Adult Swim (stylized as[adult swim] and[as]) is an American adult-oriented television programming block onCartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening,prime time, andlate-nightdayparts. The channel features stylistically variedanimated and live-action series targeting anadult audience. The block's content includesoriginal programming, particularly comedies and action series,syndicated series, andshort films with generally minimal or no editing for content. Adult Swim is programmed byWilliams Street, a subsidiary ofWarner Bros. Television Studios that also produces much of the block's original programming.
Launched on September 2, 2001, Adult Swim has frequently airedanimated sitcoms,adult animation features,parody,satire,mockumentaries,sketch comedy, andpilots, with many of its programs being aestheticallyexperimental, transgressive, improvised, andsurrealist in nature. Adult Swim has contracted with various studios known for their productions inabsurd andshock comedy.[1] In addition to comedy, Adult Swim also broadcasts Japaneseanime and Americanaction animation, and since May 2012 this type of programming has generally been aired on its Saturday nightToonami block, which itself is a relaunch of the original block of the same name that ran on Cartoon Network from March 1997 to September 2008. Adult Swim operates a video game division known asAdult Swim Games, which started publishing indie games not based on the block's original programming in 2011.
When Adult Swim launched, it initially ran in the late night hours.[2] It began to expand into prime time in 2008, and moved its start time to 8:00 p.m. ET/PT in 2014.[3][4] To take advantage of adult viewership of Cartoon Network in the daypart, Adult Swim expanded further to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays beginning in May 2023. After experiencing success with the changes, Adult Swim further expanded to 5:00 p.m. beginning on August 28, 2023, eclipsing Cartoon Network in daily runtime. As a result, Adult Swim launched aprogramming block that airedclassic Cartoon Network shows from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. every weekday until December 2024, when it was reduced by an hour before it was ultimately discontinued on June 27, 2025.
Due to its differingdemographics, Adult Swim is usually promoted byThe Cartoon Network, Inc. as being a separate network time-sharing with Cartoon Network on its channel allotments, with its viewership beingmeasured separately byNielsen from the youth-orienteddaytime and afternoon programming carried under the Cartoon Network branding.
Cartoon Network's original head programmer,Mike Lazzo, conceived Adult Swim.[5] The block grew out of Cartoon Network's previous attempts at airing content appropriate for adults who might be watching the channel after 11 pm (ET/PT). The network began experimenting with its late-night programming by airing anthology shows that presented uncensored classic cartoon shorts, such asToonHeads,The Bob Clampett Show,The Tex Avery Show,Late Night Black and White, andO Canada. Another block,Toonami's "Midnight Run", aired the network's action programming uncut with minimal edits. At that time, one third of Cartoon Network's audience were adults.[6][7][2]
During the 1990s,prime time animation geared towardadults started growing popular due to the success ofFox's hit showThe Simpsons.[8][9][10] This was followed by a trend of other adult-oriented animated shows throughout the decade, as well as more general-oriented animated series that garnered strong adult followings.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Cartoon Network's first foray into original programming, was created in 1994 specifically for late-night adult audiences. The series was created byMike Lazzo's Ghost Planet Industries, which eventually becameWilliams Street , the producers and programmers of Adult Swim.
Between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. on December 21, and December 30, 2000 (whileSpace Ghost Coast to Coast was on hiatus), several new Williams Street series made unannounced "stealth" premieres.Sealab 2021;Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law;Aqua Teen Hunger Force; andThe Brak Show all premiered unannounced;[11] the official schedules listed the shows as "Special Programming".[12] Prior to that, inEntertainment Weekly, it was stated thatMichael Ouweleen's next project was working on theHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Pilot withJ. J. Sedelmaier.[13] In a 1999 interview, the indiepop rock band Calamine stated they had recorded the theme song forSealab 2021.[14] While entertaining pitches for a variety of adult cartoons, Lazzo realized the potential for packaging them as a complete adult-focused block. Different names were considered, "Parental Warning" and "Parental Block" but he eventually settled on "Adult Swim" (a reference to the common policy at public swimming pools to have time intervals during the day when only adults are allowed in the pool[15]).
Cartoon Network originally intended to launch the adult animation block on April 1, 2001, but it was delayed five months.[16] In June 2001,TV Guide had recorded an interview with Cartoon Network's former president,Betty Cohen. She stated there was a new programming block coming out in September that was aimed for an adult audience.[17][18] During this month at the Cartoon Network Confidential, "Cartoon Network's best originals and outrageous animated shorts for discriminating adults" inNew York City, an upcoming episode ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coast titled "Kentucky Nightmare", the stealth pilots from December,Captain Linger, and an episode ofHome Movies were screened for free. The screening was part of the Toyota Comedy Festival.[19] On Saturday, July 21, 2001, theSpace Ghost Coast to Coast panel atSan Diego Comic-Con had a trivia game in which the winners won a promotionalCD that had the theme songs to the upcoming Adult Swim Shows.[20][21] Everybody who attended got a free Adult Swimt-shirt that was packaged to look like a roll of bandages that alifeguard might carry.[22]
At San Diego Comic-Con, audiences got to see clips of the upcoming shows and vote for what show they wanted to see as a sneak peek.Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law was the winner and the pilot was screened. TheLeave It to Brak episode "Mr. Bawk Ba Gawk" andSpace Ghost Coast to Coast episode "The Justice Hole" were also screened, as well as clips to the episode "Sweet for Brak".[20] On August 12, the first commercial advertising the new block aired on Cartoon Network.[23] Around this time apress kit came out that featured towels and a promotional CD.[24][25][26][27] Another press kit that was designed as afirst aid kit came with a promoVHS with info on all the shows.[28][29][30]Access Hollywood also highlighted the upcoming premieres.[31] Print ads were shown in an August issue ofEntertainment Weekly. On August 31, adultswim.com officially launched.[20]
Adult Swim officially launched on September 2, 2001, at 10 p.m.ET, with the original debut airing of theHome Movies episode "Director's Cut",[32] which had been shelved before airing on its original network,UPN. According toLinda Simensky, "We had a bunch of episodes to screen forMike Lazzo and by only the second episode, he yelled, "Buy it!" Cartoon Network bought the original five UPN episodes and ordered eight more to complete the season.[33][34] The series' first season was animated inSquigglevision; later seasons were done inflash animation. The first anime broadcast on the block also aired on the night of its launch,Cowboy Bebop.[35][36]Aqua Teen Hunger Force debuted on the block on September 9, with the episode "Escape from Leprechaupolis". The block initially aired on Sunday nights from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am ET, with a repeat of the same block on Thursday nights.
