Animated sitcom

An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animated, and is usually made or created for adult audiences. The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, Family Guy, South Park, and American Dad are five of the longest-running American animated sitcoms.

The Flintstones, which debuted in 1960, was the first example of the animated sitcom genre. A similar cartoon, The Jetsons, which took place in the future rather than the past, followed in 1962. Marc Blake argued it started the "science fiction sitcom sub genre".

Animated sitcoms have been more controversial than traditional cartoons from the onset. The Flintstones was originally oriented at parents, as an animated version of The Honeymooners, though it was primarily popular with children. David Bennett argued that when it was originally released, it was aimed at an adult audience, and called it the "direct ancestors" of current adult animation, because it covered adult subjects. Bennett stated that it specifically influenced The Simpsons, along with animations on Adult Swim and Netflix. His argument was confirmed by the fact that The Huckleberry Hound Show, another animated sitcom created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, became a "surprise hit with adult audiences." Even though some argued that The Flintstones later influenced The Simpsons, other scholars said that although the show caused a boom in primetime animation and "subverted conventional TV", the result would be driving animation out of primetime "for almost three decades". Despite this, scholar John Libbey argued that the show utilized "subversive qualities of animation."

From 1972 to 1974, Hanna-Barbera produced Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, an adult-oriented sitcom in the style of All in the Family. The series dealt with subjects such as feminism and the generation gap.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of animated television programs appeared which challenged the Standards & Practices guidelines, including The Simpsons, Beavis and Butt-Head, The Critic, The Brothers Grunt, Goof Troop, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, Johnny Bravo, SpongeBob SquarePants, Duckman, and All Grown Up!. In 1987, The Simpsons shorts debuted on Fox's The Tracey Ullman Show. This show aired in prime time, meaning it was not self-censored as much as programs intended to air on Saturday mornings. As such, the show would have brief nudity and mild language, while dealing with mature themes and subjects such as death, gambling addiction, religion, and suicide. The first full-length episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", debuted on December 17, 1989. It is the first American animated sitcom not to have a laugh track, unlike other animated sitcoms prior. It remained the sole English-language mainstream adult-oriented animated sitcom until the 1990s, which saw the debuts of Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, South Park, Daria, Family Guy and Futurama. Some scholars argued that Matt Groening emulated the sci-fi genre shown in The Jetsons. Futurama would be complimented for its "intelligent, scientifically accurate, and humanized" approach to adventures, romances, and parodies of sci-fi. This included the growing relationship between Fry and Leela and an "alien relationship" (Kif and Amy).

John Evershed, formerly showrunner on Happy Tree Friends and current founder of Mondo Media, argued that the "enduring popularity" of this genre is a result of The Simpsons, a massive "animation franchise," and said this proves "the time-tested formula" of the genre works, even though it was "controversial" when it was released. Evershed also said that the show made clear that animation is "more than just kids content." Others also argued that the show marked a turning point in U.S. attitudes "toward cartoons written primarily for adult audiences" The Simpsons would later win the Guinness World Records award for "Longest-running animated sitcom (by episode count)." Chris Turner, author of Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation, argued that culture and events of 1990s "can all be understood through a Simpsons prism." Some critics argued that The Simpsons was responsible for "popularizing adult animation" while influencing "satirical cartoons" like South Park and Family Guy. Others even said that The Simpsons opened the "door for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim" and praised it for being "extremely unique and ... constantly evolving." Andrew J. Crow of Time magazine noted the influence of The Simpsons on adult animation, with Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Bob's Burgers, among others, featuring some version of the same structure, while "non-family-based shows" have drawn from "Matt Groening's hyper-referential style, irreverence and slapstick humor." He quoted Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls, as describing adult animation as an "arms race of different ways to copy The Simpsons." Two of Hirsch's friends from CalArts, Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time) and J. G. Quintel (creator of Regular Show) were also inspired by The Simpsons. In 1989, The Simpsons began airing on Fox Broadcasting Company in prime time, becoming a massive hit among American audiences. In response, ABC, CBS and NBC each developed animated series to air in prime time, but none of the shows were successful. One series, Capitol Critters, focused on subjects such as gun control, interracial violence and political corruption. In his review of the series, Variety critic Brian Lowry wrote that he felt that the series' approach was "muddled", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements ... will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find the political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look". The series was cancelled after one month. The Critic was somewhat more successful, but achieved low ratings because of ABC's sporadic scheduling, and was cancelled by the network. Fox picked up the series, but cancelled it four months later. While Fox allowed The Simpsons to portray animated depictions of human buttocks, ABC would not allow similar scenes to appear on The Critic.

Others stated that it was not until the early 1990s that "cartoons specifically for adults" rather than children, did not come to "mainstream prominence" until after the success of The Simpsons, with Fox later airing King of the Hill and Family Guy both of which "generated massive audiences." As animation critic Reuben Baron described it, for a long time, "adult action/drama cartoons" were scarce on television, with only a "few cult hits and flops in the '90s", with almost nothing in the 2000s and more in the 2010s. Some critics called Duckman, based on a comic of the same, a "Simpsons-inspired sitcom" which had a pilot in 1991 and premiered in 1994 on the USA Network as part of the "network's Saturday night programming." The show features humans, animals, and hybrids of both intermingling, with "every design intentionally exaggerated and distorted", looking like the original comics, with theme music from Frank Zappa and set its sights on "1990s incarnations of political correctness and censorship", making it, a critic argued, a precursor to Family Guy and BoJack Horseman. As for King of the Hill, some noted it had the a great example of "young, adolescent love" within adult animation, specifically between Bobby and Connie. The show was also described as a "force for adult animation." In 1999, Family Guy debuted on Fox. The series was cancelled twice in the first three years, but became one of the network's longest-running series. It would later be praised for its humor, "cynical commentary, and sci-fi adventures" while having a sincere but tragic and real relationship between Brian and Pearl Burton.

Beavis and Butt-Head, which began airing in the early 1990s, another sitcom, was also controversial. This was due to its portrayal of brief nudity, profanity and violence. Although the series was intended for adult audiences, it was shown in the afternoons, and multiple parents claimed that their children had imitated the show's characters. After an incident, MTV responded by moving the series to a later airtime and adding disclaimers to future episodes stating explicitly not to imitate the actions of the characters, as well as removing all references to fire from the episodes. As Beavis and Butt-Head began entered its last season in 1997, a new adult animation began airing on MTV which was titled Daria. It would praised for its "progressive characters", sense of humor, and ability to capture absurdity of teen life in suburbs. Beginning around the same time was South Park. It became an "icon for anti-censorship and free speech" and was called "one of the most controversial shows on television."