Adult Swim (AS; stylized as [adult swim] and [as]) is an American adult-oriented television programming block on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and late-night dayparts. The channel features stylistically varied animated and live-action series targeting an adult audience. The block's content includes original programming, particularly comedies and action series, syndicated series, and short films with generally minimal or no editing for content. Adult Swim is programmed by Williams Street, a subsidiary of The Cartoon Network, Inc. that also produces much of the block's original programming.
Launched on September 2, 2001, Adult Swim has frequently aired animated sitcoms, adult animation features, parody, satires, mockumentaries, sketch comedy, and pilots, with many of its programs being aesthetically experimental, transgressive, improvised, and surrealist in nature. Adult Swim has contracted with various studios known for their productions in absurd and shock comedy. In addition to comedy, Adult Swim also broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation, and since May 2012 this type of programming has generally been aired on its Saturday night Toonami 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 operated a video game division known as Adult Swim Games through 2026, which also published indie games not based on the block's original programming from 2011 to 2024.
When Adult Swim launched, it initially ran in the late night hours. It began to expand into prime time in 2008, and moved its start time to 8:00 p.m. ET/PT in 2014. 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; the extension has primarily been used for a sub-block known as Checkered Past, which features classic Cartoon Network original series.
Due to its differing demographics, Adult Swim is usually promoted by The Cartoon Network, Inc. as being a separate network time-sharing with Cartoon Network on its channel allotments, with its viewership being measured separately by Nielsen from the youth-oriented daytime and afternoon programming carried under the Cartoon Network branding.
History Creation and development (1994–2001)
Cartoon Network's original head programmer, Mike Lazzo, conceived Adult Swim. 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 as ToonHeads, The Bob Clampett Show, The Tex Avery Show, Late Night Black and White, and O 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.
During the 1990s, prime time animation geared toward adults started growing popular due to the success of Fox's hit show The Simpsons. This was followed by a trend of other adult-oriented animated shows throughout the decade, as well as more general-oriented animated series which received 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 by Mike Lazzo's Ghost Planet Industries, which eventually became Williams Street, the producers and programmers of Adult Swim.
Between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. on December 21, and December 30, 2000 (while Space 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; and The Brak Show all premiered unannounced; the official schedules listed the shows as "Special Programming". Prior to that, in Entertainment Weekly, it was stated that Michael Ouweleen's next project was working on the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Pilot with J. J. Sedelmaier. In a 1999 interview, the indie pop rock band Calamine stated they had recorded the theme song for Sealab 2021. 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).
Cartoon Network originally intended to launch the adult animation block on April 1, 2001, but it was delayed five months. 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. During the Toyota Comedy Festival in New York, Cartoon Network held a free "Cartoon Network Confidential" screening. The event featured "Kentucky Nightmare" (Space Ghost Coast to Coast), several "stealth" pilots, Captain Linger, and an episode of Home Movies. On Saturday, July 21, 2001, the Space Ghost Coast to Coast panel at San Diego Comic-Con had a trivia game in which the winners won a promotional CD that had the theme songs to the upcoming Adult Swim Shows. Everybody who attended got a free Adult Swim t-shirt that was packaged to look like a roll of bandages that a lifeguard might carry.
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. The Leave It to Brak episode "Mr. Bawk Ba Gawk" and Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "The Justice Hole" were also screened, as well as clips to the episode "Sweet for Brak". On August 12, the first commercial advertising the new block aired on Cartoon Network.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Around this time a press kit came out that featured towels and a promotional CD.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Another press kit that was designed as a first aid kit came with a promo VHS with info on all the shows. Access Hollywood also highlighted the upcoming premieres. Print ads were shown in an August issue of Entertainment Weekly. On August 31, adultswim.com officially launched.
2001–2003
Adult Swim officially launched on September 2, 2001, at 10p.m. ET, with the original debut airing of the Home Movies episode "Director's Cut", which had been shelved before airing on its original network, UPN. According to Linda Simensky, "We had a bunch of episodes to screen for Mike 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. The series' first season was animated in Squigglevision; later seasons were done in Flash animation. The first anime broadcast on the block also aired on the night of its launch, Cowboy Bebop. 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 original bumpers shown in-between the shows featured footage of public pools and elderly people visiting them, swimming, eating, exercising, and doing other pool-related activities. Some of these bumpers were narrated by a lifeguard who spoke through a megaphone, most notably shouting "all kids out of the pool". The logo was the words "Adult Swim" in all capital letters, often appearing during a freeze frame of the footage; an alternate variant featured the block's name in all-lowercase red letters inside a black circle with a yellow penumbra. The block's original theme music, titled "D-Code," was a remix of "Mambo Gallego" done by the Melbourne musician Dust Devil, originally played by Latin jazz musician Tito Puente.
Some of the bumps on the block included Aquaman Dance Party that featured Super Friends character Aquaman dancing in front of live action landfill footage, Captain Linger, a series of shorts created by J. J. Sedelmaier, Watering Hole, a series of shorts about animals talking in a bar created by Soup2Nuts,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: 1960s Hanna-Barbera action cartoons dubbed with the voices of children, a series of shorts called Not for Air that had the speech of Hanna-Barbera characters bleeped to make it seem like the characters were swearing,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: The New Adventures of The Wonder Twins,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: What They're Really Thinking, which had a voice narrate a character's thoughts in a comedic way, and Brak Puppet Party, a puppet show featuring classic Hanna-Barbera characters.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
Commercials starring characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Brak Show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law, and Sealab 2021 started to appear as well, such as 1-800-CALL-ATT,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Nestea,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Dr Pepper,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Coca-Cola,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Dodge Ram,Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Quizno's Sub, Maximum Hair Dye, Verizon Wireless, and movie promos for Austin Powers in Goldmember, Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, Jackass: The Movie, Eight Legged Freaks, and The Powerpuff Girls Movie.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Brak would also host a segment called Adult Swim News. Due to the September 11 attacks days after the launch, episodes of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Cowboy Bebop, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force were delayed. In the winter of 2001 another Adult Swim CD was made available for free to anyone who purchased issue 28 of Hitch Magazine and the same CD came with issue 29.
When the Saturday night block debuted on February 23, 2002, it was known as Adult 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 between Adult Swim Action and Adult Swim Comedy. 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 and The Popeye Show took Cowboy Bebops 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 Shake air freshener.