15 Best Adult Swim Shows Of All Time, Ranked

Long before Fox’s Animation Domination programming block on Sunday nights, there was Adult Swim, the mature audience-oriented block on Cartoon Network. Starting in 2001, Adult Swim initially ran later at night on the cable channel, featuring more risqué content than the daytime programming, at least in terms of humor and violence. As Adult Swim’s popularity grew, distinguishing itself further from Cartoon Network’s usual programming, the block began to feature a growing amount of original series in addition to licensed shows. This move helped not only expand Cartoon Network’s viewership to older audiences but solidified the popularity of adult animation in the United States.

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Even though Adult Swim featured the official North American debuts of several popular international series, especially anime, we’re focusing on original shows produced specifically for the programming block. From mock live-action talk shows to both serious and comedic animated series, Adult Swim continues to offer a wide variety with its series. Whether they’re leaning into the unapologetically absurd or genuinely heartfelt, Adult Swim originals always feel noticeably offbeat and different from whatever else is on the air. 

Here are the 15 best Adult Swim shows of all time, ranked.

If there ever were two figures who popularized cringe anti-humor, it’s Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the creators and stars of “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.” The live-action series spoofs public access television programming, complete with intentionally cheap commercials and production values. Heidecker and Wareheim lead a parade of guests in a series of thoroughly bizarre sketches and musical acts. The show often features bits with Heidecker and Wareheim putting the show together, exacerbated by their inane personalities.

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Heidecker and Wareheim had previously gained a cult following on Adult Swim with their series “Tom Goes to the Mayor,” with “Awesome Show” growing significantly more ambitious. The awkwardness and discomfort is often precisely the point to the show’s antics, as each sketch deliberately goes off the rails. Heidecker and Wareheim went on to create an entire franchise for themselves with Adult Swim, including spin-off series and a feature film that debuted at Sundance with the same type of comedy. Certainly and proudly not for everyone, “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” feels like absurdist in-joke audiences are invited to witness.

Hanna-Barbera’s short-lived 1972 animated series “Sealab 2020,” which blended science fiction with environmentally conscious themes, got its second wind with the parody series “Sealab 2021.” Premiering nearly a full year before Adult Swim’s official launch, “Sealab 2021” repurposed existing animation from the previous series, along with original animated bits to create its own story. Captain Hank Murphy (Harry Goz) has descended into mental instability from his prolonged time living in his underwater research station. Joining him are his crew, who have similarly devolved into largely idiotic caricatures of themselves as they get into sci-fi antics.

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“Sealab 2021” set the groundwork for Adult Swim shows to get even more absurd than its other precursors had been. The series often eschewed conventional continuity, with some main characters dying only to reappear alive and well with no explanation in subsequent episodes. Every episode was just a fresh chance to tell an outlandish standalone story with the obscure Hanna-Barbera characters, whether it was confronting alternate reality doppelgangers or extraterrestrial hunters. Running for four seasons, “Sealab 2021” was a foundational series in Adult Swim establishing its quirky voice.

After over a decade of producing some of the edgiest original content for a basic cable platform, the most surprising thing Adult Swim could do was produce something genuinely sweet. This was realized with the 2018 live-action series “Joe Pera Talks with You,” created by and starring comedian Joe Pera as a fictionalized version of himself. Each episode, a casually dressed Pera speaks to the audience directly, asking them how their day went while sharing what has happened lately with him. Despite this familiar tone and informal approach, Pera is lovably awkward, not trying to appear more than he actually is socially.

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Given Adult Swim’s frequent homages and pastiches to public access broadcasting, “Joe Pera Talks with You” falls squarely in the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” wheelhouse. Each of the show’s three seasons do feature overarching narratives, whether it’s coping with grief from losing a family member or even some doomsday-prepping. Pera good-naturedly guides audiences through his experiences like an old, socially stunted friend sharing amusing factoids along the way. Earnest and laidback, “Joe Pera Talks with You” is unassuming comfort television and the perfect outlier to Adult Swim’s more risqué programming sensibilities.

