With Netflix Originals not only winning Emmys, but now Academy Awards as well it's safe to say that the service has come a long way from the days when its original programming consisted of niche little shows that most subscribers barely noticed. As more and more of Netflix's content consists of original programming, the variety of shows offered covers just about every style and genre imaginable— including animation.
Whether viewers are looking for kids' cartoons or more adult-aimed animation, Netflix has it all. But not all of Netflix's original animated series are worth binging— or even watching at all. Animation in particular can be easy to be misled by, as some of the prettiest-looking shows are often some of the worst when it comes to their actual quality.
Updated On December 4th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci: Animation has been a major point of debate for Netflix in recent years, as the streaming giant has cut back on many of its animated projects, canceling several series before they even aired. While not all of Netflix's animated endeavors have been particularly well-received, many were outraged at the company's lack of effort to sustain such projects, claiming that there are more praiseworthy animated originals than there are those that are poorly received.
Worst
Farzar (2022)
Farzar is an animated Netflix original series that debuted earlier this year. The cartoon, which currently consists of a single 10-episode season, follows a group of space rangers battling a group of malevolent aliens that threaten the very existence of human civilization.
Though the series attempts to elevate itself with an early twist that turns its premise on its head, Farzar struggles to find its audience. Though aimed at adults, much of its comedy feels immature and bland, making it seem unlikely that the sci-fi cartoon will be renewed for a second season, especially given Netflix's recent cutbacks in animation.
Tekken: Bloodline (2022)
Tekken: Bloodline is an animated series designed as a tie-in to the popular video game franchise of the same name. The six-episode miniseries explores the backstory of Tekken 3 character Jin Kazama and his rise to become a fighter.
While Bloodline isn't an affront to fans of the franchise, it does little to add to the series in any meaningful way. The character of Jin Kazama may indeed be more well-rounded, but there is little else of value in this series, which feels somewhat hollow by the time it has ended.
The Cuphead Show! (2022)
The Cuphead Show is one of Netflix's latest animated offerings, following the exploits of the eponymous video game character and his brother Mugman as they engage in various slapstick adventures, all while being pursued by the Devil himself.
Unlike the infamously difficult video game, The Cuphead Show does little to challenge its audience, providing meager slapstick comedy and uninspired stories. Nevertheless, the series has proven to be rather popular, inciting a second and third-season renewal that bodes well for the franchise as a whole.
Hero Mask (2018-2019)
Anime fans are always skeptical when a non-Japanese company spearheads a new anime project, and, given the spotty history thereof, they are right to be. Therefore, even the most optimistic of anime fans remained cautious when Netflix first began wading into bringing out Netflix Originals that were styled as anime series.
One of the aspects that is so hard to get right about anime is not falling into the same old well-worn clichés, and that's exactly where Hero Mask goes wrong. It's a crime thriller with fantasy elements, which is one of the most crowded genres in all of anime— and it does almost nothing to stand out from that pack. The animation is fine, but big-budget anime animation typically is... and that's not reason enough to stick with this unremarkable series when better options exist.
Kong: King Of The Apes (2016-2018)
King Kong may be one of the all-time classic movie creatures, but he's unfortunately been part of more disappointing projects than good— and the animated Netflix adaptation of the character in Kong: King of the Apes might just be one of the worst.
Reinventing King Kong for a younger audience isn't a terrible idea in and of itself, but transporting him to the future where he has to battle an army of robot dinosaurs wasn't the way to go about it. The supporting cast of human and animal characters that feel like rejected 1990s breakfast cereal mascots only makes the series all the more insulting to the average viewer.
Paradise PD (2018-2022)
Shows like South Park and Family Guy certainly thrive on being politically incorrect, but, at their best, there are still actual jokes happening. Unfortunately, a lot of people miss that key component of what makes good vulgar humor work, taking the wrong lessons into trying to replicate their success, as is the case with Paradise PD.
Following the blueprint of series like Brickleberry and Bordertown, Netflix's Paradise PD thinks that just being offensive is inherently funny in and of itself— and it isn't. Paradise PD has already earned a legion of fans that are primed and ready to automatically dismiss anyone who doesn't like it as simply too easily offended, wearing their support of the show like some kind of badge of rebellion against an overly-PC world. The thing is, there are shows out there that are politically incorrect and funny. Paradise PD isn't one of them.