Adult Swim's originalbumpers shown in-between the shows featured footage ofelderly people swimming inpublic pools, eating, exercising, and doing other pool-related activities. It would show signs all around the pool saying things like "Warning Potential Violence", "Warning Strong Language in use", "Caution Sexual Innuendo", "Caution Limited Animation", "No Diving", "No Kids", "Warning Adult Situations",[37] and more. Some of these bumpers were narrated by alifeguard who spoke through amegaphone. Most notably, he would shout "All kids out of the pool!". The logo was the words "Adult Swim" in all capital letters (or often an alternate version of the logo featured the block's name rendered in red and a black circle with ayellowpenumbra, also used as the main logo from 2002 to 2003), shown after a freeze frame of the footage.[38] Sometimes they were even shown in reverse. The block's original theme music, titled "D-Code," was a remix of "Mambo Gallego" done by theMelbourne musician Dust Devil, originally played by Latin jazz musicianTito Puente.[39]
Some of the bumps on the block includedAquaman Dance Party that featured a cartoonAquaman dancing in front of live actionlandfill footage,[40]Captain Linger, a series of shorts created byJ. J. Sedelmaier,[41]Watering Hole, a series of shorts about animals talking in a bar created bySoup2Nuts,[42] 1960sHanna-Barbera action cartoons dubbed with the voices of children,[43] a series of shorts calledNot for Air that had the speech of Hanna-Barbera characters bleeped to make it seem like the characters were swearing,[44]The New Adventures of TheWonder Twins,[45]What They're Really Thinking, which had a voice narrate a character's thoughts in a comedic way, andBrak Puppet Party, a puppet show featuring classic Hanna-Barbera characters.[46][47]
Commercials starring characters fromAqua Teen Hunger Force,The Brak Show,Space Ghost Coast to Coast,Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law, andSealab 2021 started to appear as well, such as1-800-CALL-ATT,[48]Nestea,[49]Dr Pepper,[50]Coca-Cola,[51]Dodge Ram,[52]Quizno's Sub,[53] Maximum Hair Dye,Verizon Wireless,[54] and movie promos forAustin Powers in Goldmember,[55]Kung Pow! Enter the Fist,Jackass: The Movie,Eight Legged Freaks,[56] andThe Powerpuff Girls Movie.[57]Brak would also host a segment calledAdult Swim News.[58] Due to theSeptember 11 attacks, episodes ofHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law,Cowboy Bebop, andAqua Teen Hunger Force were delayed.[59][60][61] In the winter of 2001 another Adult Swim CD was made available for free to anyone who purchased issue 28 ofHitch Magazine and the same CD came with issue 29.[62][63]
When the Saturday night block debuted on February 23, 2002, it was known asAdult Swim Action, with various anime programs displayed on the block from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am ET. Thus, programming on the block was divided betweenAdult Swim Action andAdult Swim Comedy.[64]Adult Swim Comedy was Sunday nights and ran from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am ET. Two days prior, on February 21, Adult Swim stopped airing on Thursday nights.The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show andThe Popeye Show tookCowboy Bebop's place for 12:00 am and 12:30 am ET. On June 15, 2002, Adult Swim had their first contest called "Adult Swim Happiness Sweepstakes" where winners could win a Master Shakeair freshener.[65]
It became increasingly common for Adult Swim to act as a home for reruns of animated series that had been canceled prematurely, such asHome Movies,Baby Blues,Mission Hill,The Oblongs,The Ripping Friends,Futurama,Family Guy, andGod, the Devil and Bob, as well asburn off remaining episodes of said shows that never aired on their original networks, as a result of their premature cancellation. The block obtainedFuturama's exclusive pay-TV syndication rights in September 2002 for a reported $10 million,[66] and the series first aired on the network on January 12, 2003.[67][68]Family Guy made its debut on April 20 of that year with the episode "Brian in Love", and immediately became the block's top-rated program, dominating late night viewing in its time period vs. pay-television and free-to-air competition and boosting viewership of both the block, and Cartoon Network itself, by 239 percent.[69][70]Seth MacFarlane had previously createdLarry & Steve, a cartoon predecessor toFamily Guy, that was aired on Cartoon Network'sWhat a Cartoon! Show in 1997. MacFarlane had also worked on several Cartoon Network shows, such asJohnny Bravo andDexter's Laboratory.
OnNew Year's Eve 2002, Brak fromThe Brak Show and Carl Brutananadilewski fromAqua Teen Hunger Force hosted a New Year's Eve special from 11:00 pm to 3:00 am.[71][72] This was the first time Adult Swim aired on a Tuesday night.
Beginning on January 12, 2003, Adult Swim was airing five nights a week, Sundays through Thursdays from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.[73] Saturday nights were dropped. On February 9, 2003, sister networkTNT aired an "Adult Swim All Star Extravaganza" event following itscoverage of the2003 NBA All-Star Game, featuring airings of programs from the block. The event was considered a "sampler" to promote the block to a wider audience, withJim Samples, then-general manager and executive vice president of Cartoon Network, remarking that "we think that if you likeShaq, you'll love Brak."[74]
On October 5, 2003, Adult Swim was on from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. ET. On October 26, 2003, Brak's Dad fromThe Brak Show hostedHalloween-themed bumps.[75] That same night, Adult Swim hosted a live webcam show on its website, featuring the Adult Swim staff having a party. TheBig O series finale episode "The Show Must Go On", was supposed to premiere that night at 11:00 pm; however, Adult Swim had to reschedule the episode for the next week, on Sunday, November 2, taking the place of the scheduled previously unaired episode ofFamily Guy, "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein", to air on November 9.[76] WhenBig O premiered on November 2, a rerun episode, "Stripes" was airing but then Adult Swim said it was just a joke and they finally aired the correct episode.
Adult Swim had another New Year's Eve special, this time featuring some of the Adult Swim characters having a party at Brak's house celebrating New Year's Eve. It was on this night whenThe Brak Show was officially canceled.[77] On June 15, 2004, Adult Swim launched aVideo on Demand. On July 19, 2004, Adult Swim had apublicity stunt telling viewers that they needed 1,000,000 people to go to their website so they could "Free Hockey Chicken". An employee was dressed as a chicken in front of a webcam being watched by viewers, and he could not leave the studio until they reached their goal.[78] That same year Adult Swim hyped viewers by asking them to vote which would win in a fight: a "FlyingShark or a FlyingCrocodile".[79]