Heavy metal culture can be unintentional in how self-serious and over-the-top it can go, which has been ripe for musical parody since “This Is Spinal Tap.” The 2006 animated series “Metalocalypse” explores this comedic potential through the fictional death metal band Dethlok. Immensely popular, to the point where the band is recognized as the seventh-largest economy in the world, the band performs notoriously deadly concerts and gets into odd hijinks. This includes recording music in the Mariana Trench to get a heavier sound and taking on a secret society, known as The Tribunal.

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While clearly a parody of heavy metal culture, the gags in “Metalocalypse” come from a place of love for the genre and lifestyle. This was elevated by numerous musician cameos and guest stars throughout the series, while the show led to the release of multiple heavy metal albums based on Dethlok’s music. Even those relatively unfamiliar with the heavy metal scene will find a lot of love, from its delirious violence to the sheer idiocy of Dethlok in spite of their success. An Adult Swim staple for four seasons, “Metalocalypse” is a must-watch for metalheads and musical parodies in general.

Through Adult Swim’s parent company, Cartoon Network has access to Hanna-Barbera’s library of classic animated properties from the ’60s and ’70s. These characters were reimagined in a much more adult humor-oriented light in the series “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.” Former superhero Birdman (Gary Cole) now works as a lawyer with many of his old associates from his high-flying exploits. Many of the Hanna-Barbera characters are either clients or colleagues for Birdman’s firm, including the Jetsons and Scooby-Doo, albeit in a similarly more mature way.

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With its impressive voice cast, including Stephen Colbert as Birdman’s boss Phil Ken Sebben and supervillain-turned-lawyer Reducto, “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law” was pivotal for Adult Swim. Like “Sealab 2021,” “Harvey Birdman” premiered before the official launch of Adult Swim and helped Cartoon Network branch into more comedically mature territory. The series would receive its own spin-off series, “Birdgirl,” a 2018 revival special, and even its own Wii game in the style of “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.” Even more subversive in its use of Hanna-Barbera characters than “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” had been, “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law” set the tone for Adult Swim moving forward.

Arguably the most meme-friendly of Adult Swim’s current crop of shows, “Smiling Friends” premiered in 2022. Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack use a variety of animation styles to bring the misadventures of Charlie Dompler (Hadel) and Pim Pimling (Cusack) to life. Both working for the eponymous charity organization, Dompler and Pimling are tasked with bringing joy to clients. This is contrasted with their polemical outlooks, with Pimling effervescently cheerful and Dompler more dour and cynical.

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With its simplistic and wonderfully weird animation styles and character designs, “Smiling Friends” is a surreal look at friendship and happiness. The show’s incidental moments can be heartbreaking, hilarious, and disturbing moment-to-moment, enhanced by the myriad of visual techniques the series utilizes. Given its lead characters’ profession and their opposing views, the show is surprisingly existential in its observations on humanity. Unsettling and funny all at once, “Smiling Friends” is a messed-up modern delight proving Adult Swim hasn’t lost a step.

DC’s flagship superhero gets an anime-inspired makeover with the 2023 animated series “My Adventures with Superman.” The show retells the arrival of Clark Kent (Jack Quaid) in Metropolis, working as an investigative journalist for The Daily Planet. Clark strikes up a friendship with Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid) and begins a romance with Lois Lane (Alice Lee), all while secretly saving the day as Superman. This places Superman on a collision course with sinister figures in the government and extraterrestrial enemies looking to invade Earth.

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All the familiar narrative beats to the Superman mythos are present throughout “My Adventures with Superman” but reimagined in a way that makes them feel fresh and exciting. There is a bright vibrancy to the animation, which extends to the cast’s performances, making this iteration of the classic characters feel particularly energetic. This anime-influenced take on the iconic DC property really shows how versatile and timeless it truly is. Joyously fun and packed with romance and super-powered thrills, “My Adventures with Superman” breathes new life into the venerable franchise.

