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Film & TV
Boomer's avatar

OK this bounty could officially make one lucky member my favourite! 😆

🌊🏔️🔥💨

N

I'm a massive star wars nerd but Star Wars the Clone Wars always had the adult appeal. After you finish the first season it becomes less of a kids show then it was. I think it puts together the fantasy of the star wars universe without making it a baby version for kids. Not being afraid to go into darker themes.

F

It's The amazing world of Gumball for me , i remember watching this show as a kid and i still enjoy it now as an adult , the mix of its witty absurd humor , pop culture and meme refrences, adult jokes and the animation sometimes makes it one of my favorite shows period .

one of my favorite scenes from the show :

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EOZLz0ta-9M?feature=oembed

Watching this show is always a good time for me .

S

Getting here as quickly as I can to talk about the best children’s programme in the world right now..

Bluey!

This may not be the best submission but I wanted to be the first and it’s definitely correct! Bluey is the most heartwarming, tear jerking, gripping and funny kids show.. possibly ever made. The long form episode that the released at the end of the 3rd series is genuinely one of the most emotional episodes on TV.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/08-Y1_KcSe0?feature=oembed

Guys, gals, non binary pals, moderator and judges of this bounty. Bluey is the right answer.

Makster's avatar

My partner's nephew was watching this when we were baby sitting the other week. I curiously went onto the wikia and it is surprisingly detailed (thus showing that this kids show as adult appeal because, what kid would edit a fan wikia?).

It goes so far as to have a trivia section on each episode documenting continuity and existential questions!?

MadamClutter's avatar

I have a 6 year old, so I've spent the past several years watching cartoons. Watching the SAME cartoons amd shows..over and over and over. And soooo many of them are ANNOYING, like, guerilla warfare tier annoying, and I'm pretty sure this this kid picks them on PURPOSE! From the shrill voices of certain moms to the most obnoxious songs and dances... I've lived in the trenches! Through it all there have been a handful of shows I can enjoy or at least tolerate (even day in and day out on repeat). Of course, none of these could include MY OWN childhood favorites because my girl wants nothing to do with THOSE (I'm so sorry, David the Gnome). One cartoon that my family absolutely, 100%, LOVES is Bluey! The Australian hit about a family of Blue Heelers has something for everyone. The main character is Bluey, a little girl who experiences life along with her little sister, mom and dad, and a cast of excellent extended family and friends. One part of what I like about the show (there are so many parts!) is that not only do we get a childhood perspective that little ones can relate to, but we get to see glimpses through the eyes of the adults, too. The characters both young and old learn from each other, love and laugh with each other, and have good times and not so good times (which is heaaetwarming to see in a kid's show, how do we deal with the not so great moments in life?). The Heeler's do it with patience, understanding, acceptance and A TON of laughter! You will find yourself laughing and crying and sometimes both- an emotional connection we as adults tend to get from grown-ups only tv shows and movies. Like those programs, you won't want Bluey to end, you'll want to stay in this world as long as possible...And if you have little ones like me, this is a really good thing because it'll likely be the ONLY thing you'll be watching until the house goes to sleep (even then I might "forget" to press the stop button). Here's a clip of one of my favorite episodes!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EOb_UsPTaqA?feature=oembed

K

While its not a tv show, its still a good movie series to watch as a family. Shrek is a classic that everyone can enjoy. It has plenty of jokes for kids with enough adult humour, and cracking soundtrack. And the characters are all enjoyable. Just hope that the 5th one is just ad good.

Georgina_Herdman's avatar

My one HAS TO BE - Batman: The Animated Series.

Truthfully I wasn’t into this as a child as much as I am an adult, the focus as a child was how cool Batman is, but now as an adult I feel like I have such a new appreciation of the Batman Animated Series. The opening scene even gives me so much happiness, the iconic Bruce Timm art style, the legendary voice acting by the likes of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker I feel like the pure talent that went into making this series is much more appreciated by an adult audience.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rrmUk2YUm14?feature=oembed

Damien Mason's avatar

It's so easy to be wowed by all the capes as a child, but as you grow up, you appreciate the nuance and cerebral storytelling. Perchance to Dream still sticks with me to this day as one of the best animated episodes of anything I've ever seen.