In late 2004, Adult Swim started a course atKent State University with lessons by film professor Ron Russo, author of the book "Adult Swim and Comedy".[80][81][82][83] On Halloween night in 2004,Phantasm actorAngus Scrimm hosted anAqua Teen Hunger Force marathon.[84][85] On November 2, 2004, Adult Swim ran a marathon of theHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Guitar Control" all through the night, until 2 a.m.. The episode replayed 24 times to celebrate Election Day.[86][87] On November 28, Adult Swim had a week showing off classic bumps from previous years. On March 28, 2005,Atlanta-basedTurner Broadcasting System began recording Adult SwimNielsen ratings separately from Cartoon Network for demographic purposes.[88] Promotions for Adult Swim are targeted towards the college age and those in their 20s and 30s, constituting the majority of their viewers. According to a September 1, 2004, article inPromo magazine, representatives travel to 30 universities across the U.S. to promote the Adult Swim lineup, including handing out posters for students' dorm rooms.[89] On April 17, 2004, Adult Swim regained Saturday nights, making Friday the only night where Adult Swim did not air. On March 28, 2005, Adult Swim gained an extra hour, now ending at 6 a.m. ET. On October 2, 2005, Adult Swim regained the 10 p.m. hour on Sundays, continuing to start at 11 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Adult Swim had a direct and important role in the revival ofFamily Guy. Due to the series' popularity in reruns, the block burned off "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein", an episode of the series that had been banned from airing on Fox, in 2003.[90] On September 21, 2003, Seth MacFarlane guest voiced on theAqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Super Trivia". In 2004, from July 26 through July 29, Adult Swim had a week dedicated toSeth MacFarlane where it had him host aFamily Guy marathon showing select episodes.[91][92] On March 29, 2004, less than one year after beginning reruns on Adult Swim,Fox announced it would be renewingFamily Guy for a fourth season and reviving it from cancellation.[69] Shortly after the announcement, Samples commented, "BringingFamily Guy to the Adult Swim lineup last April really helped turn the block into acultural phenomenon with young adults."[70]
Futurama was also revived in 2007 byComedy Central for similar reasons: impressive viewership in syndication as well as high DVD sales.[93] In 2006,20th Century Fox struck a deal to produce fourdirect-to-video animated features based onFuturama, and, in 2009, the series was revived in normal half-hour installments beginning in 2010 on Comedy Central.[93] In a 2006 interview,Futurama creatorMatt Groening explained "There's a long, regal history of misunderstood TV shows, and to Fox's credit, the studio looked at the ratings on the Cartoon Network and how the show does overseas, and saw that there was more money to be made."[94] Before Adult Swim lost the rights toFuturama reruns, they aired an all-night marathon from December 26–30, 2007, with the final reruns airing on December 31, thus, markingFuturama's last airing on the block until 2021. On New Year's Eve 2005, Adult Swim had a countdown for the new year featuring characters from their shows.[95][96] Beginning on March 27, 2006, Adult Swim's time began at 10:30 pm ET weekdays.[97]
In 2007, Adult Swim announced it would expand to seven nights a week and begin airing on Fridays, starting July 6. On December 29, 2008, Adult Swim moved its start time to 10 p.m. ET every night, with reruns ofKing of the Hill being broadcast in the hour starting January 1, 2009.[98] On December 27, 2010, Adult Swim moved its start time from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET, extending the network's daily schedule to nine hours.[99]
On January 31, 2007, Adult Swim attracted national media attention as part of the 2007 Boston Mooninite panic. Both the Boston Police Department and the Boston Fire Department mistakenly identified battery-powered LED placards resemblingThe Mooninites, characters fromAqua Teen Hunger Force, as improvised explosive devices. These devices were in fact part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for theAqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. The next day, Boston authorities arrested two men involved with the incident. Peter Berdovsky (a freelance video artist fromArlington, Massachusetts) and Sean Stevens were facing charges of placing a hoax device to incite panic, as well as one count of disorderly conduct, according toCNN.[100]
On February 5, Turner Broadcasting and marketer Interference, Inc. announced that they would pay $2 million in amends: one million to the city of Boston, and one million in goodwill funds.[101] Four days later, on February 9, Jim Samples, general manager and Executive Vice President of Cartoon Network since 2001, resigned.[102] Turner Broadcasting later issued an apology for the ad campaign that caused the bomb scares. A statement emailed toThe Boston Globe from Turner Broadcasting said:
"The 'packages' in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television showAqua Teen Hunger Force. They had been in place for two to three weeks inBoston,New York City,Los Angeles,Chicago,Houston,Atlanta,Seattle,Portland,Austin,San Francisco, andPhiladelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger."
On April 1, 2012, as part of their annualApril Fools' Day stunt, Adult Swim revivedToonami, the defunct Cartoon Network programming block that primarily aired anime and action cartoons.[103] Following positive reception, Toonami would return full-time as a rebrand of Adult Swim's Saturday night action block on May 26, 2012.[104][105] From November 11 to December 29, 2013, Cartoon Network briefly regained the 9 p.m. ET hour, promoting it as a bonus "gift time" hour, shortening Adult Swim back to eight hours.
On March 31, 2014, Adult Swim's start time moved up to 8:00 p.m. ET, further extending its nightly schedule to ten hours.[106] From 2015 to 2022, excluding 2017, Cartoon Network would take back the 8:00 p.m. hour anytime between late September and late December, making Adult Swim start at 9:00 p.m. again.
In 2015, Adult Swim launchedThe Virtual Brainload, the first animatedVR experience from a TV network.[107]
On May 7, 2015, it was announced that Adult Swim had ordered an untitled pilot byMillion Dollar Extreme described as a "sketch show in an almost present day post apocalyptic nightmare world".[108] Based on that pilot, it was announced on March 3, 2016, that it would go to series with the group presenting it under the additional subtitleWorld Peace, with the first season consisting of six episodes in Adult Swim's traditional eleven-minute episode format.[109] While the show did not predominantly deal with political themes,Sam Hyde's Twitter feed contained political references that have been characterized asalt-right.[110][111]BuzzFeed News writer Joseph Bernstein wrote that a source told him Adult Swim's standards department repeatedly discovered and removed coded racist messages, including hidden swastikas.[112] Additional sources at Adult Swim claimed to have filed internal complaints aboutdog-whistling in the show and harassment from Hyde and his fans.[112] Adult Swim series creatorBrett Gelman condemned the show as "an instrument of hate".[112] Adult Swim announced on December 5, 2016, that it would not be renewed for a second season.[110] When asked about the cancellation, Hyde stated that Adult Swim executives had expressed interest in picking up the show for a second season, but Turner Broadcasting ultimately decided to cancel the show.[113]
On September 28, 2017, Pete Smith, a long-time producer at the studio and co-creator ofThe Brak Show, retired from the company.[114] On that night, Adult Swim celebrated his career with an all-night marathon ofBob's Burgers (consisting of episodes that his daughter, Nora Smith, wrote) andThe Brak Show, with promos and bumpers made by Pete Smith airing during breaks.[115] This became an annual event through 2024, running anywhere from 1 hour to 10 hours. The following events also added newly produced shorts, interstitials fromCartoon Planet which Pete wrote for, and episodes ofSquidbillies where Smith played the character Boyd.
Adult Swim began losing the syndication rights to various20th Television animated series in 2018;Comedy Central acquired the syndication rights toKing of the Hill andThe Cleveland Show that year.[116] On April 8, 2019, it was announced thatFXX would acquire the rights to season 16 and beyond ofFamily Guy (sharing those rights with sister networksFreeform andFX) and season 9 and beyond ofBob's Burgers, with rights to the seasons airing on Adult Swim and sister network TBS at the time initially planned to transfer over to theDisney-owned networks in the coming years.[117]American Dad!, which was a TBS original series from 2014 to 2025, remained.