Adult Swim built its legacy on parody talk show and variety show spoofs, but none as supremely surreal as “The Eric Andre Show.” Created and hosted by Eric Andre, the show is presented as a public access program with Andre erratically leading the proceedings. Divided into segments, the set is usually demolished by Andre over the course of an episode, with Andre also starring in skits outside of the studio. The show has had its fair share of guests and celebrity impersonators, with a comedic appearance from the late Lance Reddick as a particular highlight.

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“The Eric Andre Show” plays out like a fever dream, with the audience and performers, sometimes including Andre himself, never quite sure what’s going to happen next. Andre isn’t just deconstructing the talk show format, if the sight of him gleefully wrecking his set wasn’t a dead giveaway. Instead, Andre is offering audiences a glimpse into his completely unbridled id, driven purely by impulse and tacitly inviting viewers along for the ride. The most salient realization of what Adult Swim can be in live-action, “The Eric Andre Show” breathed new life into the venerable programming block.

Lifelong toy collectors and enthusiasts Seth Green and Matthew Senreich teamed up for the stop-motion animated series “Robot Chicken” in 2005. Using everything from custom action figures to claymation, the series weaves pop culture figures into adult comedy sketches every episode. Often, these sketches are a pastiche of various pop culture properties, from DC superheroes living together on a season of “Real World” or the “Peanuts” gang facing a pumpkin-headed monster. In addition to its regular seasons, “Robot Chicken” expanded into a line of specials centered around specific properties and themes, like “Star Wars.”

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“Robot Chicken” is second only to “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” as the longest-running original series on Adult Swim. Given its premise, the show relies heavily on pop culture references for its sense of humor, something it incorporates expertly. The bite-sized sketches are presciently perfect for the TikTok generation, always knowing when to deliver their punchline and end before overstaying their welcome. A longstanding fixture on Adult Swim, “Robot Chicken” captures the DIY spirit of so much of the wider programming block.

Animated filmmaker Genndy Tartakovsky has been a pioneering fixture at Cartoon Network since its earliest days, creating acclaimed original series for the channel including “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Samurai Jack.” After helming the “Hotel Transylvania” movies, Tartakovsky returned to Adult Swim for the prehistoric action series “Primal.” Set in a world where early humans and dinosaurs fiercely coexist, a warrior named Spear becomes companions with a Tyrannosaurus named Fang after they each lose their families.

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“Primal” is the most brutal show that Tartakovsky has created yet, with its unflinching depiction of Spear and Fang doing whatever it takes to survive in their savage world. By the trippy and intense second season, the series doubles down on its fantasy potential, bringing in primitive civilizations and supernatural elements. Tartakovsky masterfully weaves an epic tale with little to no dialogue, conveying so much raw emotion with the storytelling on-screen. Finding beauty in visceral violence and harsh environments, “Primal” is Tartakovsky reminding everyone he’s still very much at the top of his game.

Aaron McGruder’s comic strip “The Boondocks” was adapted into an animated series in 2005, retaining his manga-influenced character designs. The series followed the titular Black family as they lived in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood in middle America. Huey Freeman (Regina King) makes daily observations about the world around him, especially the idiosyncratic injustices in society. Huey is joined by his brother Riley (King), who embraces urban culture, and their cantankerous grandfather (John Witherspoon).

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“The Boondocks” is just as razor-sharp in its social commentary as an animated series as it was as a comic strip. Building from its manga and anime influences, the series imbues its narrative with everything from kinetic brawls to genre-bending vignettes featuring the Freemans. But between all the stylized action and raucous gags, the show really excelled at its incisive satire, often laid out by Huey. Winning a Peabody Award and an NAACP Image Award during its four-season run, “The Boondocks” proved not all Adult Swim shows had to rely on irreverence.

