Last updated March 2024
Want to dive into highly celebrated Best Short Tv Shows right away? We put together an expert list of 30 marvelous Best Short Tv Shows locked and loaded for your viewing experience. With through-the-roof ratings from IMDB critics and our own discerning users, these titles are as good as entertainment gets. Lend a hand by voting for the Best Short Tv Shows you think deserve even more acclaim. We value your help in highlighting the cream of the crop!
Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Plot Summary:
Two brothers find themselves lost in a mysterious land and try to find their way home
Duration: 22 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 68000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: folk horror, siblings relations, beast, getting home, forest, danger, brother brother relationship, child protagonist, children, imaginary, brothers, travel, lost in the woods, lost, halloween, moving, darkness, life & death, trippy, hipster, woods, dream, frog, forest ranger, male protagonist
Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles (2003)
Plot Summary:
In the distant future, ten soldiers battle for control of the least desirable piece of real estate in the known universe- a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. Red vs. Blue chronicles the misadventures of two hapless armies as they wage a war that few understand and no one wants to fight
Duration: 6 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: military, stupidity, leader, invasion, escapades, rivalry, danger, uninhibited rivalry, fate of humanity, imaginary, commander, rivals, battles, fictional war, civil war, enemy, confrontation, superhero, mature, white supremacy, weirdo, distant planet, survival, alien, ghost
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain with his own video blog, is attempting to join the prestigious Evil League of Evil (led by the legendary "thoroughbred of sin", Bad Horse), but his plans are usually foiled by the egotistical superhero Captain Hammer. Dr. Horrible's life is thrown for a loop when he falls in love with Penny, a beautiful and optimistic advocate for the homeless he meets at the laundromat
Duration: 42 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Short, Comedy, Musical, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: mad scientist, unrequited love, villain, unfulfilled love, imaginary, life philosophy, music, creativity, plot twist, love triangle, rivalry, danger, superhero, super villain, superpower, twists and turns, secrets, inventor, bad guy, astronomy, mad doctor, bad guy wins, comic book, accidental death, homeless shelter
The Amazing World of Gumball (2011)
Plot Summary:
The life of Gumball Watterson, a 12-year old cat who attends middle school in Elmore. Accompanied by his pet, adoptive brother, and best friend Darwin Watterson, he frequently finds himself involved in various shenanigans around the city, during which he interacts with various family members: Anais, Richard, and Nicole Watterson, and other various citizens
Duration: 11 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Music, Musical, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, Ireland, USA, Germany
Plot tags: friendship, family life, social relations, friends, buddies, eccentric family, fish, youth, ghost, satire, anthropomorphic animal, plan gone awry, family relations, teacher, teenage life, suburban life, cat, middle school, sarcasm, dinosaur, mature, working class, hipster, suburbs, talking animal
The Guild (2007)
Plot Summary:
The Guild is an American comedy web series created and written by Felicia Day, who also stars as Cyd Sherman. It premiered on YouTube on July 27, 2007. Seasons two through five webisodes premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video. The webisodes were later made available on the official Guild website, YouTube, and iTunes. According to Day, Microsoft's business model changed after season five; Day wanted to keep ownership, so the episode premieres moved to Day's YouTube channel Geek & Sundry. The webisodes are also available via DVD and streaming on Hulu and Netflix. The show revolves around the lives of a gamers' online guild, The Knights of Good, who play countless hours of a fantasy MMORPG video game entitled The Game. The story focuses on Codex, the guild's Priestess, who attempts to lead a normal life after one of her guild-mates, Warlock Zaboo, shows up on her doorstep. Joss Whedon credits The Guild as one of the inspirations for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which also starred Felicia Day. The sixth season premiered on Geek & Sundry on October 2, 2012. In a phone interview after the end of the sixth season, Felicia Day confirmed that The Guild webseries is complete
Duration: 4 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Short, Comedy
Country: USA
Plot tags: escape from reality, socially awkward, video game, friends, addiction, misfit, nerd, geek, social misfits, lifestyle, real world, antisocial behavior, women, girl, humour, woman, existentialism, social anxiety, alternate reality, social relations, redhead, role playing, computers and web, young people, social awkwardness
Steven Universe (2013)
Plot Summary:
