feelsalike.com

Shows that feel like Sealab 2021 (2000–2005)

If you loved Sealab 2021, the closest series we have are Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007), Bob's Burgers (2011) and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (2001). All three share Sealab 2021's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu and others, checked against today's data.

The year is 2021. Deep below the ocean's surface, looms a vast, magnificently high-tech compound: Sealab. A multi-national scientific station with an annual budget in the trillions, manned by a motley collection of malcontents and screw-ups who were unfit for work in the private sector. They really don't get any research done, but instead spend their time bickering among themselves or just plain goofing off. The crew have manipulated their luckless leader, Captain Murphy, into submission, and are content to ride the government clock, raking in fat, hazardous-duty paychecks.

7.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗5 seasons · Cartoon Networkcreated by Adam Reedwhimsicalwittyplayful
Stream it:Adult Swim
Buy seasons:Amazon see price ↗Apple TV$4.99 buySealab 2021, Season 1 · Apple price as of 2026-09-01

If Sealab 2021 hit the spot, these will too

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! poster
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
2007–2010 · 5 seasons · Adult Swim
7.6comedy

Both land wit and play at once

The difference: Missing the whimsy of Sealab 2021

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010. The program features surrealistic and often satirical humor, public-access television–style musical acts, bizarre faux-commercials, and editing and special effects chosen to make the show appear camp. The program featured a wide range of actors, spanning from stars such as Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Will Forte and Zach Galifianakis, to alternative comedians like Neil Hamburger, to television actors like Alan Thicke, celebrity look-alikes and impressionists. The creators of the show have described it as "the nightmare version of television."

Feels alike?
Bob's Burgers poster
Bob's Burgers
2011– · 16 seasons · FOX
8.2animation · comedy

Whimsical animation in both cases

Bob's Burgers follows a third-generation restaurateur, Bob, as he runs Bob's Burgers with the help of his wife and their three kids. Bob and his quirky family have big ideas about burgers, but fall short on service and sophistication. Despite the greasy counters, lousy location and a dearth of customers, Bob and his family are determined to make Bob's Burgers "grand re-re-re-opening" a success.

Feels alike?
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy poster
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
2001–2007 · 7 seasons · Cartoon Network
7.6animation · comedy · kids

Comedy with a pulse of whimsy, in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to kids than Sealab 2021 does

The exploits of the Grim Reaper, who has been forced into being the best friend of two children. A spin-off of the show Grim & Evil.

Feels alike?
Slam Dunk poster
Slam Dunk
1993–1996 · 1 season · tv asahi
8.7animation · comedy

Both lean on wit more than on animation

Sakuragi Hanamichi is a junior high punk used to getting into fights and being rejected by girls but upon entering high school he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko Akagi. He will do anything in order to win her heart including joining the school basketball team that is aiming to conquer the nation lead by Haruko's brother. The problem is that Sakuragi has never played basketball before and a freshman sensation is stealing the spotlight and Haruko's affection from him.

Feels alike?
The Deep End poster
The Deep End
2010 · 1 season · ABC
6.8drama · comedy · documentary

Comedy built on play, twice over

The difference: Not nearly as whimsical as Sealab 2021

The tragedies and triumphs of five earnest twenty-something first-year associates fighting to stay afloat in one of Los Angeles' top law firms.

Feels alike?
Prison School poster
Prison School
2015 · 1 season · Tokyo MX
7.5animation · comedy

Whimsical animation, and it commits to that

There was a time when the Hachimitsu Private Academy was a revered and elite all-girls' boarding school on the outskirts of Tokyo but a recent policy revision is allowing boys into the student body. On his first day, Kiyoshi Fujino discovers that he's one of only five boys enrolled at the school. Completely overwhelmed by the thousands of girls on campus, the few boys find that their situation is less than ideal.

Feels alike?
Mr. Bean poster
Mr. Bean
1990–1995 · 1 season · ITV1
8.6comedy

Witty comedy in both cases

Mr Bean turns simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations and will leave you in stitches as he creates havoc wherever he goes.

Feels alike?
Archer poster
Archer
2009–2023 · 14 seasons · FX
8.6comedy · action & adventure · animation

Both are Adam Reed's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Leans harder into action & adventure than Sealab 2021 does

Smart-mouthed superspy Sterling Archer and his dysfunctional team of secret agents turn dangerous missions into messy misadventures around the globe.

Feels alike?
Ed, Edd n Eddy poster
Ed, Edd n Eddy
1999–2008 · 6 seasons · Cartoon Network
7.4animation · comedy · kids

Both work the same play

Three adolescent boys, Ed, Edd "Double D", and Eddy, collectively known as "the Eds", constantly invent schemes to make money from their peers to purchase their favorite confectionery, jawbreakers. Their plans usually fail though, leaving them in various predicaments.

Feels alike?
Animaniacs poster
Animaniacs
1993–1998 · 5 seasons · The WB
7.9animation · kids · comedy

The animation is handled with the same confidence

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!

Feels alike?
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War poster
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
2019–2022 · 3 seasons · Gunma TV
8.5comedy · animation

Comedy in the same key

Considered a genius due to having the highest grades in the country, Miyuki Shirogane leads the prestigious Shuchiin Academy's student council as its president, working alongside the beautiful and wealthy vice president Kaguya Shinomiya. The two are often regarded as the perfect couple by students despite them not being in any sort of romantic relationship.

Feels alike?
Perfect Strangers poster
Perfect Strangers
1986–1993 · 8 seasons · ABC
7.2comedy

Both know what they want from comedy

The chronicles of the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more whimsical?

all whimsical shows →

The best-reviewed series that share Sealab 2021’s defining feeling.