Kane Carnifex's avatar

He-Man

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7yeA7a0uS3A?feature=oembedhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/MWGreVfi5B8?feature=oembedhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/K7CxVXRzRtM?feature=oembedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRiU4IawVak

You want my conclusion?!
All 80-90s are still stuck awesome to watch.
Which i can´t say for any new stuff.
33 Years, should it start disliking it?
No.. it raised my level.
And in 2024 the amount of dumb stuff is so high.

Btw. stuff which also was running in my childhood is:

Cowboy Bebop
Dragonball (Cut Child Version)
Vision of Escaflown
Golden Boy (may this not :P)
But also all Pixar Stuff is made to appeal adults.

So this german slang version of it :)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/KTK6y7lMAWE?feature=oembed


<3

Why?
Because i look back from here and yes!

Braulio Lara 's avatar

COPS

-“is fighting crime time” with phrases like this the boss bulletproof start the Cartoon Show Cops with his a la Dick Tracy clothes

in a Cartoon with a Futuristics retro ambient sometimes serious like THE UNTOUCHABLE with a soft Gi Joe flavor l remember to see a episode when l was younger (I’m now 53 years old) in a neighbors house they have VHS cassette

And the history are more adults that we normally think and l think that COPS is a classic Ganster vs Police history just with the right pack for toy selling and enough funny for to catch all children’s attention

If somebody don’t know it l present us COPS

God bless us

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dy4YFDSDW4w?feature=oembed

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar

As a parent of 20 years, I have to say in that time, the best-animated kids' show, which is soon to get its own IRL adaption, is Ben 10, I love it, and I will happily sit down and watch this with my kids, the sheer scope of the show is epic, the work that goes into each episode is always good and there is always a lesson to learn!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/90Rf2nj96yw?feature=oembed

Cristian J. Hidalgo's avatar

Centurions 1986

Watched this as kid, what a sweet and good memories brings to my mind.
100% recommended dear friends in JustAbout.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EJPVjMXC5Es?feature=oembed

Toretto 70's avatar
https://www.youtube.com/embed/FJqGirLjQn4?feature=oembed

Dragon Ball

I really loved and looked forward to this TV series when I was little and shouted Kame-Kame-HAAA

AbyKwon117's avatar

I would definitely say that SpongeBob, in its first seasons, made anyone laugh, both adults and children, and to this day when chapters of the first seasons pass, you continue to laugh at them while enjoying the chapters. My parents are 54 years old and they love it, I have 25 years and I love it, my 9 and 6 year old nephews love it too! Spongebob is eternal! Haha 💛

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_0nIvOo3pAE?feature=oembed

Definitivamente diria que bob esponja, en sus primeras temporadas hacia reir a cualquier persona tanto adultos como niños y hasta la fecha cuando pasan capitulos de las primeras temporadas es seguirte riendo de ellos disfrutando los capitulos, Mis padres tienen 54 años y les encanta, yo tengo 25 años y me encanta, mis sobrinos de 9 y 6 años les encanta tambien! Bob esponja es eterno! Jaja 💛

Fras_Shoyo's avatar

One of the most iconic episodes of the SpongsBob SquarePants series is the episode titled “Band Geeks” (Season 2, Episode 15). This episode not only presents humor that suits me when I was a kid, starting from Squidward trying to form a marching band from Bikini Bottom residents, who apparently have no musical abilities at all. There are silly scenes like Patrick hitting a trumpet to the head, or Sandy doing exaggerated acrobatic stunts while practicing, but it also has a very deep meaning for adults and I realized about the satire of social pressure and the daily failure of Squidward who always fails to achieve his dreams and at the end of the episode proving Squidward to Squilliam, there is a deep sense of satisfaction. Adults can relate to the joy of victory after constant failure. This creates a balance between children's humor and more complex emotions for adult audiences.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/SFX_1PpHpnI?feature=oembed

Amoni P's avatar

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBqveNzuHkc?feature=oembed

This show is categorized as a shonen mecha anime meaning that it was intended for boys (i.e. children) and yet I think this show as with most of Gundam has huge appeal to adults, not just because mecha anime is cool to watch but because of what Gundam has to say about the human cost of war. War in the Pocket does a spectacular job of giving viewers that message in a tight six episodes and because it is an original video animation (OVA), it has higher quality production values than your average syndicated anime.

