classicswim | Entries tagged with adult swim

Felt like this was obligatory to post.

Earth knows I’ve rambled all there possibly is to be rambled about the show over the years since it aired. The first image has the tape I recorded of the pilot episode that very night.

With the second season in 2006 that happened by accident, they went off the wall and basically made an unnerving serial thriller with ATHF’s humor in place.

It’s interesting because Brak Show was the AS original that took a lot of shit from the fans back then for how it was. But they saw what Aqua Teen was doing and that molded the rest of their episodes before cancellation.

Here, you had a pilot that was the most ridiculous thing ever aired on television. (All the more reason why I love the pilot the most out of the whole series) That pilot was structured like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, but instead of continuously mimicking ATHF just because it worked, you saw a set of episodes that really spiraled into its own legs and psyche.

Me watching and taping the episodes adds to my very biased engagement. I just know I was impressed with what I saw. And people tore it apart for how it was, as well as how it was animated & produced. Squidbillies took some very similar heat also, but 12 oz. Mouse does not have 13 seasons to boot.

I think I mentioned before that I had a couple of my tapes set on my laptop recently, and all I can think of is how unfortunate it is that Adult Swim practically backed out on its previous confidence with the show by the time the 2nd season was airing. You can chalk that up with Lazzo but it’s real fucked up they basically threw the show under the bus when they knew they wouldn’t be producing it anymore. Other less liked shows didn’t get that treatment while getting axed by them.

For reference... they aired Assy McGee around the exact same time. And I love Assy McGee as well! I wish my Assy McGee T shirt was my exact size. They aired Assy McGee for the sole purpose of making the most incredibly stupid thing to ever exist on TV and pissing viewers off with a particular sketch that failed in the past. They’ve admitted to such. But I guess Assy McGee stuck to their brand more culturally or something.

In spite of that... 12 oz. Mouse for many years has had its own cult holiday months prior to the pilot. It’s a show few fans can recite beat for beat with the DVD movie cut or whatever else. The minimal effort is what made the show so fun, it was something reluctantly lost during its revival season.

I really do wish that second season could’ve been more. Love the way it turned out, but also know they could’ve went entirely different directions with little time.

I’m still reeling in a lot of what’s making this special right now and why I absolutely do not trust this show at the hands of WB.

General audience hang ups over adult animation aside; Adult Swim factually hasn’t had any commentary close to as biting as this since... Boondocks. The latter outlived its usefulness well over a decade ago with that abysmal non McGruder season, so it’s not that impressive of a bar when you consider how long they’ve went without some teeth.

I had a few beers while watching the pilot and just thought “fuck...” for a second when something like the Oklahoma City Bombing was mentioned/represented in the narrative. Earnestly. Not as some type of edgy joke.

The overall balance of humor, too. If Lazzo was dead, he’d be rolling in his grave over this series not being afraid to only have a couple *mild* jokes per episode. I’ve been done with the brand for awhile but if there’s one thing always intriguing to see, it’s the finalized network decisions that Lazzo would outright ‘no’ in a heartbeat and let it be known that he hated it.

Marshall Cuso could be this decade’s animated protagonist. Just a very good retread that makes you genuinely interested in his story rather than him being a series cog if that makes any sense.

I’ve only watched the pilot as of yet, although the 2nd episode’s out there.

I guess I nuked my initial posting of the preview when I was doing a cleanse, and I do remember bits and pieces of what I said.

Admittedly, I was dismissive before. But I also think the preview we got (or the one I saw anyway) was premature for what they’re trying to go for. It’s not a series you can dumb down to a six minute clip simply because the network has nothing else as notable going on. The single only PR this fucking show had was articles with Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ namesake on them to jingle the right notoriety keys.

I don’t think it’s just that I wasn’t paying much attention to the first preview, and the whole Luigi Mangione month we had suddenly changes things. To be honest, I was expecting artistic shots taken at the man to be relatively half-assed. And even if not the case... you shouldn’t need an [adult swim] cartoon with Mike Judge’s name on it to say “fuck the government and our insurance companies.” You should be the one saying that.

That’s something I *kinda* posted about the series before and still stand by that much.

I can be a moody prick about a lot of things, in all fairness. I probably wasn’t in the right spirit during the preview, and this is still entertainment that’s soaringly political. I know a certain online clique that’s gonna be walking on eggshells trying to talk about this show lol. Or maybe not even try at all.

Wasn’t expecting Judge to be hands on with the voice acting, let alone playing the antagonist. When I saw the preview I was mostly under the impression that he’d get a couple good sentences out, but he even threw a Van Driessen gag out there.

I can sob about how fucking phenomenal his range used to be, only I have to acknowledge he’s one of the last living visionaries worth caring about at this point. To have his name on things like this is privilege enough besides money. So, yeah. Obligatory hand clap.

I can see how this adventure unfolds and how hard it’ll jab at our society while literal planes are falling from the sky. Hope it resonates somehow because I highly doubt viewership will peak in any way across any platform.

Both in my early ASMB days and just years that followed on the old web, something I always tore to absolute shit when it came to the [as] circle was having ‘stoner’ be coined around with the original programming.

Something that can’t be understated enough was just how not funny that term was. Once. At all.

The phrase was stupid, not once clever, and usually always spoken by someone who’s obviously never touched a reefer in their life anyway.

Goes hand in hand with me hating shit being needlessly generalized, but what I especially hated about the ‘stoner’ lumping was how it almost immediately put a giant stamp on the user’s forehead that said “I’m not smart enough to come up with a better way to say I don’t like this show.”

I recorded bumps years back where even Adult Swim itself had enough of that shit. One even spelling out what terms you should use, and what terms are obnoxious and annoying for them.

(This was of course kind of a thing within show creators and staff as well. Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick of Venture Bros also hated even when fans called their stuff “insane.”)