On March 4, 2019,AT&T held a reorganization ofWarnerMedia (Adult Swim's parent company at the time), dissolving the Turner Broadcasting System. Cartoon Network, Adult Swim,Boomerang, andTurner Classic Movies were transferred toWarner Bros. Entertainment under a newKids, Young Adults, and Classics division. Although AT&T did not specify any timetable for the changes to take effect, WarnerMedia had begun to remove all Turner references in corporate communications and press releases, referring to Turner's networks as "divisions of WarnerMedia".[118][119][120][121]
In December 2019,Mike Lazzo retired from the company, which was announced by a bumper that aired on Adult Swim that month.[122] On April 29, 2020,Michael Ouweleen, previously thechief marketing officer of Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang and the co-creator ofHarvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, was named the President of Adult Swim, a new position that gives Ouweleen responsibility for all aspects of Adult Swim and its properties.[123] Adult Swim faced layoffs in November 2020, resulting in the closing ofPocket Mortys developer Big Pixel Studios and the cancellation of all of Adult Swim's online live-stream series.[124]Keith Crofford retired from the company in December 2020, which was celebrated with two bumpers featuring Meatwad fromAqua Teen Hunger Force and Seth Green and Matthew Senreich fromRobot Chicken.[125] On April 23, 2021, WarnerMedia announced thatHBO Max's adult animation development team would merge with Adult Swim, under the leadership of Suzanna Makkos.[126]
Family Guy left Adult Swim on September 18, 2021, after an 18-year long run. The block noted the occasion with a special bumper featuring various Adult Swim characters waving goodbye to theGriffin family. From October 18, 2021, onward, Adult Swim began airing certain programs in a compressed format, speeding up programs to accommodate additional time slots for advertising sales and airing credits in a split-screen format, similar to TBS; the split-screen credits tactic ceased in 2024. The network reacquired the rights toKing of the Hill andFuturama on November 22, 2021, and December 27, 2021, respectively, with both shows continuing to air on FXX and, inFuturama's case, Comedy Central.[127][128]
In May 2022, following WarnerMedia's divestment by AT&T and merger withDiscovery Inc. to formWarner Bros. Discovery, the Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults, and Classics division was dissolved. Adult Swim was moved under Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, while Williams Street moved underWarner Bros. Television.[129] Ouweleen still oversees both units, while also gaining oversight to Cartoon Network, Boomerang, andDiscovery Family.[130] Several Adult Swim shows, includingTigtone, andLazor Wulf, were removed from Adult Swim's website and HBO Max that year as a part of massive cost-cutting moves at WBD. Some other series, likeFinal Space, werewritten off as a loss for tax purposes and removed from digital stores.[131] On January 24, 2023, Adult Swim announced that it had ended its connection withRick and Morty co-creatorJustin Roiland after he was charged with felony domestic abuse.[132] Show production continued, with Ian Cardoni andHarry Belden cast asRick andMorty, respectively.[133]
On May 1, 2023, Adult Swim's start time moved up to 7:00 p.m. ET/PT on weekdays and Saturdays, extending the block to eleven hours. Ratings data found that 68% of Cartoon Network's overall viewership between the 6 and 8 p.m. hours had been over the age of 18, thus justifying a further expansion of the block.[134] The first two weeks of the new schedule—which was anchored by the premiere ofUnicorn: Warriors Eternal—brought the hour a 24% increase in overall viewership, and a 38% increase among viewers 18–34.[135]
On May 17, 2023, Kathleen Finch, CCO of Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group, announced that a further expansion to the 6:00 p.m. ET hour would occur later in the year.[136] The change was officially announced on June 7, 2023, and took effect on August 28, 2023: on weekdays, the hour would feature the new blockCheckered Past—which features reruns of classic Cartoon Network original series.[135] It was later announced on August 8, 2023, that Adult Swim would instead begin at 5:00 p.m., expanding the block to 13 hours.[137] ACME Night, a Sunday night movie block, moved from Cartoon Network to Adult Swim following the expansion, starting an hour earlier at 5:00 p.m. Adult Swim's rights to the first eight seasons ofBob's Burgers were set to expire in late 2023, though this did not come to pass. Instead, a deal was made for Adult Swim and FXX to share the show, with later seasons previously exclusive to FXX first appearing on October 2, 2023.[138]
On May 17, 2024, Adult Swim announced another new block, Toonami Rewind, consisting of the classic animeSailor Moon,Dragon Ball Z Kai, andNaruto, using throwback Toonami branding. The block launched on May 31, 2024, replacing Checkered Past on Fridays.[139] No further series were added, and Toonami Rewind ultimately ended on December 27, 2024, with Checkered Past, shrunken down to an hour, regaining Fridays.
On December 3, 2024, Adult Swim announced that they had reacquired the rights to airFamily Guy, which returned to the network on January 1, 2025, with a three-day marathon. The network has non-exclusive rights, sharing the series withFXX andComedy Central, who itself had acquired the rights in September 2024.[140][141] Sister station TBS ended its run ofAmerican Dad! on March 24, 2025, with the series moving back to Fox for later seasons; Adult Swim, TBS, andTruTV retain syndication rights through 2030.[142] Checkered Past was discontinued on June 27, 2025, with the 5:00 p.m. hour going to further reruns of 20th Television Animation programming.King of the Hill left Adult Swim's lineup for the second time on November 21, 2025.
Adult Swim occasionally airs bumpers that pay tribute to a recent celebrity death. These bumpers have no music or sound effects, but only a fade-in, showing the person's name, year of birth, and year of death, followed by a fade-out. This has been done for many people over the years, including celebrities such asSteve Jobs,Kobe Bryant,Chadwick Boseman, andMF Doom, and Adult Swim cast and crew such asHarry Goz.[143][144][145][146][147] Some tribute bumpers have been made jokingly, such as one mocking the declining quality ofGame of Thrones in 2017, one marking the lifespan ofNFTs as 2021 - 2021, and one forSherman Hemsley done in 2014, a full 2 years after his death (adding "Sorry, we just found out. That shit sucks").[148][149]
Following the death ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coast animator and voice actorC. Martin Croker on September 17, 2016, Adult Swim paid tribute to him the following night, playing the first produced episode of the show ("Elevator") with tribute bumpers bookending the rerun.[150] Toonami also paid tribute to Croker the following Saturday, with T.O.M. and S.A.R.A. saying farewell to former hostMoltar (voiced by Croker) in a special intro.[151]
Following the death ofNorm Macdonald on September 14, 2021, Adult Swim aired an hour ofMike Tyson Mysteries (on which he voiced Pigeon) on the 14th and the 15th.[152][153] Similar tributes where the network played special reruns have also occurred for celebrities such asGilbert Gottfried,Akira Toriyama, andPaul Reubens.[154][155][156]
WhenSpace Ghost voice actorGeorge Lowe died on March 2, 2025, Adult Swim scheduled various reruns ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coast for the following two weeks, including a marathon on March 6. Adult Swim also aired a tribute bumper and uploaded outtakes with him on YouTube, while Checkered Past aired moreCartoon Planet than previously scheduled.
