Top Ten Most Disturbing Animated TV Shows

The Top Ten
1 Courage the Cowardly Dog Courage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated horror comedy television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network as part of the network's Cartoon Cartoons block.

How could a cartoon for kids be this messed up, although it's really good? A lot of the episodes are just disturbing, and for all I know, it's the only horror animated cartoon on Cartoon Network.

But the most horrifying episode has to be "Perfect", mostly for the weird blue fetus man thing saying with creepy CGI, "You're not perfect". And that King Ramses one with the "Return the slab or suffer my curse". Luckily, I didn't grow up with this show, although it's really good it would have scarred me as a kid.

This is no doubt the scariest and creepiest Cartoon Network comedy show, also a very weird one as well (top 3 probably). The atmosphere is pretty tight, helped a lot by the colors and art style. The storylines and the characters are also pretty dark and scary. And the endings are many times "sad/bad endings". Something that you rarely see in cartoons, similar to Batman Beyond from this point of view.

Also, the best ever CN comedy series after Spaced Out, with only Adventure Time contending.

2 Happy Tree Friends Happy Tree Friends (commonly abbreviated as HTF) is an American adult animated flash series created and developed by Aubrey Ankrum, Rhode Montijo, Kenn Navarro, and Warren Graff for Mondo Media. Disguised as a children's cartoon, the show follows the misadventures of cute, anthropomorphic forest animals... read more

I saw one episode a year ago but I still remember what happened. They were having a lemonade stand (aw, cute). Everything was just fine until one scene. One of them had their eyeball popped out because the lemonade stand's wooden banner fell and landed right on the one who lost their eyeball. The other one, who was blindfolded, mistook it as lemonade. So, the other one cut the eyeball and made it into lemonade. The one who made it into lemonade, or should I say, blood-ade, even drank it. I don't know. It was messed up and disturbing, but somehow I found it entertaining and funny in some way (weird).

3 Sanjay and Craig Sanjay and Craig is an American animated comedy television series that aired on Nickelodeon from May 25, 2013, to July 29, 2016, for three seasons and 60 episodes. The series is about a 12-year-old boy named Sanjay Patel who owns a talking pet snake named Craig.

There was an episode where they stuck their tongues in each other's belly buttons and started eating the lint and sloshed it around in their mouths.

This really should be number one. Scream day, going inside a digestive system, picking their noses and eating it, etc., it's all disgusting along with Breadwinners.

This show is creepy. Craig kind of looks cool, but the rest of this is so disgusting. What is American television coming to?

4 Mr. Pickles Mr. Pickles is an American animated television series created by Will Carsola and Dave Stewart for Adult Swim. The series revolves around the Goodman family, especially their 6-year-old son named Tommy and the family's border collie, the demonic Mr. Pickles. The series was picked up for 10 quarter-hour... read more

No doubt it's disturbing! The most disgusting and messed up cartoon ever created! Deserves to be number one.

This is not helping my already strong fear of dogs.

I saw a little bit of this, and no, it's messed up.

5 King Star King King Star King is an American animated web series created by JJ Villard and Eric Kaplan for Adult Swim. The series aired on the network's online video streaming service Adult Swim Video on June 15, 2014.
6 Breadwinners Breadwinners is an American animated television series created by Gary "Doodles" DiRaffaele and Steve Borst for Nickelodeon.

The series was originally conceived as an animated short from DiRaffaele's efficiency apartment in Studio City, Los Angeles along with Borst. The two had previously met... read more

It's disturbing in the way that it's disturbingly cringy and weird, but not in a good way. It's bad, and that's the biggest understatement in human history.

This proves that animators today want to make kids dumb and learn about butts. Such a disgrace.

7 Adventure Time Adventure Time is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio)—a dog with the magical power to change shape... read more

It's REALLY disturbing. There are creepy scenes, and everything is connected in a dark way. It's very hopeless, as the characters all lose their sanity/humanity. Also, it's hopeless in the sense that the world can't be rebuilt, there is no afterlife, and there are mutants everywhere that will try to kill you.

I love this show, and there are some extremely disturbing things in it. One example is when the fruit witch touches the thing that turns her into an apple, and the other witches eat her. The worst part is that the apple is screaming, and there are bones in it.

8 Rick and Morty Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Adult Swim.

This show can be disturbing at points, but like Courage the Cowardly Dog, it's the good kind of disturbing.

9 South Park South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The show is about four boys, who are Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, and their adventures in South Park, Colorado.

Of course, this is not the show for you if you are offended by its jokes or bothered by its extreme scenes, but if you like over-the-top comedy, then you're really going to have yourself a time!

It's really disturbing, but those moments are for a laugh, or they mix it with a really sad premise and end it really sadly, like Kenny dies.

Blood and gore and woodland creatures that give birth to the antichrist is just plain creepy.

10 Peppa Pig Peppa Pig is a British preschool animated television series directed and produced by Astley Baker Davies in association with Entertainment One, which originally aired on 31 May 2004. It went on a hiatus for just over two years before re-premiering on 14 February 2015.
The Contenders
11 Salad Fingers

My friend told me to watch this. I saw 8 episodes in one night, went to bed (with nightmares), and then watched 2 in the morning. So, I talked to him about it, and he told me to watch number 11. Saw it, just... why? Still, I thought it was very cool and creative. Hubert Cumberdale.