There’s probably a lot I could say on the passion I had/have for these shows, the real influence and importance of these shows, etcetera.

^ I actually don’t have to make these defenses and justifications anymore because everyone by now gets the idea, and the moronic term has long since been retired for most part.

But I realized how even back then, I never exactly had to hold the fort there either. It just wasn’t about that. I had weird love and loyalty toward this programming and group, but when it came to that word being used, all you had to do to shut it down was just that - - shut it down effortlessly.

The attitude for me wasn’t “oh you’re a poopie head and this show is bestest!” It was more like “Nah, that’s not a real logical or intelligible critique. Get better material, dumbass.”

And that was the end of it.

—————

‘Cynical’ isn’t so much a new phrase used for usual suspects, but its use has been greatly accelerated ever since Smiling Friends recently came along.

And in contrast, ‘cynical’ is tricky because the word actually does have weight in modern comedy, and comedy as a whole.

The reason why I’m starting to think the latter phrase is getting to be just as ignorant as the former is because it’s very much overused and misdiagnosed. Shows that aren’t even cynical or nihilist are getting called cynical and nihilist.

As contradictory as it sounds, I do believe it’s very much possible for a show to have plenty of mean humor but not actually be a mean show.

ATHF is a lot of things, but I reaaaaaally think it’s a misstep to look at the things done twenty years ago and think it was from actual nihilist framing. Doing that by definition is grossly looking too into it and is just fucking dumb. Watched it since the beginning and never once went out of my way to give it those buzzwords.

And I’m not saying all shows I like aren’t nihilist, but you also gotta know what the fucking word means! Y’know?

That’s really what’s so funny about this.

Beavis & Butt-Head you can actually say is a cynical show, because the cartoon since its inception has always been that the kids are a cry for help and everyone’s mutually stupid, so they’re just doomed. Their world is built on precisely that.

You’d think that’d be the easiest thing in the universe for any dumbfuck to pick up on, except 4chan believes Beavis & Butt-Head only sought out to do pop culture references (? The fuck?) and just saying silly things.

Sometimes I’m not too sure enough if it’s a deliberate troll because these dumb as dog shit young people are earnestly trying to say that Smiling Friends can save lives.

Some fans on the internet just need buzzwords and labels to attach to their shit, or else they feel like they’re gonna suffocate somehow.

Not saying I’m the better person for not putting and coining labels on my stuff, but if I’m gonna call something anything — — backing it up with reason should be a fairly simple task.

Current Music: Snoop Doggy Dogg - Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)

*Pic taken by yours truly*

An obvious understatement would be that this idea could never work for an endless amount of reasons.

The concept would have a shot at a very specific frame of time, but mostly as a miscellaneous project to air. As opposed to being a full fledged TV show.

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Origin: Robot Chicken premiered its second season with a cold opening sketch involving Peter Griffin (Seth MacFarlane), Space Ghost (George Lowe), and Master Shake (Dana Snyder) as Adult Swim’s own council supported by Mike Lazzo.

The sketch itself happened to be riffing Superman, with the cameo/setup being an admirable tribute.

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Non-Official Title: [as] Council

Summary: Lead role characters from Adult Swim’s comedy block are in fact Williams Street suits working under Lazzo in Atlanta, circa 2006.

The series would follow Family Guy’s patriarch, ATHF’s drink cup, Ghost Planet’s hero-for-hire, and occasionally the rebellious bending unit with 1 expiring contract.

Blending stop motion animation with real life environments (potentially thinking Robot Chicken meets IFC era Greg The Bunny), these characters will get to explore the inner city, as well as share a glimpse of everyday life under poorly managed corporate ladder.

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Series Goal: This would be a network dream come true in terms of cross promotion. It’d be something they wish they could plug at every Upfront.

As an ASMBer, it would’ve been a nice thing for our community. Probably have a big contest surrounding it. Episodes could write in one of the characters logging on to a staff computer and arguing with a couple of the users.

The network angle would be a touchy, unwanted subject now. Williams Street is no longer the lively place it once was thanks to WBD.

The series in any case would not have been bombarded with Dilbert level quips about corporate suck. For most part, it would all have been the general fan’s imagination of how Adult Swim runs, as we used to have fun ideas thanks to what staff used to share with us SwimPunks.

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Writing Chops: There would guaranteed be some setbacks to this.

The series would ideally be produced at a time when Family Guy wasn’t considered low IQ Meme City by younger internet tastes. And even then, there’s still an undeniable cheese factor with how these crossover products are presented.

”Ehehehehehe ayyy Mastah Shake, whaddaya doin’ here?!”

^ Basically, none of that shit would be allowed.

I’d have to be very selective with how the main characters interact with each other, as I can’t really have them on a name basis. For that group pairing especially, I think it’s more authentic.

I’m also not gonna get anything out of these popular cartoons “roasting each other” like every bad Deviantart and Facebook wet dream.

I’d have Shake & Space Ghost occasionally punch up about how successful Griffin is doing, but I wouldn’t have Peter do any jabs against the in-house productions. I wouldn’t reduce him to the worst possible stereotype of casual Swim viewers just ‘cause he spoke to them the most. I’d want it to be something that all fans of the demographic could enjoy.

I made a little stop motion video years back titled “Peter & Shake.” It was nonsensical and less than 30 seconds long, but I had a good idea of how they’d bullshit each other as I was making it.

Wouldn’t have Shake talk to Peter the way he does to Carl. That’d be predictable as well as extremely lazy. I don’t think I’d even write for Shake to be as jerky as he is typically. Aside from wanting Dana to rant like hell.

It’d be the same thing with Space Ghost. All you’d have to do is get George on the mic and you’re set.

I’d have the hardest time writing for Bender on this show because the nature surrounding [as] Council would be difficult to add in his... tendencies.

