Adult Swim, often stylized as
[adult swim] and abbreviated as
[as], is an adult-oriented cable television network that shares channel space with
Cartoon Network from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM
ET/
PT in the United States and broadcasting in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
[. ICv2. March 3, 2005.] The network features animated shows, including original programming,
syndicated shows, and Japanese
anime, generally with minimal or no editing for content. The shows are geared toward a 18+ audience, in contrast to the child and pre-teen daytime programming on Cartoon Network. The shows and commercial breaks are usually interrupted by "
bumps", or moments where short jokes or Internet fan feedback (in which negative feedback is sometimes responded to in a sarcastic manner) are broadcast in simple white letters over a black screen.
History
[[Image:Adult Swim creators.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Several creators and writers of Adult Swim shows at the Comic Con 2006 [as] panel. From left to right:
Keith Crofford,
Seth Green,
Matthew Senreich,
Scott Adsit,
Dino Stamatopoulos,
Tommy Blacha,
Brendon Small,
Jackson Publick and
Doc Hammer]]
Adult Swim began as a
"spin-off" programming block of Cartoon Network, premiering on September 2, 2001 with the airing of the
Director's Cut episode of
Home Movies. It originally aired Sunday night with
reruns on Thursdays. The name comes from a phrase used by public swimming pools to label designated times when children are restricted from using the facilities in favor of adults; "adult swim". On March 28, 2005,
Atlanta-based
Turner Broadcasting split Adult Swim from Cartoon Network so
Nielsen Media Research could treat it as a separate channel for ratings purposes.
The first
anime broadcast on Adult Swim was
Cowboy Bebop. Other early shows included
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Brak Show and a revival of
The WB's
Mission Hill.
The network is programmed by
Williams Street Studios, a division of Turner Broadcast Network, which has created
Toonami and Miguzi. It plays American
animated series and shorts geared towards adults. They also play a wide variety of Japanese
anime series,
OVAs, and movies. Promotions for Adult Swim are targeted towards the college age and those in their twenties and thirties, constituting the majority of their viewers. According to a September 1, 2004 article in
Promo magazine, representatives travel to 30 universities across the U.S. to promote the Adult Swim lineup, including handing out posters for students' dorm rooms.
Stylistic history

The original Adult Swim logo used from September 2, 2001 - May 24, 2003.
Originally, all of the
bumpers shown in between shows featured footage of
senior citizens swimming in public pools, eating, exercising, and doing other pool-related activities, with audio of a
lifeguard shouting
"all kids out of the pool" through a
megaphone. The logo was the words "ADULT SWIM" in all capital letters, shown after a freeze frame of the footage. The shows were announced by a
computer generated voice on Saturdays.
When the Saturday night block started in 2002, it featured clips from the various anime programs displayed on the block. The original theme music for Adult Swim, titled "D-Code," was a remix of "Mambo Gallego" done by the Melbourne musician Dust Devil, originally played by Latin jazz musician
Tito Puente, Sr.On January 12, 2003, the senior citizens were replaced by animated safety manuals featuring Adult Swim characters. The logo changed to the words "adult swim" in red and a black circle with a
yellow penumbra.
The current bumps debuted on May 25, 2003 and feature black
intertitle "cards" in white Helvetica Neue Condensed Black type. The cards discuss everything from programming news to personal staff opinions on unrelated subjects. In addition, the bumpers for the action shows include
tilt-shift miniature and other abstract photos of Japan, often accompanied by clips of various
Yesterdays New Quintet songs. The most recent bumper cards have the "[adult swim]" caption somewhere within photographs of places—often with roads or road signs—in and around Atlanta. The bumps occasionally pay tribute to a recent death, in which there is no music or sound effects, but only a fade in, showing the person's name, along with the year of his/her birth and the year of his/her death, followed by a fade out. The tribute bumps debuted on January 1, 2006 with
Vincent Schiavelli. Aired tribute bumps include those for
Vincent Schiavelli,
Don Knotts,
Steve Irwin,
Alex Toth,
Billy Preston,
Walter Booker,
Dave Cockrum,
Joseph Barbera,
James Brown,
Gerald R. Ford,
Saddam Hussein,
Iwao Takamoto,
Skip Caray,
Evel Knievel,
Bernie Mac,
Kurt Vonnegut,
Isaac Hayes,
Don LaFontaine,
Maddie Blaustein,
Eartha Kitt,
Dom Deluise,
Michael Jackson,
Farrah Fawcett,
Billy Mays,
John Hughes,
Les Paul,
Patrick Swayze, and
Yoshito Usui.
