The Best Classic Animated Shows on Adult Swim

Debuting in 2001, Adult Swim made itself known right from its live-action intro: “All kids out of the pool!” The late-night block of Cartoon Network shows catered to adults seeking something edgier, more hilarious, and action-oriented than reruns of The Flintstones and Jonny Quest. For being so divergent and leading the charge in adult animation, “the block” became a favorite of the college crowd.

But Adult Swim was far more than a repository for short-lived animated sitcoms and cartoons, sold more on their adult language and violence. There were trailblazing TV series that made Adult Swim soar while similar blocks on MTV and TNN failed. These are the classic shows that made Adult Swim the highlight of Cartoon Network’s programming.

10

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

As one of the first live-action shows on Adult Swim, Tim and Eric’s surreal skit show, Awesome Show, Great Job, launched an entirely new brand of comedy. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim stage such iconic bits spawned from either their previous Adult Swim cartoon (Tom Goes To The Mayor) or the inspirations of public-access television. The segments can range from absurd infomercials by the Cinco Corporation to the musical Uncle Muscles Hour.

While the humor is an odd assortment of obnoxious editing and gross-out gags, the most impressive thing about Awesome Show was the casting. The series has a more authentic public access vibe by casting amateur performers (David Liebe Hart, James Quall), but also boasted an impressive assortment of guest actors (John C. Reilly, Jeff Goldblum, Zach Galifianakis).

9

Home Movies

Before voice actor Brendon Small was shredding his voice for the hardcore Metalocalypse, he was the mini moviemaker of Home Movies. In the show, Brendon voices a kid version of himself, who makes his own movies with his friends Melissa (Melissa Bardin Galsky) and Jason (H. Jon Benjamin). While struggling with school and relationships, Brendon often confides in his soccer coach, John McGuirk (also played by H. Jon Benjamin), despite John being a loser and the last person who should be advising kids.

Home Movies initially started on UPN, using the Squigglevision technique of animation, which was also used on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. While it only lasted for one season, reruns became prolific enough on Adult Swim to warrant three more seasons, though they were created through the more standard Flash animation instead of Squigglevision. With the same comedic staging of retroscripting (where there’s an outline for the script, but the dialog is improvised) that made Dr. Katz hilarious (and later Bob’s Burgers), Home Movies has an enduring charm due to Brendan’s clever filmmaking ideas and relatable issues. The voice cast is also a stellar mix of comedy actors, boasting the neurotic Emo Phillips as the local bully.

8

Moral Orel

No Adult Swim show took a darker turn than the religious satire of Moral Orel. The stop-motion show (much like Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken), started as a parody of Davy and Goliath, with the naive Orel learning the wrong lessons from his alcoholic father and the lonely reverend. The most uncomfortable topics continued to be addressed until Orel finally realized that his Christian community doesn’t have all the answers.

The quirky show, developed by writer/producer Dino Stamatopoulos (Community, Mr. Show), transitioned from being darkly comedic to simply dark. The claymation characters became more defined and flawed, and the drama took on a tinge of comedy. The transformation made Moral Orel one of the few Adult Swim shows to evolve into something incredibly fulfilling, surpassing the satirical critique of backward religious resolutions.

7

The Brak Show

Spinning off from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet, the eccentric alien Brak is given his own family sitcom. The show portrays Brak living in the suburbs with his tiny human father and towering alien mother. Along with his troublemaking companion, Zorak, Brak gets involved in silly situations, such as putting on a musical version of Psycho and kidnapping a chicken.

The Brak Show highlighted more of the eccentricities that made the character so beloved on Cartoon Planet, featuring plenty of his goofy sayings and musical numbers. The show was also pivotal in shaping the meta-humor of Adult Swim, as it was abruptly canceled amid a New Year’s event and became a running joke in bumpers about never being renewed, despite being rerun several times.

6

Sealab 2021

As a mockery of a forgotten cartoon, Sealab 2021 retooled the underwater adventures of Sealab 2020 into a subversive dose of ridiculousness. The crew would spend more time squabbling than dealing with threats to their science station, often getting distracted with debates about robots and golf. The crew was intentionally made to be inept, resulting in a running gag about how frequently Sealab will just explode.

Although the show relies primarily on stock footage from Sealab 2020, the most impressive aspect is the voice cast, featuring the legendary Harry Goz (Mommie Dearest) and the iconic Erik Estrada (C.H.I.P.s). The humor was also highly experimental, where episodes would either hold on one shot for the entire episode or perform a straight voice dub of the old show without any jokes. You never knew what to expect in this odd show from creator Adam Reed, who would later create the witty spy comedy Archer.