With Peter, I’d just imagine him being written more shy, but also 100% prone to fucking everything up in the process. Basically the one who shouldn’t be the straight man, but just naturally is because no one else possibly can.

I’ve uh... I’ve never talked about this one idea extensively before ever. Nothing could ever come of it, but still seemed fun to do.

Current Music: Perfect Hair - DangerDOOM

Here’s to officially 20 years of April Fools existing on Adult Swim!

[IZ INUYAHSA UBERL337???///] - Swordfish_II

[KIKYO DIED FOR YOUR SINS] - Aurochs

[TOONZONE DOESN’T SUCK ASS] - Aurochs

[CARDZ ARE Teh AWASOMUZRS!!!] - Lord Dalek

[Hamtaro to cros with home movies] - The Landstander

[News - Inu-yasha revealed to be communist plot] - Beat

[In the year 2004, Inu Yasha will... Kill Bill.] - Lord Dalek

[SESHOMARRU IS SO KAWAII.] - HumanWormbaby

[GIVE UNTO US OUR DAILY BREAD] - Aurochs

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[Flash- Inu-Yasha causes cancer!] - Beat

Now this one I actually have to show you as it’s that petty and hilarious. Assault on the pesky Inuyasha crowd.

**** Reuters

9 out 10 doctors agree, TV's most hated hit causes cancer.

In a statement released by the Department of Health, Dr. Joeph Surrecs confirmed the long held theory that Inu-Yasha causes 6 different kinds of cancers, nearly always fatal.

"It's true. Every test caused some form of brain, eye, or auditory cancer."

Doctors are advising that the show be cancelled, the new episodes burned, and the fans quarantinned.

Continued Surrecs "We will eradicate the menance of cancer causing TV from our airwaves so we can go back to wondering who will win the next American Idol."

Rumio Takashi, creator of Inu-Yasha, was unavailable for comment as she was swimming in her trademark money bin.

But not all fans belive hard back scientific evidence.

A rabid fan was quoted as saying "INTU-YASha RULZZZ!!!!!! #1!!!!" ****

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[Kim Possable 4 AS!] - Artimus Gigan

[Cartoon Network’s new hentai block : Skinny Dip] - CookieS

[IS KAGOME HOTTTTT?!] - Matt Williams

[News- Mindless IY zombies storm Turner Studios] - Beat

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And now, some fan reception on the actual event.

•• Blitzkrieg writes: The April Fools prank will be that there is no April Fools prank. The joke being all the people that tune in and continue to watch expecting an April Fools prank. ••

Called the 2016 stunt hours before the stunt series officially began.

•• krazymed writes: "Marker" facial hair is not funny. I thought this was Adult Swim, not some 3rd grade art field trip.

^^ RD! replying to krazymed: Because Shark vs Croc was a stroke of genius comparable to a 5th grader atleast. Quit whining. This is the only time WHR, Trigun and Inu Yasha will ever be enjoyable and it's really the only funny original thing WS has done in AGES. ^^ ••

ASMB was down shortly within this event. Just one of those times where we couldn’t withstand power. It was good being able to watch this year’s puppet show with our boards successor. Only a mere few of us, and yet I had a good time. And uhh... Toonzone had about the same level of engagement this year as well.

Anywho, MovieGuy of TZ wrote the complete script of the cards that aired, so I’ll leave off with that.

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It's the end of March.

And we all know

what that means.

It's time to set the

clocks back.

Daylight Saving Time

starts tonight.

Don't forget to

"spring back" one hour.

Which is actually a bonus,

when you think about it.

That's an extra hour you

can use to watch Adult Swim.

Or make a scale model

of acient Rome.

We don't care

how you use it.

Actually, we're lying.

We'd sure love to see

that model of Rome.

[adult swim]

--------------------------------------------------------------

Beginning Saturday, April 17th

Our action block moves

to Thursdays.

Be sure to tune in

Sunday April 18th

for all your favorite anime.

[adult swim]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Please stand by for your

Adult Swim

programming schedule.

Sunday Episode Guide

Oblongs Marathon

11:00 OB - Hard Puncher

11:30 OB - Please Be Genital

12:00 OB - My Three Suns

12:30 OB - Jamming With Edward

1:00 OB - Lost July

1:30 OB - Da Boom

Thank you.

[adult swim]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

March is going

out like a lion.

And so is that stale old

Standard Time.

Don't forget to "spring back"

one hour tonight.

You'll thank us in the morning.

[adult swim]

--------------------------------------------

Daylight Saving Time

was first suggested

by Benjamin Franklin

way back in 1794.

But the idea didn't catch

on until the 1900's.

The U.S. started using DST

during World War I

in order to conserve

energy for the war effort.

It didn't become standard

until the passage of the

Uniform Act of 1966, which

set the dates DST begins and ends.

Arizona, Indiana and Hawaii

do not use Daylight Saving Time,

so viewers in those states should

not "spring back" tonight.

You can find more reliable information

about DST on the World Wide Web.

You just need an inquiring mind

and an internet dealie.

[adult swim]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's almost time to

"spring back."

Are you excited?

We sure are!

We're about to set

all our clocks back

and bask in the glory of a bonus

hour of our favorite shows.

[adult swim]

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please stand by for your

Adult Swim

programming schedule.

Sunday Action Guide

Inu Yasha Mini-Marathon

1:00 IY - Father's Mortal Enemy

1:30 IY - The Backlash Wave

2:00 IY - The Stone Flower

2:30 IY - Temptress in the Mist

Thank you.

[adult swim]

--------------------------------------------------------

"I never miss a chance to have

sex or appear on television"

-Abraham Lincoln

Coming up Next - Moustaches

[adult swim]

Current Music: 10cc - I’m Not in Love

[Home Movies OFFICIALLY cancelled] - Mar 11, 2004

Confirmed to be finished at NYU panel by Soup2Nuts. Bummer.

