A raunchy animation primer
Dear Watchers,Do you know what a copulatory tie is? If not, you’ll quickly find out in the first episode of “Mating Season,” the charming new Netflix animated series about a group of animal friends dating, having sex and falling in love in the forest. The show is the latest from the comedian Nick Kroll and the rest of the creative team behind Netflix’s long-running adult animated series “Big Mouth” and its spinoff, “Human Resources.” Kroll, whom you definitely know from his sitcom appearances and sketch series the “Kroll Show,” has become a leader in the recent trend of raunchy adult animated comedies. I spoke to him recently about the process of writing and producing animated series that dare to explicitly discuss — and depict — bodies, sex and sexuality. If sexy-funny animated comedy is your particular kink, or if you’re just curious, here are a few series in the expanding realm to check out: ‘Big Mouth’If you haven’t already watched this daring animated series about a group of students going through the trials and tribulations of puberty, then it’s worth catching up on its eight seasons that wrapped up in 2025. There is, of course, plenty of cringe humor — menstrual mishaps, egregious ejaculations — as these kids come to terms with the ways their bodies are changing, under the often suspect guidance of their hormone monsters. For all its explicit imagination and graduated potty humor, the show is just as much about friendships, budding sexuality and body positivity. It’s also extremely funny. ‘Kevin'Created by Joe Wengert and Aubrey Plaza, this new Amazon series is about a cat named Kevin who sets out for a life on his own after the separation of his owners. He moves into a pet rescue in Queens with a wacky crew of stray animals. It’s the cast that really distinguishes this show, which includes Jason Schwartzman as the titular cat; Aparna Nancherla as a clueless, chronically sick kitten; Amy Sedaris and Gil Ozeri as a bossy Shih Tzu and her codependent human; and my personal favorite, Whoopi Goldberg as a hilariously crude, promiscuous feral cat named Cupcake. ‘Dan Da Dan’This bonkers anime is about two teenage friends who become entangled with supernatural forces — ghosts and aliens who are, by the way, all strangely horny and obsessed with human genitals. When one of these encounters results in genital theft, our two heroes must try to reclaim his “family jewels.” As weird as this series sounds, it is funny, heartwarming and filled with fight scenes as thrilling as they are imaginative. ‘Rick and Morty’It may belong in the more general category of adult animation along with shows like “Family Guy” and “South Park,” but this brainy, long-running gem dips occasionally into the raunchier side of things. Take, for example, the phallic-filled Season 8 episode “The Last Temptation of Jerry,” about the real origins of the Easter Bunny — which is more about rampant copulation than pastel painted eggs. This crude yet smart and self-referential series, which has some of TV’s most innovative examples of genre spoofing and long-form narrative styles, returned on Sunday for its ninth season. Also this week
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