Five Cartoons You Should Look Into

I admit it: I'm an adult (although I suppose that's arguable) who watches cartoons. And I'm not just talking The Simpsons or Family Guy (although I like those too) – I have a real thing for [adult swim] on the Cartoon Network. I know I'm not alone – those guys (and gals) at Williams Street have a major cult following. I enjoy most of their shows – excluding anime, sorry – but thought I'd highlight a few of my favorites and share some of the behind-the-scenes stories from them.


Metalocalypse


I'm not a fan of death metal, but this show cracks me up. It follows the exploits of the band Dethklok - lead singer Nathan Explosion, Pickles the drummer (doodily doo, ding-dong doodily-doodily-doo), lead guitarist Skwisgaar Skwigelf (taller than a tree), rhythm guitarist Toki Wartooth (not a Bumblebee) and bassist William Murderface (Murderface, Murderface, Murderface). Dethklok is the biggest band in the world and their fans follow them rabidly – even to the point of death. The government is really concerned that Dethklok is going to use their extremely dedicated fanbase to take over the world, so a Tribunal has been formed to gather information about and ultimately dispose of the band. And now, the trivia:

• Nathan's parents are Oscar and Rose Explosion of New Port Richey, Florida.

• Murderface's tattoos say "Pobody's Nerfect" and "This Place is a Mess".

• Musicians love the show, at least based on the number of them that have had cameos. James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica; Jeff Loomis, Steve Smyth and Warrel Dane of Nevermore; as well as members of Cannibal Corpse, Zyklon, Strapping Young Lad, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and violinist Emilie Autumn.

• Dethklok is going on tour this summer. How? The series co-creator, Brendon Small, says they will tour in a manner similar to the Gorillaz – the people who play the instruments for the animated characters will be the ones going on tour.

• Skwisgaar is a member of two side projects – 10 Points to Gryffindor, a Harry Potter tribute band; and

Depantsification Proclamation, a nudist Civil War-styled band.

• Toki hates Rachael Ray. We don't know why.

• Pickles has asthma.


Frisky Dingo


OK, take Bruce Wayne but give him the personality of Brody Jenner. That's Xander Crews, AKA Awesome X, the "superhero" of Frisky Dingo. Now take… umm… OK, remember Arnold Schwarzenegger in his body-building days? Take that body, make him albino, give him a British accent… OK, no, nevermind. Our villain, Killface, is really in a category all of his own. He's a giant, white, British alien, it would seem, and he's hell-bent on taking over the world/blowing it up with the Annihilatrix. The thing that makes it such a funny show is that it juxtaposes the fantastical world of superheroes and villains with the mundane – the Xtacles, for example, are really concerned about life insurance and benefits. Killface has a dysfunctional relationship with his son, Simon. A few more interesting facts about Frisky Dingo:

• The name of the show was originally Whiskey Tango, but that name was already taken by a band. To avoid legal issues, the name was changed to Frisky Dingo.

• Awesome X's minions are called the Xtacles, which cracks me up every time I hear it.

• Killface, Xander, Simon and Taqu'il (Simon's favorite rapper) all have their own MySpace pages. Killface's MySpace says he is 7'6", 47 years old and loves anything with Sir Sidney Poitier in it. Xander flatly states he is only on the Internet to meet women; his favorite singers are Phil Collins and Sting and his favorite book is How to Succeed in Business Without Ever Trying Ever.

• Exactly what does Frisky Dingo mean? The code words to activate the Annihilatrix (therefore blowing up the world) are… yep… "Frisky Dingo".

• The creators, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, also created SeaLab 2021, which also happens to be one of my favorites…

Sealab 2021

One of [adult swim]'s favorite tricks seems to be dubbing over old cartoons with subversive dialogue. In this case, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson took the old Hanna-Barbera environmental cartoon Sealab 2020, which only aired for 13 episodes in 1972. In Sealab 2021, instead of trying to save the environment, the crew pretty much spends all of their time trying to avoid work. A few things you might not have known:

• Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Gabriel Garcia Marquez has a thing for the t.v. show CHiPs, which happens to star Erik Estrada. Guess who provides the voice for Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Gabriel Garcia Marquez? …Erik Estrada.

• The main character of the show, Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy, was voiced by Harry Goz. When Goz died in 2003 and Captain Murphy left Sealab to go fight in the Great Spice Wars. Captain Bellerophon "Torpedo" Shanks was recruited for the open position via a "Help Wanted" ad and took over as Captain of Sealab – he was voiced by Harry Goz' son, Michael Goz.

• There were real SEALABs – three of them, in fact. The first one was lowered off the coast of Bermuda in 1964 but stopped after only 11 days because a tropical storm was headed in that direction. SEALAB II was placed in La Jolla Canyon off the coast of California in 1965. Tuffy the Porpoise delivered supplies to SEALAB II. Seriously. SEALAB III of 1969 was pretty much disastrous. First, the habitat started to leak and the six divers sent to repair it were unsuccessful. Then, aquanaut Barry Cannon died of carbon monoxide poisoning because of a faulty breathing apparatus. Finally, it appeared that someone was trying to sabotage the air supply of the five other divers. The SEALAB experiments were stopped after that.

