The state of American politics can feel so exaggerated and far-fetched that one of the best ways to represent it is through a medium made for such absurdity. Animated satirical series can depict our country’s political figures and moments at their most bizarre, sometimes taking aim at a particular party or politician, and sometimes lambasting the general idea of America as a fair, free and democratic nation. What follows is a guide to animated satires of American politics and politicians from the first Bush administration to the Biden administration.
#1 Happy Family USA (2025- )
This new series, created by the comedian Ramy Youssef and the writer Pam Brady, depicts a Muslim Egyptian American family in New Jersey who must learn to properly code-switch and project the image of a nonthreatening, properly assimilated family in order to carry on in the midst of the prejudice and jingoism of post-9/11 America.
Much of the series focuses on the exploits and misadventures of Rumi (voiced by Youssef), who tries to find his place among his middle school peers. But beyond the more standard adolescent story lines, “#1 Happy Family USA” hilariously skewers the likes of Fox News and George W. Bush, and also offers a stringent critique of how American beliefs and values shifted at the expense of many Muslim citizens and people of color after 9/11.
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
American Dad! (2005- )
The series creator Seth MacFarlane (who also created “Family Guy”) has said that “American Dad!” was inspired by his frustration with the 2000 presidential election and the Bush administration. The sitcom stars the Smith family, the patriarch of which, Stan, is a jingoistic far-right Republican who works for the C.I.A. Conservative politics take many of the satire’s hits, but characters like Stan’s hippie daughter and her boyfriend then husband represent leftist targets that get mocked regularly.
Streaming on Hulu.
Our Cartoon President (2018-2020)
A spinoff of a recurring segment from “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” this heavy-handed workplace satire of President Trump and his administration distills the personalities, scandals and gaffes of the country’s top politicians and political commentators into outlandish dialogue and even more comically exaggerated caricature-style illustrations. (Colbert also went on to be a co-creator of “Tooning Out the News,” a show that combined live actors with animation to create a parody of a cable news program.)
Streaming on Paramount+.
Inside Job (2021-2022)
There aren’t any specific real-life targets for this show, which is a workplace comedy that takes place in an American shadow government corporation in D.C. But common conspiracies abound, and “Inside Job” takes theories about flat Earth, the moon landing, John F. Kennedy’s assassination and more to a science-fiction extreme. The brunt of the show’s satire is less pointed than some of the others on this list, instead focusing on the general sense of paranoia around the workings of our government and the many ways our supposedly transparent and our supposedly democratic system can be a mask for strange, nefarious and counterintuitive political activities. Even with a stacked voice cast including Lizzy Caplan, Christian Slater, Brett Gelman, Andy Daly and Adam Scott, “Inside Job” was canceled after a single two-part season.
Streaming on Netflix.
Mulligan (2023-2024)
The Netflix series “Mulligan” starts with an “Independence Day”-style alien invasion of Earth, ultimately stopped by a single grenade throw by a man named Matty Mulligan. Mulligan, a regular working class guy with a thick Boston accent and a love for cheap beer, becomes president of the newly decimated America, where the few survivors of the attack try to find a way to live among the wreckage.
Guided by a crooked Southern conservative senator who names himself vice-president, Mulligan attempts to fulfill his presidential duties — though he’d rather prioritize bringing back the “Fast and Furious” franchise. More of a general satire about the breakdown of American politics and the incompetent leaders who are granted power in times of disaster, “Mulligan” features the voices of comedians Tina Fey, Dana Carvey and Sam Richardson.
Bonus Episodes
These two shows aren’t available to stream in an official capacity, but various episodes and clips can be found in the depths of YouTube. On “Lil’ Bush: Resident of the United States,” a caricature of the 43rd president in short pants rashly leads his gang of friends into several misadventures. His loyal followers include Lil’ Condi (Condoleezza Rice), Lil’ Rummy (Donald Rumsfeld) and Lil’ Cheney (Dick Cheney), a feral, incoherent child who casually kills animals with his teeth. Though in this mercilessly dark, faux-cutesy fictional universe George H.W. Bush is the one ruling from the Oval Office, Lil’ George and his friends get involved in much of the elder Bush’s political doings, which reflect the issues of the younger Bush’s real-life administration. The show ran for two seasons in 2007-2008.
In the early 1990s there was “Capitol Critters,” about the rodents and roaches who live in and beneath the White House. Featuring classic Hanna-Barbera-style animation and the voices of Neil Patrick Harris and Frank Welker, the show poked fun at the first Bush administration and tackled themes like drug abuse and segregation.
Maya Phillips is an arts and culture critic for The Times.
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