A young boy takes his mother's place in a group of gemstone-based beings, and must learn to control his powers
Duration: 11 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: supernatural ability, gem, goodhearted, danger, intergalactic, youth, heroes, save the world, supernatural, imaginary, alien, escapades, child protagonist, outer space, beach, training, father son relationship, child, island, boy, single parent, autistic, coming of age, strong female lead, supernatural power
Shaun the Sheep (2007)
Plot Summary:
Shaun the Sheep is a British stop-motion animated children's television series produced by Aardman Animations, and commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD. It is a spin-off of the Wallace and Gromit franchise, starring Shaun from A Close Shave as its main protagonist. It first aired in the UK on CBBC in March 2007. The series has also inspired its own spin-off show, Timmy Time, which is aimed at younger viewers. The show has been broadcast in 180 countries around the world
Duration: 7 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Short, Comedy, Family
Country: UK, Finland, Germany
Plot tags: countryside, animal life, stop motion, friendship, animal, pets, friends, security guard, escapades, partner, rescue, frame up, power relations, dog, farm, sheep, farmer, dark humor, puppet, pig, heroes, moon, family life, love and romance, best friend
Phineas and Ferb (2007)
Plot Summary:
Each day, two kindhearted suburban stepbrothers on summer vacation embark on some grand new project, which annoys their controlling sister, Candace, who tries to bust them. Meanwhile, their pet platypus plots against evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz
Duration: 15 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: invention, siblings relations, young heroes, mischievous children, experimenting, scientist, rivals, good versus evil, secret identity, brother sister relationship, chaos and mayhem, secret agent, werewolf, teenager, inventor, undercover, rivalry, chaos, disorder, dishonesty, friendship between men, mad scientist, child protagonist, fandom, crossover
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2000)
Plot Summary:
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law features ex-superhero Harvey T. Birdman of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio as an attorney working for a law firm alongside other cartoon stars from 1960s and 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. Similarly, Harvey's clients are also primarily composed of characters taken from Hanna-Barbera cartoon series of the same era. Many of Birdman's nemeses featured in his former cartoon series also became attorneys, often representing the opposing side of a given case
Duration: 15 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Short, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, law firm, jury, courtroom, lawyer, judge, lawsuit, anti hero, injustice, confession, disorder, workplace, dishonesty, superhuman powers, stoner, mature, heroes, bird, attorney, surrealism, satire, adult humor, legal, legal action, misfit
Dexter's Laboratory (1996)
Plot Summary:
Dexter's Laboratory is an American comic science fiction animated children's television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, a boy-genius with a secret laboratory filled with his collection of inventions. He constantly battles his sister Dee Dee, who always gains access despite his best efforts to keep her out, as well as his arch-rival and neighbor, Mandark. The series' first two seasons contain additional segments: Dial M for Monkey, which focuses on Dexter's pet lab monkey-turned-superhero, and The Justice Friends, about a trio of superheroes who share an apartment. Tartakovsky first pitched the series to Hanna-Barbera's animated shorts showcase World Premiere Toons, basing it on student films he produced while attending the California Institute of the Arts. Four shorts were created and broadcast on Cartoon Network in 1995 and 1996 before viewer approval ratings convinced the network to order a 13-episode first season, which premiered on April 28, 1996. By 1999, 52 episodes and a television movie had been produced, and Tartakovsky then left the series to begin work on his other projects, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. In 2001, the network revived the series under a different production team at Cartoon Network Studios, and after 26 more episodes, the series ended on November 20, 2003
Duration: 23 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 53000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: mischievous children, laboratory, suburbs, inventions and discoveries, goofy hero, family relations, everyday life, ambitious, siblings relations, young heroes, experimenting, robot, mad scientist, disorder, villain, surrealism, scientist, teenager, science, autism, childhood, occupation, teenage angst, experiment, secret
Animaniacs (1993)
Plot Summary:
The two Warner Brothers Yakko and Wakko and their Warner sister Dot had been (supposedly) created in the 1930's, but their cartoons were too screwy for the general public to handle. The three Warners were locked up in the studio water tower until they escaped in the 90's. There, they run wild, causing chaos everywhere!