M

For this bounty, I would like to nominate Regular Show. This show may be targeted at kids, but there are many reasons why it appeals to adults as well:

  • The Main characters Mordecai and Rigby, are in their early 20s when the show begins.

  • One of the central themes of the show is the importance of maintaining a good relationship with

    your work colleagues, friends, family, and loved ones.

  • Another central theme is to not slack off and to just get your job done, otherwise you will just

    make things harder for yourself. As seen in a majority of the episodes, just a simple task can

    spiral out of control, especially when you don’t take it seriously.

  • Regular Show has been censored for using curse words, adult humour and subtext in various

    episodes. This may be because some of J.G Quintel’s (the show's creator) student films, which also influenced the show, such as the character designs for Mordecai, Benson, and Pops, had even more adult humour.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/AEF3anS96ko?feature=oembed

Retro Stu's avatar

I had every intention of coming in to talk about Bluey knowing full well others will have selected it too. I'll touch on Bluey before throwing another choice in too!

In short, my favourite thing about Bluey, especially as a new dad, it makes me feel even more comfortable being a silly dad and I think it encourages parents to up their game in a way. Cut loose, be what your kid needs and enjoy being that because it doesn't last long.

The other show I'm going to throw in is one I got into because of my niece and it actually ended up being something I re-watched with every early morning wake up with my daughter - Hilda!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCojP2Ubuto?feature=oembed

The art style is gorgeous, pastel colours throughout, the music suitably punctuates the mood - there's humour and mild peril in places. It's one of those that on first watch it's a kids show - but with a long running story and some good lessons throughout it's one that got it's hooks in me and I didn't want it to end. If you haven't watched it I would highly recommend it!

Makster's avatar
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hubNY_rxvUs?feature=oembed

Please do NOT watch the video above without context or if you have never seen Avatar before

Avatar: The Last Airbender

I'm really surprised after 16 submissions no-one had submitted Avatar: The Last Airbender.
A Nickolodean cartoon that aired in the mid 00's that went against the grain of syndicated wackiness of SpongeBob, Fairly OddParents, and Jimmy Neutron in favour of an intricate world of different nations, elemental powers, and human relationships.

On the surface - Avatar looks like the run-of-the-mill westernised Anime. When the landscape was finally getting a few more Anime series above Dragon Ball and studios tried to capitalise on the growing trend by mimicking the style rather than the content. This was the reason I overlooked it at the start. I was also a little older and trying to get away from the American Dragons, Juniper Lee's and Ben 10's that were airing. And for the first few episodes, it was very predictable. The team (two boys and a girl) go to a new village, get introduced to some side characters+ problem, evil Zuko (he has a scar) chases them down and does some evil stuff to the village, Aang fights back and escapes cue ending theme.

However I felt the series really grips you on Episode 12: The Storm. This is where you get so much depth and understanding on both protagonist and antagonist, you don't really know who to support more:

I highly HIGHLY recommend people to watch the series. It has such amazing worldbuilding that it rivals the likes of LOTR and HP.

(The YT clip is only to highlight some of 'The Storm'. I don't want to include a trailer for Avatar as I don't think the promotional material really does the show justice)

CMDR Henckes's avatar

Steven Universe

It is a deep and intense show that deal with complicate subjects, it's most of the times very clear especially in the end . The kids will watch a fun, cute and with nice action cartoon while the teens and adults will face a deep plot about colonisation, love, legacy, resistance and parenting... And anyone will find really cute as well!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wRzcciuZus0?feature=oembed

While chacina the show will discover along the character the secrets of the past of an alien race and get involved with the political plot within that race and its relation with planet earth. It have a modern look with nostalgically elements of the 70s an 80s Sci-Fi shows and movies. It will be magical, emotive, deep and sometime even apprehensive!

