Television series

Lloyd of the Flies

Name: Lloyd of the Flies
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Children
Released: 2022
Cast: Tom Rosenthal, Alex Lawther, Lauren Patel, Rob Rackstraw, Pearl Mackie

Comedy
Light-hearted
Dip in and out

A rapid-fire comedy about Lloyd, a housefly living in a compost bin with 450+ siblings, who stumbles through misadventures with his best friend Abacus the woodlouse. Fifteen-minute episodes packed with absurdist humour, genuine heart, and weird insect facts. Pitched at kids but genuinely funny for adults—the kind of show that rewards attention with callbacks and clever writing.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy gentle, silly comedy about small creatures that treats bugs with affection and lets its everyday mishaps stay small and funny.

Skip it if the humour is pitched at young children, so if you want grown-up wit or stakes that feel real, its gentle quarter-hour episodes may wear thin.

What it asks of you: Each episode runs about fifteen minutes and moves briskly, so it asks little more than a short sitting and a willingness to let its tiny-world silliness wash over you.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Craig of the Creek2018

Perfectly pitched children's adventure that finds magic in the everyday and mundane. Lloyd and Abacus's friendship has the same easy warmth and loyalty as Craig's crew, with the same willingness to let small moments breathe between the chaos.

But If you're looking for high-stakes drama or character arcs that span seasons, this stays deliberately episodic. It's comfort food, not a mystery box.

Gravity Falls2012

Rapid jokes layered under genuine mystery and character development. Like Lloyd, it's made for kids but respects their intelligence, building elaborate callback networks that reward close watching and repeat visits.

But Gravity Falls is considerably darker and more serialised. Lloyd is lighter, weirder, more willing to be completely silly without needing to justify it with mythology.

Amphibia2019

Found-family adventure series with the same generous spirit. Both shows let their characters be genuinely weird without irony, and both understand that friendship is funnier and more moving than forced sentimentality.

But Amphibia gradually deepens its emotional stakes across three seasons. Lloyd stays lighter and more episodic—some viewers want their animation to build toward something larger.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lloyd of the Flies

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Bluey2018

Both treat children and their friendships with genuine respect; both find humour and depth in ordinary moments rather than spectacular plotting.

Australian children's show that operates at a completely different emotional register than Lloyd—calmer, gentler, more focused on family and learning. But both shows understand that kids' comedy should be intelligent and genuinely moving. Bluey has the warmth Lloyd shares, just expressed through play and discovery rather than chaos and mishap.

But Bluey is meditative where Lloyd is manic. If you're drawn to Lloyd's frenetic energy and absurdism, Bluey might feel slow. The emotional beats are also more pronounced—you will cry at episodes.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power2018

Sharp-witted ensemble comedy hiding underneath action-adventure framing. The banter between characters has Lloyd's gift for absurdist humour and genuine affection, never letting jokes undercut the bonds between friends.

But She-Ra is visually and thematically more ambitious, and it earns its dramatic moments. Lloyd is more content to stay purely silly for an entire episode.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power poster

The Owl House2020

Bizarre creature design married to genuinely warm friendships and clever writing. Like Lloyd, it makes the weird normal and the normal weird, finding humour in character voice and situation rather than punch-line structure.

But Owl House leans harder into gothic atmosphere and romantic tension. Lloyd has almost no romantic subplot and stays resolutely silly rather than atmospheric.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands2020

Pioneering absurdist children's comedy that influenced everything after it, including Lloyd. Same willingness to follow jokes into the truly strange, same underlying emotional literacy beneath the chaos.

But Adventure Time occasionally gets experimental and obscure in later seasons. Lloyd is far more straightforward in structure, even when the jokes get weird.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts2020

Post-apocalyptic adventure that never loses its sense of wonder or humour. Kipo's found family has Lloyd's warmth, and the show shares its gift for making the grotesque genuinely appealing and funny.

But Kipo is visually grander and more emotionally driven. Lloyd is smaller in scale and more willing to be purely absurd without narrative justification.

Infinity Train2019

Anthology series with intense imagination and genuine weirdness. Each episode builds a complete world. Lloyd's rapid episode-to-episode structure and commitment to strange ideas will feel familiar, even if the tone is darker.

But Infinity Train is genuinely unsettling at times and philosophically bleak. Lloyd is warm, silly, and fundamentally optimistic—they're almost opposites in spirit.