20 Best Animation TV Shows on Max 2026
Explore Max’s top animated series, from Rick and Morty and Adventure Time to Batman and Primal, with fresh picks and easy watchlist ideas.
If you’re hunting for the best animation TV shows on Max, this roundup makes it easy to start strong with a mix of smart comedy, high-stakes action, and classics that still hold up. Rick and Morty brings sharp sci-fi chaos, while Adventure Time balances weird humor with surprisingly heartfelt storytelling. For superhero fans, Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and My Adventures with Superman show how far animated DC stories can go, and President Curtis adds a fresh 2026 entry to keep things current. You’ll also find the slapstick charm of Looney Tunes Cartoons and the intense survival storytelling of Primal, giving the list plenty of range for different moods and ages.
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01
Rick and Morty
Won 2 Emmys 5 nominations
animation · adventure · comedy · sci-fi
Rick is a mentally-unbalanced but scientifically gifted old man who has recently reconnected with his family. He spends most of his time involving his young grandson Morty in dangerous, outlandish adventures throughout space and alternate universes. Compounded with Morty's already unstable family life, these events cause Morty much distress at home and school.
Directed by Wes Archer, Jacob Hair, Pete Michels, Nathan Litz, Kyoung Hee LimCast Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke, Justin Roiland, Kari WahlgrenHuluMaxMore details on IMDb → -
02
Adventure Time
Won 8 Emmys 16 nominations
animation · action · adventure · comedy · family · fantasy · sci-fi
Unlikely heroes Finn and Jake are buddies who traverse the mystical Land of Ooo. The best of friends, our heroes always find themselves in the middle of escapades. Finn and Jake depend on each other through thick and thin.
Directed by Bong Hee Han, Larry Leichliter, Elizabeth Ito, Andres Salaff, Adam MutoCast John DiMaggio, Jeremy Shada, Tom Kenny, Hynden Walch, Niki YangHuluMaxMore details on IMDb → -
03
President Curtis
animation · comedy · sci-fi
Follows President Andre Curtis and his eccentric staff as they deal with various crises that Rick Sanchez typically ignores.
Directed by Fill Marc Sagadraca, Erik Kling, Juan Jose Meza-Leon, Bryan NewtonCast Keith David, Stephanie Beatriz, Jim Rash, Nick Reczynski, Alanna UbachMaxMore details on IMDb → -
04
Batman: The Animated Series
Won 1 Emmy
animation · action · adventure · crime · family · mystery · sci-fi
Vowing to avenge the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne devotes his life to wiping out crime in Gotham City as the masked vigilante "Batman".
Directed by Kevin Altieri, Boyd Kirkland, Frank Paur, Dan Riba, Dick SebastCast Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings, Loren Lester, Robert CostanzoAmazon Prime VideoMaxMore details on IMDb → -
05
Common Side Effects
1 Emmy nomination
animation · comedy · drama · thriller
Former high school lab partners Marshall and Frances begin to unravel a conspiracy involving big pharma and the federal government to suppress knowledge of a rare mushroom that may hold the key to curing all the world’s diseases.
Directed by Benjy Brooke, Camille Bozec, Sean Buckelew, Vincent TsuiCast Dave King, Emily Pendergast, Mike Judge, Martha Kelly, Joseph Lee AndersonMaxMore details on IMDb →
Not quite it? Ask WattaWatch for animation on Max →
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06
My Adventures with Superman
animation · action · adventure · comedy · family · fantasy · romance · sci-fi
Twenty-somethings Clark Kent, the bright and driven Lois Lane, and their best friend Jimmy Olsen begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet.
Directed by Jen Bennett, Diana Huh, Christina Manrique, Grace Liu, Chris PalmerCast Jack Quaid, Alice Lee, Ishmel Sahid, Max Mittelman, Kiana MadeiraMaxMore details on IMDb → -
07
Scavengers Reign
Won 1 Emmy 2 nominations
animation · adventure · drama · sci-fi
When a deep space freighter is damaged by a solar flare its surviving crew are stranded on a beautiful and unforgiving planet. They begin to learn the true nature of this planet as they try to survive long enough to escape or be rescued.
