While we may be past the Golden Age of animation, there are still several underrated animated shows vying for our attention and fighting it out on screens. Times have changed, and with streaming investing heavily in animation, fans have so many options, and every kind of audience has a show to look forward to.
The following lists 10 of the most underrated animated shows that will be classics years from now. They will be talked about for their rewatchability, visual ambition, writing, and animation quality. Here are 10 animated shows that will soon be cult hits.
10. Praise Petey
Created by former SNL head writer Anna Drezen and executive-produced by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, this Freeform comedy follows Petra “Petey” St. Barts, a New York socialite who inherits a small town called New Utopia, only to discover that her late father ran it as a cult.
Petey sets out to modernize the cult and end its human sacrifices. It aired during the 2023 dual Hollywood strikes and drew few viewers, leading to cancellation after just ten episodes. It ranks last because its cult premise is genuinely inventive, but its thin single-season footprint has slowed word-of-mouth growth so far.
9. Human Resources
A spinoff of Big Mouth set in the offices of Hormone Monsters, Human Resources is one of those underrated animated shows that is not as famous as its flagship show, but it is really good. Aidy Bryant’s eager Lovebug Emmy anchors the ensemble alongside Hugh Jackman’s Addiction Angel and David Thewlis’s Shame Wizard.
Human Resources ran two seasons before folding its characters back into Big Mouth‘s farewell run. Despite good writing and incredible performances, the show’s 9th ranking is due to its connection to Big Mouth. It works less independently and is great when taken with the flagship show.
8. Digman!
Andy Samberg’s next sitcom after Brooklyn Nine Nine goes into the world of archeologists, but this is not Indiana Jones. Joining hands with his B-99 writer Neil Campbell, the show is set in a world where archeologists are treated like celebrities, while one Rip Digman struggles to find relevance again.
Frequently compared to Rick and Morty for its joke density and genre-blending, it earned a second season that aired in July 2025. It ranks eighth because it already has steady renewal momentum and a Lonely Island pedigree, but Comedy Central’s shrinking animation footprint keeps it from reaching a wider streaming audience.
7. The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy
Medical shows are so in these days, and The Second Hospital in the Galaxy offers a comedic and animated take on the genre. The show follows two surgeons and best friends who treat various kinds of illnesses across the galaxy. It is created by Russian Doll writer Cirocco Dunlap and stars Kieran Culkin, Stephanie Hsu, Natasha Lyonne, and Keke Palmer.
Two seasons have aired. It ranks seventh because it has real staying power and a built-in showrunner pedigree, but Futurama comparisons have kept it from developing its own distinct identity yet.
6. Inside Job
Gravity Falls writer Shion Takeuchi created Inside Job, following an organization that treats all conspiracy theories as real and sees multiple agents attempting high-level cover-ups. Lizzy Caplan and Clark Duke star as the dynamic duo Regan, the tech genius, and Brett, a newly minted business bro who joins Cognito Inc.
The Netflix series only had a two-season run (technically one season released in two parts), with the streamer cancelling a second season despite renewing it a few months earlier. The writing is slick, and the humor is weird, but what makes it stand out in the mid-section is how many fans it already has, with many calling it one of the most underrated animated shows, and how much it is predicted to have a cult status.
5. Long Story Short
BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg reunited with designer Lisa Hanawalt and Tornante Television for this Netflix series following the Jewish American Schwooper family across decades, told in a nonlinear structure that jumps between childhood, adulthood, and old age.
It premiered in August 2025 to acclaim, won the 2026 WGA Award for Animation, and was renewed for a second season before season one even aired. It ranks fifth because it’s the newest entry on the underrated animated shows list with the clearest institutional backing, but it’s still building the kind of grassroots devotion that defined Bob-Waksberg’s earlier work.
4. Pantheon
The anime-inspired sci-fi show, Pantheon, already has a fan following, though it is still not up there with other animated Netflix properties like Blue Eye Samurai, making it one of the most underrated animated shows on the streamer. It deals with themes of grief and death while following an uploaded consciousness plot.
AMC cancelled it after one season for a tax write-down despite a completed second season, then quietly released both seasons on Prime Video before Netflix picked up the full, self-contained story. It ranks fourth because its finished narrative arc, philosophical depth on AI and the singularity, and newfound Netflix visibility make it primed for rediscovery.
3. Undone
Amazon Prime Video’s Undone is a fully rotoscoped animation series, tracing over live-action footage to render a surreal, painterly world, which was a first for television in general. The sci-fi show sees Alma Winograd-Diaz gaining the ability to move through time after a near-fatal car crash and investigating the death of her dad.
The completed two-season run functions as a self-contained mystery about grief, mental health, and perception. It ranks third because its technical innovation and emotional weight already command devoted admiration, even though its unconventional animation style has limited its audience reach.
2. Common Side Effects
Created by Scavengers Reign‘s Joe Bennett and Veep writer Steve Hely, and executive produced by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, this Adult Swim thriller follows former lab partners Marshall and Frances after Marshall discovers a mushroom capable of healing nearly any ailment, and the DEA, Big Pharma, and international operatives who want it gone.
Adult Swim renewed it for a second season two days before the finale even aired. It ranks second because its momentum is immediate and measurable: critical unanimity, a fast renewal, and a genre mashup of conspiracy thriller and surrealist comedy unlike anything else currently airing.
1. Scavengers Reign
Created by Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner and expanded from their 2016 short film, HBO Max’s Scavengers Reign follows the scattered survivors of the freighter Demeter 227, stranded on the alien planet Vesta after a catastrophic crash. Its hand-painted, Moebius-influenced visuals and hushed, meditative storytelling were appreciated by fans and critics.
It was canceled after one season, despite appreciation and campaigning from fans. It ranks first in the underrated animated show list because its fandom and creators’ hope keep the conversation around the show alive, and it is already on its way to becoming a cult classic.
Which underrated animated show do you think will become a classic? Comment below.
