Summary
- Animation has evolved from black & white stills to current CGI & hundreds of frames per sec.
- Shows like Looney Tunes pave the way for animation genres; some series last a lifetime.
- Top Western animated series include Futurama, Adventure Time, & Arthur, with over 100 episodes each.
Western Animation is one of the most successful animation industries in the world. There have been thousands of animated series and films released since the first cartoon, The Humorous Phases Of Funny Phases, made in 1906. Animation has come a long way from black and white stills to current computer-generated graphics and hundreds of frames per second.
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Shows like The Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse have paved the way for animation to cross over into every genre possible. While there are an endless number of animated series available, there are a small number that last a lifetime. Here are some of the best Western animated series with over 100 episodes.
8 Futurama (140 Episodes)
A Collection Of Hilarious Hijinks And Adult Comedy
Futurama
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- March 28, 1999
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 10
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Prime Video
Futurama is an animated series that first aired in the early 2000s and brought a hilarious take on the sci-fi genre. Phillip J. Fry was an ordinary burnout with a low-end pizza delivery job until he accidentally became frozen for one thousand years.
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Upon being defrosted, Fry found himself in a futuristic age with his best years in front of him, with the universe as his oyster. Futurama takes Fry and a colorful cast of characters on wild adventures across the universe as interstellar deliveries. Futurama has overcome multiple cancellations and always finds its way back into fans' hearts with over twelve seasons and one hundred and forty episodes.
7 Adventure Time (283 Episodes)
A Fantastical Series That Defines Childhood
Adventure Time
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2010 - 2018-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 10
In the days of Cartoon Network's later years, one of the flagship series was Adventure Time. Created by Pendleton Ward, Adventure Time followed the human boy, Jake, who found himself in a magical and mysterious world, where he went on a slew of adventures with his loyal partner, Jake the shapeshifting dog.
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Adventure Time perfectly bottled childhood fantasy and melded with sensitive themes that gave it weight and depth. The series lasted for over two hundred episodes; Adventure Time is still one of the most celebrated series, alongside Steven Universe and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
6 Arthur (253 Episodes)
An Original Childhood Cartoon That Thousands Watched Growing Up
Arthur
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1996 - 2022-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 25
- Story By
- steven crowder
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
Arthur is a classic animated series that originally began airing during the mid-1990s; the show was portrayed as an educational and entertainment series meant for children from ages four to eight. The show follows Arthur, an animorphic young man going through his adolescent life, from school struggles, bullying, and familial life.
The series was the longest-running animated series of all time until it was surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants. With over twenty seasons, Arthur has cemented itself as one of the most fantastic animated series of all time.
5 SpongeBob SquarePants (303 episodes)
A Classic Show That Has Lasted Multiple Generations
SpongeBob SquarePants
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- May 1, 1999
- Network
- Nickelodeon
- Showrunner
- Vincent Waller, Marc Ceccarelli
- Seasons
- 16
- Story By
- Stephen Hillenburg
SpongeBob SquarePants is perhaps one of the most successful and most popular shows on this list, having lasted over multiple generations and shaped the childhoods of millions. SpongeBob SquarePants is an episodic adventure that follows the series' namesake. SpongeBob lives under the ocean and lives among sea life as a fry cook for a local restaurant called the Krusty Krab.
SpongeBob goes on many adventures and must even save his little home on multiple occasions with a laundry list of adorable sea creatures. SpongeBob SquarePants has a total of fifteen seasons, with its sixteenth already being greenlit.
4 South Park (328 Episodes)
The Wildest Series In History That Continues To Push The Limits Of Adult Animation
South Park
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- August 13, 1997
- Network
- Comedy Central
- Showrunner
- Trey Parker
- Seasons
- 28
South Park is a Comedy Central original series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The show follows the adventures of a small group of close-knit middle school kids who live in South Park, Colorado, and try to deal with the everyday life of adolescents.
The series takes off from here and begins to tackle societal differences, political climates, and religious beliefs in the most satirical fashion possible, from the children taking on the Devil, fending off Kanye West, and even fighting against the President of the United States. South Park has gone on for twenty-seven seasons and is still going strong, with numerous specials released frequently.
3 American Dad (388 Episodes)
A Raunchy Addition To The MacFarlaneverse
American Dad!
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- February 6, 2005
WHERE TO WATCH
- Showrunner
- Seth MacFarlane
- Seasons
- 22
Seth MacFarlane is well known for his roster of shows that he personally crafts and voices, which go on to be sensational, binge-worthy comedies. American Dad is one of several McFarlane shows, following the everyday lives of a blue-collar family known as the Smiths.
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Starring Stan Smith, a CIA operative, his loving wife Francine, son and daughter Steve and Hailey, their talking pet goldfish, and their roommate alien. The hijinks are never-ending as the family tackles everything from a haunted hot tub to an unrelenting blood feud with Santa Claus. American Dad has over three hundred episodes. American Dad is the gift that keeps on giving.
2 Family Guy (438 Episodes)
The Flagship Series Of Seth McFarlane
Family Guy
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 31, 1999
- Network
- FOX
- Showrunner
- Seth MacFarlane
- Seasons
- 24
Family Guy is the crown jewel of Seth MacFarlane's animated shows universe, being one of the longest-running and most celebrated of his creations. Family Guy is a family comedy that focuses on Peter Griffin, his wife Lois, his three children, and his dog.
What started as a simple slapstick comedy series has evolved into some of the wildest concepts, from time travel to complete musical episodes. For over twenty-six years, Family Guy has continued to up the ante with just how outrageous it can get and leave its fans dying from laughter.
1 The Simpsons (790 Episodes)
The Longest Running Animated Series In History
The Simpsons
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- December 17, 1989
WHERE TO WATCH
- Showrunner
- Al Jean
- Seasons
- 37
- Story By
- Matt Groening and James L. Brooks
The Simpsons is highly regarded as the greatest animated series of all time. With a legacy spanning more than thirty years and over seven hundred episodes, The Simpsons has entertained entire generations of families. Homer Simpson is the everyman of society, working a blue-collar job and just trying to make ends meet for his loving family.
The show follows the everyday hijinks of Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Lucy as they take on challenging struggles of maturity, societal and environmental change, and a few surprises along the way. The Simpsons shows no signs of slowing down and still continues to push out original stories every season.
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