Really weird. There's an idea that he's radioactive, and it's easy to see some of it is in his head. Though he's lonely, so it makes sense he has imaginary friends.

"I love it when the red water comes out." That line literally had me up for three days straight, and I had to go to the doctor's for staying up that long. It's creepy, yo.

12 Rabbids Invasion Rabbids Invasion (French: Les Lapins Crétins : Invasion) is a French/American animated television series which premiered on August 3, 2013, on Nickelodeon. The series began airing on Nicktoons during its second season in late 2015. On June 23, 2017, the series finale ended during its third season... read more
13 Family Guy Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of parents Peter (Fat, Idiotic Dad) and Lois (Nagging Bitchy Wife), their children Meg (Socially Awkward Daughter) Chris (Fat, Idiotic... read more

10 reasons why this show disturbing:
1. Quagmire's extreme sexuality
2. Herbert the Pervert
3. Peter trying to marry Chris in one episode
4. Chris teaching his grandfather how to masturbate
5. Chris masturbating to his own mother
6. Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q
7. Brian once tripping out on magic mushrooms
8. Peter disemboweling a beached whale with a forklift
9. Lois once starring in a porno
10. Quagmire trying to have sex with dead bodies

14 Robot Chicken Robot Chicken is an American stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root for Adult Swim.

When I was younger, I ran into this show on the... Toy Story 4 thing. I didn't understand, but when I saw Buzz getting his head cut off, I was disturbed as hell for a couple of days. P.S. even my parents didn't know what the heck Robot Chicken was.

When I was about 7-10, the intro disturbed me. I was so frightened by the scientist's eyes and just his animation.

Dolls that kill each other, blood and gore.

15 Invader Zim Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, and his mission to conquer Earth and enslave the human race along with his malfunctioning robot servant GIR.

I love the dark humor and plot lines in this show. I mean, Zim has attempted to murder Dib at some points. That is terrifying, mainly because Dib is my favorite, haha.

That one episode where he steals kids' guts scarred me for life. Bonus points for the chicken costume episode and the one with the fast-food pig. So disgusting, I hate it.

Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy and Dark Harvest alone are what make it one of the most disturbing shows aired.

16 Beavis and Butt-head Beavis and Butt-Head is an American animated sitcom created and designed by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge originally aired on Liquid Television.

I really like the animation style and the look of the characters besides the two main. Also, the characters actually seem to be like real-world people and are quite well thought out, all except the two main. Yep, they are pretty disturbing.

17 The Brothers Grunt The Brothers Grunt is a Canadian-American animated comedy television series by Ed, Edd n Eddy creator Danny Antonucci that originally aired from August 15, 1994 to April 9, 1995 on MTV.
18 Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"

I strangely find that this show actually has some hidden beauty in it. I especially love the episode "Ren Seeks Help". I've also seen and loved every cartoon others deemed as "disturbing" on this list.

Episodes like Naked Beach Frenzy or Ren Seeks Help do count indeed.

I can relate to Ren in Ren Seeks Help. I can get like that sometimes.

19 The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is an American animated television series created by Thurop Van Orman for Cartoon Network that premiered in North America on June 5, 2008. It stars creator Thurop Van Orman as the voice of Flapjack, a naive young boy who was raised by a whale named Bubbie and... read more

I just hate it. What can I say? It's stupid, and it makes me feel like the younger kiddos will grow up with some mental problems.

I'm really starting to miss those cute, cuddly, and innocent cartoons from the 50s. Now, we've got this pure horror to show our kids.

That episode where everyone got bit by Flapjack's rat was beyond disturbing! I had nightmares about it as a kid for a week!

20 Catdog CatDog is an American animated television series created by Peter Hannan for Nickelodeon. The series depicts the life of conjoined brothers, with one half being a cat and the other a dog.

Where do the cat and the dog go to the bathroom? They need buttocks and genitals to poop and pee. Using their mouths is a lot more gross compared to Johnny Knoxville's Jackass!

The nightmare episode was disturbing enough, especially with the "the end" sign covered in blood!

That's what Peter Griffin described Catdog as. "That would be like a living hell, Brian!"

21 The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening that originally started on April 19, 1987 as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. It got its own series on December 17, 1989 and is still running as of 2023, making it the longest running animated sitcom. It is about a man named Homer... read more

Love The Simpsons, but want disturbing? When their bodies turn inside out, the dolphin episode attacking everyone, the Professor is turned into a turkey that is eaten.

There's this one episode where Homer forgets to pick up Bart after a soccer practice, and Bart is left in the rain. Then, when Homer picks Bart up during the trip home, Bart hallucinates, and Homer's face melts off and looks so disturbing.

22 Oggy and the Cockroaches Oggy and the Cockroaches is a French animated comedy series produced by Xilam and Gaumont Film Company.

This show is as disturbing as Happy Tree Friends, only no blood and veins are in it.

They had a picture of a naked lady in one episode.

23 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Aqua Teen Hunger Force is an American animated sitcom created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim.

Totally disgusting. Should be number one.

24 Teen Titans Go
25 The Ren & Stimpy Show The Ren & Stimpy Show, often simply referred to as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon.

There was a banned episode about the duo and a fat man smoking!

There were some really screwed-up moments in this, like Ren saying, "I could kill him, with these hands, but I love him," or "Don't whiz on the electric fence," but it's still great, though.

8Load More
PSearch List