Either the CIA is just not that cool and relevant anymore, or Seth Macfarlane and associates are still mining the mother lode of 1970s humour as they develop episodes of "American Dad!" for Sunday nights on Fox. Television historians claim animated series have replaced sit-coms as television's principal source of informed social commentary; and "The Simpsons" have replaced "All in the Family" as the nation's premier satire, the weekly litmus test of American values and expectations. "American Dad!" shows little sign of aspiring to that lofty standing. Most episodes set the standard simply at "amusing." CIA agent and uber-patriot Stan Smith, the "American Dad!" anchors a predictably diverse, dysfunctional just-beyond-the-beltway family. Francine, his wife, appears to atone for her wild youth by remaining vacant, mostly boring in contemporary life. Hayley, Stan's college-aged radical daughter, naturally acts-out all the standard forms of late adolescent rebellion and family insurgency. And Steve, not surprisingly, enters puberty eager to live-up to Dad's expectations but congenitally incapable of coming even close. Holding its own in Fox's Sunday night animated line-up, "American Dad!" has improved in its several seasons on the air. Translation: "American Dad!" has evolved from "mediocre" to "not bad" as it has outgrown its abject dependence on cliches and stereotypes, freshened its subject matter and treatment, and drawn sharper edges on its characters. Still, the premises for "American Dad!" showed promise in 1973; in the new millennium, they seem a little tired.

"Animals." is an animated comedy series that follows the lives of different animals living in New York City. The show uses humor to explore topics like politics, relationships, and environmental issues.

Animaniacs is a cartoon series that aired from 1993 to 1998 and was created by Tom Ruegger. The show is about three siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, who are zany and mischievous creatures known as "Animaniacs". They live in the Warner Bros. water tower and are constantly causing chaos for those around them, including their arch-nemesis, the studio's CEO.

Describing "South Park" TV show as "an American animated sitcom" compares with characterizing baseball as "an American form of exercise" such flagrant under-statement it is just insulting and unlawful in thirty-seven states. Over the course of its more than two-hundred episodes, "South Park" has achieved the exalted status of cultural icon and ratings bonanza. "South Park" consistently tops the basic cable charts, and it has earned distinction as Comedy Central's highest rated and longest running show. From their South Park, Colorado, vantage, four foul-mouthed but frighteningly precocious elementary schoolers willingly satirize everything from politics to the prophet Mohammed. Everything is grist for Stan Marsh's, Kyle Broflovski's, Eric Cartman's, and Kenny McCormick's mills. "South Park's" distinctive cut-out animation, originally done by hand but now computer-generated, adds to its often surreal and always dark humor. Generally heralded as the internet's first "viral" video, since 1997, "South Park" has garnered four primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for Comedy Central.

We Baby Bears is an American animated television series created by Daniel Chong. It is a spin-off of the popular Cartoon Network show, We Bare Bears. The series follows the adventures of the three bear siblings, Baby Grizz, Baby Panda, and Baby Ice Bear, as they navigate the world and learn important life lessons.

Gravity Falls is a popular animated TV series that aired on Disney Channel from 2012 to 2016. The show is set in a fictional town in Oregon and follows the adventures of twins Dipper and Mabel Pines as they spend their summer with their great-uncle, Stan, who runs the Mystery Shack. The town is full of strange and supernatural phenomena, and the twins frequently encounter monsters, ghosts, and other oddities.