Adult Swimhas continuously been one of the premiere networks for groundbreaking and inventive adult animation for more than 20 years. A number of the most recognizable and iconic adult animated series can be traced back to Adult Swim, including the likes ofThe Boondocks,Robot Chicken, andRick and Morty. However, especially for a channel block that has been going on for as long as Adult Swim has, not every show achieves the high levels of praise and success that it deserves.
Whether the show was ahead of its time in terms of ambition, was overlooked by more popular options, or has simply been forgotten in the years after its ending, there are many reasons why an Adult Swim show can become underrated. However, especially with the rise of streaming, now is the perfect time to dive into the channel’s catalog and take a look back at some of its greatest forgotten gems.
10’Sealab 2021' (2000 - 2005)
In the same vein as shows likeHarvey Birdman: Attorney at Law,Sealab 2021used stock footage from the often-forgotten 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoonSealab 2000in order to tell its own, more satirical story. While the original cartoon was focused on telling a collection of environmentally-themed stories, Sealab 2021 adds its own absurdist twists to completely deconstruct and eliminate the flawed messaging of the original. The show also takes its fair share of shots at the trends and conventions of other 1970s children’s series.
Especially for fans ofHarvey BirdmanandSpace Ghost Coast to Coast,Sealab 2021is a great and often overlooked series that shares similar styles of comedy and satirical wit. The show expertly uses a style of deadpan humor that works extremely well when compared to the sci-fi action of the original series, as it places these aquatic superhero character archetypes in a whole new life. The show’s complete lack of continuity or running plot also makes it perfect to put on at any time and relax in the strange comedic hijinks.
Sealab 2021
Watch on Max
9’Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil' (2005 - 2007)
Lucy, the Daughter of the Devilis a short-lived computer-animated series that follows the story of Lucy, a 21-year-old from San Francisco who has been ordained by her father, the devil, to fulfill her destiny as the Antichrist. As she attempts to help her father conquer the world, she soon meets up with the second coming of the Messiah, a DJ named Jesús, yet instead of following her father’s orders, she saves his life from his wrath, and the duo begins dating.
Lucy, the Daughter of the Devilis a short-lived yet still highly enjoyable story that combineshilarious mismatched family issueswith a massive biblical scale to create a premise that truly works wonders. The highlight of the show definitely comes from the dynamic and back and forth between Lucy, voiced byMelissa Bardin Galsky, and the Devil, voiced byH. Jon Benjamin, most known as Bob fromBob’s Burgers. Despite its darker angle, the duo’s relationship is much akin toa regularfather-daughter relationship, with all the ups and downs and wholesome moments.
8’Moral Orel' (2005 - 2009)
Moral Orelis a stop-motion animated dark comedy series that follows the struggles of Orel, a 12-year-old student attending a highly Protestant Christian elementary school. While Orel tries his best to follow the moral code to the best of his abilities, his naivety always manages to result in a number of disastrous extremes that leave massive impacts on the entire town as a whole. Orel is also forced to balance his school teachings with his abusive father, who imbues his own twisted viewpoints and lessons upon Orel.
Moral Orelis easily one ofthe darkest comedy TV showsthat Adult Swim has to offer, yet the humor consistently shines through in its own painful yet hilarious way. Especially in the 2000s, it was highly controversial and noteworthy to take such a massive satirical swing at the themes surrounding Protestant teachings and religious freedom, yet the show accomplished this task with efficiency.The true highlight is the show’s final season, which sheds its satirical angle in order to delve into the terrifying truths of previous plot points, transforming it into a psychological drama.
Moral Orel
7’Superjail!' (2008 - 2014)
Superjail!follows the story of a mysterious eponymous prison located in an alternate dimension identified as “5612” and overseen by its own Willy Wonka-esque Warden. The Warden uses his sadistic and mischievous role as the head of the jail in order to use the prison and the prisoners to satisfy any number of his quirky and unexpected desires. These schemes hatched by The Warden more often than not result in massive amounts of death and destruction among the prisoners, much to his chagrin.
Superjail!is easilyone of the most violent and gory animated series to ever be created, as the show is chock-full of masterfully animated and often hard-to-watch depictions of high-end violence. It’s a show that fully understands its core audience and fully delivers and revels in constant cartoonish death and destruction at nearly every available possibility. The major draw for the show comes from this highly psychedelic approach to theabsolute extremes of cartoon violence, and while certainly not for everyone, it is an experience full of imagination and animated mastery.
Superjail!
6’Home Movies' (1999 - 2004)
Home Moviesfollows the story of 8-year-old aspiring filmmaker Brendon Small, who spends his spare time making recordings of his friends, family, and neighbors as he hones his filmmaking craft. His homemade film productions allow for a closer look into Brendon’s quaint life, with anincreased focus on dialogue-based humorand the chemistry surrounding all the important figures in his young life, most notably with his soccer coach, Coach McGuirk.
