Summary
The 10-season fantasy seriesAdventure Timecontains a whopping 283 episodes, but not all of them connect to the show’s rich lore. For some viewers, a story-centered watch of the series is more compelling than just following Finn and Jake on their tangential adventures. However, it can be understandably difficult to sift through what’s requiredAdventure Timeviewing and what’s a little more light on the plot.Finn, a burgeoning hero, and Jake, a shape-shifting dog, live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, where candy-people rule kingdoms and vampires strum bass guitars.
The show certainly boasts its own brand of weird, butAdventure Timeis also rooted in a thoughtful, richly imagined storyline — one that augments its unique world-building and characters. While there’s no “right” way to watch the series,viewers who are looking for more of a traditional narrative arc may want to trim down their viewingto a handful of episodes per season. Although that might mean missing out on some ofAdventure Time’s best quotesand character-building moments, it can certainly be done.
Which Adventure Time Episodes You Need To Watch
For The Lore, Viewers Should Focus On These Chapters
Starting withAdventure Timeseason 1, episode 5, “The Enchiridion,” is a great choice for newcomers and lore-seekers. A kind of manual with multiversal connections, the Enchiridion’s introduction is a great starting point — for numerous reasons. From there, viewers will want tofocus on episodes that introduce key characters and tease the biggest elements of their backstories. WhileAdventure Time’s timelinemay seem a bit daunting at first, focusing on lore-filled episodes will help newcomers keep track of big moments. That said, lore-lovers should focus on the following episodes:
It’s challenging to whittle downAdventure Timeto its “core” episodes. For each viewer, that has a different meaning, especially depending upon which supporting characters they gravitate toward or if they find minor plot references crucial enough to include in a lore-watch.
Will There Be An Adventure Time: Distant Lands Season 2? Everything We Know
While another spinoff is currently active, there’s a huge demand for Adventure Time: Distant Lands season 2, but is it actually happening?
What Adventure Time Episodes You Can Skip
These One-Off Episodes Are Fun, But Don’t Necessarily Feed Into The Lore
Some ofAdventure Time’s best episodesaren’t exactly required viewing for folks who want to focus on lore and story elements. For example, the fan-favorite Fionna and Cake episodes don’t necessarily have a huge impact on the show’s core narrative. While the titular characters are great and add some color to theAdventure Timeworld,they aren’t as essential to the original series as characters like the Lich. Other iconic episodes, like the recurring “Graybles” chapters, tease future plotlines and are fun, but won’t make or break one’s understanding of the series.
Every Upcoming Adventure Time Show & Movie Explained
Adventure Time may have finished in 2018, but the land of Ooo is still expanding, with a raft of exciting new projects now on the horizon.
Which Adventure Time Spinoffs You Need To Watch
Distant Lands & Fionna & Cake, Explained
After the original series ended, theAdventure TimespinoffDistant Lands, which comprises four hour-long streaming television specials, aired on Max. More like character studies,none of theDistant Landsepisodes feel particularly essential to theAdventure Timelore. However, each episode no doubt enriches the Land of Ooo andAdventure Time’s characters. For fans of Bubblegum and Marceline, “Obsidian” fills in some crucial gaps, while “Together Again” closes out Finn’s story. Similarly, the alternate-universespinoffAdventure Time: Fionna & Cakeisn’t something the originalAdventure Timehinges on.
As of June 2024,Adventure Timeand its spinoffs are streaming on Max.
Adventure Time
Adventure Time is a science fiction/fantasy animation from Cartoon Network. Adventure Time follows Finn (Jeremy Shada) and his dog Jake (John DiMaggio) as they go on adventures in the near future. The series was created by Pendleton Ward and ran for a total of 10 seasons on the network. Adventure Time was critically acclaimed while it was on the air and managed to pull in younger audiences, as well as adults.
