There are plenty of things about animation that make it a magical medium, and its visual and aesthetic limitlessness is definitely one of the biggest. Creators can do absolutely anything they can imagine with animation, and if that’s a twistedly trippy and psychedelic show, then so be it. Over the years, there have been plenty of TV series that meet those qualities.
From Adult Swim classics to full-fledged children shows that have been giving kids nightmares for decades, history’s trippiest animated TV shows prove that you don’t need foreign substances to have a transcendental experience. They can be funny, they can be scary, and they can be unforgettable unsettling, but one thing they never fail to be is entertaining.
10
‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ (1999–2022)
Created by John Dilworth
One of Cartoon Network’s most iconic shows ever, Courage the Cowardly Dog debuted in 1996 as an animated short that received an Oscar nomination, which it lost to Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave. The short was then greenlit to become the show that every kid who grew up watching knows, loves, and has traumatizing memories with.
Indeed, Courage the Cowardly Dog is one of the creepiest kids’ shows ever, with a trippy atmosphere that feels like it was plucked right out of a David Lynch film. It’s fascinating in its creativity and surprisingly shameless in its depiction of violence, but sometimes, even the little ones of the family deserve a nightmare-inducing surreal experience.
9
‘Rick and Morty’ (2013–)
Created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland
Inconsistent though its later seasons may be, one thing remains true: Rick and Morty is still one of the best sci-fi sitcoms currently on television. People love its complex storytelling and layered character arcs, its sophisticated yet silly sense of humor, and its delightful meta aspects. It’s incredibly well written and visually stunning throughout.
The show, when it needs to be, can also be undeniably trippy. Episodes like “Mortynight Run” and “Total Rickall” are mind-bending and irreverent in all the right ways, and some of the gags, visuals, and stories of several other episodes are also quasi-hallucinatory. Not the entirety of Rick and Morty is trippy, but a good deal of it certainly is.
8
‘Adventure Time’ (2010–2018)
Created by Pendleton Ward
Yet another one of Cartoon Network’s most iconic TV shows ever, Adventure Time is a cult classic like no other the network has ever produced. Drawing inspiration from all sorts of different fantasy media, the show wears its influences out on its sleeve, and that’s a huge part of why audiences love it so much. It’s also a big part of why it has a basis more than strong enough to get experimental when it wants to.
Everything about the show seems ripe for psychedelic qualities, which it often exploits to their fullest potential. Its simple yet surreal visuals are a delight, its absurd sense of humor is irresistible, and its trippy tone makes it hard not to feel fully invested in the story, characters, and themes. It’s why it’s often praised as one of the best animated fantasy TV shows ever.
7
‘Smiling Friends’ (2020–)
Created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel
Smiling Friends is one of the best comedy shows of the decade so far, one of Adult Swim’s most bizarre and surreal projects ever, which is saying an awful lot. There’s no mistaking what one is getting into. From the first episode, Smiling Friends makes it abundantly clear that it likes to get really weird really often.
It’s precisely that surreal tone, those psychedelic visuals, and that colorful atmosphere that has garnered it a huge cult following, though. It can get grotesque, it can get chaotic, and it always gets unsettling, but that’s precisely the source of its charm. For people looking for a show that’ll have them scratching their heads in fascinated confusion every single episode, this one seems perfect.
6
‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ (1995–1996)
Created by Hideaki Anno
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most important and influential anime series in history, spawning a highly successful franchise that includes movies, manga, and other media. It has aged like fine wine, largely thanks to the brilliant way in which it deals with timeless themes like religion, human nature, and psychology.
Ripe for analysis of all sorts, but also undeniably entertaining throughout, Neon Genesis Evangelion is easily one of the most masterful anime shows of the ’90s. It’s also one of the trippiest anime series ever produced, both in its visuals and in its narrative, particularly as the story progresses into its ending—culminating in the film The End of Evangelion, which is the trippiest of all.
5
‘Ugly Americans’ (2010–2012)
Created by Devin Clark and David M. Stern
One of Comedy Central’s best and most underrated gems, Ugly Americans proved somewhat divisive among critics upon release, but audiences love it. It’s simple enough, largely relying on silly gags and goofy slapstick as the basis of its episodes, but there’s an undeniable magic in those kinds of stripped-down sitcoms.
Ugly Americans is absolutely hilarious, full of gags that have aged like fine wine and visuals that still look exquisite over a decade later. They’re not conventional visuals by any metric—quite the contrary. Ugly Americans is full of transgressive animation and psychedelic moments, all of which make it unsurprising that it’s grown the cult following that it has throughout the years.
4
‘Superjail!’ (2007–2014)
Created by Christy Karacas, Ben Gruber, and Stephen Warbrick
Another Adult Swim gem, this one fully focused on delivering graphic violence and intentionally psychedelic visuals with a trippy tone, Superjail! is one of the best animated series for adults. Everything about it, from its humor to its animation, delivers the kind of hyper-complex experience that demands—and deserves—a re-watch or two in order to be fully appreciated.
Thankfully, Superjail! is endlessly bingeable and remarkably easy to rewatch. Its reliance on shock value and surreal visuals are definitely an acquired taste, and will certainly not fit every palate; but for people who enjoy that kind of thing, it’s a must-see. It’s a spectacularly produced show with visuals that are impossible to not, at the very least, have profound admiration for.
3
‘The Tatami Galaxy’ (2010)
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa
Perhaps the trippiest anime series ever made, The Tatami Galaxy is based on a 2004 novel by Tomihiko Morimi. It’s a great novel, but there’s an argument to be made that the adaptation is even more unforgettable. Its fast pace, overwhelming colors, and excessive energy are definitely not for everyone, but those with the stomach for it are in for the ride of their lives.
Tatami Galaxy only gets better and better with each episode, with some gorgeous storytelling and enrapturing visuals that keep your eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end. It’s one of the best avant-garde anime series ever, full of experimental moments and visuals that somehow work perfectly. The substance may not be flawless, but the style is so unique that any and all shortcomings are easy to forgive..
2
‘Æon Flux’ (1991–1995)
Created by Peter Chung
Back in the early 1990s, MTV began producing full-length animated series, starting with the experimental animation showcase Liquid Television. It was Liquid Television that saw the origin of Æon Flux as a six-part serial, which was then followed by more episodes. Not to be confused with the critically-panned 2005 Hollywood adaptation starring Charlize Theron, the show is one of the most brilliant avant-garde animated series in history.
A biopunk and dystopian masterpiece full of psychedelic imagery that makes sure to ingrain itself in the mind of the viewer, Æon Flux is one of the most criminally underrated adult animated shows ever. It is, simply put, one of the most creative works of art ever to come out of American television, with a trippy tone and surreal visuals that are an absolute treat.
1
‘The Midnight Gospel’ (2020)
Created by Duncan Trussell
Tragically cancelled by Netflix after only one short-lived season, The Midnight Gospel is one of the 2020s’ most underrated small-screen gems, as well as one of the best animated offerings on the streaming giant’s platform. Its delightful gimmick is that it shows real podcast interviews between creator Duncan Trussell and his guests with events that are often entirely unrelated happening in the background.
One might think that this would grow old pretty quickly, but it never does. The Midnight Gospel always has a fascinating topic to talk about in a fresh, engaging way, from drug use, to existentialism, to the duality of life and death. But what makes it truly special is that these compelling topics are always shown alongside some of the trippiest, most exquisitely psychedelic visuals that animated television has ever been treated to.