Since 2004, Adult Swim has had an annual tradition of celebratingApril Fools' Day by tricking and fooling their audience by altering programs or airing different and obscure programs.[157] The pranks generally start at 12 a.m. ET on April 1, technically considered part of the March 31 schedule, with an additional prank on the April 1 schedule rarely. Since its launch in 2019, the annual pranks have been simulcast on theAdult Swim network in Canada. Since 2021, the pranks have also been streamed to Adult Swim's YouTube.[158]
Adult Swim began anARG campaign on August 27, 2017, by airing a cryptic bump "transmission" during a new episode ofRick and Morty.[188] The bump referred viewers to aTwitter account. Players were told that they were trying to rescue a stolenAI named Delilah. Weekly bumps provided puzzles to be solved by viewers with solutions submitted via Twitter. The solutions were then confirmed by both the Twitter account and subsequent bumps.[189] Later in the game, Delilah was forced to self-destruct to prevent a security breach.[190] The Twitter account then rebranded itself as amarketing company and claimed that the entire game was an experiment.[191][192] Soon after this, a new Twitter account followed all the previous account's existing followers. This new account informed everyone that they were searching for their missing sister named Amelia. The bump transmissions then started referring viewers to this new Twitter account as well as several newInstagram accounts, continuing to provide puzzles that required solving. Some players have usedDiscord to work together as a team in a dedicated server to solve the puzzles and share theories about the game.[193] The ARG has been consistently broadcasting new messages and puzzles every Sunday since the initial August 2017 broadcast, with only a short hiatus during the 2017 holiday break. On March 25, 2018, it was revealed that Amelia was safe and had been for quite some time. Players learned that Amelia's messages asking for help were actually sent 3 years prior and that their delay in being received was caused bytime dilation. This revelation effectively completed the second chapter of the ARG, and alluded to the next phase, which started in June 2018. The following narratives explored the intricate connections between Delilah, Amelia, and the newly introduced character, Tristan, revealing layers of corporate and personal intrigue involving Proto-X and the shadowy organization known as Sinistra MGMT.[194]
Original shows currently in-production and seen on Adult Swim includeAqua Teen Hunger Force,Off the Air,Rick and Morty,Smiling Friends,Primal,Common Side Effects, andMy Adventures with Superman. Adult Swim is well known for its inaugural slate of programming, which were mainly parodies and remakes based onHanna-Barbera properties (includingSpace Ghost Coast to Coast,Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law,The Brak Show, andSealab 2021), as well as for later hits includingRick and Morty,Robot Chicken, andThe Boondocks.[195]
Adult Swim also airssyndicated programs from20th Television Animation (American Dad!,Bob's Burgers,Family Guy,Futurama) andCorus Entertainment (Psi Cops) and have acquired and co-produced variousanime series.[195] Via Adult Swim, Cartoon Network is one of the few U.S. networks to carry anime, withDisney XD andAXS TV (through the Anime.com Hour block) being the others.[195]
Currently, most anime andaction-genre programming air on Saturday nights as part ofToonami, Cartoon Network's former anime programming block that was relaunched by Adult Swim on May 26, 2012, as a "block-within-a-block".[167] Like in the Cartoon Network incarnation, the block is hosted by robot TOM (voiced bySteve Blum) and AI matrix SARA (voiced byDana Swanson), with several "Total Immersion Events" having featured changes to the setting of the block and appearances of the hosts. Cartoon Network shows that have gained a following among older viewers have also aired on Toonami; in particular,Samurai Jack proved popular enough in reruns to warrant arevival in 2017.[196]
Prior to Toonami's revival, Adult Swim carried anime programming under the nameAdult Swim Action (also known asAcTN), and aired anime on weekdays and Saturdays before relegating anime programming exclusively to Saturdays by 2009.[197]
Older anime programming briefly aired as a part ofToonami Rewind, a Friday afternoon block that launched on May 31, 2024, and ended later in the year on December 27. The block's only three featured programs were reabsorbed into the regular Toonami block in January 2025.[198]
ACME Night, themed after theWile E. Coyote and the Road RunnerLooney Tunes cartoons, was a Sunday afternoon movie block that originally debuted as a Cartoon Network block on September 19, 2021, before moving to Adult Swim on September 3, 2023, and ending on December 29, 2024. While a Cartoon Network block, ACME Night was intended to produce original programming and films for a family audience.[199] Ultimately, only the game showHarry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses premiered on the block (while being simulcast onTBS).
Following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, several planned programs and films were either scrapped or moved to other networks and services, includingUnicorn: Warriors Eternal, which moved to Adult Swim,Batman: Caped Crusader andMerry Little Batman, which moved toPrime Video, andThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, which was released theatrically byKetchup Entertainment. The Sunday evening block mostly aired acquired films, including films rated PG-13, which was unusual for Cartoon Network. Programming fromTBS,TruTV, and Adult Swim was often used as time-filler following the movie. While on Cartoon Network, the block ran from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, though following the move to Adult Swim it began at 5:00 p.m. and ended when the film ended.
 Logo used from 2023-2025 | |
| Launched | August 28, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-08-28)[200] |
|---|---|
| Closed | June 27, 2025; 4 months ago (2025-06-27) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Format | Throwbackanimation |
| Running time |
|
Anostalgia-focused block,Checkered Past, was launched on August 28, 2023. During its run, it aired older Cartoon Network original series from the 1990s and 2000s, including those belonging to theCartoon Cartoons brand.[201][202] The block's name is a reference to Cartoon Network's iconic checkerboard motif used since its 1992 launch. The two-hour block launched on August 28, 2023, marking Adult Swim's expansion into evening hours, and originally ran Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.ET/PT. The block was shortened down to 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on December 30, 2024, before ultimately being discontinued outright on June 27, 2025; however, the block continues to run inLatin America.
In July 2024,Andy Merrill announced a puppet version ofSpace Ghost character Brak would appear on Checkered Past in late 2024 during reruns ofCartoon Planet.[203]
| Title | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Courage the Cowardly Dog[d] | August 28, 2023 | June 27, 2025 |
| Dexter's Laboratory[d] | March 3, 2025 | |
| Ed, Edd n Eddy | June 20, 2025 | |
| The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy[d][e] | June 27, 2025 | |
| Grim & Evil | October 2, 2023 | |
| Cow and Chicken[d] | December 1, 2023 | December 19, 2024 |
| I Am Weasel[f] | February 9, 2024 | |
| Evil Con Carne[e] | December 19, 2024 | |
| Samurai Jack | May 10, 2024 | May 30, 2024 |
| What a Cartoon! | July 29, 2024 | February 21, 2025 |
| Johnny Bravo[d] | February 20, 2025 | |
| Cartoon Planet | September 16, 2024 | May 9, 2025 |
| The Cartoon Cartoon Show | February 17, 2025 | February 21, 2025 |
Adult Swim's official website features full episodes of shows,[204] online streams and podcasts,[205][206] music streaming,[207] comics,[208] a programming schedule,[209] and a section dedicated to its Toonami programming block.[210]
User accounts could once be made on the site, initially for the site'smessaging boards, which launched in May 2003 and shut down in October 2016. By 2018, the only main functionality for user accounts left was for creating profiles and participating in the live stream chatrooms. User accounts were permanently disabled in January 2021, following the removal of the chat function.[211]
A store was available on the site, although initially only through the main Cartoon Network store from 2001 to 2004. The store later spun-off into its own website, the Adult Swim Shop, in 2004, and ran until 2012. Another store, As Seen on Adult Swim, launched in 2013 and only sold a single item at a time until 2017, when aQVC-like show was launched with the same name on the Adult Swim streams.[212] The site later shut down in January 2021, following the end of the series in November.
In mid-2004, Adult Swim launched avideo on demand service on subscription television providers.[213] The service includes several episodes from various Adult Swim original series, syndicated series, and anime licensed for Toonami. The anime seriess-CRY-ed initially premiered on demand before debuting on the regular block in May 2005. The video on demand service was added toDirecTV in October 2007, on channel 1886.[214]
Adult Swim introduced online video streaming in 2006, providing a free online video on demand service for recent and older episodes of select programming. Initially, some episodes premiered on the website early, although eventually episodes began appearing 1–3 days after broadcast. This became a week after broadcast in June 2010.
In August 2011, Adult Swim began requiringTV Everywhere authentication for most episodes on the site, greatly reducing the amount of free content.[215] This service was combined with the Adult Swim mobile app in 2014.[216] Around this time, Adult Swim began posting every episode of select series online for free viewing, although some of these were removed in 2015 whenHulu acquired the rights to multiple shows, and once again in 2020 when sibling serviceHBO Max, known as Max from May 2023 to July 2025, launched.[217]
As of 2025, many Adult Swim shows are available on HBO Max, though several series have expired since initially being added, with most of them returning to the Adult Swim website. Hulu, which previously had several series, now only hasRick and Morty andThe Eric Andre Show, the latter being exclusive to the service. Adult Swim's current programming, excludingRick and Morty (which is released on HBO Max and Hulu a month after each season ends),The Eric Andre Show, andOff the Air (which is available on YouTube), is put on HBO Max the day after new episodes air.[218]
Several Adult Swim shows are also available for purchase oniTunes,Google TV,Amazon,Microsoft Movies & TV, andVudu.
