Introduction

Animation isn’t a genre, it is a medium, and we can see that within the wide selection of stories that it has been wont to tell for many years. That diversity is showcased by the animated series currently streaming on Hulu, which incorporates very adult comedies, futuristic space Westerns, semi-modern takes on classic characters, and brain-bending drug trips.

The list below spotlights the wild array of programs Hulu is currently streaming, both Hulu original also like shows that originated on networks including Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and FXX. There’s some truly brilliant storytelling below also as some delightfully silly fun.

 

Best Animated shows on Hulu

Adventure Time

By far the simplest animated series to return out of the 2010s, Adventure Time may be a strange, surrealist, fun, and sometimes melancholic show of a few boys and his dogfighting evil monsters during a post-apocalyptic planet ruled by magic and candy people. With a premise that’s, at an equivalent time, simple and very intricate, the show manages to seek out the right balance between seriousness and child-like wonder to inform beautiful stories with complex, genuine characters that are bound to convert even the foremost cynical of hearts. Come for the wizards and monster butt-kicking, stay for the gorgeous portrayals of long-lasting love, old age, and mental disease.

IMDB ratings: 8.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Archer

Archer began life as a particularly sharp and funny satire of the Bond universe, with a crackerjack voice cast led by the always brilliant H. Jon Benjamin. And for its four seasons, it had been already a top-tier adult animated series. Then, came Season 5, and therefore the reveal that when creator Adam Reed gets restless, he is not above completely changing the premise of his show — a move he’d pull several more times, rewriting reality for his established characters by transporting them from the important world to golden era Hollywood to space to Danger Island. Those wild creative choices, alongside the beautifully rendered animation and, again, that tremendous voice cast, make Archer a show worth revisiting over and over.

 IMDB ratings: 8.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

The Awesomes

Did you recognize that Seth Meyers co-created an ingenious animated superhero series that ran for 3 seasons on Hulu? That’s okay, not many of us did either. But The Awesomes is well worth some time and a spotlight if you’re trying to find a shake the standard and an opportunity from the same-old superhero story.

The Awesomes follows the title team of comic book-inspired superheroes led by the son of the best superhero of all of them, Mr. Awesome, as they plan to fill the sizable shoes of the heroes they’re replacing. The voice cast alone is worth expecting, including Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon, Colin Quinn, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Andy Samberg, Chris Kattan, Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Noël Wells, Nasim Pedrad, and Aidy Bryant also as SNL writers Steve Higgins, Emily Spivey, Paula Pell, Tim Robinson, Alex Baze, and John Lutz.

The Awesomes also fills that niche between the squeaky-clean Disney-fied superhero stories of the Marvel Comics universe and therefore the very adult stop-motion animated adventures of SuperMansion, so while it’s not exactly family-friendly, it’s perfectly fitted to teens and above. Check it out today if you omitted the off-kilter adventures back within the halcyon days of the mid-2010s!

IMDB ratings: 7.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes:  67%

Bless the Harts

A lot of animated series, especially shows that originated on Fox, have what could be best described as “big dude energy,” which is why Bless the Harts stands out as an exquisite contrast to those shows. It’s still damn hilarious though, because of creator Emily Spivey, who brings her Saturday Night Live-trained comedic sensibilities to the present show of a few struggling Southern families. The stellar voice cast includes a dream trio of Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Jillian Bell, and therefore the show’s wry edge gives the show a fresh voice. The title of the show is predicated on a classic expression popularized by genteel ladies below the Mason-Dixon Line

 IMDB ratings: 5.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

Bob’s Burgers

Few series are as consistently delightful as Bob’s Burgers, which has nine seasons currently available to stream on Hulu, all even as filled with laughs and feel-good family comedy because the last. Centered around a hamburger chef and his freak flag-flying family of oddballs, Bob’s Burgers may be a treasure trove of running gags, from the catchy-as-hell ditties to the superb hamburger recipes in every episode (which, can confirm from the tie-in cookbook, are delicious,) and it’s packed to the brim with relatable characters.

