There are only a handful of channels (Adult Swim, Comedy Central, HBO, FX) that really push the boundaries for adult-focused animation. Occasionally, though, a few sophisticated cartoons have sneaked their way onto Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Fox and ABC, for impressionable young minds (like myself) to find.

The shows on this list either got the axe far too soon, or went a few seasons without becoming the breakout success stories "Bob's Burgers" or "Rick and Morty" did. Ratings be damned; if you can track these down you're guaranteed to have a great time.

'Frisky Dingo' (2006-2008)

Adam Reed and Matt Thompson might be better known as the creative minds behind "Archer," but they co-created this oddball comedy before that. A truly ludicrous cartoon series about a world dominating super villain and a billionaire-turned-hero, it quickly turns into anything but that original premise. If there was an award for most non sequiturs used on a TV show, this might win it. It's a lightning-paced show with a ton of recurring characters and reoccurring bits, and has a real different vibe to what you're expecting (even compared to "Archer").

'The Big O' (1999-2000)

Anime is more popular now than it has ever been, and there are so many different shows and manga and video games that it feels impossible to find anything new or fresh. But back when Toonami was dipping into obscure things from Japan and abroad, they were able to snag this cool action series about a giant robot, the rich man who pilots it and his butler/mentor. It didn't get the same notoriety or fanbase as a "Sailor Moon" or "Dragon Ball Z," but it's only two seasons long and it's a fun watch.

'Sit Down, Shut Up' (2009)

Mitch Hurwitz is a legendary visionary and a powerhouse in the world of television. He co-created "Arrested Development," "Lady Dynamite" and "The Ellen Show," worked on "The John Larroquette Show," "The Golden Girls" and appeared on "Community."

His least successful project was the very short-lived animated comedy "Sit Down, Shut Up," about a school in Florida and the slacker teachers who don't feel like teaching. The show had a number of collaborators from his previous works (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Henry Winkler) as well as some all-star voice talent (Kristin Chenoweth, Will Forte, Tom Kenny, Nick Kroll, Cheri Oteri, Kenan Thompson).

This show was too funny and too good to die such a quick death. Shame on you, Fox, for not letting two of Mitch Hurwitz's shows go on, or giving them the marketing budgets they deserved.

'Animals' (2016-2018)

Don't let the crude animation style fool you, this show is... well, it's actually pretty crude as well. An extremely weird, juvenile cartoon about different animal groups, "Animals" has each episode sort of dissolve into teenage hijinks, melodrama, improved lines, live-action shots of New York, mad scientists and political corruption. Overall, there's a real loose grip on reality or sanity.

It makes sense that the show was produced by the Duplass brothers, because it exudes their sense of humor and energy. Plus, HBO was able to get a stacked cast of celeb cameos to either do voices or just be on the show (everybody from Harmony Korine, Big Boi, Whoopi Goldberg and RuPaul to Usher, the band Dinosaur Jr. and Jacob Tremblay).

'Time Squad' (2001-2003)

I never understood why the concept behind "Bill and Ted" didn't branch off more; time-traveling as a framing device for comedy should be a bigger deal in the same way time loops exploded after "Groundhog Day."

Sci-fi comedy "Time Squad" had plenty of run-ins with historical figures like Napoleon, Confucius, da Vinci, Moctezuma, Sigmund Freud, Julius Caesar and Eli Whitney. The main trio of characters were an orphan boy, a robot and moronic time cop, but the people who played them are all-time elite voice actors; Pamela Adlon (aka Bobby Hill), Mark Hamill (aka The Joker) and Rob Paulsen (aka Pinky the mouse).

'Clerks: The Animated Series' (2000-2002)

Even though this adaptation of Kevin Smith's "Clerks" lasted for two years and on two different networks, there were only six episodes ever produced. The original cast return to do their voices, as well as a slew of A-list stars (Alec Baldwin, Gilbert Gottfried, Bryan Cranston, Gwyneth Paltrow, James Woods), and out of all of the "Clerks" related media to ever be released, this might only be bested by the first movie. The second episode is a flashback of the first episode, which is an extremely smart bit that hasn't been replicated since "Community" did a clip show of episodes that never aired.

'Oh Yeah! Cartoons' (1998-2002) and 'Chalk Zone' (2002-2008)

An anthology series made up of dozens of other smaller pitches and brand new characters, and hosted by Kenan Thompson, "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" managed to produce three successful ideas out of 96. One of them was "The Fairly OddParents," which was a gigantic hit, another was "My Life as a Teenage Robot," and the one I really enjoyed watching was "Chalk Zone."

I love the imagination and art style of "Chalk Zone" — it's rare to be impressed by children's cartoons, but this manages to really stand out from the competition. There's a childlike wonder that comes over me any time I see clips from this show; it's such a delight and so antithetical to the CGI overuse we get today.

[Image Credit: Adult Swim/YouTube]