While never achieving the same heights as other massive adult animated sitcoms of the era,Home Movieswas almost instantly destined to be a runaway cult classic hit and has amassed a following of die-hard fans over the years. The more mellow and toned-down comedic style thatHome Moviesprovides can still be seen in some of the most popular animated series to this day, most notablyBob’s Burgers, which was created byHome Moviesco-creatorLoren Bouchard.
Home Movies
5’Space Ghost Coast to Coast' (1994 - 1999), (2001 - 2004), (2006-2008)
Re-imagined from the classic 1960s Hanna-Barbera superhero,Space Ghost Coast to Coastsees the superhero Space Ghost hosting a surreal parody talk show while using the original series' artwork. The early seasons of the show stayed tried and true in being a direct parody of late-night talk shows, while later seasons would allow the series to come into its own and develop its own surrealist and non-sequitur style of humor.
Space Ghost Coast to Coastcan actually be traced back to some of the earliest beginnings of Adult Swim as a programming block, as its reboot in 2001 was one of the first originals credited to the block. While the show was massive upon release and is still well regarded among fans, it has easily beenovershadowed in the wake of a number of spin-off shows, most notablyHarvey Birdman: Attorney at LawandAqua Teen Hunger Force. Even despite the show’s classic status, it was sadlyremoved from Max recentlyamid the service’s rebranding.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Watch On Adult Swim
4’Mike Tyson Mysteries' (2014 - 2020)
Mike Tyson Mysteriesfollows the fictional misadventures of world-famous boxer/actorMike Tysonand his unlikely crew as they solve a variety of mysteries around the world. Tyson is joined by the ghost of the Marquess of Queensberry, his adopted daughter, and an alcoholic talking pigeon in a premise very directly inspired by the similarMister Tcartoon from the 80s. Although for the most part, the mysteries at the center of each episode are rarely actually solved, and instead act more as jumping-off points for a variety of oddball adventures and plots.
Mike Tyson Mysteriescombines all the inherent campy material that comes from a celebrity-focused cartoon and channels all of this energy intoa genuinely hilarious absurdist comedy. The show is constantly filled with a multitude of comedic moments from the entire cast, with the show only continuing to get funnier as it went on as it got a better understanding of its characters and style of humor. The film wears its inspirations and satirical origins on its shoulder, as it uses the strange absurdities of the 70s and 80s cartoons to create one ofthe funniest adult cartoons of all time.
Mike Tyson Mysteries
3'12 oz. Mouse' (2005 - 2006), (2020)
12 oz. Mousetells the story of a notorious alcoholic mouse, Mouse Fitzgerald, who does a number of odd jobs around town so that he can earn enough money to buy more beer. Fitz soon gets caught up in the world of espionage, love, and the simple delights of doing simple jobs over the course of the series. However, he soon begins to recover a number of repressed memories about his past life, forcing him to seek answers about his past and the strange and mysterious forces that are manipulating his world.
Don’t let the incredibly cheap and low-budget animation style fool you;12 oz. Mouseisunexpectedly one of the funniest shows that Adult Swim has ever put out, with a massive focus placed on its strange dry humor and dialogue. There is a genuine charm that comes from the absolute bare minimum animation style, which, combined with the hilarious dialogue and quirky characters, easily makes for one of Adult Swim’s greatest hidden gems. The show’s cult status even allowed for it to earn a revival 14 years after its cancelation, continuing to deliver on the wild mouse adventures.
12 oz. Mouse
2’Black Dynamite' (2011 - 2015)
Based on one ofthe most underrated comedies of the 2000s,Black Dynamitefollows the story of Black Dynamite, a blaxploitation-inspired action star who engages in a variety of misadventures. Joined by a variety of other characters from the movie, Black Dynamite embarks on a number of over-the-top adventures that, more often than not, include a variety of world-famous celebrities. The show features a beautiful visual style that makes every frame pop out, even further amplifying the action and chaos present throughout the series.
Black Dynamitewas already one of the funniest and timeless comedies of its era, and the animated follow-up continues to deliver on the satirical chaos and insanity of the feature film. However, more than simply translating the top-notch comedy of the original film,Black Dynamite’s beautiful visual style helps createan experience unlike anything else that Adult Swim has created. The show is a must-watch both for fans of top-notch action animation, and fans of the original cult classic comedy.
black dynamite
1’Xavier Renegade Angel' (2007 - 2009)
Xavier Renegade Angelfollows the story of Xavier, an itinerant humanoid pseudo-shaman and spiritual seeker who travels across the world learning lessons and providing a number of humorous musings. Xavier’s quest and journey across the world have him end up in a number of strange predicaments and misunderstandings, as his ever-growing knowledge and understanding of the world continue to grow with each passing day and interaction.
It’s hard to necessarily pin down an overarching plot forXavier Renegade Angel, as it is easilyone of the strangest and over-the-top absurdist experiences ever put on television. The show masterfully combines notions of dark humor, surrealism, and absurdist humor through its psychedelic and satirical lens to create an experience that is hard to compare to any other animated series. While the series may seem daunting from an outside view, and it especially was for audiences in the late 2000s, the show’s style of humor has aged perfectly with modern meme culture and the internet as a whole.
