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Animation is one of the most powerful kinds of media that movies and television have to offer. As a storytelling device that’s pretty much visually limitless, it has allowed artists throughout the years to craft some of the most imaginative and expansive TV shows ever made. Likewise, its unique visual capabilities allow animation to deliver some of the most emotionally hard-hitting narratives that the small screen is able to contain.
From kid-friendly fare like Steven Universe to animation aimed directly at grown-ups like Primal, a surprising number of the most heartbreaking TV shows in history are animated. Some of them have tearjerkers interspersed between mostly joyful scenes, while others are straight-up depressing throughout. If anything, these series prove that animation can be as emotionally complex and moving as live-action.
15
‘Monkey Dust’ (2003–2005)
Sketch comedy has delivered several of the greatest adult animated shows in history, and the BBC’s Monkey Dust is undoubtedly one of the most underrated. This pitch-black comedy satirizes and pokes fun at British society and tabloid culture, but what makes it one of the best animated shows you’ve never heard of is just how universally hilarious it can be.
But as often as its unashamed handling of taboo topics can result in absolute hilarity for people who enjoy dark humor, it can also be a surprisingly poignant and emotionally affecting series. Its scathing satire can at times be so cynical and pessimistic that one can’t help but be saddened by its reflection of the horrors of contemporary society.
14
‘Fired on Mars’ (2023)
HBO Max technically never officially announced Fired on Mars‘ cancellation, though fans have grown convinced that after three years of no news on its future, it has likely been quietly shelved. Regardless, one thing is certain: This sci-fi comedy about a graphic designer who travels to the Red Planet to work for a tech startup, based on creators Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey‘s 2016 short film, is one of the best adult animated shows of the 2020s so far.
In its depiction of a painfully relatable satirization of corporate culture and a sci-fi story imbued with existential dread, Fired on Mars created a tale that can often be unexpectedly sad and anxiety-inducing. The show overall is an awful lot of fun, but when it specifically sets out to convey the desperately depressing situation its protagonist finds himself in, it definitely works.
13
‘Carol & the End of the World’ (2023)
Netflix has made many great miniseries over the years, but few of them are as unique as the adult animated dramedy Carol & the End of the World, arguably one of the best animated miniseries of all time. The series still holds an admirable 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s entirely well-deserved, because this story, about a middle-aged woman finding comfort in mundane routine as Earth heads toward an impending planetary apocalypse, is nothing short of delightful.
Needless to say, though, Carol & the End of the World is fully aware of the inherently melancholic nature of its premise and constantly takes full advantage of it. Its comedic elements work brilliantly, but they’re carefully balanced out with the feelings of isolation, numbness, and grief that naturally come with any story about the world preparing for extinction.
12
‘Undone’ (2019–2022)
One of Raphael Bob-Waksberg‘s next ventures after the end of BoJack Horseman was co-creating Undone with Kate Purdy. This science fantasy dramedy, Amazon’s first use of rotoscoping animation for a TV show, is one of the best overlooked animated shows that deserve more attention. In it, a young woman develops the ability to manipulate time after surviving a near-fatal car crash.
Like pretty much all of Bob-Waksberg’s work, Undone is concerned with analyzing themes of mental illness, generational trauma, and complex family dynamics. And like pretty much all of Bob-Waksberg’s work, Undone is also profoundly poignant and emotionally layered. It’s an intensely surreal and emotionally heavy show, though its more hopeful and amusing elements are a refreshing way to balance out the bleakness.
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‘Bluey’ (2018–Present)
Bluey is truly a special kind of show, the type that comes along only once in a generation. While it’s the perfect series for its target audience — children — it often feels that it’s aimed at the little ones’ parents just as much, which is what’s gotten it to IMDb’s Top 10 of the highest-rated shows on the site. It follows the slice-of-life adventures of an Australian blue heeler cattle dog puppy as she has fun and learns valuable lessons with her family and friends.
