Miller is his chief, and though she is not at all happy with his shoddy police work, she cannot say anything because of a mutual affection she shares with Dazzle. The series is a wonderful throwback to the 1980s-era of crime dramas, but unfortunately it got canceled after the first season itself. The most important part of such stylized shows is not the details you can throw in, but a proper storyline which will keep the viewers engaged.
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1. The Boondocks (2005-)
‘The Boondocks’ is the story of a grandfather named Robert and his two grandchildren, Huey and Riley. Huey is 10 years old and Riley is 8. They are heavily influenced by rap culture. The kids are rather rambunctious and can go to any length as long as they are enjoying themselves. They end up torturing each other and even the neighboring kids despite Robert moving away with them from southside Chicago to the suburban Woodcrest. On one occasion, they even plan to kidnap Oprah Winfrey from her show. Despite the kids trying to go beyond their grandfather’s ability to reprimand them, Robert always proves to be the stronger of the lot. The series is rather political, and scathingly criticizes American politics from an African-American point of view. The show frequently features African-American celebrities and also uses the ‘n-word’ quite often.
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