Animated sitcom
His argument was confirmed by the fact that The Huckleberry Hound Show, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, became a "surprise hit with adult audiences.
[18] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of animated television programs appeared which challenged the Standards & Practices guidelines, including The Simpsons,[19] Beavis and Butt-Head, The Critic, The Brothers Grunt, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, SpongeBob SquarePants, Duckman, and All Grown Up!.
It remained the sole English-language mainstream adult-oriented animated sitcom until the 1990s, which saw the debuts of Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, South Park, Daria, Family Guy and Futurama.
"[26] Others also argued that the show marked a turning point in U.S. attitudes "toward cartoons written primarily for adult audiences"[27] The Simpsons would later win the Guinness World Records award for "Longest-running animated sitcom (by episode count).
"[28] Some critics argued that The Simpsons was responsible for "popularizing adult animation" while influencing "satirical cartoons" like South Park and Family Guy.
Crow of Time magazine noted the influence of The Simpsons on adult animation, with Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Bob's Burgers, among others, featuring some version of the same structure, while "non-family-based shows" have drawn from "Matt Groening's hyper-referential style, irreverence and slapstick humor.
"[32] He quoted Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls, as describing adult animation as an "arms race of different ways to copy The Simpsons."
[19] Others stated that it was not until the early 1990s that "cartoons specifically for adults" rather than children, did not come to "mainstream prominence" until after the success of The Simpsons, with Fox later airing King of the Hill and Family Guy both of which "generated massive audiences.
"[32] As animation critic Reuben Baron described it, for a long time, "adult action/drama cartoons" were scarce on television, with only a "few cult hits and flops in the '90s", with almost nothing in the 2000s and more in the 2010s.
"[36] The show features humans, animals, and hybrids of both intermingling, with "every design intentionally exaggerated and distorted", looking like the original comics, with theme music from Frank Zappa and set its sights on "1990s incarnations of political correctness and censorship", making it, a critic argued, a precursor to Family Guy and BoJack Horseman.
[42] Some critics stated that this series offered "plenty of cleverness and humor for those who looked", with funny lines, a unique style, and centered around "therapist discussions with real celebrities".
[45][46] Some said this was because Christian groups, like the American Family Association, had boycotted the network, and 17 NBC-affiliated stations agreed, leading to the show being stopped only after four episodes had aired.
[47] Even so, some religious leaders in the United Kingdom supported the show, and critics like Caryn James called it "a little risky" but "relatively benign" when compared to South Park, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City which aired at the time.
[50][51] While the pilot of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law first aired as a sneak peek on Cartoon Network on December 30, 2000,[52] the series officially premiered on Adult Swim on September 2, 2001, the night the block launched.
The latter, which some called a "stray gem in the early 2000s," was noted for the romance between a married couple, Bob and Pickles Oblong, who had a healthy relationship where both would "constantly support each other.
[57] Some argued that animated sitcoms have formed some of the "most enduring and valuable franchises in the history of television," in terms of shows like Family Guy and South Park.
It was later described as one of the "more vulgar adult-animation offerings" of the 2010s, with Kaitlin Olson only staying "for the first season as the female lead," voicing a "recently transferred Yellowstone ranger named Ethel.
was praised for breaking away from the "cynicism and formulas of its adult animation contemporaries" with the romance between Stan Smith and Francine said to be a wonderful romantic pair akin to Archie and Edith Bunker.
[69] They also argued that analyzing the show using postmodern thematic analysis, it creates "deconstructionist instances" that, in their view, "expose and subvert the hegemony of heteronormativity."
[32] Some critics noted that The Simpsons is not the only model for such animation, due to new shows coming to TV and streaming platforms like BoJack Horseman, Big Mouth, Rick and Morty and Undone, which some call a boom at the time that "high-quality adult animation shows" are being produced in France, Japan, and in other parts of the world, a new group of creators is pushing existing boundaries.
Shaurya Thapa of Screen Rant argued that Tuca & Bertie offered "a fresh and realistic take on the sitcom formula" while[85] Rafael Motomoyer of Collider argued that Solar Opposites not only mixes "crude humor and knack for violence ... with a long-standing tradition of animated sitcoms" centered on a family, but it gives a "new take on the typical American family.
"[6] Some described The Boondocks as profound, comedic, smart, silly, has social commentary on class relations, racism, and with a unique animation style.
[88] Another animated sitcom on Fox, Bless the Harts, starred Kristen Wiig, and was created by former Saturday Night Live staff writer, Emily Spivey.
[27] The report also stated The Simpsons and South Park are the two most popular animated sitcoms, while Rick and Morty is among the "most watched cable television series."
In January 2020, TZGZ, Syfy's new adult animation block, ordered six 15-minute episodes of the series, which would later become Magical Girl Friendship Squad.
[94] At the same time, the short form version, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins, began airing on the same late-night programming block.
[95][96] In February 2020, Fox released an animated sitcom produced by Seungyong Ji and Jordan Grief titled Duncanville, focusing on the story of a kid who "daydreams of making it big without having to wear a suit and tie to do so.
[106] In February 2021, it was announced that Tyler, the Creator had teamed up with Lionel Boyce and Davon 'Jasper' Wilson to develop an animated comedy named Shell Beach.