JHenckes's avatar

That show is perfect, the subliminal messages in it are very well done!

Horror and Cats's avatar

I absolutely adore Trollhunters on Netflix (and by extension its sister show 3Below: Tales of Arcadia which takes place in the titular town and even has a crossover).

It is decidedly a children's show, but my goodness is it easy to get into and binge. Fun lore, action, and genuinely a great drama/comedy/fantasy series.

Unfortunately between seasons two and three, male lead voice actor Anton Yelchin passed away, so it was one of the last things he worked on. Along with Yelchin, there are tons of other great actors like Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Kelsey Grammar (Fraser), and Steven Yuen (Invincible).

It was created by Guillermo Del Toro and his particular flavor of character/lore shines brightly. Absolutely love it, it's on Netflix, you should watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/J2oNgZlbSKI?feature=oembed

okayameji's avatar


I think this show is funny, where the characters come from various kinds of food and it seems unique to me, this is what adds to my attraction to watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FTUs-2LYMC8?feature=oembed

Raven's avatar
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SdtcK1Qs2K4?feature=oembed

I really loved this show growing up. Watching how the silverhawks saved the day fighting against evil and at the end of each episode, Cowboy and Copper kid taught us about our solar sistem, the planets our galaxy and so much more, this show was amizing, cause you actualy learned something at the end. We need more shows like this nowdays.

S
https://www.youtube.com/embed/YlKQG8mdow0?feature=oembed

Chowder was one of my favorite shows when I was little, it has a lot of adult jokes in it even though the show seems innocent on the outside. The are women always this emotionally draining one in the clip is a pretty good one, at about 2:30.
It was hard to pick between this and Ed Edd & Eddy.

I

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) (abbreviated as ATLA), is an animated show I watched at 7, and the only thing I gathered from it was the fact that it had some cool fight scenes, and was pretty slow paced compared to most cartoons I had seen. When I watched it again at 14, I was a lot more focused on the story, and I really enjoyed it. The plot was unique, and the main story arc lasted the entire 61 episode show. I found myself more attached to all the characters compared to cartoons that "reset" after most episodes. The antagonists aren't just an obstacle for the heroes to overcome, they had their own screen time and struggles, and I felt genuine sympathy for the villains. Coming back to it as an adult, I noticed that there were still a huge amount of subtle details that I had missed. The world is incredibly fleshed out, and the characters are dynamic and multi-faceted. I genuinely recommend this to everyone. Even my dad liked it, and he doesn't watch TV.
Below are some of the reasons I think the show deserves a watch, even for adults.

Spoilers ahead!

Avatar is a kids show, but it tackles some pretty heavy topics, including: domestic violence, sexism, trauma and PTSD, racism, and even genocide. As a kid, it was just a cool show. These topics are shown, not told, so as a kid most of it flew over my head. This deserves a watch no matter your age, and maybe even two or three! All of the elemental nations have their own culture, history, and form of government. Characters die, and die for good. Both mental health and mental illness are tackled full on.

A good scene that displays the depth of this show is this one here:

As a kid, this is just the villian having a meltdown because she lost the battle.

But as an adult, you realize that she is suffering a complete and utter psychotic break. This is the final piece in the story of an abused child's unrecoverable descent into psychosis.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5clkiJ_azL8?feature=oembed

While a suprising number of kids shows get hour long Youtube deepdives into their characters psychology (including this one),

https://www.youtube.com/embed/R4544ZUr_gA?feature=oembed

Not a lot of kid's shows get a breakdown of their characters by Dr. Carol Panetta, the President of the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis.

https://bgsp.edu/avatar-the-last-airbender/

Avatar: The Last Airbender Is not just a kids show.