The Boss Baby: Back In Business (2018-2020)
Someone needs to tell DreamWorks that they don't need to turn all of their movies into Netflix series. To be fair, the partnership between the two companies has led to some great animated series... but it also brought audiences The Boss Baby: Back in Business.
The actual The Boss Baby movie was only a hit with the youngest of moviegoers. The charm that it had was thanks to Alec Baldwin's fun turn as the titular infant— and needless to say, he didn't reprise his role here. Without Baldwin, as well as Steve Buscemi, Tobey Maguire, Lisa Kudrow, and Jimmy Kimmel, the premise of the movie makes for a weak TV series.
Tarzan And Jane (2017-2018)
There are some legacy fictional characters that are really hard to adapt properly and seem to get bad adaptations far more often than good ones. Tarzan, originally created by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, has had a few bright spots in his time off the pages and on the screen, but those have been the exception. More often than not, those adaptations are as lackluster as Netflix's Tarzan and Jane.
Viewers shouldn't let some initial visual and tonal similarities to Disney's charming 1999 Tarzan animated film fool them— Tarzan and Jane will quickly squander that goodwill minutes into the first episode. While there's nothing inherently wrong with trying to reinvent a classic character with a fresh take, giving Tarzan special powers and making Jane a hip big-city girl just doesn't work. Even King Kong's bizarre appearance in the series can't save it.
Neo Yokio (2017-2018)
Neo Yokio is considered by many to be one of the worst Netflix Originals ever made. The brainchild of Vampire Weekend front-man Ezra Koening, Neo Yokio is produced by the generally-reliable Production I.G. and features top-tier voice talent that includes Jude Law, Susan Sarandon, and Jason Schwartzman.
The actors sound bored and deadpan, especially lead Jaden Smith, who seems utterly uninterested in the material. The animation looks strangely amateurish and low-budget for a Netflix show, and not a single character looks remotely unique or memorable. And worst of all, the show never feels as clever or ironic as it thinks it is, perhaps its worst crime of all.
Best
Arcane (2021-Present)
The well-received Arcane: League of Legends is a tie-in series exploring the characters of Vi and Jinx from the original video game. With a star-studded lead cast spearheaded by Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell, the series quickly became one of Netflix's most popular releases.
While few expected much from this spinoff series, Arcane quickly became considered to be one of the best video game adaptations of all time. The series combined breathtaking animation with surprisingly genuine emotion, becoming a surefire hit that will certainly run for many more seasons to come.
Oddballs (2022)
Oddballs is a new animated series set in a world following the likeness of creator James Rallison's art style, as seen on his Youtube channel, TheOdd1sOut. The series follows a fictionalized version of James as he goes on a series of misadventures with his best friend Max, an anthropomorphic crocodile.
While the first season of Oddballs is anything but perfect, longtime fans of Rallison's work will surely be appeased by his signature art and humor, which are on full display in this series. Oddballs also increases the production style of Rallison's stories, making for a much smoother art form than his fans may be used to from his Youtube videos.
Big Mouth (2017-Present)
Co-created by comedian Nick Kroll and featuring a talented voice cast that includes himself as well as Jordan Peele, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, and John Mulaney, Big Mouth initially earned a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for each of its two seasons. The show follows a group of middle schoolers who are navigating life at that age, and all of the awkward, inappropriate hilarity that comes with it.
Following in the tradition of animated series like Beavis and Butt-head, Big Mouth has an intentionally off-putting— some would even say outright unappealing— visual style, but it perfectly serves the show's gross-out subject matter. As with any show of this type, the vulgar humor won't sit well with everyone, but it has certainly found its audience regardless.
Tales Of Arcadia (2017-2021)
Visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro originally envisioned Tales of Arcadia some years ago as a live-action series, but soon realized that it would be difficult to pull off from a budgetary perspective so he just made it a book instead. Then, DreamWorks wanted to adapt the book into an animated movie, and that plan eventually resulted in an excellent Netflix series of the same name.
The entire Tales of Arcadia franchise— which includes Trollhunters, 3Below, and Wizards— is great for kids and adults alike, anyone who is into sci-fi fantasy. The passing of lead actor Anton Yelchin in 2016 definitely cast a shadow over the series, but Emile Hirsch has done a decent job taking over the role of Jim the Trollhunter.