Adult Swim once had manyFlash-based online games available on their website, includingRobot Unicorn Attack andFive Minutes to Kill (Yourself), but all of the games were removed in 2020 following the discontinuation of Adobe Flash Player. Starting in 2005, Adult Swim began publishing mobile games, including those based on Adult Swim franchises and original content.[219] In 2011, the division Adult Swim Games was created to publish originalindie game content, largely focusing on thehardcore gamer market.[220] The publisher has not released a game sinceSamurai Jack: Battle Through Time in 2020, and, in 2024, relinquished the rights to most of their games back to the original developers, save for games they were unable to contact the developer for (which were delisted) or games based on the network's IPs (Samurai Jack,Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, and the still-updatedPocket Mortys).Samurai Jack andRick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality were later delisted from most stores.
Adult Swim has partnerships with several independent music labels, and has co-produced and released compilation albums withStones Throw Records,[221]Ghostly International,Definitive Jux, andChocolate Industries through their own label, Williams Street Records. Many of Adult Swim's bumps and packaging make use of instrumental and electronic music. Various music is also often borrowed from artists signed onto a wide array of different labels, includingWarp Records andNinja Tune Records.
Adult Swim has held various live events throughout the years through its Adult Swim Presents division. Adult Swim frequently appears atSan Diego Comic-Con, often holding sneak previews, games, musical performances, among other things.[222] Since 2018, it has held an annual Adult Swim Festival, with a mix of music, comedy, panels, and other festivities. 2018 and 2019's festivals took place inLos Angeles, and had select performances streamed live on the Adult Swim Streams. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 and 2021's festivals were held online, through prerecorded videos and live streams on YouTube. The 2022 festival, known as the Adult Swim Festival Block Party, took place inPhiladelphia, with highlight reels and select full performances being streamed to YouTube. The 2023 festival, known as the Adult Swim Festival On the Green, occurred at San Diego Comic-Con and had no online live stream.[223]
Adult Swim offered a videopodcast oniTunes from March 21 to September 19, 2006. The podcasts featured behind-the-scenes segments of shows and exclusive content; such as an interview withSaved by the Bell'sDennis Haskins and a look atBrendon Small andTommy Blacha'sMetalocalypse. The podcast reached number two in iTunes' ranking of most downloaded podcasts.
A new audio-only podcast, called theAdult Swim Podcast, was launched on July 11, 2019, hosted byMatt Harrigan.[224] In regular episodes, Harrigan interviews different Adult Swim contributors, show creators, and actors.Max Simonet was later added as a co-host, with interviews still done solo by Harrigan. No new episodes of theAdult Swim Podcast have released since November 2020, and links to the podcast on the website were eventually removed. Adult Swim also teamed up withAbso Lutely Productions to produce season 2 of theThis is Branchburg comedy podcast.[225]
On September 25, 2013, Adult Swim began simulcasting their channel through the Adult Swim mobile app[226][227] and website,[228] although TV Everywhere authentication is required. Both the East and West Coast feeds are available.
In late 2014, Adult Swim added several free24/7 live streams to their website, most of them airingmarathons of different shows on a loop. One of the live streams, a feed of the Williams Street office's fish tank, became its own series:FishCenter Live, and led to the creation of the Adult Swim Streams.[229]
The Adult Swim Streams consisted of several online-exclusive originals, usually broadcast live, and featured a chatroom, similar to that ofTwitch. Many of the shows also accepted calls from viewers to interact with the hosts or change the course of a program.[230]
Select shows aired daily on the service, these included:
Some shows aired weekly or on special occasions, these included:
Some of the live stream shows aired edited down versions of their shows on Fridays at 4:00 am, under the collective nameWilliams Stream.[242]
Several previously recordedweb series are also available on demand on the website, includingOn Cinema at the Cinema and its spin-offDecker, which later became a TV series for Adult Swim.[243]
Almost all of Adult Swim's then ongoing web series, including the Adult Swim Streams as a whole, were canceled by November 2020. Adult Swim Smalls, a shorts program produced byOff the Air'sDave Hughes, was the only web series to remain. Some series, likeOn Cinema, have continued on independently. New web series, including spin-offs ofAqua Teen Hunger Force andRick and Morty, started releasing in 2022.[244]
Currently, the website features several free live streams consisting of marathons of specific Adult Swim programming. Additionally, there isChannel 5, a live stream consisting of various Tim & Eric productions made for the network, along with original series made for the stream, TimAndEric.com sketches, content made forJash, and theSuper Deluxe seriesTim and Eric Nite Live!. Some of the marathon streams had chatrooms similar to the live stream, though these were removed along with the live stream chatroom in January 2021.[211]
Since its premiere in 2001, Adult Swim executives have worked extensively to extend the brand's reach to viewers in venues outside of the normal pay-television services. This includes the launch of the adultswim.com website and the release of apps for various mobile andover-the-top platforms providing access to current and past Adult Swim programming, live marathons, live and pre-recorded original programs and the nightly online simulcast of the Adult Swim broadcast. Currently apps are available in the U.S. only forAmazon Fire TV,Android (includingGoogle Cast onAndroid TV),Apple TV,iOS,Chromecast,Roku, andXbox One. Due to licensing agreements certain parts of the apps including access to its live simulcast and most episodes of their shows require the viewer to use their subscription-television provider or OTT-platform username and password to authenticate their right to access such content.
Adult Swim has been actively expanding its reach across the world since 2005. Localized versions have aired in Australia, Russia, Brazil and the rest of Latin America. Adult Swim is usually not paired with Cartoon Network due to local market conditions or government content restrictions and regulations – such asOfcom in the United Kingdom.In such markets, Adult Swim programming is licensed to other broadcasters instead.[245][246]
In November 2018, Adult Swim made its African debut in South Africa'sMultiChoice's streaming serviceShowmax featuring shows such asRick and Morty,Samurai Jack,Robot Chicken, andEagleheart at launch.[247] In June 2019, the brand was temporarily made available onTNT as a programming block.[248]
The Australian and New Zealand version of Adult Swim was broadcast on Cartoon Network until December 31, 2007. Shows aired at that time wereAqua Teen Hunger Force,Sealab 2021,Space Ghost Coast to Coast,Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (which also aired onSBS),Tom Goes to the Mayor,Home Movies,The Venture Bros., and before its closure,Squidbillies. The comedy block aired every Friday and Saturday and an action block aired during the week, including mature anime likeCowboy Bebop,InuYasha,Bleach,Air Gear,Black Cat, andGhost in the Shell.
Presently, original comedies have premiered onThe Comedy Channel in Australia.[249] The block would return on The Comedy Channel in March 2008, withAqua Teen Hunger Force joining the lineup on July 1.[250] The channel has also airedThe Boondocks, but not under the Adult Swim banner. To date, Adult Swim has grown considerably with the block now airing every Saturday from 12 to 2 am AEST and 6:30 to 7:30 pm AEST to keep with the late night tradition of the former block.[251]
Adult Swim's programming has been released toRegion 4 DVD byMadman Entertainment, including shows that have never been shown in Australia. Madman Entertainment has also released R4 exclusive DVDs not available in the United States, including Volume 2 and 3 ofMoral Orel and complete collections ofMinoriteam andAssy McGee. TheAqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters has also been quietly released to DVD.[252]
After moving to The Comedy Channel in January 2008, Adult Swim stopped airing in New Zealand until 2021.[citation needed]
In October 2013, Turner Broadcasting in partnership with MCM Media and Movideo launched an Adult Swimvideo on demand service.[253]
In June 2016, Channel 9 signed a two-year deal with Turner Broadcasting to air a block of Adult Swim shows on9Go!.[254] After the deal expired, 9Go! did not renew with Turner Broadcasting, and thus the block was shut down.