M

I think “The Amazing World of Gumball” is one of the best programs that adults and children can watch and enjoy. While the mix of vibrant colors and amusing stories are a great call for children, the plot presents some situational jokes and even subtle criticisms so good that it can make any adult have fun watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zk1fHuoU_LU?feature=oembed

C

Bluey manages to give a show that's meant for toddlers and actual reason to watch as a parent or as a babysitter. Often times I've managed to relate to things that have happened in episodes

Adult jokes and often actual human-like dialogue instead of something like Peppa Pig make it more enjoyable as well

avrona's avatar

For me it's always Penguins of Madagascar. The humour is so good and not tailored to just kids, and I still watch that show pretty much every day even now at the age of 23. The humour isn't dumbed down for kids, and the lines and the joke delivery is just next-level. Keep in mind I only ever watched the Polish dub of it, which, from what I understand is a tad more "edgy" than the original English, and there's so many references that many kids won't get, especially given the penguin's very militaryish nature. There's literally even a reference to the Friendship Pipeline, a Cold War-era Soviet construction project...

Gaypengwing's avatar

I would have to say Kim Possible, although I would argue that I am a little biased when it comes to this as I cosplay the titular character.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9pFz2Dlou

There are plenty of jokes that are great for all ages but in rewatching, there are definitely some more adult ones hidden for older viewers to giggle at.

It’s also a brilliant Halloween costume idea for solo or couple costumes with Ron and Kim or Kim and Shego depending on the couple. As showcased in my cosplays inclusion in this Pop sugar article on Halloween costumes:

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/38523628/embed/48964559/p/amp

Slamscape's avatar

I think Gravity falls is leaning more toward older kids, but this show is amazing for all ages. It starts off as a light hearted show about some weird mysteries in a sleepy town called Gravity Falls, in Oregon. Twin 12 year olds Dipper and Mabel are visiting their grunkle Stan for the summer.

It has your usual silly gags and important moral lessons for the younger audience, but there is so much more to the show that leans toward older kids and adults. There are secret messages at the end credits of most of the episodes, and lots of hints in early episode foreshadowing mysteries in episodes way further into the show. It also has a lot of adult humor snuck into it as well.

The show is full of twists and turns and only continues to get more and more crazy as the show goes on. It's great for kids but has so much for adults as well, and is one of those shows that you need to watch several times to find everything.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/X2DUpDxFJyg?feature=oembed

Shovel's avatar

Oh My Gosh. It has to be The Amazing World of Gumball!!

This show is legendary i literally wrote my dissertation on it. The episodes are quick 15 minutes packed with so much story and passion. The jokes are soo funny and there are 2 sides to it (for adults and the other side for kids) and they do so many throwbacks (you wouldn’t steal a car… piracy is stealing) soo good.

The clip I included is a deep one. It’s the story of Gumballs parents and it really hit home because me and my husband when through those exact experiences (getting kicked out, getting married without my parents there). It really brought a new depth to gumball.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6tYxLEbcVYg?feature=oembed

TrialByStory's avatar

I think the original Teen Titans series on Cartoon Network (not to be confused with Teen Titans Go!) is a great example of this. It had a lot of slapstick and the same kinds of jokes you'd expect from any other kid-focused animated series, but it took on heavier subjects as well. There was an episode where Robin was fighting the demons of his own past in the form of halucinations about Slade. An episode where Raven is trying to handle alone the problems brought on by the connection she feels with a dark character in one of her books, the entire Trigon saga, and of course, everything that happened with Tara.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eHaM9BoMpSg?feature=oembed

Alucard's avatar
https://www.youtube.com/embed/H0IQBWWabuU?feature=oembed

Look at that intro!! That art style… I was “made for kids and sell toys” but I know no adult that would dare to skip an episode

JHenckes's avatar

It's so nice to be able to include in this bounty my favorite cartoon of all time, which in my opinion is also the best children's cartoon with adult appeal hahaha.