5

Futurama

As Matt Groening’s first animated show after The Simpsons, Futurama took a clever approach to loving and laughing at science fiction. The hapless pizza delivery boy, Fry, finds himself frozen for a thousand years, only to awaken in the 31st century. He experiences all the weirdness of a future with his friends, including the cyclops Leela and the rude robot Bender.

Futurama’s humor was tailor-made for geeks and nerds, featuring everything from goofy Star Trek tributes (including an episode reuniting the original surviving cast) to in-jokes for the mathematicians (a four-dimensional whale called Möbius Dick). It was also too niche to find a home on Fox. Thankfully, reruns on Adult Swim reignited interest in the show, sparking a revival of the show with a series of movies and new seasons. If it weren’t for Adult Swim, there might not have been a future for Futurama, one of the few shows to survive cancellation.

4

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law

In the same vein as Space Ghost, Harvey Birdman plucked the old Hanna-Barbera superhero and placed him in the new profession of a lawyer. Birdman’s cases, however, all revolve around other cartoon characters. This leads to such hilarious cases as Scooby and Shaggy being accused of drug use, Fred Flintstone getting busted as a mafia leader, and Race Bannon fighting for custody of Jonny Quest.

The premise of Harvey Birdman alone was funny, but the zippy humor and background gags made the show its own thing, with brilliant running jokes. I often find myself quoting Peter Potamus’s “You get that thing I sent ya”. So, even if you don’t recognize all the classic characters (Ding-a-Ling?), there are plenty of snappy jokes and legal tomfoolery to appreciate in Harvey’s cartoon courtroom antics.

3

Cowboy Bebop

For the first anime to air on Adult Swim, and in the last timeslot of the night, Cowboy Bebop was one of the best choices to represent the genre. This sci-fi adventure series takes place in a future where bounty hunters Spike and Jet track down fugitives for money. While they struggle to pay the bills, they make unlikely allies with the femme fatale Faye, the eccentric tech-nerd Ed, and the adorable corgi Ein.

There’s no other anime like Cowboy Bebop with its abundance of pop culture influences and a swinging jazz score by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts. The episodes had boundless potential to go anywhere, from a stylish John Woo-esque gunfight to the strange scenario of getting high on mushrooms. With the characters as fully realized as the futuristic universe they occupy, there’s a lot of funky love that makes this one of the best anime series of all time.

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2

The Venture Bros.

As a satirical jab at Jonny Quest, The Venture Bros. follows the messed-up lives of boy adventurers Hank and Dean Venture. As the dim-witted, homeschooled teen children of the washed-up scientist Doctor Venture, they find themselves the targets of the supervillain known as the Monarch, while being protected by the aggressive bodyguard Brock Sampson. The adventures often take wild detours into slapstick mistakes and the bureaucracy of heroes and villains.

In addition to being one of the most visually stunning Adult Swim comedies, Venture Bros. is the perfect ode to geeky culture while still skewering it. Only a show like this could feature a Doctor Strange homage in the form of Doctor Orpheus, a divorced dad with adorable eccentricities. The comedic and intricate writing was so brilliant that it became one of the most unique deconstructions of cartoons and comic books, tapping into that dorky desire to cry, “Go, Team Venture!”

1

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

It’s fitting that the longest-running Adult Swim show defined the block’s penchant for stoner comedy with talking food. The fast-food trio of Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad find themselves clashing with all manner of absurd enemies. Unfortunately, they spend most of their time annoying their slovenly neighbor, Carl, and getting too distracted to save the day.

As one of the cheapest first-era cartoons for Adult Swim, Aqua Teen Hunger Force had a freedom with its humor that could crossover with other shows and feature guest stars for the most absurd roles. The chemistry between the egotistical Shake, straight-man Frylock, and innocent Meatwad made for a dynamic so strong that the show lasted for over a decade with two movies. When you hear that rap music in the intro, you know you’re in for a good time, even if the lyrics don’t accurately represent the promise of action from apathetic characters.

It’s hard to imagine Adult Swim today without these essential shows. If not for Home Movies and its retroscripting, we might not have the overlapping banter of Smiling Friends. If not for Cowboy Bebop blazing anime trails, we might not have Toonami’s current crop of the latest anime. The pool has only gotten bigger since becoming the hottest spot on Cartoon Network. And we owe it all to the bratty cup and the superhero lawyer.

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