For years Robot Chicken dominated our Best Sketch animated series, and for good reason, the show is fantastic. But then something happened, EVERYONE started doing them. Moreover, the sketch category is slowly morphing into more of an anthology category, but both genres aren’t mature enough yet in adult animation to grow them apart, just yet…that’s why we have them combined here. I actually think anthology surpasses sketch in the coming years in terms of quantity, especially with the success of Netflix’s Love Death + Robots which is constantly hovering around Emmy categories every year.
6) Robot Chicken
Streaming: HBO MAX
Let’s hope Adult Swim’s answer to Saturday Night Live never, ever, dies.
5) The Paloni Show: Halloween Special
The Paloni Show is consistently entertaining and a fun way to spend the Halloween season even if every segment in the special doesn’t completely justify its existence. Unfortunately, more of the material in The Paloni Show turns out to be forgettable than a tease of the start of something great. There’s a lot of unnecessary material to wade through, but installments like “Bet It Was Becca,” “The Dreston,” “Megahex, Devil’s Night,” and “The Killer Bathtub” do leave a lasting impression and show what’s possible in future versions of this special. On that note, while not a total success, it’s still a good idea for Hulu to experiment with more Paloni Show animation anthology specials. “Megahex, Devil’s Night, “The Dreston,” and the Paloni family themselves are the only installments that scream spin-off potential, but it’s worthwhile to get such an explosion of diverse voices and animated talent. This hopefully isn’t the last that audiences will see of both The Paloni Show, but also some of the series within its first holiday special.
4) Hammer and Bolter
One of Warhammer’s best series, and a great reason to at least check out the TV service for the month.
3) Love Death + Robots
After some previous doubts, volume three of Love, Death + Robots is the firmware update that this anthology series needed. These are all an entertaining expansion to the existing collection of episodes, but it’s still somewhat expendable in the grander scope of Netflix’s programming and edgy animated content in general. There are a few fresh voices who are brought in as directors and writers this time around, but mixing things up even more in the show’s future would help Love, Death + Robots avoid repeating itself. If this turns out to be the end of Love, Death + Robots then it’s done a successful job at telling some extremely strange, unconventional, and aesthetically gorgeous stories, but hopefully there’s still more of this high-minded mechanical madness on the way. May humanity collectively buffer in the meantime.
2) The Boys: Diabolical
The Boys: Diabolical only has eight episodes that average out to 12 minutes each, which means that the whole season runs the same length as a tight movie. However, there’s so much more for the audience to pull from this experience. There’s so much to love in The Boys: Diabolical, a playful, passionate, painful series that everyone should give a shot.
1) Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Tales of the Jedi is the perfect anthology series for people who want to expand on what the movies and prior animated series initially presented. I haven’t enjoyed anything Star Wars related since Rebels was out. Yeah, ever since the DisneyXD days, I finally found something I am 100% behind. Hopefully, we get more next year. This was the perfect addition we needed.