Adventure Time is incredible. It has characters with interesting stories, a very rich world, intriguing episodes and even with all that, it's a very entertaining children's cartoon.

I started to like Adventure Time when I was younger, I've watched it more than three times, and today I notice a lot of scenes that a child wouldn't understand so well, but for adults it's very clear and much funnier too.

It's a perfect cartoon, charismatic characters, extremely entertaining for anyone and with jokes that children don't understand. I'll leave a video below with several of these scenes compiled:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tkP6ng9cswA?feature=oembed

henhid's avatar

For the past seven years as a parent, I’ve had to navigate the overwhelming flood of children’s content that defines our times.

However, if there’s one show designed for kids that adults can also enjoy, it's called Masha and the Bear.

Why? Because Masha is the perfect representation of childhood innocence and curiosity, while the Bear is this parental figure who, despite having the best intentions, often doesn’t really know how to handle her. Most parents can totally relate to that. The relationship between the two makes the show fun for kids, but adults can enjoy it too because the Bear’s struggles with Masha feel very real—just like the everyday challenges of parenting, but in a lighthearted and funny way.

One of the episodes that stood out to me the most featured this song:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8LUSPRm0kyw?feature=oembed

Paul's avatar

Almost Naked Animals!

This is a great cartoon which gives real Ren and Stimpy vibes.

When my son was little we used to watch this every weekend, even if I fell asleep on the sofa, he would wake me up when it started.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/KJ3TmBIi_bA?feature=oembed

On a side note, I havnt seen or spoken to my son in a long time for various reasons that are out of my control. So thank you for reminding me of this memory.

Sturmer's avatar

While I can name plenty of shows, movies, and animations – especially since I’m rewatching many of them with my kids, some for the third time (for example, classic "Pokémon") – my pick would be the TV show "Mr. Wizard", hosted by Don Herbert.

This show focuses on physics and experiments, and though it’s aimed at a younger audience, adults can learn a lot too. The topics often cover things from our everyday world, and even after 60 years, much of it remains relevant. Plus, as an adult, you can watch it and then recreate some of the experiments with your kids!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VU2Dsm7mySk?feature=oembed

yan57436's avatar

In my experiences as an adult of finding a cartoon to watch (or watch again) I came across Avatar: The Last Airbender and simply recognized several elements that were there as a child and I simply didn't have the necessary background to understand. We have a huge approach to destiny, martial arts, ethical and moral concepts, the approach of a blind character and his “vision” of the world. I can also think of how when I was little I didn't understand Zuko's redemption and forgiveness, apart from the traumas he had experienced. Everything in this show is done in the ideal way for a child to watch and love, and an adult too!

One of the few barriers I had when watching was the quality of the first few episodes on the official platforms, but they get better later on, so you can rest easy.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ooVvH2IYz0w?feature=oembed

MURRRAAAAY's avatar

For me it’s got to be Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!the original and first 2 seasons! Though I will need to check out the newer ones sometime!

I am obviously biased as I loved this show as a kid, but now as an adult it’s one that can absolutely be watched alongside kids as it’s so unbelievably cheesy, has actually not had martial arts choreography for the fights and last but not least the incredible MegaZords! Who doesn’t love giant robots that can join together to make even bigger and badder robots!

As the Power Rangers are all decked out in a simple bright coloured suit and matching Dino MegaZords every kid is bound to pick their favourite from the bunch!

Also there is some pretty good storylines bribing the drama , in particular the classic “Greeb with evil”, which I Remeber as a kid being an OMG moment when things got real for the power rangers, which I’ve since watched again with my nephew and we were both hooked!

Also it has an absolute banger of a theme song!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nHalaFUqnTI?feature=oembed

they also even had a show for the 30th anniversary of the show on Netflix which was only ok but nice to see some of the originals back, we just needed more Zord Action!!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKE2DC7Xzog?feature=oembed

There also was a super cheesey movie version in the mid 90s and then a super underrated move from 2017 I recommend you all check out!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5kIe6UZHSXw?feature=oembed

Anyways…

ITS MORPHIN TIME!

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