A little animated Christmas cheer for everyone! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at animated TV episodes that best put grown-ups in the Christmas spirit, despite not necessarily being the most appropriate for the whole family.
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00:00 "Hey, what's that? Do I hear something coming down the chimney?"
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at animated TV episodes that best put grown-ups in the Christmas spirit,
00:09 despite not necessarily being the most appropriate for the whole family.
00:13 "Hey, I could afford lunch. Give me a bite of that donut."
00:16 BoJack Horseman fans best remember the has-been sitcom star for less than wholesome entertainment.
00:29 "BoJack, it's Christmas!"
00:31 [Christmas music]
00:33 "Well, don't get too excited. I didn't get you shit."
00:37 They got to really see his claim to fame when Netflix released a full-length Christmas special that includes an episode of Horse and Around.
00:44 In Sabrina's Christmas Wish, BoJack's character must deal with the awkwardness of his youngest adopted child asking Santa for her parents' back.
00:51 "As long as you're good, all your Christmas dreams will come true."
00:55 "Okay, I know what I want. Santa, I want my mommy and daddy to come back!"
01:02 Some fans were taken aback by the episode's homage to the cheesy humor and schmaltz of 90s family sitcoms,
01:08 but this earnest spoof and the genuinely heartfelt characterization made for good old-fashioned family fun.
01:14 Though that cannot be said of any other episode in the brilliantly subversive BoJack Horseman,
01:19 Sabrina's Christmas Wish hits the beats of a sitcom's seasonal tradition.
01:23 "Even though it didn't work, that letter you wrote was really something."
01:28 Number 9. A Huey Freeman Christmas. The Boondocks.
01:31 Aaron Magruder turns his bold satire on holiday myths when Huey Freeman is given full creative control over his school's Christmas play.
01:39 "Now ask yourself, are you really ready to see that vision?"
01:43 "We'll give you complete creative control."
01:46 "I want a new writing."
01:50 The faculty's progressivism is inevitably challenged by the Revolutionary's decision to portray Jesus as black.
01:56 Meanwhile, his volatile brother Riley swears vengeance on Santa for not getting him a basketball hoop.
02:02 "Santa! Santa! I'm coming for it!"
02:08 This especially whimsical episode of The Boondocks stays grounded for its ingenious takedown of holiday consumerism,
02:14 white liberalism and the social constructs behind it all.
02:17 Cynical, but in a way that pays tribute to a Charlie Brown Christmas.
02:20 Behind its harsh truths, a Huey Freeman Christmas is as humanly poignant as it is wickedly irreverent.
02:27 "It was called a stunning revolution in theater by the Woodcrest Post-Gazette."
02:32 "Unfortunately, the PTA protest had gained some ground."
02:37 "Seems the people didn't care about my vision, they cared about seeing their kids on stage. Who knew?"
02:43 With all of King of the Hill's classic Christmas episodes, the strongest is not the most seasonal.
02:53 Hank fulfills a childhood fantasy of driving a big rig in order to deliver furniture to his mother.
02:58 "Hank, we want to ask you one question."
03:01 "You can't come with me on the trip."
03:04 "I have a follow-up question."
03:06 "No, please, let me, please, let me come on one day."
03:13 The only overtly Christmassy plot points are his promise to make it home for the holidays
03:17 and Peggy trying to write a Christmas carol.
03:19 Living on Reds, Vitamin C and Propane still stands out for championing family and helping others.
03:24 "Sure, we're in a hole, but real truckers are in a hole all the time and they don't give up."
03:29 "They figure out a way to get through. You're not just a guy with a truck, Dad."
03:34 Hank and Bobby grow particularly close on their journey,
03:37 completed with unexpected help from Hank's stowaway friends and some truckers.
03:41 This character and the hilarious mishaps round out a favorite episode among King of the Hill fans
03:46 and a true tribute to goodwill.
03:48 "On the other hand, if I rode ahead of you, you wouldn't need 'em."
03:52 "And if I get your back, I can handle your rear view for you."
03:55 "You mean like a, a convoy?"
03:58 "Damn straight."
04:00 #7. Rick-tional Mort-poon's Rick-mas Mort-cation. Rick and Morty.
04:04 If nothing else, Rick-tional Mort-poon's Rick-mas Mort-cation
04:08 is the perfect cautionary tale about Christmas gifts gone wrong.
04:11 "Rick Santachez here with gifts from across the multiverse."
04:14 "Oh my God!"
04:15 "Yes!"
04:16 "For Jerry, an extra-dimensional version of Miracle on 34th Street."
04:19 "Two hours longer? They fixed my only problem with it."
04:23 "For Beth, a framed photo of the two of us."
04:25 While the Sanchez-Smith family views an extended edition of Miracle on 34th Street,
04:29 Rick and Morty must intercept a dropped lightsaber before it tunnels into the Earth's core.
04:34 "This morning, a real-life version of George Lucas' trademark lightsaber
04:38 was dropped point-down and is womp-womping its way to the core of the Earth,
04:41 where it will blow us all up."
04:44 It all comes down to the duo and a Rick robot battling the President
04:47 after the White House gets launched into space.