Duration: 21 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: satire, batman, talking cat, weirdo, families, family relations, talking animal, sibling relationship, music, showbiz, media, genetically altered, historical character, siblings relations, artists and showbiz, media satire, dog, cat, hollywood, psychiatrist, security guard, laboratory, chase, pigeon, brother sister relationship
We Bare Bears (2014)
Plot Summary:
Three brother bears awkwardly attempt to find their place in civilized society, whether they're looking for food, trying to make human friends, or scheming to become famous on the internet. Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear stack atop one another when they leave their cave and explore the hipster environs of the San Francisco Bay Area, and it's clear the siblings have a lot to learn about a technologically driven world. By their side on many adventures are best friend Chloe (the only human character in the cast), fame-obsessed panda Nom Nom, and Charlie, aka Bigfoot
Duration: 30 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Plot tags: anthropomorphic animal, cartoon bear, brother brother relationship, talking animal, friendship, society, everyday life, anthropomorphism, childhood, bear, hipster, furry, adventurer, internet, grizzly bear, absurd humor, animal protagonist, blog, male protagonist, mammal, bigfoot, coming of age, three brothers, pop culture, trio
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is an American animated television series created by Thurop Van Orman for Cartoon Network that premiered on June 5, 2008, and ended on August 30, 2010. On April 20, 2012, this series returned to Cartoon Network to show re-runs on the revived block, "Cartoon Planet"
Duration: 11 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA, South Korea
Plot tags: pirate, human animal relationship, friendship, mischievous children, youth, disorder, young heroes, island, family relations, parents and children, family life, captain, animal life, imaginary, talking animal, dark humor, deja vu, child hero, surrealism, harbor, magical, heroes, friends, escapades, rivalry
Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance (2006)
Plot Summary:
Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance is an online series that aims to fill in the gaps between seasons two and three of the Re-imagined Series. The webisodes can be viewed through the official web portal at Syfy.com. The webisode series was written by Battlestar Galactica veterans Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, and directed by Wayne Rose. The entire series is 27 minutes long in total, divided into 10 episodes. While the Webisodes are included in the Region 1 DVD boxset of Season 3, they are not included in the Region 2 version. They are, however, included on all Blu-ray releases. In particular, the Webisodes chronicle Duck's and Jammer's motivations to become suicide-bomber and collaborator, respectively
Duration: 26 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Short, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: battlestar galactica, resistance, space wars, trapped, heroes, invasion, space and aliens, betrayal, life is a bitch, escapades, danger, recruit, cyborgs, alien, distopia, alien invasion, military, galaxy, space program, space opera, spaceship, spy, massacre, anger, conflict
Robot Chicken (2001)
Plot Summary:
Robot Chicken is an American stop-motion claymation comedy television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, especially Green, also provide many of the voices. Senreich, Goldstein and Root were formerly writers for the popular action figure hobbyist magazine ToyFare, which has won an Annie Award and three Emmy Awards
Duration: 11 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: stupidity, stop motion, mad scientist, sketch, absurd humor, artists and showbiz, celebrity culture, mature, sketch show, robot, bad taste humour, joke, adult humor, comedy team, dark humor, batman, moving, vulgar, satire, scientist, friends, escapades, weirdo, disorder, silly humor
Darkwing Duck (1991)
Plot Summary:
Darkwing Duck is an American animated action-adventure television series produced by The Walt Disney Company that ran from 1991–1995 on both the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and Saturday mornings on ABC. It featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered single quacker Drake Mallard. It is the only direct spin-off of DuckTales
Duration: 30 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, South Korea, Australia, France, Japan, Taiwan
Plot tags: cartoon duck, goofy hero, superhero, anthropomorphism, fighting crime, escapades, good versus evil, danger, imaginary, speech impediment, love, parallel universe, badass, heroes, adopted daughter, pilot, undercover, family relations, fame, disorder, criminal heroes, villain, foster child, father daughter relationship, ego
The Penguins of Madagascar (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Penguins of Madagascar is an American CGI animated television series airing on Nickelodeon. It stars nine characters from the DreamWorks Animation animated film Madagascar: The penguins Skipper, Kowalski, Private, and Rico; the lemurs King Julien, Maurice, and Mort; and Mason and Phil the chimpanzees. Characters new to the series include Marlene the otter and a zookeeper named Alice. It is the first Nicktoon produced with DreamWorks Animation. A pilot episode, "Gone in a Flash", aired as part of "Superstuffed Nicktoons Weekend" on November 29, 2008, and The Penguins of Madagascar became a regular series on March 28, 2009. The series premiere drew 6.1 million viewers, setting a new record as the most-watched premiere. Although the series occasionally alludes to the rest of the franchise, The Penguins of Madagascar does not take place at a precise time within it. McGrath, who is also the co-creator of the film characters, has said that the series takes place "not specifically before or after the movie, I just wanted them all back at the zoo. I think of it as taking place in a parallel universe."