You can still read my talkback thread that stretched an entire year (after the original was purged), but bummer.

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[Spacecatazz - Probably won’t happen] - Mar 17, 2004

Yeah. Spacecataz unfortunately just didn’t stand a chance. Dead in its premature tracks.

Can never say we had it too bad, though!

We’d have the original Aqua Teen movie underway, the show was still doing relatively great, no one foresaw Squidbillies becoming the well established side-dish to ATHF; and even more projects to throw in the Space Ghost camp fire!

It’s a miracle to even have a completed pilot for Spacecataz.

Squids arguably had an even bitchier time getting off the ground, but this series had the quickest backflip to “wait a minute... the Mooninites and Plutonians don’t have enough material for their own show!”

Couldn’t be too disappointed by them severing and burning bits of the pilot onto the then latest ATHF season as “cold openings.” I’d say it makes you wanna seek out the full cut, but I also prefer them on the episodes too. It just set the perfect mood for that season.

While learning you can’t use too much of the trophy villains, they had the proper inkling that it was time to let Dr. Weird and Steve rest as well.

Ignignokt & Err were always worthwhile annual cameos, and I thought about how the latest test season oddly refrained from even giving them one real scene. Guess that’s better than what the Plutonians usually get - - nothing four times over.

Not to mention the last standalone breakout episode Mooninites really had anyway was Moonajuana. Apart from the movies and the games, they’ve mostly just sorta appeared here and there when needed after awhile.

**Spacecadeuce was a hilarious anniversary tribute.**

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[April Fools stunt] - Mar 18, 2004

As far back as before the stunt’s very presence on the block, fans speculated what Adult Swim was gonna do. Among the most significant mainstays in TV history.

••••Swordfish_II writes: Five straight hours of cards.••••

You know, if Adult Swim were to ever shut down... something like this would be a fairly reasonable final stunt.

Brace yourselves.

•••• shoujoaifan writes: The WS characters run around through the shows!

It's be easy, just Meatwad roll through a scene or something. WS ISN'T going to spend alot of money altering ep's for one night (redubbing, MAYBE) but would get old seeing the same animation clip of a handfull of characters in different shows, but they're different shows, so everyone would go "OOH...", and "AAH..."

Imagine if they use select episodes:

(Fry puts back his clover in his brother's coffin. Meatwad rolls next to him)

Singer: Don't you...forget about me...

Meatwad: We be grilling tonight!

Spike: Bang!

Meatwad: OW! ( Uses stock footage from when he shot himself)

Roger Smith:...so I can live in the present-

Meatwad: Fart you, butt-hole! (Uses android body to destroy *Big Venus*

Dorthy: Holy Bejeebus! (Uses Stormie's voice)

ORRRRR

Meatwad: Has anyone seen my wife!?!

Meatwad 2: Yeah, we just did it in the closet.

Meatwad: Okay-WHAT!?!

Frylock: Holy Bejeebus! (Uses Stormie's Voice)

Stormie: Word. ••••

...Yeah! XD

I’m not one to talk, because Adult Swim’s made it to where we’ve always wanted to splice and dub things this way.

Hell, my “prediction” for this year was pretty much this. Just have the Ed boys voice the Aqua Teens because Checkered. But now Checkered’s on the usual doomer watch *again* from the looks of my thread, soo....

Can we do mustaches AND farts?

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[Mike Lazzo - Wired’s TV Creator of the Year] - Mar 20, 2004

He beat Ricky Gervais, Ronald Moore, George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh, and Jon Stewart!

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[Seth Green gets stop motion Adult Swim series - 20 episodes] - Mar 25, 2004

Sweet J becomes official!

Only it’s not Sweet J, or any of the dozens of other scrapped titles, and it’s Robot Chicken!

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[AS upfront news] - Mar 25, 2004

•••• Animation Insider writes: New Shows and Pilots

• The Venture Brothers: A new Adult Swim comedy, The Venture Brothers makes its debut on Sunday, Aug. 8, at 11 p.m. (ET, PT). The Venture Brothers follows the adventures of two dim-witted brothers, their scientist father and his bodyguard, Brock. Hank and Dean Venture regularly find themselves in danger, even if they are oblivious to it. The Venture family lives on a spacious ranch with a high-tech laboratory, but their adventures take them to exotic locales around the world, from the deepest, darkest rainforests to the most dangerous urban jungles and even outer space. When the boys get into a sticky situation, they rely on the muscled, mullet-headed bodyguard Brock to bail them out. With a huge knife, a steely glint in his eye and a taste for blood, Brock is the guy that you want on your side when it is time to defile your enemy.

• Squidbillies: Five million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean covered North America all the way to the Ohio Valley. As the ocean receded to form our present-day geography, a family of squids was stranded in a remote setting in the North Georgia mountains. This motley melange of mischievous mollusks, influenced by the rural ways of the redneck locals, quickly “adapticise” to a world of fighting, feuding and fornicating with a Faulknerian flambé of ferocious sea creature livin’. The humor lies in the “adapticization.” A pilot for Squidbillies is currently in production; seven episodes are scheduled to air this fall.

• Untitled Seth Green project: From actor/producer Seth Green (known for his roles in The Italian Job and the Austin Powers feature films, TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as the voice of Chris in Family Guy) comes a new Adult Swim series scheduled to debut in October. The series will utilize stop-motion animation to deliver a satirical look at popular culture. Green will provide voices for the series, which has been greenlit for 20 episodes. “It’s very funny,” said Mike Lazzo, Cartoon Network’s senior vice president responsible for Adult Swim.