04:50 It's as narratively scattershot as any Rick and Morty episode, and just as satisfying.
04:55 A whole season's worth of family drama comes to a head against hysterical holiday satire
04:59 and fun references to Christmas classics.
05:01 "I guess this is a bad time to ask for a new White House."
05:05 "Morty, would you mind calling me an Uber?"
05:09 "Right, well, uh, Merry Christmas!"
05:12 It's everything fans could hope for in a Sanchez-Smith Christmas, and more.
05:17 Number 6. X-mas Story - Futurama
05:20 Fry has particular trouble adapting to his first holiday season of the 31st century.
05:25 Christmas has been officially renamed X-mas,
05:28 palm trees have replaced the extinct pine tree,
05:30 "There's supposed to be some kind of, you know, pine tree."
05:33 "Pine trees have been extinct for 800 years, Fry.
05:36 Gone the way of the poodle and your primitive notions of modesty."
05:41 and, oh yeah, there's also a morally rigid robot Santa who goes on an annual killing spree.
05:46 X-mas Story introduces one of the most surreal and nightmarish aspects of the Futurama mythos.
05:51 "Santa has something very special in his sack for you two."
05:56 It still gets to the heart of togetherness and charity for the holidays.
06:04 Hiding from evil robots will bring that out in people.
06:07 The X-mas mythos produce some of the most blood-curdling and heartwarming episodes of Futurama.
06:12 It's still hard to top the gift of X-mas Story's initial shock and perfect structure.
06:17 "The important thing is, we're all together for X-mas.
06:20 And even though I'm surrounded by robots and monsters and old people,
06:24 I've never felt more at home.
06:26 Hear, hear!"
06:27 Leave it to Bob's Burgers to find a wholesome spin on the Krampus lore with the bleakening.
06:35 When the top of the Belcher's Christmas tree goes missing,
06:38 Louise suspects it was stolen by the dreaded Bleakon.
06:41 "I think I know who took Mom's tree.
06:43 And all the Christmas stuff Bosco said was stolen.
06:46 My theory? The Bleakon did it."
06:49 She, Tina and Gene set out to track down the sinister ghoul and save Linda's Christmas party.
06:54 The story is so full of twists and thrills that it had to be split into two episodes.
06:59 "Tina, how we doing? We almost there? We in the right spot?"
07:02 "Yeah, we just have to walk towards that abandoned warehouse down this dark abandoned street."
07:06 This makes the most of the festive spirit around Seymour's Bay.
07:09 As well as the dynamics and devotion of the Belcher family.
07:12 Bob's Burgers has served up plenty of holiday classics in a bleaker age for adult animation.
07:17 "You're not the Bleakon, are you?"
07:19 "No, I'm a person in a costume."
07:22 But the bleakening stands out as two of the show's best episodes overall.
07:26 American Dad's third Christmas special reminds us of the reason for the season.
07:34 Armageddon.
07:35 After the Rapture leaves behind Stan, Francine and Roger,
07:38 they witness the second coming of Christ.
07:40 "You're... the real Jesus."
07:43 "Hi, Stan."
07:44 "Jesus is back to spend the next seven years fighting the Antichrist, and he asked me to be his girlfriend."
07:50 Seven years later, Francine and Jesus are romantically involved,
07:54 asking for Stan's help in defeating the Antichrist.
07:57 The show has a history of fantastical extremes for holiday specials,
08:01 including time travel and the Smiths' blood feud with Santa.
08:04 "I'm coming for you, Smiths!"
08:07 "Hiyah! How did he find us?"
08:09 "Oh, I wrote him a letter telling him where he can deliver our presents."
08:12 "He's trying to kill us, you moron! You gave away our hiding spot!"
08:15 Rapture's delight may not have a very commercial Christmas aesthetic,
08:19 but the post-apocalyptic biblical epic is awesome.
08:22 With dark comedy and satisfying characterization on top of the spectacle,
08:26 the episode quickly won acclaim as one of American Dad's best.
08:30 "Condemn them, Mother! For they know exactly what they do!"
08:36 "Uh, I'm sorry, what does that mean?"
08:39 It's certainly top tier in subversive and action-packed holiday entertainment.
08:44 After being dismissed by a mall Santa,
08:50 Stewie drags Brian to the North Pole to give the real Santa Claus a taste of his own medicine.
08:55 "Very well then, you're driving me. Let's go."
08:57 "Driving you where?"
08:58 "To the North Pole to see Santa Claus.
09:00 If that beslubbering onion-eyed maggot pie thinks he can just blow me off like that,
09:04 he's got another thing coming!"
09:05 "Look, Stewie, I know you're disappointed that you didn't get to see Santa,
09:08 but I'm not driving you to the North Pole."
09:10 Their epic journey leads to a workshop devastated by rampant consumerism.
09:14 Road to the North Pole may be controversial for pushing Family Guy's dark comedy,
09:18 but on top of that hysterical contrast with holiday wholesomeness,
09:22 viewers are truly confronted with the virtue of goodwill over greed.