IMDB ratings: 8.2/10 

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop. Often cited because the gateway anime to finish all gateway animes, this classic 1998 Sunrise series didn’t even have the advantage of a robust manga following on to base its success. Instead, the show’s mature themes, noir sensibilities, and sophisticated characters drove it from cult icon to international classic in only 26 episodes. 

(Yoko Kanno‘s incredible and inseparable music was undoubtedly an enormous part of this success and it’s worth watching the series only for it.)

Following a ragtag team of space-based bounty hunters attempting to scrape together enough Woolongs for his or their next meal and to patch their aging spacecraft, Cowboy Bebop features action-packed episodic arcs alongside deeply emotional character stories which will have you ever invested in only about everyone who pops up onscreen. 

There’s the tormented, too-cool-for-school, former spy-assassin, Spike Spiegel; the hard-nosed former detective with a heart of gold, Jet Black; the cursed enchantress with a heartbreaking past, present, and possibly future, Faye Valentine; and therefore the wildcard hacker extraordinaire Ed (along with pooch pal, Ein) who’s hard to not love. Despite some silliness played for levity along the way, this one’s at its best when it’s super-serious. If Cowboy Bebop doesn’t a minimum of cause you to just a touch more curious about this thing called anime, not much else will.

IMDB ratings: 8.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Death Note

Adapted from the Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata comes Death Note, a tense cat-and-mouse tail between a serial-killer high school student and therefore the detectives attempting to require him down. It’s a fantastic crime story that keeps the supernatural to a minimum, but its central conceit: The title tome can take the life of anyone whose name is written in it because of the facility wielded by the shinigami or Death Gods. That’s quite a little bit of responsibility placed on the shoulders of an adolescent, even one as brilliant as Light Yagami.

And that’s what makes Death Note (the anime, not the recent live-action adaptation) such a joy to observe. It’s a cerebral series that spends longer walking viewers through the complicated webs woven by both Light and therefore the equally gifted but eccentric detective known only as L. The threads of tension are drawn taut throughout these episodes you discover yourself wondering, “How is Light getting to get out of this one?” only to be amazed by the solution. Just confirm you’ve got some potato chips and apples handy.

 IMDB ratings: 9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Family Guy

At times crossed the road, but the FOX series has stood the test of your time for a reason. Something is endearing about the antics of a dumb-dumb like Peter, childlike yet confident, and therefore the relationship between Stewie and Brian could sustain its television program (and often quite does). The show is at its best

when it expands its world-building to tackle unique stories, but most episodes especially from the run during which Seth MacFarlane was the showrunner are good for a couple of big laughs.

 IMDB ratings: 8.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes:  64%

Futurama

The possibilities within the planet of Futurama are quite boundless. This sci-fi series was a follow-up to The Simpsons therein it hailed from an equivalent creator, and while Futurama is funny and sweet and features a similar animation style, it’s overall a different show. Following the exploits of the bumbling crew of a delivery spacecraft service, Futurama gets into time travel, far-space travel, universal apocalypses, invasions, cloning… just about any sci-fi conceit you’ll consider, Futurama has done it. And it nearly always seems compelling, endearing, and very funny.

IMDB ratings: 8.5/10 

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

The Great North

From equivalent creators behind Bob’s Burgers comes another story a few families just trying to urge by but now it’s set within the great Alaskan wilds. the good North follows the Tobin family, made of patriarch Beef (yes, Beef) (Nick Offerman), daughter Judy (Jenny Slate), older son Wolf (Will Forte), Wolf’s wife Honeybee (Dulcé Sloan), middle son Ham (Paul Rust) and youngest son Moon (Aparna Nancherla). While the mood is certainly within the same vein as Bob’s, Offerman’s Beef is probably even funnier than Bob’s because of the even-keeled outdoorsy dad. Loving and supportive, a personality who might sound sort of a closed-minded father figure is delightfully accepting of his kid’s passions and pursuits. Whether it’s Judy’s art projects or Ham’s baking masterpieces, he’s there to lend a hand or simply support. If you enjoy the Bleachers, then you’ll love the Tobins.

IMDB ratings: 6.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Hulu has a superb reputation for having a fantastic collection of TV simulcasts, and impressively, this has extended to anime for several years. Head to Hulu directly to seek out your anime fix