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

In a similar vein, the Cartoon Network took the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon Birdman and the Galaxy Trio and created Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The original cartoon featured Ray Randall, AKA Birdman, who was just a regular human being until the Sun God Ra endowed him with the ability to shoot "solar rays" and "solar shields" from his fists. Oh, and the ability to fly, obviously. His trademark is his battle cry of "Biiiiiiiiirdman!!!!" The updated version has Our Hero, now named Harvey, as a retired superhero who practices law with other old Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters like Peter Potamus and the Blue Falcon. He represents or prosecutes other characters, including the Scooby Doo posse (accused of pot possession), Fred Flintstone (racketeering) and Grape Ape (Steroid use).

• The law firm on the show, Sebben and Sebben, is a play on the drink Seven and Seven.

• Stephen Colbert is the voice of Myron Reducto, Phil Ken Sebben and The Eagle of Truth

• Lots of characters from Birdman and the Galaxy Trio were recycled for Harvey Birdman.

o The original Avenger is Birdman's friend and can carry him when Birdman is unable to fly. Updated Avenger is Harvey's legal secretary and does a lot of filing and taking dictation. o Falcon-7 is Birdman's government contact. Updated Falcon-7 is actually Phil Ken Sebben, one of the partners of Sebben and Sebben Law. o The original Birdboy is a boy who was rescued by Birdman because he was near-death. To revive the boy, Birdman transferred some of his powers. The updated Birdboy is now called Peanut and was hired by Harvey to be his legal clerk. He wears a sweater vest and has a rivalry with Avenger. o Birdgirl was created by Birdman's nemesis to destroy him, but she realized that she was being used for evil and defected to Birdman's side. Updated Birdgirl is the alter-ego of Judy Ken Sebben, Phil Ken Sebben's daughter. Phil doesn't know the identity of Birdgirl and hits on her whenever she shows up. o Reducto was a mad scientist who uses a shrink ray on his enemies. In modern times, he's Myron Reducto, a rival lawyer. He and Birdman now only argue in the courtroom; outside of work they are friends and even carpool to work.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Space Ghost is the show that kicked off the trend of taking an old cartoon and retooling it for [adult swim] viewers. Space Ghost's original debut was in 1966 in Space Ghost and Dino Boy. Space Ghost's talk show, however, started its run in 1994. Space Ghost Coast to Coast features the man himself interviewing various celebrities. In a strange twist of events, his old enemies Zorak, Moltar and Brak now work for his show as his bandleader, producer and… Brak.

• Four rocks found on Mars have been named Space Ghost, Zorak, Moltar and Brak.

• One of the show's writers was Joel Hodgson, the creator/star/writer of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

• The interview process is a bit odd for the people being interviewed. They are placed into an all-black room and "Space Ghost" asks them questions via speaker phone. Their answers are later chopped up and applied to completely different questions.

• Guests include Weird Al, Adam West, Michael Stipe (Space Ghost says, "Is that you in the corner?" and Michael Stipe responds, "Yes, it is."), Slash, Hulk Hogan, Tenacious D, Jim Carrey, Willie Nelson, Conan O'Brien, Tyra Banks and Ben Stiller. My other favorite [adult swim] offerings are Robot Chicken, Tom Goes to the Mayor and The Oblongs (though it's not a Williams Street production).

Any other [adult swim] fans out there? What are your favorites?


While I'll admit I enjoyed your summary descriptions of the shows, I don't think Adult Swim really needs any marketing from Neatorama.

Also... you can maybe trademark a band name, but you definitely can't copyright one.
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I love all of the above-mentioned shows, but my favorite is The Venture Bros. which is a dysfunctional parallel of Jonny Quest.

I wasn't really a fan of anime until I got hooked on Cowboy Bebop- great scifi!
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I don't mind watching Cartoons such as Spongebob Squarepants when I come home or whenever I feel sick and stay in. Then there is my favorite Anime such as Ghost in the Shell (movies and series)...any anime that is catered to adults with great stories and intrigue appeals to me.
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I love love LOVE Frisky Dingo but I don't know anyone else who watches it. And I can't get people to pick it up because the plot is so complicated. And FAST! In just the first season, only 2:20 combined run time, Killface launches his plan, Xander makes him into a villain, Watley becomes a crab-man, Grace is transformed into the villain Antagone, Killface gets blinded, Xander gets blinded, Simon becomes a bigshot in the underground rabbit-fight culture, Killface and Xander are kidnapped and pressed into a sweatshop, Sinn takes over the Xtacles, and Simon initiates the Annihilatrix.
What I love most is the repetition of certain themes and phrases like establishing boundaries or did not see that coming or I don't have insurance.
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I'm a HUGE FAN of Tom Goes to the Mayor. The animation is very original and simple, and the humor is right on. The Venture Brothers are fantastic, also. Venture strays away from a lot of the other classic adultswim comedy cartoons; the humor is great, but even without it, it could survive as a superhero/supervillain show (albeit a mighty weird one!)
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Wow I didn't know that One of the writers for Space Ghost was Joel Hodgson! I love MST3K! No wonder I finds Space Ghost hilarious.

