Summary
Western animated serieshave earned their stripesalongside Japanese animeand have produced some shows of exceptional quality over the decades. While many of these series are excellent, they often conclude—either by choice or by cancellation—after a few years. The lucky ones stick it out for a decade, often dealing with declining viewership numbers and the creative burnout of their writers.
It’s a rarity for a series to hit the lauded200-episode mark.It’s even rarer for a series to persist beyond that point, and to do so successfully. While few animated series becomemorepopular after reaching 200 episodes, these series have flown past that mark and continue to find success. These arethe best Western animated series with more than 200 episodes to their names,ranked by their current episode totals.
There was a time, about a decade ago, when the voice of H. Jon Benjaminas Bob Belcher inBob’s Burgerswas a distraction, as the actor was already highly recognizable due to his work on another hit animated series,Archer.How times have changed. Today, whileArcherwrapped up its final season in 2023 to a middling reception,Bob’s Burgersremains one of the most beloved shows in modern adult animation and is now undeniably H. Jon Benjamin’s most iconic role.
On the verge of closing out its 15th season at the time of this writing,Bob’s Burgerswill have aired an impressive295 episodesas of July 31st, 2025, on top of a feature film released in 2022. That’s a remarkable number for any animated series, but it is especially noteworthy in today’s era of short-fuse cancellations.Bob’s Burgershas already gotten the go-ahead for a 16th season, so those numbers are only set to climb from here.
It’s hard to imagine a world withoutSpongeBob SquarePants.The unmistakable sea sponge is the star of movies, video games, books, comics, memes, and, of course, one of the most iconic children’s cartoons of all time. The character of SpongeBob is only one piece of the puzzle, as his supporting cast—most notably Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Sandy Cheeks—are all just as iconic in modern pop culture.
At the time of writing,SpongeBob SquarePantshas just kicked off its 16th season, the conclusion of which will bring the show to a332 episodetotal, and it doesn’t seem like it’s stopping there. After debuting in 1999,SpongeBobis now 26 years old, and while its modern iterations may not hold quite the same appeal as the early episodes, SpongeBob is undeniably a major franchise and an unmistakable cultural figure.
As one of the raunchiest and most offensive cartoons ever made, it’s a minor miracle thatSouth Parksurvived its near-cancellation following its second season. The fact that this series is now heading towards its 27th season is nothing short of remarkable. This story about four small-town Colorado kids (and now one of their dads,Randy Marsh) getting into trouble, both small and cosmic in scale, has captured hearts for its unflinching and always timely critique of modern culture.
While technically,South Parkcurrently has328 episodes, this number does not account for its 27th season, which premieres this summer. Given that the shortest season ofSouth Parkcomes in at six episodes, there’s a good chance that, following season 27, the series will surpass 334 episodes at minimum, meaning it will just edge outSpongeBob SquarePantsin total episodes by summer’s end.
American Dad!is something of a journeyman series, initially airing on Fox alongside its sister series,Family Guy,before moving to TBS following its eleventh season, where it aired for the next decade, concluding with its most recent twenty-first season and388th episode. Going forward, the show will return to Fox for at least another four seasons, commencing with its twenty-second season.
Seth MacFarlane’s irreverent cartoonabout an oafish US Government agent housing a fugitive alien and a sentient fish amongst his otherwise normal American family has flown a bit under the radar compared toFamily Guy.Still,the series has maintained a consistent and dedicated viewership for over twenty years. It has one of the most recognizable theme songs in the adult animation scene, and it continues to be one of the premier adult comedies on cable.
As a spinoff of the hit Cartoon Network seriesTeen Titans,the comedic bent ofTeen Titans Go!initially turned off long-time fans of the IP. However, with some time to adjust to the change in tone and animation style, the series has not only matched but, in many ways, has surpassed its inspiration.
The adventures ofRobin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfirehave run for 9 seasons as of this writing, totaling426 episodesand one feature-length movie. It has been renewed for a tenth season, and is currently the most popular iteration of the Teen Titans ever made, which may irk fans of the darker original series, but is undeniably a success for DC comics' TV slate.
Peppa Pighas the distinct advantage of its episodes only being 5 minutes long; outside of one ten-minute and two 15-minute specials. That means that, while its episode count surpasses all the shows listed previously at433 episodes, its total runtime is much shorter. Nonetheless, this British preschool series remains one of the most popular kids' shows on TV.
Starring the titular Peppa Pig and her family, along with Peppa’s friends who are portrayed by other animals, the series typically deals with mundane events like attending a playdate or going to camp. It’s presented in such a way as to be accessible to children, so it won’t be for everyone. That said, it remains one of the most popular series on TV, and after its purchase by Hasbro in 2019, became one of the company’s foremost brands alongsideTransformers, My Little Pony,andG.I. Joe.
As a creative, Seth MacFarlane is a household name these days, in large part due to the massive success of his flagship series,Family Guy.While it may be somewhat derivative ofThe Simpsons,it’s also something all its own; part clip show, part social commentary, part satire, and part stream of consciousness, all wrapped up in a raunchy comedy that’s just close enough to PG to be palatable for Fox executives.
Having just wrapped up its 23rd season,Family Guy’s444 episodesrank it as the most prolific show in MacFarlane’s now extensive catalog. It might be hard to classify the antics of the Griffin family as “adventures,” but their consistently irreverent antics have maintined their presence in popular culture, even if the series has dipped in quality since its heyday.
Considering the series debuted over 40 years ago, there’s an argument to be made thatThomas & Friendsis the most successful children’s animated series of the modern era. Sure, it may not have the merchandise backing or the infatuation of today’s children like it did with generations past, but there are decades' worth of now-adults in Europe and North America alike who can look back on their childhoods and findan image of Thomas the Tank Enginesomewhere in their past.
With celebrity narrators as iconic as Pierce Brosnan, George Carlin, and Alec Baldwin,Thomas & Friendshas a pedigree that few other children’s shows can match. While the series officially concluded in 2021, amassing a grand total of584 episodes,it was rebooted on Netflix shortly afterwards under a new subtitle, now known asThomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
The Simpsonsranking in the top spot here should come as no surprise. When it comes to Western animated series, it is almost alwaysthego-to example. Now in its 36th year on the air, without missing a single year in that span, the series'790episodeseasily rank it as the most successful cartoon to ever come out of the US.
From household names like Homer and Bart to iconic scenes like Skinner’s steamed hams,The Simpsonsdefined an era of adult cartoon comedies in a way that no other series before it even came close to, and very few series have matched since. While word of mouth may suggest that the series isn’t worth watching today, that’s simply not the case. It may not hold a candle to its unimpeachable peak between seasons 2 and 10,and the seasons that followed struggled to match that same quality, yet it remains a consistently entertaining series, even in its most recent 36th season.