• Tom Goes to the Mayor: Tom Peters is a would-be entrepreneur and civic do-gooder in the eccentric small town of Jefferton. He brings his crackpot ideas to The Mayor, who invariably endorses them. From there, Tom Goes to the Mayor explores the comedic possibilities of government machinations and provincial thinking. Adult Swim has greenlit a pilot for the show, which is written and produced by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, who also provide voices for the two main characters. Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show with Bob & David, The Larry Sanders Show) is executive producer. Odenkirk, David Cross, Jack Black and Kyle Gass will provide voices for the town’s assortment of oddballs and bureaucrats.

• Stroker & Hoop: Meet John Stroker, a private eye still mastering the art of lock picking, car hood sliding and keeping his gun from falling out of his waistband when he bends over at the grocery store. Together with his partner Hoop, a self-proclaimed master of disguise, and his disobedient talking hatchback named CARR, Stroker is willing to help anyone dumb enough to respond to his 1/8-page ad in the yellow pages. With Stroker & Hoop on the case, help is never more than a phone call away. Unless Stroker is really hungover, or CARR gets them incredibly lost downtown. In which case, help might take a couple more phone calls. In the end, Stroker & Hoop don't always solve the case, but they do get to sleep late, drive fast and shoot guns for a living. A Stroker & Hoop pilot is in production and is scheduled to air on Adult Swim in June.

New Greenlights

• Hit series Aqua Teen Hunger Force has been given the greenlight for 13 additional episodes, which will take the series to 55 total episodes.

• Sealab 2021 has been given a greenlight for a new season of 13 episodes, its fourth.

Acquisitions

• Cartoon Network has acquired 52 additional episodes of the highly rated series InuYasha, which will begin Saturday, April 24. When a young girl named Kagome is transported back in time to feudal Japan, she meets InuYasha, the son of a powerful demon father with a human mother. Together, they protect the powerful “Jewel of Four Seasons” from the demons and goblins who seek it.

• Wolf’s Rain, an animé series set in a post-apocalyptic future, premieres on Thursday, April 29, at 11:30 p.m. (ET, PT). In this series, wolves are mystical creatures that disguise themselves in human form. One lone wolf named Kiba is tracking a scent that he believes will lead him to paradise. The source of the smell is another wolf named Cheza. When Cheza is kidnapped, Kiba begins a journey to find her.

• Case Closed, which joins Adult Swim in June, is adapted from the popular Detective Conan weekly manga published since 1994. Case Closed tells the story of Jimmy Kudo, a famous teenage detective who is poisoned by a mysterious organization. The experiment was supposed to kill him but instead it makes Jimmy grow younger. Trapped inside the body of a 7-year-old, Jimmy takes the name Conan Edogawa and begins to search for the men who did this to him while a friend and family neighbor, Dr. Agasa, invents gadgets for Conan to solve crimes.

Programming Announcements

• Popular original comedy series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law returns Sunday, April 18, with a new season of nine episodes featuring b-list cartoon stars in legal jeopardy. Among the animated icons turning to Harvey for counsel this season are Speed Buggy, Auggie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, Inch High Private Eye and the Jetsons. Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law will air Sundays at 11:30 p.m. (ET, PT). Aqua Teen Hunger Force becomes the first original Adult Swim series to go to “strip,” joining the Sunday-Wednesday line-up on Sunday, April 18. Back-to-back episodes of the adventures of Meatwad, Frylock and Master Shake, three human-sized food products living in a rental house in New Jersey, will air at 12 a.m. (ET, PT) Sunday-Wednesday following Family Guy and Futurama.

• Matt Groening makes a rare television appearance when he introduces his favorite episode of Futurama each night at 11 p.m. (ET, PT) during a weeklong event Sunday, May 23-Thurday, May 27.

• Seth McFarlane, creator of Family Guy, picks his favorite episodes of the series and gives behind-the-scenes information about one of Adult Swim’s most popular shows Sunday, July 11-Thursday, July 15, at 11 p.m. (ET, PT) ••••

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[AS upfront part 2 - Whoring the shows] - Mar 25, 2004

•••• Animation Insider writes: While Adult Swim continues to draw large late-night audiences to Cartoon Network, licensees and retailers are stocking the shelves with new products based on hit shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. DVDs, apparel and collectibles are on store shelves now. New merchandise will be arriving throughout 2004 and in 2005. Among the top stories from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim licensing program are:

• DVD Releases: Cartoon Network released the first two Adult Swim titles on home video in November 2003. Both Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume One and Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Volume One had to be rushed back into production to meet consumer demand at retailers like Best Buy and Musicland. Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Two, with 13 episodes and a special documentary on the cult hit’s origins, reaches stores on June 15, along with the DVD debut of Sealab 2021, another two-DVD set about the ribald and raucous crew of a high-tech underwater facility. In November, Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video release Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Three and Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Volume Two.

• Apparel and Accessories: Beginning in June 2003, Cartoon Network and Hot Topic, the national mall-based specialty retailer of music-licensed and music-influenced apparel, accessories and gift items for young men and women, teamed up for an exclusive retailing program featuring an exclusive line of apparel and accessories, ranging from T-shirts and trucker hats to key chains, pins, postcards, lanyards, patches and stickers. Adult Swim signage was featured in every store, along with in-store and online promotions. Merchandise was also available at a special Adult Swim boutique located on the Hot Topic home page. Licensee Ripple Junction’s T-shirts featuring Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021 continue to be leading sellers.

• Toys: A new agreement with Palisades Marketing, LLC, a premier manufacturer of action figures merchandise based on popular characters, will bring a line of Adult Swim toys to stores in November. Series One will feature primary and secondary characters from series like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Brak Show, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Sealab 2021. Three additional series will be available in 2005. Palisades, widely known for their Muppets toy line, manufactures and distributes a variety of affordable licensed collectible products including action figures, vinyl statues, poly-resin statues, wall scrolls and other items.

