which cartoons started n the 2020s took jabs at late 2010s early 2020s serialized cartoons tonal whiplashes love heavy and the fate of the world
A few 2020s cartoons that fit that vibe are The Owl House , Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur , Mermicorno: Starfall , and Kiff. They don’t all directly mock late-2010s serialized drama, but they do lean into quick tonal swings, big feelings, and world-ending stakes in a way that feels like a reaction to the heavier, lore-dense style of many 2010s shows.
Why these fit
- The Owl House mixes goofy comedy with apocalyptic stakes and heartfelt romance, which made it stand out as a “serious but still playful” 2020s cartoon.
- Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur uses bright, joke-heavy energy while still dealing with big emotional arcs and superhero-level danger.
- Kiff is more purely comedic, but it often pokes fun at over-serious storytelling by keeping things chaotic and irreverent.
- Mermicorno: Starfall sits in the newer trend of cartoons that balance cute visuals with surprisingly intense emotional beats.
The broader pattern
A lot of 2020s animation seems to be pushing back against the idea that every kids’ cartoon needs to become increasingly serialized and fate-of-the-world heavy. Instead, many newer shows use tonal whiplash on purpose : one scene is silly, the next is dramatic, and then it snaps back without apology. That makes them feel less like a single long prestige plot and more like a mix of comedy, emotion, and action all at once.
If you meant “jabs” more literally
If you were asking for cartoons that explicitly parody late-2010s serialized cartoons, that list is much shorter. What’s more common is an indirect jab through structure: lighter episode-to-episode storytelling, faster jokes, and less obsession with constant lore escalation.
The general fan read is that the 2020s brought a swing back toward flexibility: still emotional, still stakes-driven, but less trapped by “everything must be epic” storytelling.
TL;DR: the closest matches are The Owl House , Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur , and Kiff , with Mermicorno: Starfall as another newer example.