Love, Death + Robots has taken the world by storm once more. For audiences unfamiliar with the Netflix series, it’s essentially the animated equivalent of Black Mirror. The creators behind the award-winning anthology have just released another season, but it’ll likely be some time until fans are sated with more of the series’ animated shorts.
There are plenty of other shows fans can check out after watching Love, Death + Robots’ latest season. Because of their beautiful visuals, adult themes, or irreverent tone, there are several mature animated shows that Love, Death + Robots fans would regret missing.
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‘Arcane’ (2021)
Based on the world and characters of the popular video game League of Legends, Arcane tells the story of Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), two sisters separated in a fantastical industrial city bursting at the seams with inequality and crime. You might not realize that Arcane is more than its fleshed-out fantasy world and pulse-pounding animated fights; it treats its beloved characters with care and handles its representation of class disparity and strife like no animated show has done before.
Complete with stellar action and peerless performances from its cast, Arcane is undoubtedly one of the greatest adult animated series ever made.
‘Bojack Horseman’ (2014 – 2020)
With a voice cast that boasts the likes of Will Arnett (Parks and Recreation) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), you know you’re in a for a wild and hilarious ride with Bojack Horseman. In this animated black comedy series, BoJack Horseman (Arnett), the washed-up star of a ’90s sitcom, dreams of returning to his glory days. Each episode highlights Bojack’s relationships, battles with substance abuse, and attempts to revitalize his career. Each story is a heartbreaking piece of one of the best TV shows of its time.
Bojack Horseman makes up for whatever explosive action the adult animated series lacks with extensive meditations on trauma, purpose, and fame. In the same way that Love, Death + Robots often explores the dangers of technology and human greed, Bojack Horseman reflects on the sensationalism and vanity of the modern age.
‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ (2022)
An adult animated anthology based on Amazon Studios’ The Boys, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, or simply Diabolical, is one roller-coaster ride of an animated show. As a spin-off of the acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series, it should come as no surprise that Diabolical does not apologize for its unrivaled action and liberal use of blood and gore.
Mixing moments of sensitivity with the super-powered combat and gore, Diabolical is sure to please any Love, Death + Robots fan.
‘Rick and Morty’ (2013 – present)
Though the show has expanded its focus to chronicle the many crazy adventures of its ensemble cast, Rick and Morty centers around the dynamic between the super-scientist Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland) and his sidekick/grandson Morty (also Roiland). The two’s relationship is heartwarming, affectionate yet cold and toxic all at once, forged and damaged by some truly bizarre sci-fi adventures.
One of the greatest shows on Adult Swim, Rick and Morty is the brainchild of Roiland and Dan Harmon. Irreverent and inventive, any Love, Death + Robots fan should feel at home with this beloved adult animated series.
‘Harley Quinn’ (2019 – 2020)
Though based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Harley Quinn is no ordinary superhero television show. “Mature” might not be the right word for this animated series — “unhinged” might fit it better — but make no mistake, this cheeky black comedy is undoubtedly intended for adults.
In this villain-centric animated series, Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) joins forces with Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) following her rough breakup with Batman’s nemesis, the Joker (Alan Tudyk). The team-up catalyzes Harley and Ivy’s misadventures, involving a ragtag group of some of DC’s other underdog villains. The show’s humor and subversive representation of DC’s greatest characters have proved to be a delight for comic fans and something fans of Love, Death + Robots could certainly get behind.
‘Cowboy Bebop’ (1998 – 2000)
The neo-noir science-fiction series Cowboy Bebop is said to be the show responsible for re-introducing anime to Western audiences in the early 2000s. Set in the not-so-distant future, the show follows a dysfunctional (yet endearing) bounty hunter crew as they navigate space, their troubled pasts, and their perilous line of work. With a lovable cast of characters and a satisfying, poignant finale, Cowboy Bebop is the perfect package for fans of anime, action, and jazz — as strange as that is to say.
As stylish as it is somber, Cowboy Bebop is universally regarded as one of the greatest animated shows of all time, one that might be up the alley for all Love, Death + Robots fans.
‘Castlevania’ (2017 – 2021)
Based on the acclaimed Japanese video game series of the same name, Castlevania is a beautiful and epic animated series full of vampires, enchanted whips, and mountains of gore. The dark fantasy series premiered on Netflix in 2017 and follows monster slayer Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), magician Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso), and the half-vampire Alucard (James Callis) on their quest to save the world from Dracula (Graham McTavish) and his army of undead beasts.
Boasting some of the most cinematic action sequences in a modern animated show and with a spin-off series on the way, Castlevania is sure to scratch that Love, Death + Robots itch.
The Midnight Gospel (2020)
The Midnight Gospel revolves around Clancy Gilroy, a multiverse explorer on a mission to interview the occupants of as many bizarre and fantastical worlds as he possibly can. What is interesting about this show is that its creators, Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and comedian Duncan Trussell, set each episode to audio interviews derived from The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, a religion and spirituality podcast hosted by Trussell himself. And so, while the characters embark on their shared journey, they meditate on deeply personal and existential issues along the way.
Though its flashy, trippy visuals make every episode a feast for the eyes, the highlights of The Midnight Gospel are the introspective and often spiritual exchanges between Trussell and his guests. The philosophical conversations are moving, profound, and funny at times, not unlike the more reflective episodes of Netflix’s animated anthology series.