Disenchantment (2018-Present)
When it was announced that Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and Futurama, was doing another animated series, it was obviously a big deal. That it was going to be on Netflix was cause for even more excitement, as it meant Groening would be afforded more creative freedom to really let loose than he's probably had in his TV career up until now.
Netflix's Disenchantment has definitely proven a bit polarizing, but that's to be expected of a show with such high expectations. The first season isn't as good as Groening's other offerings, but that isn't to say that it's not still a blast, and, with the origin stories and world-building of season one out of the way, subsequent seasons saw Disenchantment really hit its stride.
A.I.C.O. -Incarnation- (2017-2019)
Though Netflix has had its struggles with anime, the streaming service is known for producing more good projects under the anime umbrella than bad. For proof of this, interested audiences need to look no further than A.I.C.O., an anime based on the popular manga of the same name that has been running since 2017.
Directed by Kazuya Murata, whose filmography goes back to Studio Ghibli's Porco Rosso, A.I.C.O. has elements of Ghost in the Shell and should please fans of that classic as well as people who enjoy any anime with a heavy sci-fi bent and a strong female lead (only, in this case, without the fan service). It seems that the story has already been wrapped up in A.I.C.O.'s single 12-episode season, but when it comes to anime, the best series are often the ones that don't overstay their welcome.
The Magic School Bus Rides Again (2017-2020)
As soon as The Magic School Bus Rides Again was announced, the all-too-familiar chorus of, "Another reboot that will ruin my childhood!" sprang up, even before a single second of the show was revealed. Putting aside all of the 30-somethings that had strong feelings about a show they hadn't yet seen and that they also aren't the target demographic for, Rides Again launched to mostly positive responses from fans of the old show and newcomers alike.
While Lily Tomlin returns to reprise her role as Ms. Frizzle, she largely takes a back seat to her younger sister and the new lead character, Fiona Frizzle, played by the incomparable Kate McKinnon.
F Is For Family (2015-2021)
One fun thing that Netflix has revived is the tradition of letting comedians create and star in cartoons, something that was at its peak in the late-80s and early-90s. In this case, rant-based comedian Bill Burr brings us F is for Family— also executive produced by Vince Vaughn— an animated series that feels like something of a throwback to family-based cartoon sitcoms like King of the Hill, only not nearly as family-friendly.
Also starring Laura Dern, Justin Long, and Sam Rockwell, F is for Family is actually a lot more sentimental than one might expect from a show from Bill Burr with a title that recalls the foulest of curse words. Make no mistake, there is plenty of vulgarity but it isn't crass just for the sake of being crass.
Skylanders Academy (2016-2018)
As a character, Spyro the Dragon has had an interesting career. First, he was the star in a trilogy of excellent 3D platformers by developer Insomniac Games. Then, he struggled a bit in the transition to new developers as Insomniac moved on to Ratchet & Clank. Finally, in 2011, he had a bit of a renaissance as the lead character in the Skylanders franchise, which featured collectible figures that players could buy that turned into in-game characters.
Though Skylanders has since moved away from Spyro being front and center, he is still a primary character in this charming animated adaptation. Even better, pal Crash Bandicoot also later joined the cast, making this a two-for-one for fans of the golden age of PlayStation platform stars.
B: The Beginning (2018-Present)
Combining elements of the Sherlock Holmes franchise with criminals reminiscent of Batman's Rogues Gallery, B: The Beginning also has some of the most breathtaking fight scene animations in years. There's a lot more to B than action, though, as the most entertaining moments in the series come courtesy of the sibling-like volatility between grumpy lead detective Keith and his peppy partner, Lily.
If there are any major gripes to be found with B, it's that the villains are a bit cookie-cutter, and the investigation surrounding the show's primary big bad follows the usual familiar beats of a detective story like this. But, the strong foundation laid in season one certainly went in more interesting and unexpected directions for the subsequent batch of episodes.
Cupcake & Dino: General Services (2018-2019)
Cupcake & Dino: General Services is very much cut from the same cloth as Cartoon Network shows like The Amazing World of Gumball and Uncle Grandpa in the most positive way possible. With a wonderfully weird cast of characters that includes exactly what the title suggests— a dinosaur and an anthropomorphic cupcake— Cupcake & Dino's "let's do odd jobs" premise serves no real purpose other than giving the show an excuse to go completely random and ridiculous places, and that's exactly why it works.