In February 2021,TVNZ began airing Adult Swim programming onTVNZ Duke in New Zealand.[255] Shows that are currently airing on the channel, such asAqua Teen Hunger Force,Birdgirl,Eagleheart,Mr. Pickles,Primal,Robot Chicken,The Eric Andre Show,The Shivering Truth,The Venture Bros., andYOLO: Crystal Fantasy, are available to stream for free onTVNZ+.
As of December 2022, the streaming serviceStan has Adult Swim shows such asAqua Teen Hunger Force,Robot Chicken andBallmastrz 9009 available for streaming in Australia.[256]
In March 2025, the streaming serviceHBO Max launched in Australia and as of September 2025 has the Adult Swim shows:Rick and Morty,Rick and Morty: The Anime andSamurai Jack in its catalogue.[257]
The version ofCorus Entertainment'sTeletoon (now Cartoon Network) in English andFrench previously offered adult-oriented blocks that carried Adult Swim programming and aired similar shows:Teletoon at Night andTélétoon la nuit. On February 2, 2012, then-parent company TELETOON Canada Inc. announced that it would be launching a Canadian version ofAdult Swim, sharing channel space with the Canadian version ofCartoon Network as onespecialty channel just as its American counterpart does. The block launched on July 4, 2012.[258] From September 2015 – September 2017, all of Adult Swim's original series was aired exclusively on the block.
Meanwhile,YTV has aired anime series that premiered on Adult Swim in itsBionix block.[259]G4'sAnime Current block, Razer's (nowMTV2) Kamikaze block, the defunct Scream (laterDusk), andSuper Channel have also aired various anime titles that were broadcast on Adult Swim. In June 2009, G4 Canada launchedAdult Digital Distraction, programming that featured many Adult Swim shows. In late 2011, the block was discontinued due to pressure from the CRTC on account of the channeldeviating from its original format (which was to air technology-related programming). The block would be briefly relaunched before being dropped again in 2012.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! aired onBell Media'sCTV Comedy Channel (formerly The Comedy Network). In December 2013, sibling networkMuch began airingChildrens Hospital and, later, its spinoff,Newsreaders. They also aired the short-lived seriesThe Jack and Triumph Show. In October 2014,Netflix began streamingMike Tyson Mysteries the day after its television premiere in the United States.
On February 25, 2016, Williams Street launched a Canada-specific subscriptionvideo-on-demand service foriOS andAndroid devices.[260][261] The app contains the majority of Adult Swim produced content, including programming not seen on Canadian television.[261] New premieres are added soon after their U.S. broadcast, with the exception of new episodes ofRobot Chicken and, initially,Rick and Morty, which are added the day after its premiere on the Canadian block.[262] The app was discontinued in November 2018.[263]
On March 4, 2019, Teletoon and YTV's current parent company, Corus Entertainment, announced the launch of a full-time 24/7 Adult Swim network on April 1, 2019, as a rebrand ofAction, which was formerly under theShowcase brand. This marks the first time an international version of Adult Swim was launched as its own television channel. With the channel's launch, the Canadian block, as well as Teletoon at Night, were both discontinued as both channels would now focus exclusively on age-appropriate programming.[264] The Canadian Adult Swim block was dropped on March 3, 2019, and Teletoon at Night closed on March 31, 2019.[265]
As very few Adult Swim programs are dubbed in French, Télétoon la nuit's acquisitions from the block were very limited. Among some of the shows, the earlier seasons ofThe Boondocks[266] andRick and Morty[267] manage to be dubbed locally in Canadian French with Quebec accents. The latter would be brought back on Télétoon la nuit on September 29, 2025, using the European French dub.My Adventures with Superman andInvincible Fight Girl, two shows intended to be shown onCartoon Network in the United States but moved to Adult Swim, were shown in French Canada onTélétoon's daytime schedule, which is usually aimed at children and families.
The block was launched on March 4, 2011, and airs nightly from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. onCartoon Network France. It has airedAqua Teen Hunger Force,Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law,Metalocalypse,Moral Orel,Robot Chicken, andSquidbillies.[268] Like most international Adult Swim blocks, it does not airFox and action shows. Most of the block's programming is not dubbed and airs with English audio and French subtitles.
In the early 2000s, there was a late-night block called "DZAQC" (pronounced "Désaxé"), which carried the 2001 Adult Swim look but did not have any adult shows, except forHome Movies andCaptain Linger.Case Closed was aired on Cartoon Network and Toonami. DZAQC aired random Cartoon Network shows and old promos in English with French subtitles.
A new Adult Swim block launched in March 2015 onL'Enôrme TV. The block stopped broadcasting in June 2016.[citation needed]
On May 15, 2019, WarnerMedia France announced that an Adult Swim block would launch in July that year, with season 4 ofRick and Morty exclusively airing on it in November.[269] The block launched on July 24, 2019, airing onWarner TV Next (formerly Toonami) between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.CET. On-demand services are available on French online TV and on-demand providerMolotov TV.[270]
The Adult Swim block was launched on January 28, 2009, onTNT Serie (now known as WarnerTV Serie). In 2016, TNT Glitz becameTNT Comedy (now known as WarnerTV Comedy) and took over Adult Swim. Programs on the block includeAmerican Dad,Assy McGee,Lucy, The Daughter of the Devil,Metalocalypse,Moral Orel,Robot Chicken,Rick and Morty,Stroker & Hoop,The Brak Show,Venture Bros.,Aqua Teen Hunger Force, andThe Eric Andre Show.[271][272]
In Italy, several Adult Swim series such asAqua Teen Hunger Force,The Venture Bros.,Robot Chicken,China, IL,NTSF:SD:SUV:: andMr. Pickles are available on-demand viaTIMvision.[273]Rick and Morty was also dubbed in Italian for release onNetflix,[274]The Boondocks aired onComedy Central andMTV,[275] whileThe Oblongs aired on Italia Teen Television and All Music.[276] On Facebook, Adult Swim Italy has confirmed the possibility of airing onCartoon Network andBoing.[277] In 2018,Robot Chicken andRick and Morty were released on DVD andBlu-ray Disc fromEagle Pictures in that country.[278][279]
InLatin America, an Adult Swim block aired during the overnight hours on Cartoon Network beginning on October 7, 2005.
The premiere of Adult Swim was received by a major backlash from at least a pay TV operator in Latin America.VTR, aChilean cable TV company, unilaterally censored the block from its premiere until early 2007, due to editorial policies inherited from Ricardo Claro Valdés, one of the company's shareholders, infamously known for censoring programming on cable channels while he owned Metropolis Intercom, a company that was absorbed by VTR in 2005.
VTR's position was that Cartoon Network should be a children's channel and should not carry adult content whatsoever. According to a company study, the audience during Adult Swim's time slot was mostly children, which went against the company's policies.[280] VTR and Turner Broadcasting System agreed to broadcast Adult Swim on VTR'sPPV movie service, available only in digital and in some parts of Chile, due to the fact that VTR had not updated its cable TV networks at the time.[281]
In early 2007, Adult Swim returned to the Cartoon Network grid until its first shutdown.
It was originally carried on the regional version of the channel, when it was pulled off and picked up byI.Sat on November 19, 2007, anotherTurner Broadcasting System Latin America-owned-and-operated network.