• Novelty Gifts: Licensee Neca has signed an agreement to produce novelty gifts based on key Adult Swim properties. In May, Adult Swim items such as barware, party lights, stress balls, bobbleheads and pins will be on the shelves of retailers like Musicland and Spencer Gifts. Briefly Stated, an apparel industry licensee recognized by the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA) as 2002 Entertainment Licensee of the Year, has signed on to create novelty boxer shorts based on Adult Swim shows. ••••

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Current Music: Mi Redención - La Sonora Matancera

As I await most likely being told by Toonzone that I’m not allowed to discuss this pilot leak - - fuck it.

This is quite the day for adult animation.

I’ve kept my taping of the [as] pilot all these years, fuzzy as it is, and could not imagine anything else other than Garden Party until now.

We are sharing.

https://archive.org/details/boondockspilot

[Lost pilot]

In awe within seconds.

Why?

It’s mostly nothing I haven’t already seen, and that’s the point. So many of the littlest jokes carried over to the actual show. Just takes me back.

I of course can get the taste of them trying to work around FOX’s horse shit censors. And even so, the vision’s still there.

They had that bit with the stepped on sneakers, R Kelly got his shoutout; a personal favorite I wasn’t expecting was Tom’s “fruity boy/pansie pants” nicknames from Granddad’s Fight. And uh... naked Robert again lol.

We never got the reboot, and for good reason, but getting this leaked to us after twenty years just felt like the proper reunion.

Robert is SO cool in this. He would whoop the boys’ asses as early on as possible with Adult Swim, and this pilot ended with him and the boys playing video games.

This is such an amazing blueprint and I couldn’t be happier that we just got it. Was never expecting this at all.

Current Music: Asheru - Judo Flip

[DC Comics using Space Ghost, 1/28/04 - 2/2/04]

Oh yeah.

*Groans*

I forgot they started this early.

•••• JeffTMBG writes: I can't even fathom what the hell would make them even contemplate this. Space Ghost was a joke long before C2C came around. There is nothing in the least bit compelling about the character as originally conceived. He is utterly generic as far as super heroes go. Hell, C2C wouldn't exist if this weren't the case. The only audience this comic could possibly have would be curious C2C fans and the 7 people who actually consider the old show to be good.

What's next, Sealab as a serial drama? ••••

^ Now as I read this, and I still mostly agree on this sentiment... all I can picture once again is the Eltingville Club (created by C2C writer!) panel of them not liking Coast to Coast. This is like the Bizarro version of that lol.

Space Ghost was, and still is a vital part of my sense of humor. And as such... I like the character and how he looks.

I sought out the ‘66 cartoon series many years ago strictly because I wanted to see where C2C got everything from. Was funny seeing those exact same shots play out in what was actual scenes.

Yeah, Toth hated C2C and Sealab 2021. Williams Street guys like Andy Merrill (Brak) and Adam Reed easily clapped back with “um, your shows sucked.”

Here’s the thing.

Remember very early in C2C when they had George Lowe do that miserable fucking Gary Owens impersonation? Before they actually got him speaking normally? And before they got Owens a guest spot on the show much later?

I’m more intrigued with the fact these guys were the truest, objectively sole fans of Toth’s bizarre creations. New life was created through these parodies, which would otherwise still be a corpse faded beneath obscurity.

Sealab’s a nugget from my time that’s depressingly aged like milk in some spots. And even then, I believe they set a reasonable precedent on how to lampoon without being up your own ass.

Nothing about Captain Murphy or Mailbox Wendy or Bizarro Quinn/Turtleface or any of that stuff was as surface level and stereotypical as the junk they’re unironically trying to pass off now.

I think about how Sealab did a full-on redubbing of an episode from the old series and played it all the way straight till the credit sequence. That was the rawest because they didn’t have to do virtually anything. Today’s creatives would give themselves an aneurism trying not to add in their artificial snark.

No shit a “serious” adaptation on Space Ghost would not at all be taken seriously. Comic or otherwise.

But it’s 6 issues from what I can gather. And you’re only gonna look at it for the art.

Oh and... they’re making new ones.

The Ghost Rises... May 2024.

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[ATHF is cooler than Britney Spears!!!] - Feb 6, 2004

This is what I’d love about my old fandom.

Being happy over dumb shit like having our favorite show outrank a pop singer on a Entertainment Weekly list.

The only thing that *rarely* stopped EW from being a shit publication was any time they stuck up for the Adult Swim shows. AV Club was better. Don’t remind me of what happened to AV Club.

What’s more victorious here is having the DVD specifically earn the praise. Of all the DVDs I have, ATHF Volume 2 is almost always on standby. Also, Volume 3. That’d still be the case even if I wasn’t searching for a new VCR.

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[Family Guy to the big screen... it might happen.] - Feb 6, 2004

*NOT!*

Just kidding. Ted.

But yeah, before we got the revival, this was as early as we started having these conversations.

Was mostly just misinfo on what would later be the direct-to-video deal. Which was already in some type of development purgatory prior as they scrapped Stewie coming out of the closet.

“Stimey Gruffin: The Untold Story? It’s not even a real movie at all, Brian! Just three episodes back-to-back. This thing is an insult.”

For the record, I guess it is in print still that there’s development on a Family Guy movie. I mean, it’s the same thing as the push for a Simpsons Movie sequel. Means nothing.

People don’t get that it’s not 2007 anymore. The campaign for Simpsons in theaters was fucking huge. Aqua Teen got in trouble for Lite-Brites on overpasses while Simpsons had the privilege of rearranging 7/11 stores.

I hold nothing against the Bob’s Burgers Movie for flopping, or that I fell asleep when watching it in the theater. Even without factoring that in, there’s just no point. There would be no pull like they had in yesteryears.

