(actually erased comes to mind)

Stein;s Gate was so dull.

That sucks you weren't able to enjoy it. If you don't like any of the characters, then I can see why someone wouldn't like it. No action, comedy is entirely charactercentric, and lots of scifi psychologicalthemes

Death Note had some of the best use of tension and actually showing smart characters be smart I've seen animated or otherwise. The fact that there is so little action and yet I was enthralled with it is a testament to the writing.

Yes, I'm aware its risks did eventually push the show into a bit of a corner, but I still admire it for not being predictable for the majority of the way.

I feel like discussing Rick and Morty is like Breaking Bad again. They're good, but I never clicked with the levels of praise and obsession fans give them. Rick and Morty in particular feels like a collection of references to hundreds of characters, ideas, stories, and themes I've seen before. Council of Ricks for example had to be the writer showing his love of Hickman's Fantastic Four and the Council of Reeds. It's well done, but there is that back of my head "oh yeah, that is like this book/movie/show/etc. I remember".

That's... uh.. quite an interesting selection you got there.

Personally, none of those shows really appeal to me all that much 

For deep, introspective anime I'd HIGHLY recommend Satoshi Kon's work. His movies like Perfect Blue and Paprika are phenomenal and definitely check out the series Paranoia Agent.
Otherwise, the original Ghost in the Shell movie is also a great sci-fi film with heavy emphasis on philosophy. If you really want to have your mind fucked, Serial Experiments Lain will do that for you.

For action packed shows, I'm a huge proponent of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It lives up to it's name and is something shounen and anime fans should at least be familiar with considering it's impact on the genre and anime as a whole. Even pokemon referenced it! I also love me some One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. ONE does a great job making characters in big fantastic situations feel relatable and likable. I'm also enjoying the currently airing My Hero Academia a lot right now. The era of "Stubborn and impulsive protagonists and the power of friendship" shounen with shows like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece never appealed to me, but lately I've been getting into the genre with the aforementioned series.

Other great anime I'd recommend are Berserk (NOT the CGI series), Baccano!, Mushi-shi, Samurai Champloo, and Cowboy Bebop.

For an almost pure comedy show... uh... Cromartie High School? That's all I got off the top of my head.

Edit: What a fool I've been. How could I possibly forget to mention the greatest anime of all time? Cory in the House! (old joke is old)

I'm hooked on Crayon Shin Chan's old movies now.

That's my recommendtion.

I'd put Batman 1990s animated series as a high mark for western animation in a series form. Rare to see a show define an aesthetic and it holds up to this day.

For comedy I'd say Futurama is the best western show due to its layers and rewatchability.

I'm a huge fan of Rick and Morty, but I understand the criticism.  Rick and Morty feels like two very different shows.  In some episodes, Rick and Morty go on grand adventures meeting interesting characters and intersecting plotlines, but in others it seems like they sit around and spew catchphrases.  

Rick and Morty definitely isn't a bad show. I like it, but don't find it amazing or anything like that (6-7/10)

The fanbase does make me hate it tbh. Not sure what I'd expect from a nerdy fanbase, but they can be pretty cancerous

What's the point arguing what's better than Rick and Morty if any answer we give is gonna be wrong for everyone?

Courage the Cowardly Dog, obviously.