Colorful, vibrant, with great role models, and with a delightful sense of humor, Bluey is many children’s favorite show for a very good reason. However, adults paying close enough attention will often be treated to subtle yet powerful depictions of topics as deep as miscarriages, mental health, and grief. This results in some of the most potent bittersweet moments that anyone will ever be able to find in kids’ media.
10
‘Futurama’ (1999–Present)
Sci-fi sitcoms aren’t all that common, but among the few that do exist, there are some that are beyond iconic. Futurama is one such series. In it, pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry is accidentally frozen in 1999 and thawed out on New Year’s Eve of 2999. With a team of friends, he travels on countless intergalactic adventures where the gang gets into shenanigans with potentially terrible consequences.
Futurama is one of the funniest sci-fi comedies that the small screen has ever been graced with. It has some of the genre’s most entertaining characters, most fun storylines, and most intellectual humor (the writers created a literal language for the show). However, it also has some of the saddest moments of any animated comedy, including what might just be the saddest sitcom episode ever in Season 5’s “Jurassic Bark.” It’s a delightful show overall, but it’s also not afraid to hit its audience right in the feels.
9
‘Steven Universe’ (2013–2019)
One of the most beloved shows Cartoon Network has ever put out, Steven Universe is about a team of intergalactic warriors fighting to protect the Earth. However, the combination of three highly trained beings and one quirky young boy leaves the team struggling to overcome the dangerous scenarios they’re faced with. With phenomenal music, beautiful animation, and unprecedented representation, it’s no wonder why Steven Universe is so well-liked.
Sure, the show’s colorful aesthetic and playful tone make it a blast of fun from start to finish, but there are also surprising amounts of thematic complexity and nuance here, considering that it’s a series mainly aimed at tweens and young teens. With its highly likable characters being put through some of the most emotional episodes that have ever aired on Cartoon Network, Steven Universe gets tears out of its viewers as often as it does laughs.
8
‘Fruits Basket’ (2019–2021)
Praised by many as one of the best anime ever made — as well as one of the most depressing — Fruits Basket is a shōjo anime (anime mainly aimed at female teens and young adults) based on the manga series of the same title. It’s about a girl who, after she’s taken in by a family, learns that some family members transform involuntarily into animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and she helps them deal with the emotional pain caused by their transformations.
Fruits Basket is probably one of the most flawless anime series of all time, making it a perfect introduction to this kind of show for newcomers. The series has a great sense of humor, but can also get surprisingly dark and emotionally brutal. Hard though some of its sadder episodes and moments may be, the journey overall is worth every second. Beautifully animated, written, and directed, it’s a worthy bearer of the title of “modern classic.”
7
‘Devilman Crybaby’ (2018)
Anime fans love shows that are pure entertainment and fun, but every now and then, anyone who loves animated television craves a show as emotionally devastating as Masaaki Yuasa‘s Devilman Crybaby. Based on the manga series Devilman by Go Nagai, this modern cult classic follows a kind teenager who merges with a powerful demon to fight ancient monsters.
It’s not exactly a premise that screams “sad,” but that’s precisely where Devilman Crybaby‘s surprising emotional potency comes from. With an almost entirely nihilistic and paranoid tone and the inevitable feeling that everything is building toward an emotionally gut-wrenching apocalyptic finale, there’s no way of watching Devilman Crybaby and not feeling a heavy sense of emptiness afterward.
6
‘Moral Orel’ (2005–2009)
One of the best-ever TV series for adults, Adult Swim’s Moral Orel is a satirical critique of Christian extremism that handles the topic with astonishing mastery. Directly parodying past religious-geared animated shows, it’s the story of young Orel, an optimistic, God-fearing boy living in a world of cynicism. Dark yet hilarious, it’s one of Adult Swim’s most philosophically complex shows.
It’s refreshing to see an adult show that doesn’t capture its target audience by being gory or pointlessly edgy, but by offering properly smart writing and thought-provoking themes. As the show progresses, it starts offering a little bit less cynical comedy and a little bit more profound psychological drama. The result is a series with a masterful sense of progression that gets more and more depressing as it goes on.
