Adult Swim has become a leading television network, creating some of the most memorable and popular shows around. The network produces both live-action and animated series that are geared towards more mature audiences. Many big comedic names have gotten their start on Adult Swim including Eric Andre, Tim Heidecker, and Eric Wareheim. There is an array of content on Adult Swim including sketch comedies, series, and very popular cartoons like Rick and Morty. It was recently announced that the cartoon, Teenage Euthanasia will be renewed for Season 2 on Adult Swim.
Adult Swim started its broadcast in 2001, as a late-night section of Cartoon Network focused on the viewership of adults. The network quickly grew in popularity for its very original, and sometimes crude, humor. The idea of Adult Swim was created by Cartoon Network's head programmer, Mike Lazzo. Some of the first popular series to premiere on the network included Cowboy Bebop and Aqua Team Hunger Force. Since then, Adult Swim has become a leading television network constantly producing great content. Let's look at the best Adult Swim shows, ranked.
9 Children's Hospital
This show offered a very unique, and dark twist, on the concept of hospital series. Children's Hospital is a parody of medical shows starring Rob Corddry, Lake Bell, Ken Marino, and more. It was very innovative due to its dark subject matter and the fact that each episode was about five minutes long. The hilarious show ran for seven seasons.
8 Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is a wildly popular sketch comedy series created with stop-motion animation. The series was created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Green, in fact, provides the voices for several of the characters. The series is fast-paced and very entertaining, giving us several dark and hilarious parodies on pop-culture.
7 Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have proved that they are sheer originals when it comes to comedy. Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! premiered on Adult swim in 2007. It is a sketch comedy show filled with an array of content including musical numbers, commercials, and more. There were several guest stars on the series including Will Forte, John C. Reilly, and Bob Odenkirk.
6 Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
John C. Reilly is a frequent collaborator with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, and the three of them created the outrageous series Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, which is a parody of public-access television. The show follows Dr. Steve Brule (Reilly) as he goes out to explore and interview the public. The humor is highly original, and Reily is brilliant from beginning to end.
5 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
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You can't think about Adult Swim without thinking about Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The strange, yet brilliant series, follows an animated milkshake, meat ball, and French fries, each with their own unique personality. We watch as they embark on many hilarious adventures each episode, as well as bother their human neighbor Carl. Each character brings their own unique comedy to the table, making this a highly original show.
4 The Boondocks
Aaron McGruder created one of Adult Swim's most popular series, based on the comic The Boondocks. The series is centered on the Freemans as they navigate life, white suburbia, and racial tensions. It is a very thought-provoking series that also features top-notch animation and memorable characters. It offers several racial, political, and fascinating social themes. In 2019, HBO Max announced a reboot of The Boondocks, but, per Deadline, it is no longer happening.
3 The Venture Bros.
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The Venture Bros. was a long-running series on Adult Swim with a huge following of fans. The series follows the adventures of the Venture family led by Dr. Rusty Venture. The show is a twist on old-school science fiction and offers a great amount of dark humor. The voice-over actors, including Christopher McCullock, James Urbaniak, and Doc Hammer are top-notch. Though the series was abruptly canceled in 2020, per Polygon, a movie is in the works.
2 The Eric Andre Show
Eric Andre reinvented the concept of a light night talk show with his highly innovative series, The Eric Andre Show. Andre hosted a talk show featuring many celebrity guests with his co-host, Hannibal Buress. The only twist was that the unsuspecting guests would be subject to insane questions, stunts, crude humor, and more. Each episode of the series is brilliant, and Andre proved that he was a master of original comedy with The Eric Andre Show.
1 Rick and Morty
The animated series, Rick and Morty, has become a staple in pop culture that is constantly quoted and referenced to. The show follows the adventures of scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith, as they travel across space and dimensions. The series is equally funny as it is fascinating. The characters are fantastic, memorable, and the animation is top-notch, offering us glimpses into interdimensional worlds. The show has an approval rate of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.