Reading Rainbow and
Nicktoons Network are shown as a TV show instead of the person.
At certain times during the evening, the bumps will give a programming lineup for an upcoming date. When this format is given, certain shows will be colored in specified
Pantone colors, with a caption at the bottom that reads "All Times and Music Eastern." The music in the background has a decidedly Indian flair.
In 2009,
King of the Hill featured unique bumpers which only air when the program is being shown. They include the fictional restaurants, shops, organizations, and local services seen within the show itself and act as sponsors during the bump, i.e. "King of the Hill is brought to you by
Strickland Propane".
Adult Swim Video
AdultSwim.com launched a web-based video distribution service on September 16, 2005. Known as the "Friday Night Fix", the service provided a way for fans to view programming when the programming block did not air. It was originally available only on Fridays during the hours that Adult Swim normally aired on the other weeknights. On March 27, 2006, Adult Swim changed "Friday Night Fix" into "Adult Swim Video."
Ratings
Adult Swim has repeatedly set and broken viewership records for ad-supported basic cable channels, ranked #1 for delivery of adults 18-34, adults 18-24, men 18-34, and men 18-24. According to
Nielsen Media Research, Adult Swim set new viewership records among men over 18 in 2005, 2006, and 2007. As of August, 2008, Adult Swim continues to be one of the most visited standard cable channel for adults 18 - 34.
Ad campaign bomb scare
Turner Broadcasting issued an apology for an ad campaign causing a series of bomb scares throughout Boston on January 31, 2007. A statement emailed to
The 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 show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. 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 January 31,
Boston and Massachusetts State Police were dispatched to various places in Boston after reports of suspicious packages were sighted. On February 1, 2007, Boston authorities arrested two men involved with the incident. Peter Berdovsky, 27, a freelance video artist from
Arlington, Massachusetts, and Sean Stevens, 28, were facing charges of placing a hoax device to incite panic, as well as one count of disorderly conduct, according to , which is also owned by Turner Broadcasting.
On February 5,
Turner Broadcasting and marketer announced that they will pay two million dollars in
amends: one million to the city of Boston, and one million in goodwill funds. Four days later, on February 9, Jim Samples, then-general manager and executive vice president of
Cartoon Network, resigned.
Programming
Adult Swim has a history of unique original cartoons such as
The Venture Bros.,
Squidbillies,
Metalocalypse, and
Aqua Teen Hunger Force. A few of their shows are remakes or relaunches of classic
Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law,
Sealab 2021, and
Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which got its own spinoff,
The Brak Show. AS's syndicated programs that are aired are mostly from
Fox and
BBC, including
Family Guy,
King of the Hill,
American Dad!,
Futurama (before
Comedy Central acquired broadcast rights),
The PJs,
The Mighty Boosh and
The Office. The channel also has a history of showing anime series, including
Bleach,
Cowboy Bebop,
Fullmetal Alchemist, and
Inuyasha.
Merchandise and media offerings
Adultswim.com
Adult Swim.com is the official website of Adult Swim, normally written as
[adultswim.com]. The site features
Adult Swim Video,
forum message boards, online video games, music downloads, shopping,
mobile phone downloads, adult swim show sites, and the programing schedule for adult swim.
