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The television industry continues to evolve and grow in exciting ways and it’s incredible how niche programming blocks, like Adult Swim, have become mainstream sources for critically lauded series. Adult Swim started as an off-shoot of Cartoon Network in 2001 and it immediately became a foundational destination for animated series geared towards mature audiences.
Adult Swim began with only a few quirky programs on its lineup, but it’s now responsible for nearly 100 original series, many of which have become indicative of how much modern animated series have changed. Adult Swim has experienced changes right from the start, but there are some significant areas in which the programming block is now different.
10 They Have Live-Action Programming
Considering that Adult Swim shares real estate with Cartoon Network, it’s not surprising that the earliest iteration of the block only featured odd and eccentric animated series. Animated series still compose a large portion of Adult Swim’s programming, but the late-night block has also become a reliable home for modern live-action comedies. Programs like Childrens Hospital and NTSF:SD:SUV:: helped kick off this trend, but in more recent years there have been series like Tropical Cop Tales, Dream Corp LLC, and Three Busy Debras that keep this trend alive.
9 The Length Of Programming Has Changed
One of the ways in which Adult Swim initially stood out is that the majority of its programming was only a quarter-hour long as opposed to the more standard half-hour. This allowed Adult Swim’s series to fly by and operate with an extra level of chaos that could get diluted through a longer runtime. As Adult Swim has continued, they’ve begun to experiment with programs of comparable lengths. There are both quarter-hour and half-hour Adult Swim shows, as well as programs that started as a quarter-hour, only to grow into extended endeavors.
8 The Rise Of The Toonami Block And Anime Content
Anime has become a major component of Adult Swim and one of the bigger reasons that the block has caught the attention of such a large audience over the course of the past decade. Toonami technically started in 1997 on Cartoon Network and it’s come and gone over the years, but 2012 marked its official transition over to the Adult Swim block.
Adult Swim’s Toonami has helped premiere some of the biggest anime series to American audiences and it’s even begun to indulge in original co-productions like Fena: Pirate Princess and the upcoming Uzumaki.
7 There’s More Female-Driven Content
Adult Swim has been viewed as an ambitious destination for fearless content, but there was definitely a trend where the majority of content was catered more for male audiences, and coming from male creators. There was controversy when Adult Swim’s former executive vice president, Mike Lazzo, chastised female creators, with there later being a push to embrace more of this content to right previous wrongs. Progress has been slow in this regard, but programs like Tuca & Bertie, Three Busy Debras, Birdgirl, and YOLO: Crystal Fantasy all revolve around female characters and reflect a more progressive perspective.
6 They’ve Allowed Fans To Vote On Pilots And Control Content
It can be difficult to predict which programs will stick around and the others that are doomed to fade into obscurity. There’s a lot more content that gets produced than what actually makes it on the air. Some streaming services have experimented with giving the public the power where they can vote on prospective pilots, where the most popular become full series. Adult Swim has also utilized this model on a few occasions, which has led to series like Apollo Gauntlet and Hot Streets moving forward, while others like Bad Guys and Trap Universe have remained one-off pilots.
5 Their Embracing Of Infomercials And Specials
The very concept of Adult Swim and its quarter-hour programming is innovative, but the network has pushed their unpredictable nature even further in some regards. Most of Adult Swim’s original programming airs late into the night, but they eventually started to debut surprise premieres for one-off infomercials or “specials.”
Many of these are designed with the aesthetic of actual late-night infomercials, which mess with the audience’s perception of what they’re actually watching. These odd experiments have only become more prevalent in recent years and have led to some of Adult Swim’s strangest programming, like Too Many Cooks.
4 Their Growing April Fools’ Traditions
There’s nothing like a good surprise and Adult Swim has made it a yearly tradition to subvert their audience’s expectations through ambitious “pranks” that play out on April Fools’ Day. This started as just an entertaining way to engage with the audience, like by adding mustaches to all of the characters in their series. Now these pranks are more substantial and act as opportunities to premiere new content or one-off originals like Bushworld Adventures. The most recent “Adult Swim Jr.” prank entirely re-dubbed old episodes of programs like Rick and Morty.
3 They’ve Saved Shows From Other Networks
Adult Swim established their reputation by creating dozens of their own original programming, but over the past few years, they’ve shifted a little more into tastemakers that have acquired content from other networks. The most recent and substantial example of this is Adult Swim’s acquisition of Tuca & Bertie from Netflix, but it implies that more of this practice could happen in the future with other canceled series. Non-Adult Swim originals, like Futurama and Family Guy, were also able to be revived because of their success on Adult Swim in syndication.
2 They’ve Outsourced Its Bumpers To The Fans And Capitalized On YouTube And Viral Talent
One of the more striking aspects of Adult Swim that contributed to its personality early on are the unique commercial break bumpers. These bumpers are often lo-fi, but more complex commercials have also started to take place. Adult Swim has reached out to notable content creators and online artists to contribute to these bumpers as well as produce “Adult Swim Smalls,” which air both online and on TV. Many of the creators behind Adult Swim’s recent series involve the network looking to online viral sensations. The creators of Apollo Gauntlet, Hot Streets, and YOLO: Crystal Fantasy all have online roots.
1 The Addition And Loss Of Streaming Exclusives
Streaming content has become increasingly advantageous over the past decade and Adult Swim made some major strides to capitalize on this and foster a community through their original live stream series. Adult Swim gradually put together a number of popular streaming series, like FishCenter Live, As Seen on Adult Swim, and Development Meeting, which could engage with fans of the network and also tease upcoming content. Some Adult Swim series, like Decker, even started as online-only content. Unfortunately, Adult Swim has recently ditched their streaming originals after their acquisition by WarnerMedia.
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