People wanted a Robot Chicken movie in theaters, too. If you could believe that.

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[10 reasons there should be an AS network] - Feb 7, 2004

Hot damn! Cooking with fire in these first couple months! All stuff that still comes up to this day.

•••• EmorynOglethorp writes:

10. They could stop Boomerang, and show it's shows on CN and AS channels

9. They have enough shows, and each with at least 13 episodes

8. As has high ratings, and high ratings equals $$$ for cn!

7. It would make everyone happy (and stop all the topics asking for one)

6. They could pick up Cartoon Planet and make everyone MORE happy

5. I would have something to watch when im bored and all the other channels have CRAP on them

4.Something good on 24/7? I've died and gone to heaven!

3. I wouldn't have to wait a week to watch my fav shows

2. It could only be able to be purchased, just like Boomerang, and pissed off moms just wouldn't buy it and then wouldn't have to worry about there kids staying up late and watching shows rated tv-pg

1. (the most important reason) AS FREAKIN RULES! ••••

6, 5, 3 & 1 are what I’d most resonate with lol.

Number 9 is the fattest fucking laughable contradiction, even more so back then. And this really means nothing anymore since you now get thirteen hours of it.

The likes of EmorynOglethorp would’ve rolled over with the cesspit of trashy Hollywood movies [as] has been saddled with since ACME.

The idea of Checkered Past really only started to linger with fanboys since the 2010s, so it’s interesting how it really has put a new lid on some of these old conversations. I say this as I swiftly dropped the block after the first week, but still. Quite the trajectory.

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[MTV on Adult Swim] - Feb 8, 2004

Old polling on which MTV cartoon most belongs on Adult Swim.

Surprisingly the most mainstream choice wasn’t even close to first place!

It goes as followed...

Beavis & Butt-Head: 10 votes

Clone High: 27 votes

Undergrads: 7 votes

Celebrity Deathmatch: 8 votes

Other: 18 votes

Some are in the constant mind of companies and brands absorbing everything, and it’s weird.

Beavis & Butt-Head’s somewhat rooted in the foundation of [as], but they’re ride or die Viacom boys.

The old argument would be how integral B&B was for MTV. Even when the MTV label is fucking dead and TITMOUSE now animates the episodes, it’s still just not meant to be.

I get the much higher approval for Clone High, in spite of what I sorta think about the original show itself.

••••Lord Dalek writes: I’d say Deathmatch, because there is no Claymation show on AS as of yet.••••

^ All Dalek had to do was wait a year for Robot Chicken (formerly Sweet J!) & Orel to rock the stop motion scene!

For the record, Wonder Showzen screams Adult Swim with its chest out, and that aired on MTV 2 of all places.

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[OFFICIAL! Family Guy action figures coming soon!] -Feb 13, 2004

Ah... Mezco.

Gotta love the dedication they had.

They truly were ahead of the curve with the merchandising and brought further outside rep of the show to life.

FG was already in popular graces by this point but I’d still give Mezco a standing ovation. The figures were that good and that much of a variety because these were fans making them.

They set the standard for the brand. I remember seeing those vending figurines at Walmart back when Walmart still had those lobster tanks on display. And it was literally every where after awhile. It was a freakin sweet mania!

I had the classic one with Peter, and used to have the Cleveland one. If I chose to buy more then I’d probably just go with Brian and Chris.

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[OFFICIAL Inuyasha action figures!] - Feb 13, 2004

Never cared that much to want an Inuyasha figure despite me kinda liking the show occasionally, but still neat!

Tainted with Kagome jokes lol.

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[Adult Swim Action Figures from Palisades] - Feb 24, 2004

Now we’re getting back to the real good shit. Kind of.

I own most of the sets. I remember taping the night they showed them off in bumps. The picture of Shake in the pool with the blondies is still so very iconic.

Got my Shake one signed by the ATHF crew when I went to see them!

They’re kinda... fragile, though.

Fragile as in, with the Brak Show set: Dad’s ass and legs fell apart after I simply touched him.

Andy Merrill himself told me those figures were pieces of shit.

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[McGuirk’s Spin-Off] - Feb 22, 2004

Adding this request in strictly because of how ridiculous it was in hindsight. Even though I myself definitely wanted his “own” show. Which he already had if you ever watched Home Movies... EVER.

Bouchard always gave Benjamin more after that. Archer especially aided that specific thirst when it came down to it.

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[Farewell Lupin...] Feb 16-Feb 22, 2004

Respects paid to Lupin The Third for leaving [as] for a bit.

That show and Bebop got my eyes pointed to anime.

Toonami is something I practically never watch, but I participated in the Lupin talkbacks and if you put that show there, I will make an effort to watch always.

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[Family Guy question.] Feb 11-Feb 29, 2004

Someone asked if they could understand Stewie.

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[Family Guy Update - Cartoon Network IS involved] - Feb 28, 2004

I’ll end this off by letting the IGN piece speak for itself.

— — — — — — — — — —

"Cartoon Network will be involved regardless," MacFarlane says.

"Whether it goes there permanently or winds up on Fox first and then Cartoon Network remains to be seen. So at the very least it will be on Cartoon Network, which is great because at the end of the day that's where we built our biggest fan base. So I'm happy either way."

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Current Music: Dean Martin - Fools Rush In

Recently was the one Bebop rewatch of mine where I bothered to watch in “chronological” order. To accommodate the movie re-screening!

As expected, it made little difference for a series I’ve already watched a ridiculous amount of times.

One thing I’m amazed by. No matter how long it’s been. No matter how many more times I’ll go through it again. When it counts, I still get hit in the feels.

Except usually now, different scenes fuck me up more. (Ein happily leaving alongside Ed)

One of the more tragic things on Real Folk Blues was acknowledging Spike’s truly no special case.