Video games
Adult Swim partnered with
Midway Games in 2005 to begin development on
video games based on
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Space Ghost Coast to Coast (soon to come),
The Brak Show, and
Sealab 2021. The game based on
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am, was released on November 5, 2007 for
PlayStation 2. The game is a golf game with fighting and racing levels. A video game based on
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law has been released by
Capcom for
PlayStation 2,
PlayStation Portable, and
Wii.
Various third-party,
Macromedia Flash-based games are also available for free play on the Adult Swim website.
Music
Adult Swim has a partnership with independent music label
Stones Throw Records. Many of Adult Swim's bumps and packaging have used music from artists such as
Madlib,
Oh No,
J Dilla, and
Psyche Origami. In 2006, both Stones Throw and Adult Swim created a co-production album entitled
Chrome Children. When the "black card" bump format was first introduced in mid-2003, block first switched to its now 5 year standing text-bump format, the bumps would often be accompanied by the instrumental music of producers like
Ayatey Shabazz,
Fat Jon and
J Dilla. Various electronic music is also often borrowed from artists on the label
Warp Records, such as
Boards of Canada,
Chris Clark,
Jackson and his Computer Band,
Flying Lotus, and
Prefuse 73. Additionally, music is often featured from artists of the label
Ninja Tune Records, including
Amon Tobin,
Blockhead,
Coldcut, and
The Herbaliser .
The network has had various other musical endeavors including
- Chocolate Swim, a free, online download released in 2006 by Adult Swim and Chocolate Industries
- Warm & Scratchy, a free, online album released in May 2006 by Adult Swim and Esurance, focusing on indie rock bands
Video on demand
In mid-2004, Adult Swim launched a
video on demand channel on cable TV providers. The comedy section features several episodes from various Adult Swim original series, while the action section shows anime series and movies licensed by
Bandai Entertainment,
Geneon Entertainment, and
Viz Media, some of which that were never broadcast. The anime series
s-CRY-ed initially premiered on demand before debuting on the regular block in May 2005.
Select series, including
Aqua Teen Hunger Force and
The Venture Brothers, are also available for purchase on iTunes. Furthermore, as of November 22, 2006, some Adult Swim shows can be bought and accessed from the Xbox Live Video Marketplace and the PlayStation Video Store.
Podcast
Adult Swim offered a video
podcast on
Apple's iTunes from March 21, 2006, to September 19, 2006. The podcasts featured behind-the-scenes segments of shows and exclusive content; such as an interview with
Saved by the Bell's
Dennis Haskins and a look at
Brendon Small and
Tommy Blacha's
Metalocalypse. The podcast reached number two in iTunes' ranking of most downloaded podcasts.
Adult Swim in a Box
Cartoon Network and distributor
Warner Home Video have announced that Adult Swim will be releasing
Adult Swim in a Box a seven disc
DVD box set of a variety of different Adult Swim shows. This DVD box set will feature multiple episodes of
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast,
Moral Orel,
Robot Chicken,
Metalocalypse, and
Sealab 2021. Adult Swim in a Box will also feature a bonus DVD that features the pilot episodes of
Perfect Hair Forever,
Korgoth of Barbaria, and
Welcome to Eltingville. This box set was released on
October 27,
2009.
International
Adult Swim has been actively expanding its reach across the world since 2005. New Zealand, Australia, and
Latin America air the block on the Cartoon Network, just like in the United States. However, some international Cartoon Networks do not desire Adult Swim to air on their 24-hour children's network. In those markets, the block is licensed to other networks or Television stations instead—such as
Ofcom in the United Kingdom—where regulation issues arise. Some networks enter into an agreement giving the rights to the entire block, including branding and all owned programming, whereas others such as
Teletoon in Canada sign a first-right-of-refusal deal and do not choose to use the branding.
Australia and New Zealand
In Australia and New Zealand, Adult Swim was broadcast on Cartoon Network from 2002 until December 31, 2007. The block is no longer seen on Cartoon Network but the comedy shows are now airing on The Comedy Channel. The block returned with
Robot Chicken and
Harvey Birdman, in March 2008, with
Aqua Teen Hunger Force joining the programming on July 1.
