Amidst all the chaos with the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in cases, there is a need for various things to do while self-quarantining to distract oneself. And adult animation is the perfect answer to it. 

Adult animation refers to any animated motion work geared toward adult interests and is primarily sold to adults and teenagers. They comprise all kinds of subjects like graphic violence, dark humor, explicit content and languages, and generally, anything inappropriate for kids. 

These animations are gaining traction nowadays, and major streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime are developing new shows now and then.

While there are tons of adult animated shows to choose from, these are the five of the most entertaining ones for you to watch. 

'Archer'

Imagine the world's most dangerous spy who belongs to a secret government agency - someone who has solved crimes with a tremendous success rate and has enemies across the globe. 

Now imagine the same spy as the most childish person you could ever meet with a low-key Oedipus complex and habituated to alcohol abuse. That is who Sterling Archer is. 

He works for his mother, Mallory Archer, in a dysfunctional secret agency named International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). He has eight colleagues, and all of them are eccentric and have their own quirks. 

Archer follows Sterling and his ISIS employees while they solve crimes and catch terrorists. Developed by Adam Reed, the series is unique with mid-century comic art as its animation style and an array of casts. 

It has fast-paced banter, dark humor, and pop culture references, making it more enjoyable to watch. The show is critically acclaimed and has won accolades like four Critics Choice Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards each. 

The show premiered on September 17, 2009, with 118 episodes spread across 11 seasons. Season 12 of Archer will premiere on August 25, 2021, thus it is a perfect time to binge-watch the entire series. 

'Invincible' 

The bit with superheroes is that they are mostly perceived as just that; god-like beings who do amazing feats of action and rescue. What we tend to miss out on is that they, too, are human more often than not. 

They, too, have rents to pay and social lives to keep up with. This is why Invincible was created, to convey that such individuals aren't always... well, invincible. 

In this manner, the show follows a teenager Mark/Invincible, the son of a superhero named Omni-man and desperately waiting to get his powers. However, when he does, the burdens of keeping up with the whole idea of great responsibilities coming with great power weigh on him.

This is only a fourth of the story. The rest has to do with the struggles of other superheroes and a conspiracy in which Omni-man is suspected to have murdered other superheroes.

The unraveling of these ends leaves us in a mixed bag of emotions soaked in laughs, tears, blood, guts, and gore. The show features excellent voices by acclaimed actors like Steven Yeun, J. K. Simmons, and Sandra Oh. 

The 8-episode series is exclusive to Amazon Prime and is already renewed for a second and third season. 

'Big Mouth' 

Big Mouth is a coming-of-age series, but for adults. The show follows a couple of seventh graders discovering puberty and the changes their bodies are going through as they explore adolescence. 

Created by Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin, the Netflix series was inspired by Kroll and Goldberg's childhood in suburban New York. 

Big Mouth revolves around two best friends, Nick Birch and Andrew Glouberman, and their hormone monster, Maurice, who guides them through different stages of adolescence. The show is well-loved and is acclaimed by fans and critics. 

Season 1, 2, and 4 have received 100% on the Tomatometer, whereas Season 3 has the ratings of 97, bringing the average ratings to 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The quirky animations, realistic scenarios, and dramatic representations of teenagers almost feel like a reminiscence of one's teenage years.

'BoJack Horseman'

BoJack Horseman is one of those series that will make you think and question everything in your life. The series is in an anthropomorphic universe which revolves around a celebrity horse, BoJack Horseman. 

Horseman used to be famous in the 90s, but he is now a washed-up star looking for relevancy because of drugs and alcohol abuse. During this process, he meets many people and navigates through life and emotions. 

BoJack Horseman has many intense moments and triggering scenes that are not for the faint-hearted. However, the series has realistic approaches to trauma, abuse, addiction, racism, depression, mental health, and self-destruction. 

The show makes you cry and laugh at the same time while making you to appreciate life even more. The series premiered on Netflix in 2014 and has a total of six seasons with 77 episodes. 

'Rick and Morty' 

Rick and Morty is arguably one of the most famous adult animated series to date. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the show follows an alcoholic and genius scientist Rick and his timid grandson Morty. 

The grandfather-grandson duo goes on various adventures across many dimensions while managing their relationship with their dysfunctional family. Similarly, the character development of Rick, Morty, and their family members is heartwarming while still edging on dark humor and explicit content. 

Four seasons have aired to date, whereas season 5 is ongoing. Season 5 premiered on June 20, 2021, and will have ten episodes. 

The show has been airing on Adult Swim since its premiere in December 2013. Because of the massive viewership and fanbase, the streaming service demanded 70 more episodes of Rick and Morty on May 10, 2018. 

Therefore, the series is not ending anytime soon and will be on air for years to come.