Television series
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is a gloriously unhinged animated series about a common earthworm granted superhuman powers by a mysterious suit. It's pure 90s cartoon chaos: rapid-fire non sequiturs, grotesque character designs, and jokes that operate on dream logic. For kids who loved weirdness and adults who remember MTV animation with fondness, it's delightfully, aggressively silly.
If you liked this
Animaniacs1993
Sharp-witted, impossibly fast-paced comedy with jokes layered for kids and adults. The same 90s Warners sensibility, but with tighter storytelling beneath the controlled chaos.
But It's more polished and restrained than Jim—if you're after pure unhinged weirdness, this plays it relatively straight.
Rocko's Modern Life1993
Surreal, deliberately crude animation with absurdist humour and genuine heart. It understands that cartoon logic can be both hilarious and touching in the same moment.
But Pacing is slower and more deliberate; it builds jokes rather than machine-gunning them at you.
Beavis and Butt-Head1992
MTV animation with an equally crude aesthetic and teenage irreverence. The same generation's answer to how dumb and smart comedy could occupy the same space.
But The humour hasn't aged as well; a lot of it depends on 90s cultural references and attitudes that feel dated.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Earthworm Jim
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Freakazoid!1995
Both are 1995 WB cartoons built on the idea that children's television could be proudly, deliberately insane without apology. Same DNA, different expressions.
Made by the same sensibility—rapid-fire jokes, absurdist tangents, characters riffing on their own existence. Bruce Timm's design work gives it a weirder edge than most comedy shows. It's Jim's slightly more intelligent older sibling.
But The joke-per-minute rate is exhausting; if you can't keep up, it becomes white noise. Also cancelled almost immediately, so very short.
More like this (6)
Tiny Toon Adventures1990
Fast, absurdist gags with gorgeous animation and genuine affection for old-school cartoon logic. Proves that kinetic silliness can be beautifully drawn.
But More structured and less deliberately ugly than Jim; it's trying to be impressive as well as funny.
Cow and Chicken1997
Crude, scatological humour wrapped in a cartoon that looks like it was drawn by someone having a fever dream. I.M. Weasel segments offer a slightly more grounded counterpoint.
But The animation style is even rougher than Jim, which some will find liberating and others actively offputting.
Johnny Bravo1997
Deliberately stupid protagonist in a show that knows exactly how stupid he is. Constant pop-culture references and a wilingness to be completely ridiculous at any moment.
But Relies heavily on repetition as comedy; the joke can feel one-note if you're not in the mood for it.
2 Stupid Dogs1993
Minimal animation and maximum weirdness—proof that you don't need slick production to be genuinely hilarious. Criminally underrated.
But The sparse animation and non-plot structure make it feel incomplete or unfinished to many viewers.
Attack on Titan2013
Both prove that comedy doesn't need polish and that ugliness can be the entire point. Both weaponise bad animation as a comedy tool.
Takes a deadly serious property and renders it in grotesque, crude animation with the exact same aggressive weirdness as Jim. Three-minute blasts of pure comedic chaos with a completely different tone underneath.
But You need to know what it's parodying for the jokes to land; it's entirely dependent on being familiar with the source material.
Moral Orel2005
Both use grotesque visual comedy as a delivery mechanism, but Jim uses it as cover for nothing, while Orel uses it as cover for everything. Watching Jim first means you'll have no idea what Orel is planning.
Starts as cute claymation absurdism about a religious boy and becomes something utterly devastating about faith, trauma, and love. The tonal shift is breathtaking. Proves that weird can hide darkness.
But By season two it's genuinely bleak—if you're after sustained goofiness, you'll hit something that guts you. Also: it's stop-motion claymation, completely different medium.