It’s not just Spike’s death. On some microscopic, bittersweet level: Spike’s fate in that session was simply meeting up to code with the lost souls in mere sessions before.

These were characters who fought and rolled over in whatever bit of pride and stubbornness they could latch onto.

The ending will always bring chills. Final moments of a figure who only felt most alive during death. The silence and sheer brightness all equate to accepting what’s finished. And then, “Blue.”

Quite horrible for Faye. You got so used to seeing her drift away carelessly. Suddenly, her last and final sense of belonging was torn to shreds. That’s how her story ends. She didn’t get an easy way out.

I used to search for silver linings with these stories that in some cases could never truly be there. I was someone who wanted a second season of this way back when. I just didn’t get it.

Part of why I’ll stick with Bebop forever. I’ve rarely seen such compelling art adamantly use “whatever happens, happens” for a finer cause.

Current Music: Blue - Mai Yamane

I had this idea on Toonzone brewing for about the last quarter of 2023. Maybe even before that. Because of how long I’ve been following this, and retrospection is simply part of what I am.

The turnout (and later burnout) of my year-round Home Movies thread, along with the state of welcomeness on that board as of late, made it a wise deduction that my idea would only be another merciful blob of double posting. So I didn’t go through with it.

Though... I still liked the idea that I had. And I do believe it’s something worth exploring. Even when the vast majority of TZ disagrees.

So, here’s a select few from the burner:

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C&C - Anything Else [12/29/03 - 1/1/04]

Mostly talk on Brak Show’s Bashington New Years Special. And their standard final episode.

I’ve occasionally had the “bring back Brak” mindset as time passed since the cancellation. Don’t think the show deserved the bad rap that it got, but am more open to the critiques looking back. Not like it could ever be done again anyways. A defined relic!

Goes without saying that Bashington was a pretty damn good sendoff. Reminds you how close that Space Ghost/Williams Street comedy tree stuck together in those days. Brak was a fairly significant part of that from the beginning. In spite of being viewed as the sore thumb of the bunch.

Definitely shows its age with the overkill of horn beeps. Disregarding that - - still funny as hell.

Debbie being too much for Carl to handle, “Brak Show” Zorak meeting “Coast to Coast” Zorak, MEATWAD’S PULP FICTION PUPPET SHOW, the Thundercleese/Frylock revelation which was almost begging to happen anyway. Was a memorable event!

ATHF’s “Last Fucking One For 2003” certainly did the most to amp me up as well.

Had to have been my first time seeing Family Guy’s Y2K episode. Either that or once I picked up the volume 1 DVD.

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[I'm gonna **** because I don't give a ****!] - Jan 2, 2004

The previously mentioned Bashington event, on top of ATHF and Sealab’s colorful language increase brought on this discussion.

It was right around this time anyway where people began wising up to Adult Swim wanting MA content.

It became a permanent direction later into 2005, but ‘04 was somewhat the preparation as Venture Bros along with Stroker & Hoop later fell into this category. Even TGTTM!

I remember [as] more or less gave credit to Boondocks on this specifically (and why wouldn’t they?) but they were just gearing for this across multiple waves. Halfway into Robot Chicken’s first order was making this a necessity also.

And there were detractors on this.

•••• RD! writes: I think it takes away from alot of what people argued way back when Adult Swim started. People defended alot of these shows, especialy Home Movies, that the shows were adult because they had adult appeal with writing that would be appreciated by such adults and not have to be defined as adult because of excessive swearing.

On top of that, it doesn't feel right at all, and takes away from the (sometimes) witty writing. Especialy Home Movies, I mean, they're kids, it just seems like a lame attempt to make the show South Park. ••••

I have noticed such a thing in later Home Movies, but I’ve also listened enough to Loren & Brendon to get the sense that they were aware of these same concerns.

Sometimes it worked for them and sometimes there was a flubbing. Brendon’s tantrum in the Halloween show was funny in context to more so his hurt ego than simply swearing for the sake of swearing.

And y’know... there are other ways a show can be unfunny besides what’s often just rapid cussing during one bit.

Whole ordeal involving the network direction change is still fairly intriguing to me. I wouldn’t expect anyone younger to give a shit. It was oddly exciting for me to experience it in real time.

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[Recap of the Family Guy situation?] - Jan 10, 2004

The news was settling in by this point that FG was indeed coming back.

Adult Swim + DVD sales reigned supreme!

•••• Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is happy with his show's return, even to a lower-profile channel: "Networks don't cancel shows and pick them up again, no matter how big the fan push is. If that were the case, the original Star Trek would have stayed on the air." ••••

The only thing unsure of at the time was whether Family Guy would be coursing over Adult Swim proper or back on FOX.

Though believe it or not, Lazzo had the very option at one point with new episodes and dropped the ball. Can’t imagine what could’ve been. Although I doubt the series would look the way as it has being CN funded.

This is probably stuff I’ll remark upon again shortly, considering the show’s 25th anniversary is in just a few days!

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[Simpsons on Adult Swim?] - Jan 22, 2004

Oh, how this ship has sailed long, long ago. Only to be very briefly and swiftly sailed again!

This was virtually never a possibility in my eyes. Even when they’ve bid on and greatly expressed wanting it.

I’d say I wouldn’t want it any other way, though. The [as] airings of Futurama and FG got me to adore those shows as I still sorta do.

They took network underachievers and turned both into mega hits. They both just became integral to that brand.

They could’ve done something equally nice for Simpsons, even if just airing old episodes FOX would never show again anyway. But it was never in [as] valley and I think that’s okay!

Appreciate them as well for giving Mission Hill and Oblongs the little appreciation it has! More so Mission Hill specifically, but both were Simpson adjacent and something new to my eyes then!

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