Summary
Animated shows have dominated the airwaves for the longest time, appearing as kid-friendly series before releasing their true potential with a wealth of creative TV shows and movies that pushed the medium to new heights. Most people agree thatanimation isn’t reserved for children anymore, with countless amazing adult animated series targeting a larger fanbase via engaging dialogue, impressive animation quality, deep storylines, and memorable characters.
It’s hard to categorize what makes an animated show rewatchable, but seeing how iconic a show is makes for a decent benchmark. After all, the best animated shows around don’t lose their luster upon a rewatch, ensuring that a show’s fanbase continues to grow as viewers introduce other people to it. For fans ofWestern animation, there are many great series to check out, but some are arguably more rewatchable than others.
There was a time whenthe legendary trio ofThe Simpsons,Family Guy, andSouth Parkused to dominate the airwaves as some of the best and most topical adult animated shows fans could check out. The drop-off of these series has been pretty evident since, but a lot of fans argue thatSouth Parkcontinues to be hilarious and well-written despite facing a stumbling block when they attempted to follow a well-defined narrative for each season.
In fact, many people agree that the humor and content ofSouth Parkhas aged the best and makes it worth rewatching, even if the current social and political climate is completely different from the situations that this series parodied years ago. The series relies more on its crass humor and character relationships to keep the jokes flowing, helping it age like a fine wine and turning it into one of themost rewatchable animated showspeople can get their hands on.
Nickelodeon was hailed as the king of animated TV shows at one point and developed a wealth of quality series that appealed to kids. However, the network decided to try something different withAvatar: The Last Airbender, a show that could be marketed to kids and adults alike. Featuring some of the best worldbuilding seen in a series that has become an enduring facet of pop culture, the fact that many big players have tried to developsuccessful live-action adaptations of this seriesshows just how appealing the world ofThe Last Airbenderis.
The journey of Aang and his friends to rid the world of the Fire Nation’s invasive presence and introduce harmony to the lands makes for a great time, with the character development present in the series being second to none. The expansive plotlines, amazing animation, and quality writing make it clear why so many people love rewatching this series, falling in love with their favorite characters all over again.
There’s no denying that the first few episodes ofBoJack Horsemanwere rough, but those who weathered the early storm were treated to one of the best adult animated shows of all time that never failed to make people laugh while being more poignant than it had any right to be. BoJack is a despicable character, but the writing makes it clear that his trauma comes from a bad place that he refuses to get over.
Along with this,the supporting cast also gets its time to shine, showing off more depth than most first-time viewers would expect. Characters like Todd, Princess Carolyn, Mr. Peanutbutter, and Diane are quite compelling and add to the rewatch value of the show. It helps that some of the more obtuse and hard-to-understand jokes of the series become more apparent when fans watch these episodes another time and pick up on the stuff they missed out on.
SpongeBob SquarePantsisone of the most beloved children’s animated showsthat people can check out, with the brainchild of Stephen Hillenburg turning into one of the most enduring series in pop culture and a gift that keeps on giving. The first few seasons ofSpongeBob SquarePantsfeature some of the smartest jokes and most excellent writing seen in the series, and it’s a shame that the show lost a lot of its luster in the later episodes.
However, the first three seasons and much of the fourth season exhibit a lot of what madeSpongBob SquarePantsso special in the first place, featuring clever jokes that hit differently for adult fans who understand the innuendos at play. The later seasons may not be for everyone, but the first four seasons are a joy to witness and can be endlessly rewatched without fans getting bored of the show and what it has to offer.
Dan Harmon is a master of his craft and has spearheaded the development of some of the most creative comedy projects that don’t shy away from meta references, creative visual gags, and obscure pop culture references.His work onCommunitymade him one of the biggest names in comedy, and he decided to carry forward his amazing writing skills in a sci-fi adult animated series that became a phenomenon that its fans can’t get enough of.
Rick and Morty’s unique brand of comedyis a joy to witness and makes it clear why this series became such a massive hit from its very first season. It paved the way for many shows to try and imitate its success, while superfans rewatched each episode and uncovered all the references and callbacks in painstaking detail. The brand of humor may take a while to get used to, but there’s no denying that the many layers ofRick and Mortymake it one of themost rewatchable Western animated showsthat fans can get their hands on.
