Television series
The Oblongs
- Comedy
- Science fiction
- Strange
The Oblongs is a fearlessly weird animated sitcom about a family living in a toxic valley, where everyone's body is delightfully wrong in specific ways. It's absurdist, genuinely hilarious, and never punches down—these characters own their strangeness with dignity. For anyone who loves comedy that thinks different and isn't afraid of the grotesque.
If you liked this
Futurama1999
Same era, same voice actors (Billy West!), same anarchic sci-fi energy mixed with real heart. A family unit stumbling through a broken future with love intact.
But Ended multiple times across multiple networks, so tracking down episodes can feel like work. Tonal whiplash between gags and genuine emotion.
King of the Hill1997
A sitcom that respects its outsider family and finds humour in their differences rather than cruelty. Quiet, genuinely warm, and wickedly observant about American life.
But Moves slowly by modern standards. The humour is often dry, understated—takes patience to land.
Clone High2002
Another MTV/Cartoon Network gem about misfits that treats its weirdos as heroes. Sharp writing, absurdist premise, compassion underneath the jokes.
But Cult classic that's hard to find legally. The animation is deliberately crude in a way some find off-putting.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Oblongs
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Moral Orel2005
Both use cartoons' capacity for the grotesque to explore acceptance and belonging. Where The Oblongs celebrates difference, Moral Orel interrogates how communities punish it.
Looks like a crude parody of wholesome Christian television, plays like genuine tragedy masquerading as comedy. Same commitment to grotesque detail as The Oblongs but weaponized toward real darkness.
But The humour gets progressively darker and more genuinely upsetting. Stops being funny and becomes almost painful by season three.
More like this (8)
Daria1997
Teen life observed through the eyes of someone genuinely intelligent and unimpressed. Satirical without being mean. Every character gets dignity even when they're being mocked.
But Slower pacing. Relies on dialogue over action, so it rewards attention rather than rewarding channel-flipping.
Home Movies1999
Deliberately unpolished comedy about a kid making films with his friends. Messy, improvised, full of genuine affection between characters. Brendon Small's voice work carries the show.
But The animation is intentionally rough and cheap-looking. Some find it grating rather than charming.
The Simpsons1989
Peak-era Simpsons (seasons 3-8) mines similar territory—a deeply flawed family held together by love, set in a town that's fundamentally broken and satirical.
But By season 12 the show had already begun losing what made it special. The early seasons are the only ones worth your time.
Bob's Burgers2011
A family business comedy where every member is genuinely weird and lovable. The restaurant owner dad is as strange and hopeful as Bob Oblong, just in a different genre.
But Relies heavily on music and extended sequences that don't land if the jokes don't click for you. Runs on earnestness.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force2000
Adult Swim weirdness that shares The Oblongs' commitment to sustained absurdism without punchlines. A show that just exists in its own bizarre logic.
But Deliberately antagonistic to conventional comedy. Many episodes are aggressively plotless. Can feel like a joke you're not in on.
F is for Family2015
A sitcom about a working-class family in the 1970s where everyone is fundamentally broken but trying their best. Dark, funny, full of real love between damaged people.
But Frequently depressing between the laughs. The protagonist is genuinely unpleasant, which works if you're in the mood and doesn't if you're not.
Creature Comforts1989
Both find profound humanity and humour in characters whose physical forms are radically unusual. Both insist we look at difference and find it beautiful.
Stop-motion masterpiece where animals built from found objects discuss mundane life with documentary-interview authenticity. Hilarious, touching, formally ingenious—proof animation can do anything.
But It's very British, very dry, very short (30 minutes). Wins major awards but doesn't play like 'fun' entertainment.
Veep2012
Both are about tight-knit units defined by their brokenness rather than their dysfunction being the problem. The Oblongs celebrate it; Veep makes it a comedy, but both honour the bonds anyway.
A show about catastrophic dysfunction where every character is simultaneously pathetic and absolutely alive. Dialogue so sharp it rewrites itself, ensemble so tight they feel like family despite hating each other.
But Extremely dark satire about American politics, so if you're politically exhausted it lands like a punch rather than a joke. Profanity and cruelty as a love language.