With a unique visual style that combines hand-drawn animation with live-action footage borrowed directly from Shutterstock, Cupcake & Dino will immediately capture the imagination of viewers both young and young at heart.
Devilman Crybaby (2018)
Even most of the best Netflix Original anime somewhat teeters on the edge of "good for Netflix." But that isn't the case at all for Devilman Crybaby, which needs no such exceptions in describing how great it is. If anything, Devilman Crybaby might almost be described as "too good for Netflix."
Being called the 2018 Anime of the Year by Crunchyroll, Devilman Crybaby might be a bit too crazy, too dark, too obtuse, and too naughty for the typical viewer of Netflix animated fare. But it certainly helped to announce that Netflix is a service that is capable of authentic, no-punches-pulled anime, and it hopefully made as many new anime fans among Netflix subscribers as it did please existing ones.
Carmen Sandiego (2019-2021)
Audience members under the age of 25 have likely crossed paths with the character of Carmen Sandiego in some form. Some are old enough to primarily know her as the villain in a series of educational video games while others are most familiar with the Lynne Thigpen-hosted game show. Either way, fans should be happy that she's back in such a fantastic new animated series, and that she's being introduced to a younger generation in such an awesome way.
Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) is the perfect casting choice to play the new incarnation of Carmen, who is more of a Robin Hood-type figure this time around rather than a straight-up thief, rounding out her character in a new and interesting way.
Aggretsuko (2016-2018)
After finding success in a series of animated shorts on TBS, Sanrio creation Aggretsuko eventually got the full-series treatment on Netflix when it premiered last April. The show is a black comedy that deals with things like satirizing commercialism and corporate culture as well as featuring heaping doses of complete absurdity.
It's tough to definitively call this the best Netflix Original anime series, but it is more accessible to the average viewer than series like Devilman Crybaby. That, and Aggretsuko got to have a standalone Christmas special that hilariously skewed social media in the most brilliant manner this side of Black Mirror's "Nosedive."
Sword Gai: The Animation (2018)
If there is one thing Netflix has— sometimes inexplicably so— it's money to spend on its original programming. In terms of much of its anime, that willingness to spend has meant some really breathtaking work from a visual standpoint. But as we all know, especially when it comes to anime, pretty art isn't everything.
Sword Gai looks objectively stunning, from incredibly detailed character art to buttery smooth fight sequences. It all looks so gorgeous that it's easy to miss how utterly bland and forgettable the story is.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power (2018-2020)
It's ironic that the primary complaint from people about the new Netflix She-Ra cartoon is how bad the animation supposedly looks. Apparently, those people have some seriously skewed nostalgia for the 1980s original, because high-quality animation was the last thing it was known for.
All that aside, most of the people who actually bothered to give She-Ra and the Princesses of Power a chance found it to be a great modern action cartoon in the vein of Steven Universe. We would even go so far as to call it superior to the original in overall quality, though that comes with the caveat that the two shows are of two very different eras and probably have slightly different target demos— more specifically, the new She-Ra is a bit more for girls than the original probably actually was.
Castlevania (2017-2021)
Expectations for the Netflix series based on Castlevania were almost non-existent when it was first announced given the general reputation of video game adaptations in popular media. The series, however, changed that notion entirely.
While admittedly a little slow to get going, once Castlevania got the origins and worldbuilding out of the way, it took off like a whip and proved itself to be perhaps the best video game adaptation of all time. Castlevania is simply a great fantasy/action animated series, and one of Netflix's best anime offerings.
BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
It's easy to dismiss BoJack Horseman for its bizarre title and absurd premise, but to do so would be to miss out on one of the best shows currently on television right now. No, really. After a somewhat rocky first season, BoJack has been crushing it in its subsequent seasons, each with its own critical acclaim.
What began as a show commenting on a well-worn topic— the fickle nature of fame and celebrity culture— with seemingly little new to say on the subject beyond its man/horse protagonist, BoJack soon evolved into a whip-smart and relentlessly clever series and has remained one ever since. That it features a veritable whose-who of the best voice talent of the last decade is just the icing on the cake.