Directed by Benjy Brooke, Vincent Tsui, Jonathan Djob Nkondo, Diego Porral, Rachel ReidCast Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Bob Stephenson, Alia Shawkat, Pollyanna McIntoshMaxMore details on IMDb → -
08
Primal
Won 7 Emmys 8 nominations
animation · action · adventure · drama · fantasy · horror
A caveman forms a bond with a dinosaur as they struggle to survive in a hostile world.
Directed by Genndy TartakovskyCast Aaron LaPlante, Laëtitia Eïdo, Fred Tatasciore, Imari Williams, Jon OlsonMaxMore details on IMDb → -
09
The Boondocks
animation · action · comedy · drama
When Robert “Granddad” Freeman becomes legal guardian to his two grandsons, he moves from the tough south side of Chicago to the upscale neighborhood of Woodcrest (a.k.a. "The Boondocks") so he can enjoy his golden years in safety and comfort. But with Huey, a 10-year-old leftist revolutionary, and his eight-year-old misfit brother, Riley, suburbia is about to be shaken up.
Directed by Bob Hathcock, Seung Eun Kim, Kim Sung-hoon, Jae-Myung Yoo, Lesean ThomasCast Regina King, John Witherspoon, Gary Anthony Williams, Cedric Yarbrough, Jill TalleyMaxMore details on IMDb → -
10
Teen Titans Go!
3 Emmy nominations
animation · short · action · adventure · comedy · drama · family · fantasy · horror · musical · mystery · romance · sci-fi
Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg return in all-new, comedic adventures. They may be super heroes who save the world every day ... but somebody still has to do the laundry!
Directed by Luke Cormican, Peter Rida Michail, James Krenzke, Ken McIntyre, Dave StoneCast Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Hynden Walch, Tara StrongNetflixHuluMaxMore details on IMDb → -
11
Looney Tunes Cartoons
animation · short · adventure · comedy · family · thriller
A series of short form cartoons starring the iconic and beloved Looney Tunes characters. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and other marquee Looney Tunes characters are featured in their classic pairings in simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories.
Directed by David Gemmill, Ryan Kramer, Kenny Pittenger, Peter Browngardt, Michael RuoccoCast Eric Bauza, Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen, Fred Tatasciore, Candi MiloMaxMore details on IMDb → -
12
Batman Beyond
animation · action · adventure · crime · drama · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
As new villains overrun Gotham City of the future, the aging Bruce Wayne hangs up the cape of the once invincible Batman. But when troubled teenager Terry McGinnis stumbles upon the Dark Knight's secret, a new alliance is forged. And a triumphant new Batman is born.
Directed by Butch Lukic, Dan Riba, Curt Geda, Kyung Won Lim, James TuckerCast Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, Lauren Tom, Cree Summer, Ryan O'DonohueMaxMore details on IMDb → -
13
Creature Commandos
animation · action · adventure · comedy · crime · drama · fantasy · horror · mystery · romance · sci-fi · thriller
Follow the exploits of the Creature Commandos, a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails... they're your last, worst option.
Directed by Matt Peters, Sam LiuCast Indira Varma, Sean Gunn, Alan Tudyk, David Harbour, Zoë ChaoMaxMore details on IMDb → -
14
Lazarus
1 Emmy nomination
animation · action · adventure · sci-fi · thriller
In 2052, a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist develops a drug called Hapna — a cure-all that has the unexpected side-effect of causing death three years later. In response to this threat, a special force of agents—nicknamed "Lazarus"— is assembled to take on the malevolent Skinner.
Directed by Shin'ichirō WatanabeCast Mamoru Miyano, Makoto Furukawa, Maaya Uchida, Yuma Uchida, Manaka IwamiMaxMore details on IMDb → -
15
Justice League
2 Emmy nominations
animation · action · adventure · family · fantasy · mystery · sci-fi
The long-awaited rebirth of the greatest superhero team of all time: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.