09:26 The episode itself is wonderfully decadent,
09:29 complete with cheeky musical numbers that have all the qualities of genuine Christmas anthems.
09:33 "No, screw you, it's all but through, there's too much to do."
09:39 You also see where Seth MacFarlane gets his humor with his dad hosting the hour-long special.
09:45 Stewie and Brian's Road 2 episodes have all wasted out,
09:49 but from spectacle to brutally sincere heart, Road to the North Pole has everything.
09:55 "I know it's in our nature to resist sacrifice, even in hard times,
09:58 but if we don't, we may have to give up Christmas altogether."
10:03 South Park's peppy yet subversive Christmas episodes go back to the show's roots,
10:11 but Woodland Critter Christmas goes strictly subversive in the most disturbingly funny way.
10:16 "And on that magical day, stumbling upon all of that,
10:20 was a surprised little boy in a red poofball hat."
10:25 "What the hell?"
10:26 When Stan helps talking critters prepare for the holidays,
10:29 he realizes too late they're a satanic cult that aims to birth the Antichrist.
10:34 Things only get more surreal from there,
10:36 with creatively dark twists in the plot and the storybook writing style.
10:40 It's a perfect affront to everything wholesome in Christmas fairy tales.
10:44 "He did it! Now our Critter Christmas can finally happen! Hail Satan!"
10:49 "Hail Satan!"
10:51 "Wait, what?"
10:52 It's also one of Trey Parker's highest feats in clever shock value.
10:55 Woodland Critter Christmas would be South Park's last holiday spoof for a decade.
11:00 Certainly, it sets a high bar for Christmas cartoon magic with a wickedly adult flavor.
11:06 "No, it all worked out, right? The world was saved and I went home for Christmas dinner."
11:09 "Dude, why do you care?"
11:11 "Well, after all that, I at least want to know if I had a merry Christmas or if darkness rules the earth."
11:14 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
11:18 Beavis and Butthead do Christmas. Beavis and Butthead.
11:21 The boys rock out to Christmas hits between parodies of classical seasonal stories.
11:26 "You see, Beavis, some people have very little to be happy about, but they're still celebrating the spirit of Christmas."
11:34 Die Semi-Hard, The Cleveland Show.
11:36 Cleveland tells the story of action fans' favorite maybe Christmas movie.
11:40 "You've got bare feet."
11:42 "You've got bare feet."
11:44 A very solar holiday opposite special, Solar Opposites.
11:50 The Schlorpians travel through beloved pop culture properties to find the meaning of Christmas.
11:55 "Why is this happening to us?"
11:57 "You must have residual plot sickness from not finishing the plot from Jingle All The Way."
12:01 "But the story sucked ass. It had no stakes. Now, Kindergarten Cop, that was an Arnold movie where you cared if the kid lived or died."
12:07 Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
12:12 The team tries to unravel the mysterious mission of a ghostly visitor.
12:16 "You don't believe?"
12:17 "Believe what? That you're a ghost and that Santa Claus is an ape? That's the most ridiculous-"
12:20 "Was an ape. Now he is a machine."
12:23 Murray Christmas, The Cleveland Show.
12:26 Rallo learns about Hanukkah from a new friend, while Cleveland and his dad get ready for a literal boxing day.
12:32 "I'mma bust you up."
12:34 "Prolly."
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12:50 Number 1. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, The Simpsons.
12:56 Television was changed forever by a Christmas episode spun off from the shorts shown on The Tracy Ullman Show.
13:02 When Homer Simpson doesn't get a bonus check at work, he secretly takes a job as a mall Santa to afford Christmas.
13:08 "What's your name, Bart-ner? Uh, little partner?"
13:12 "Well, I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?"
13:14 "I'm Charlie Old Saint Nick."
13:15 "Oh yeah? We'll just see about that."
13:18 "Ohh!"
13:19 "Homer."
13:21 "I want a word with you at Santa's workshop, little boy."
13:24 It turns out the perfect gift is at the dog racing track.
13:27 Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire sounds like the typical holiday cartoon, with a tear-jerking heart to match.
13:33 "This can be the miracle that saves the Simpsons Christmas.
13:36 If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.
13:41 It happened to Tiny Tim, it happened to Charlie Brown, it happened to the Smurfs, and it's gonna happen to us!"
13:47 But Matt Groening's edgy humor and social satire revolutionized fun for the whole family.
13:52 It was an unlikely success to kick off one of the greatest and longest-running TV shows ever.
13:57 As much as adult animation owes to The Simpsons overall,
14:00 its pilot episode is still the standard for holiday entertainment in that genre.
14:05 "A dog! Alright, Dad!"
14:08 "God bless him."
14:10 "So love at first sight is?"
14:12 "Possible."
14:13 "And if he runs away, he'll be easy to catch."
14:15 "Oh, this is the best gift of all, Homer."
14:17 "It is?"
14:18 "Yes, something to share our love and frighten Prowler."
14:22 What are your favorite edgier viewing traditions for the holidays?
14:25 Share the joy in the comments.
14:27 "So have a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, crazy Kwanzaa, a tip-top tent, and a solemn, dignified Ramadan."
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14:45 [Outro Music]