Duration: 11 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: animal life, buddies, friendship, bird, friends, escapades, danger, nothing goes right, disorder, plan gone awry, anthropomorphism, uptight character, penguins, teenager, monkey, inventor, talking animal, silly humor, lemur, leader, zoo, anthropomorphic animal, king, farce, fast talker
Chowder (2007)
Plot Summary:
Chowder is an American animated television series created by C.H. Greenblatt for Cartoon Network. The series follows an aspiring young chef named Chowder and his day-to-day adventures as an apprentice in Mung Daal's catering company. Although he means well, Chowder often finds himself in predicaments due to his perpetual appetite and his nature as a scatterbrain. He is also pestered by Panini, the apprentice of Mung's rival Endive, who wants Chowder to be her "boyfriend", which he abhors. The series is animated with both traditional animation as well as short stop motion puppet sequences that are inter-cut into the episodes, and that run over the end credits. Chowder premiered on November 2, 2007, and ran for three seasons with 49 total episodes. It garnered one Primetime Emmy Award win, six Annie Award nominations, and two additional Emmy Award nominations during its run. The series finale, "Chowder Grows Up", aired on August 7, 2010, and features C.H. Greenblatt as the voice of the adult Chowder
Duration: 11 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, China
Plot tags: monster, friends, cooking and food, teachers and students, staff, workplace, surrealism, friendship, escapades, rivalry, dark humor, teenage girl, youth, couples, fame, imaginary, assistant, lifestyle, crush, power relations, food, child hero, teacher student relationship, cooking, husband wife relationship
Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011)
Plot Summary:
Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung are obsessed with reigning over various realms (parallel universes) and the winners of Mortal Kombat competitions are granted supreme control over these worlds. The Earthrealm (Earth) is an unconscious participant in this competition and only a few select humans understand the consequences of losing Mortal Kombat and what it will mean to Earth
Duration: 10 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Short, Action, Adventure, Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada
Plot tags: martial arts, supernatural, fight for supremacy, rivalry, danger, championship, opponent, master warrior, wing chun, superhero, kung fu, love, apocalypse, hacker, ninja, fight, technology, computer, utopia, street fighter, drug, super villain, combat, video game, heroes
Bonding (2018)
Plot Summary:
A New York City grad student moonlighting as a dominatrix enlists her gay BFF from high school to be her assistant
Duration: 17 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Short, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: dominatrix, pervert, sex worker, fetishism, bdsm, lgbt, female protagonist, relationship problems, gay best friend, friendship, love affair, lgbtq, love, youth, friends, love and romance, couples, escapades, society, couple relations, gay couple, gay interest, gay, sex, coming of age
Star Wars: Visions (2021)
Plot Summary:
An anthology series of animated short films celebrating Star Wars through the lens of the world’s best anime creators
Duration: 22 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, USA
Plot tags: star wars, galaxy, conversation, space, evil, propaganda, star trek, storytelling, outer space, superhero, village, fight, army, battles, planet, weapons, power, super villain, strength, master, jet plane, laser gun, lightsaber, exploration, clone
The Yogi Bear Show (1961)
Plot Summary:
Yogi, a smooth, talkative forest bear looks to raid park goers picnic baskets, while Park Ranger Smith tries to stop him
Duration: 30 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Animation, Short, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Plot tags: yogi bear, love, supernatural, childhood, friendship, friends, best friend, escapades, animal life, disorder, buddies, woods, bear, surrealism, anthropomorphic animal, park ranger, national park, animal, cartoon bear, forest, park, best friends, in the woods, animals, adventure
Most Dangerous Game (2020)
Plot Summary:
Desperate to take care of his pregnant wife before a terminal illness can take his life, Dodge Maynard accepts an offer to participate in a deadly game where he soon discovers that he's not the hunter - but the prey
Duration: 7 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Short, Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: game of death, most dangerous game, human prey, game, life & death, struggle for survival, mission of murder, danger, threat to kill, money, hunting, destiny, chase, chases and races, threat, cruelty, on the run, powerful ending, sociopath, mental health, hunted, terminal illness, manhunt, scheme, tv show
Teen Titans Go! (2013)
Plot Summary:
Teen Titans Go! is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics fictional superhero team, the Teen Titans. The series was announced following the popularity of DC Nation's New Teen Titans shorts, both of which are based on the 2003 Teen Titans TV series. Teen Titans Go! is a more comedic take on the DC Comics franchise, dealing with situations that happen outside of saving the world. Sporting a new animation style, Teen Titans Go! serves as a comedic spin-off with little continuity to the previous series, and only certain elements are retained. Many DC characters make cameo appearances and are referenced in the background, and the show also consists of much darker humor than its predecessor. The original principal voice cast returns to reprise their respective roles. The series airs every Tuesday, and then rebroadcast as part of the DC Nation block on Saturday. New episodes moved to Wednesday on September 11, 2013. Beware the Batman has joined Teen Titans Go! on the DC Nation block in July 2013
Duration: 10 min
IMDB Rating: 5.5/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Animation, Short, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, save the world, superhero team, heroes, young heroes, youth, escapades, batman, friendship, teenager, alien, satire, crime fighter, teenage superheroine, supernatural ability, supernatural power, friends, multiverse, teamwork, teenage protagonist, androids and robots, group of friends, good versus evil, irony, comic book