Directed by Butch Lukic, Dan RibaCast Carl Lumbly, Phil LaMarr, Michael Rosenbaum, George Newbern, Maria Canals-BarreraMaxMore details on IMDb → -
16
FLCL
animation · action · comedy · drama · sci-fi
Naota is a normal boy who kills some time with a normal girl by a stream that flows underneath a bridge. Nothing unusual happens in this town. The fact that Haruhara Haruko crashes into the main character with her Vespa a short while later and subsequently hits him over the head with her Rickenbacker 4003 bass guitar doesn’t really make any difference to any other day here. The at first glance unconnected, bizarre events that don’t seem to follow any pattern whatsoever don’t change anything about Naota’s boring life, either – because nothing incredible ever happens in this town.
Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, Masahiko Ôtsuka, Shôji Saeki, Takeshi Ando, Ken AndôCast Jun Mizuki, Mayumi Shintani, Izumi Kasagi, Suzuki Matsuo, Hiroshi ItoMaxMore details on IMDb → -
17
Sesame Street
Won 6 Emmys 11 nominations
animation · adventure · comedy · drama · family · fantasy · game-show · music · musical · talk-show
On a special inner city street, the inhabitants—human and muppet—teach preschoolers basic educational and social concepts using comedy, cartoons, games, and songs.
Directed by Jon Stone, J. Squires Emily, Robert Myhrum, Lisa Simon, Neil SmithCast Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, Sonia Manzano, Martin P. RobinsonNetflixMaxMore details on IMDb → -
18
Regular Show: The Lost Tapes
animation · action · adventure · comedy · drama · family · fantasy · sci-fi
Familiar duo Mordecai and Rigby navigate mundane park jobs that inevitably spiral into surreal, chaotic disasters.
Directed by Toby Jones, J.G. QuintelCast J.G. Quintel, William Salyers, Sam Marin, Mark Hamill, Roger Craig SmithHuluMaxMore details on IMDb → -
19
Smiling Friends
1 Emmy nomination
animation · short · comedy
Smiling Friends Inc. is a small company whose main purpose is to bring happiness and make people smile. The series follows the day-to-day lives and misadventures of its representatives, the lazy, cynical Charlie, and the cheerful, optimistic Pim, as they try to cheer up and comfort the troubled people who call their company's hotline. They receive seemingly simple requests but the jobs turn out to be more complicated than they seem, making it difficult to bring happiness to the world.
Directed by Michael Cusack, Zach Hadel, David Hootselle, Aron Fromm, Anthony Kreid PriceCast Michael Cusack, Zach Hadel, Marc M., Joshua Tomar, Erica LindbeckMaxMore details on IMDb → -
20
Ninja Kamui
animation · action · crime · drama · sci-fi · thriller
A team of assassins exacts a bloody retribution on Joe Logan – a former ninja who escaped his clan – and his family for betraying their ancient code. Rising from his seeming "death," Joe will re-emerge as his former self – Ninja Kamui – to avenge his family and friends and bring down the very clan that made him.
Directed by Sunghoo Park, Hiroki Itai, Hiro ÔkiCast Kenjiro Tsuda, Atsushi Ono, Tatsumaru Tachibana, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yuki WakaiMaxMore details on IMDb →
Wrapping Up
This guide pulls together animated series on Max that cover comedy, adventure, sci-fi, short-form viewing, and bold action, so you can quickly find something worth starting tonight. Whether you want a nostalgic favorite like Batman: The Animated Series or a newer standout like My Adventures with Superman, the lineup is built to help you compare options without scrolling forever. Bookmark this page if you like having a dependable watchlist, since it’s updated regularly as the catalog changes and new shows arrive. That way, you can come back anytime and see what belongs on your queue next.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is this list updated?
We refresh this list regularly as titles are added or removed from streaming catalogs, so rankings and availability stay current.
Do I need a Max subscription to watch these?
Yes — every title on this list is currently available on Max. Availability can change, so we recommend checking the streaming link on each title before you start watching.
How are these animation shows ranked?
We rank by a combination of audience rating and current popularity, so you're seeing the animation titles people are actually watching right now, not just an old fixed list.