The Boondocks also air on the same channel although it's not under the Adult Swim banner and instead airs separately.
Moral Orel has also premiered on Australian television. However,
SBS broadcasts full episodes of Frisky Dingo and Squidbillies on its website as of July 2009 with an Adult Swim image appearing before each episode.
Most of the anime shows have not returned back to television, however a new anime block on the Australian
Sci-Fi Channel airs shows previously aired on both Adult Swim USA and Australia. The block features
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex,
Cowboy Bebop, and
Blood+.
Some series that aired on Adult Swim have been released to
Region 4 DVD by
Madman Entertainment, including shows that have never been shown on Australian television before, such as
Metalocalypse,
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and
Frisky Dingo with
12 Oz Mouse to be released in October 2009.The
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters has also been quietly released to DVD.
United Kingdom and Ireland
Launched on July 8, 2006, the UK network
Bravo used to air an Adult Swim block nightly, generally starting at midnight each night. The UK's Bravo channel is owned by
Virgin Media Television, although in other parts of the world Adult Swim is a block on
Time Warner-owned Cartoon Network. Shows that were previously a part of the UK's Adult Swim block are
Robot Chicken,
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Sealab 2021,
The Brak Show,
Tom Goes to the Mayor,
Space Ghost Coast to Coast,
The Venture Bros.,
Moral Orel, and
Metalocalypse,
[. Bravo (UK). Retrieved July 19, 2006.] Non-Williams Street shows on the block include
Stripperella and
Kid Notorious. The first "action" series was the anime
Afro Samurai, which aired on May 4, 2007 alongside a new UK animated show
Modern Toss. On July 7, 2008, Adult Swim ceased to broadcast on Bravo, and its future remains uncertain.
The UK Adult Swim , like its American counterpart, offers free access to full episodes of shows including
Squidbillies,
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law,
Tom Goes to the Mayor,
Minoriteam,
Stroker and Hoop,
Moral Orel,
12 oz. Mouse,
Perfect Hair Forever,
Metalocalypse, and
Frisky Dingo. Unlike Adult Swim on Bravo UK, the website service is owned by
Time Warner. Adult Swim programming can also be ordered through various "on demand" and mobile TV services.
Revolver Entertainment recently began distributing original Adult Swim series on
DVD in the UK and Ireland.
Canada
Teletoon's English-language service in Canada has a teen/adult-oriented block called "
Teletoon at Night" that airs programming similar to Adult Swim every night. Adult Swim programs that aired on Teletoon at Night include
12 oz. Mouse,
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Family Guy,
Futurama,
Harvey Birdman,
American Dad!,
Metalocalypse,
Robot Chicken,
Squidbillies,
Stroker and Hoop,
The Boondocks,
The Venture Bros.,
Home Movies,
Tom Goes to the Mayor,
Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The show
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is the only Adult Swim original not to air on Teletoon in Canada, and instead airs on CTVglobemedia's
The Comedy Network. Since July 2007, seven of the fourteen Adult Swim programs airing on The Detour were canceled and replaced by Canadian-produced adult cartoon shows.
Teletoon's
French-language service in Canada also has an adult-oriented block called "Télétoon la Nuit" that airs shows like
The Boondocks,
Family Guy,
Home Movies,
South Park,
American Dad!, and
Futurama. Similarly,
YTV airs some anime originally broadcast on Adult Swim in its "
Bionix" block.
In June 2009,
G4 in Canada launched "
Adult Digital Distraction", a programing block featuring many Adult Swim shows such as
Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Delocated,
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet,
Superjail,
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,
Tom Goes to the Mayor, and
The Venture Bros.
Latin America
In
Latin America, an Adult Swim block airs during the overnight hours. It was originally carried on the regional version of
Cartoon Network until April 2008, when it was picked up by
I.Sat, another
Turner Broadcasting System/
Time Warner-owned network.