So much of Adult Swim’s original programming is defined by absurdist comedy and dark surrealism, with the animated series “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” seamlessly combining both. The show follows a crew of anthropomorphic food items, Master Shake (Dana Snyder), Frylock (Carey Means), and Meatwad (Dave Willis). Living together in the suburbs, the group gets into all sorts of strange antics, often involving their disgruntled human neighbor Carl (Willis). Among the more frequent elements is the group taking on the villainous Mooninites, destructively invasive extraterrestrials from the Moon.

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If there’s a simple way to describe “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” it’s that the show is delightfully odd and immensely proud of it. The sense of humor is largely nonsensical, but that inanity sticks with viewers effectively, with a beauty in their absurd simplicity. With its revival in 2015, “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” officially became the longest-running Adult Swim original series, going on to additionally produce two feature films. Wonderfully insipid and elevated by its distinct main characters, “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” has become an animated institution.

Though incredibly short-lived, Hanna-Barbera’s classic ’60s cartoon “Jonny Quest” was enormously influential, especially for modern action-adventure stories. The Adult Swim series “The Venture Bros.” is a direct parody of the Hanna-Barbera property, right down to its basic premise. Single father scientist Rusty Venture (James Urbaniak) tries to revive his family’s business through outlandish adventures around the world. With his sons and the family bodyguard in tow, the Venture family takes on various enemies, including the criminal mastermind, the Monarch (Chris McCulloch).

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“The Venture Bros.” effectively skewers numerous pulp adventure properties, primarily “Jonny Quest,” but also things like “James Bond” and “The Hardy Boys.” This is reflected right in the show’s clean-lined animation style and static backdrops, clearly homaging Hanna-Barbera’s classic era with a postmodern twist. Canceled after its seventh season, the series got its well-deserved conclusion with a feature film in 2023. An expertly crafted action comedy and love letter to its influences, “The Venture Bros.” perfectly encapsulates Adult Swim’s penchant for spoofing Hanna-Barbera.

Far and away Adult Swim’s most successful original series in the past several years, “Rick and Morty” is the brainchild of creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. Mad and perpetually drunk scientist Rick Sanchez lives with his family, including his perpetually high-strung teenage grandson Morty. As Rick uses his inventions to travel through space and time, primarily exploring alternate dimensions, he is often accompanied by Morty. This leads to the introduction of not only extraterrestrial enemies and allies, but alternate versions of familiar faces, including Rick and Morty themselves.

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A parody of the central archetypes from “Back to the Future,” “Rick and Morty” is just as freewheeling and unhinged as Rick. Frenetically over-the-top, the show inventively makes full use of its wacky sci-fi premise and colorful animation style. “Rick and Morty” not only survived the scandal surrounding Roiland after its launch, but saw its creative team go on to find success elsewhere in film and television. Wild and at the crest of the entertainment industry’s interest in parallel universe storytelling, “Rick and Morty” completely reinvigorated the Adult Swim lineup.

If there was ever a show that not only helped launch Adult Swim but continues to define its core ethos, it’s “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.” The hybrid animated/live-action series used stock footage from Hanna-Barbera’s ’60s sci-fi superhero series “Space Ghost,” and repositioned them as talk show personalities. Space Ghost (George Lowe) serves as the host, aided by several former supervillains that he clashed against in his spacefaring days. They are met with a parade of celebrity guests who engage in the group with nonsensical interviews, where the interview itself is rarely the focus.

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From its wholesale repurposing of Hanna-Barbera properties to its lovingly lo-fi presentation sending up widespread television tropes, “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” truly sets the foundation for Adult Swim. The series premiered on Cartoon Network in 1994, six years before Adult Swim’s official launch, as an anomaly in the programming block that quietly grew its own loyal fan base. This all wouldn’t have occurred if the show hadn’t been so well-staged and irreverently funny in the first place. Quietly history-making in its own way, “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” continues to influence and inform Adult Swim years after its conclusion.