On December 1, 2010,I.Sat revealed that it was cutting Adult Swim programming due to low ratings, adding: "No matter if we add new shows, it would not work".[282]
In 2014, it was announced that Adult Swim would return to Latin America that same year.[283] Adult Swim premiered on the Brazilian feed ofTBS on November 3, 2014.[284] Adult Swim relaunched in Latin America on April 3, 2015, onI.Sat, in English with Spanish subtitles, premieringRick and Morty and many other shows for the first time on the region.[285]
On January 6, 2018, the block began broadcasting throughout Latin America onTBS. Unlike I.Sat, this block was being broadcast in Spanish.[286]
After ceasing broadcasts onI.Sat andTBS,Warner Channel began airing the block on May 2, 2020, for Latin America and Brazil, with new content, such asFinal Space and the rest ofAqua Teen Hunger Force andRobot Chicken series.[287][288]
The block lost the schedule from Monday to Thursday and Saturdays on September 14, airing only on Mondays at midnight, and the following month, it stopped releasing new bumpers. On November 15, Adult Swim dropped out of Warner Channel's programming, being its last broadcast on November 8, 2021.
On June 24, 2021, HBO Max announced a list of some original Adult Swim content that became available since the platform's launch, including:Rick and Morty,Aqua Teen Hunger Force,Robot Chicken,Primal,Squidbillies,The Shivering Truth, andYour Pretty Face is Going to Hell. Its launch took place on June 29, 2021.
On August 22, 2023, it was announced that a 24-hour Adult Swim channel would launch in Latin America in October 2023.[289] On September 3, it was announced that Adult Swim would replaceTruTV on October 31.[290]
From its relaunch in March 2007 to April 2023,2x2, a Russian channel specializing in animation, aired Adult Swim's original series.[291] There was a separate Adult Swim block, and also an English-language block, where shows were broadcast in English without dubbing, both now being defunct.[292][better source needed] Adult Swim–produced shows that have aired includeAqua Teen Hunger Force,Robot Chicken,Moral Orel,Sealab 2021,12 oz. Mouse,The Venture Bros.,The Brak Show,Stroker & Hoop,Tom Goes to the Mayor,Squidbillies,Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law,Space Ghost Coast to Coast,Frisky Dingo,Perfect Hair Forever,Metalocalypse,Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil, and others. 2x2 also broadcast many of the anime that premiered in the U.S. on Adult Swim, although not on 2x2's Adult Swim's schedule. Some shows includingThe Boondocks andRick and Morty also premiered outside Adult Swim's block.
On November 1, 2019, 2x2 announced an addition of the Adult Swim section on its site[293] with library containing selected Adult Swim series broadcast earlier on the channel and also new series, likeThe Heart, She Holler,Off the Air,The Eric Andre Show,Dream Corp LLC, andNeon Joe, Werewolf Hunter, premiering directly on the site uncut. In March 2021, the shows were removed from the site.
As of 2024, the broadcast rights to all Adult Swim shows were expired and, according to 2x2, could no longer be extended.[294]
In Spain, Adult Swim was a programming block that aired on Fridays from midnight on theTNT channel, between 2007 and 2012.[295] Despite the fact that the block no longer exists in Spain, several of its original series have their own section on theHBO streaming platform.[296]
In December 2020, Adult Swim returned alongside Toonami as a premium pack of the Orange TV service. In it, there are more than 600 episodes of 19 different series such asRick and Morty,Metalocalypse,Robot Chicken, among others.[297]
In 2002,CNX was launched in the United Kingdom as a spin-off of Cartoon Network. It featured much of the content found on Adult Swim and Toonami, anime shows and adult action films, but closed operations after a year in 2003.[298]
A nightly Adult Swim channel was launched on July 8, 2006, on the now defunctBravo owned byVirgin Media Television, generally starting at midnight. Shows that were previously a part of the UK's Adult Swim block areRobot Chicken,Aqua Teen Hunger Force,Sealab 2021,The Brak Show,Tom Goes to the Mayor,Squidbillies,Space Ghost Coast to Coast,12 oz. Mouse,The Venture Bros.,Moral Orel, andMetalocalypse,[299] The first "action" series was the animeAfro Samurai, which aired on May 4, 2007, alongside a new UK animated showModern Toss. On July 7, 2008, Adult Swim ceased to broadcast on Bravo.[300]
FormerSony Pictures Television channelTruTV started airing Adult Swim shows every night from 11 pm to around 3 am in November and December 2016. It broadcast episodes ofRick and Morty,Robot Chicken,Mr. Pickles andSquidbillies.
The UK Adult Swim website offers free access to full episodes of shows includingSquidbillies,Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law,Tom Goes to the Mayor,Minoriteam,Stroker & Hoop,Moral Orel,12 oz. Mouse,Perfect Hair Forever,Metalocalypse, andFrisky Dingo. Revolver Entertainment began distributing original Adult Swim series onDVD in the UK and Ireland.[301]
FX airedRobot Chicken,Titan Maximum,Venture Brothers, andMetalocalypse. These shows were advertised with [adult swim] branding. They began airing on June 5, 2010, in conjunction with the channel's regular schedule and ended on November 27, 2010. On December 14, 2011, theRobot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy appeared onSyfy at 10 pm.[citation needed] The block began airing onTCM 2 starting on January 4, 2012.[302]
Adult Swim returned to UK and Irish television starting with a new block on theFOX channel on September 4, 2015.[303] This was discontinued in September 2017, and Adult Swim was then not broadcast on television, althoughRick and Morty has since moved toComedy Central and is available to stream onNetflix in the UK and Ireland.
Adult Swim once again returned to the UK with a new block onE4 in February 2019.[304] This block shows Adult Swim shows as well as some other shows being able to stream onChannel 4 such asTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,Rick and Morty, and much more.[305]Rick and Morty reruns also air onE4 Extra including additional broadcasts of Adult Swim that aren't necessarily on a Friday.
Adult Swim's debut to Scandinavia began in 2011 throughShowtime Scandinavia.[306][307]
On June 21, 2018, Nordic Entertainment Group (now known asViaplay Group) and Turner International announced the launch of Adult Swim on a free and ad-supported streaming serviceViafree in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.[308]
The Adult Swim section was launched on August 1, 2018, offering a robust catalog of Adult Swim’s animated and live-action series tailored for young adult audiences. This move expanded accessibility, allowing viewers to stream content on-demand without the constraints of cable television schedules.
The Viafree launch included hundreds of episodes at launch, with new content added monthly to keep the platform dynamic. All programming was subtitled in local languages to cater to the local audiences.
Ahigh-definition feed of Adult Swim is available on many subscription-television providers, and is shared with its daytime counterpart Cartoon Network. The high-definition feed broadcasts in1080i high-definition on nearly all providers, and was launched on October 15, 2007, along with Cartoon Network HD.[309] Until 2023, standard-definition4:3 content was stretched to16:9 on the high definition feed to fill the 16:9aspect ratio, although certain 4:3 content, usually high-definition restorations, were aired in their original aspect ratio withpillarboxing.[310] Starting September 25, 2023, this changed to airing 4:3 content zoomed and cropped to14:9, before settling on airing all 4:3 content in its original aspect ratio as of October 18, 2023. Network bumpers and promos were still made in the 4:3 aspect ratio until 2010, and therefore also appeared stretched on the high-definition feed. Since May 2013, the high-definition feed is now the primary feed, with the standard-definition feed now just airing aletterboxed version of the high-definition feed.
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