If You’ve Already Binged ‘Archer,’ These Adult Animated Shows Deserve Your Immediate Attention

There is a very specific kind of viewer that ‘Archer’ creates. Someone who craves rapid-fire wit, a cast of deeply broken characters who somehow function better as a team than they ever should, and comedy that refuses to play it safe. The four-time Primetime Emmy-winning series is widely acclaimed for its vivid mid-twentieth-century comic-style visuals, memorable dialogue, and distinct characters, making it as stylish and entertaining as animated spy thrillers can get.

The good news is that the adult animation landscape has never been richer. The show spans 14 seasons of running gags, clever wordplay, and absurd moments that continue to build on each other, making it immensely rewarding to binge. But once you’ve burned through every episode, the question is always the same: what comes next? These are the shows built for exactly that moment.

The Adult Animated Comedy That Set a New Standard

‘BoJack Horseman’ features a washed-up sitcom actor who aims to become relevant again by releasing a ghostwritten autobiography, with a cast of anthropomorphic animals living alongside humans while the dark comedy tackles more serious issues like depression and addiction. It sounds strange on paper, but it works in a way that almost nothing else in the genre has.

Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and starring Will Arnett as the lead voice, the series ran for six seasons and 77 episodes on Netflix, earning widespread praise for its realistic take on depression, trauma, addiction, self-destructive behavior, racism, sexism, and sexuality. That willingness to sit with discomfort while still landing the jokes is precisely what made ‘Archer’ fans fall hard for it too.

Both series offer a continuity not generally seen in most animated shows, with storylines that do not end at the close of an episode but continue and evolve throughout the entire run of the series. That kind of serialized investment is rare, and it is exactly what keeps viewers coming back long after the novelty of any one joke has worn off.

The Best Animated Spy Comedy Alternatives for Sterling Archer Fans

‘Rick and Morty’ follows genius scientist Rick and his anxious grandson Morty as they go on bizarre adventures across dimensions, mixing absurd humor with dark emotional moments and offering a satirical lens on modern life. It may not be a spy show, but the DNA of comedic chaos and a deeply dysfunctional central relationship will feel immediately familiar.

‘Rick and Morty’ secured its second Emmy win for Outstanding Animated Program, having first won in the same category in 2018. That level of recognition speaks to how seriously the industry began taking adult animation, and the show continues to push boundaries in ways that Archer fans specifically tend to appreciate.

TV shows similar to ‘Archer’ often deal in overt humor, and ‘Rick and Morty’ is consistently cited as one of the surest ways to fill that void, running the full gamut of science fiction hilarity. Fans of razor-sharp dialogue and plots that somehow tie together despite appearing completely unhinged will find an enormous amount to love here.

Dysfunctional Ensemble Animated Shows Worth Your Time

‘The Venture Bros.’ takes the action sensibility of ‘Archer’ and layers in genuine adventure, chronicling the lives of the Venture family through observational humor alongside clichés of evil henchmen and villains, resulting in a show that is both well-thought-out and wildly over-the-top. If ‘Archer’ is a spy parody, ‘The Venture Bros.’ is an adventure parody, and the two share more tonal DNA than most viewers expect.

The Venture family, including an eccentric scientist with unethical means, his two sons, and their maniac bodyguard, go on ‘Jonny Quest’-like adventures together, with numerous clever references to contemporary pop culture making it a consistent delight to watch across its run. The show rewards long-term viewing more than almost anything else in the genre.

The unethical scientist father cannot stand his incompetent twin sons and the family’s bodyguard is brutal in all situations, giving the ensemble a similar interpersonal dynamic to the one that makes the agency in ‘Archer’ so endlessly combustible. That tension between people who absolutely should not be working together but somehow always get the job done is the heartbeat of both shows.

Dark Humor Animated Shows That Match ‘Archer’s Irreverent Energy

‘Solar Opposites’ successfully combines dark comedy with science fiction, with Korvo functioning as the equivalent of Archer, always trying to lead the others and getting upset when things do not go his way while maintaining strong opinions about essentially everything. Created by the team behind ‘Rick and Morty,’ it carries much of the same caustic wit in a slightly more grounded package.

‘Barry’ on HBO offers a dark-comedy blend of violence and absurdity centered on a criminal trying to reinvent himself, where the clash between horrific acts and banal everyday comedy closely parallels the tonal whiplash that ‘Archer’ has always deployed so effectively. It is live-action, but the spirit of the thing is unmistakably familiar territory for anyone who survived the ‘Archer Vice’ season without blinking.

‘Killing Eve’ matches ‘Archer’s particular mixture of violence and interpersonal dysfunction through spy-craft, dark humor, and an obsessive cat-and-mouse dynamic, making it an ideal pick for viewers who want the genre trappings but prefer their stories told in live action with equally sharp wit. The cold competence wrapped in personal chaos is a thread that runs through all the best entries in this space, from ‘Archer’ all the way down the list.

Whether you gravitate toward the emotional gut-punches of ‘BoJack Horseman,’ the dimension-hopping chaos of ‘Rick and Morty,’ or the layered spy-adjacent absurdity of ‘The Venture Bros.,’ this corner of adult animation has more than enough to keep the void filled. The conversation around which of these genuinely holds up as the best spiritual successor to ‘Archer’ is one that fans have been having for years, so which show did the job for you when Sterling Archer finally signed off?