Also I forgot Metalocalypse existed! I love that show!
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I totally agree with the consensus here: Venture Bros. is awesome!

I also REALLY enjoy The Oblongs and hate the fact it only had one season. My very favorite (and I can't believe you listed Metalocalypse and not this one) is Home Movies. That is a perfect cartoon, if you ask me.
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Correction: the second tattoo Murderface has on his body is "This Mess is a Place," not "This Place is a Mess."

And I love how there's a Killface in Frisky Dingo, and Murderface in Metalocalypse.

And I agree, Venture Bros. is awesome! Go Team Venture!
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How delightful that there are so many fellow Venture Brother fans out there, that show cracks me up AND in some ways is far more interestingly subtle and clever than most AS shows. Not to mention, I absolutely LOVE Dr. Orpheus, life must be so much more fun when lived so "epically" =)

Though I must agree with Xopl that Adult Swim doesn't really need more marketing - delighted though I am to see an animation-oriented post there are so many non-AS cartoons out there that folks ought to hunt down, too! The (sadly underwatched, but still occasionally aired) Dave the Barbarian was hilarious in a goofy way, and of course there were things like Clone High (the Marilyn Manson clip still makes my universe sparkle) and The Tick ... and except for the mostly atrocious Season 5, Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd n Eddy is actually quite funny, especially if you remember what it was like to be one of the neighborhood dorks yourself growing up - check out the "From Here to Ed" or "Mirror Mirror on the Ed" if you've never seen the show before, they're delightfully quirky. Cartoons rule - more animation-based posts, please! =)
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Branch out, man. Something that's not on adult swim perhaps? At least no one favorite'd Boondocks. That show's barf.

Charlie and Lola (great for kids, fun for adults and always extremely very clever), Mr Meaty (almost cartoon. it's puppets), Venture Bros. (say n' more), Bleach (fckin rocks).

Oh yeah, Family Guy = teh suck1!
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i loved the episode of space ghost when bjork guest starred. even though she annoys the crap out of me, the show was hilarious. several of my friends have cds put out my [adult swim] with all the songs from space ghost. "oh mashed potatoes!"
venture brothers rocks my world and aqua teen hunger force is awesome.

i'm not a huge fan of anime, but i love cowboy bebop and trigun. i would totally become a cartoon if i could either marry nicholas d. wolfwood or spike.... of course both of them die at the end of their series.
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Harvey Birdman and Venture Brothers are two of the best shows on television, including live action shows and dramas. I'm still pissed that Birdman ended after like three seasons, but at least Venture Brothers is still going strong, and Frisky Dingo is getting better. I just wish adultswim would get rid of all that crappy japanimation and the live action ego stroking junk. adultswim is supposed to be about adult-themed parodies of old Hanna-Barbera characters.
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Every time I see a picture of Metalocalypse, I can't help but think of Apocalyptica instead. Heavy metal cellos rock.

Shocking as this may be for a college student, I've actually never followed Adult Swim, because I'm so used to not having cable channels by now. I keep meaning to catch some of the 'retooled' cartoons because I loved Space Ghost and Jonny Quest...I don't need my cartoons to be grown-up. I'm fine with childish. :P
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Boondocks is most definitely not barf. Any other cartoons with Samuel L. Jackson voicing a character? Didn't think so.

For non-adult swim: Rocko's Modern Life.
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I am a huge fan of all of these shows, especially Venture Bros.

BTW all of these shows have the most amazing theme songs. In order of my favorites:

1. Harvey Birdman
2. ATHF
3. Sealab 2021
4. Metalocalypse
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Squidbillies is outstandiner than hayell. Main character Early Cuyler is voiced by Unknown Hinson, vampabilly guitarist and world class songwriter. Billy Joe Shaver sings the title song. It is hilarious and irreverent and takes a lot of intelligence to understand and appreciate it. Also Adult Swim.
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1. ATHF
But you have to watch them from the beginning. If you watch the first Mooninites episode and don't like it, they show isn't for you.

2. Venture Bros
Again, watch from the beginning and every episode gets better.

3. Dr. Catz
Also very very funny.

4. Sealab
Hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

5. Space Ghost / Brak
They are the same thing to me. Brak's episode about spies and Space Ghost with Radiohead were classic.
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Talk about missing the mark...Venture Brothers front and center. I don't know anyone who's been introduced to Team Venture that hasn't gotten sucked in completely.

Favorite Episode : Tag Sale You're It

"But he was in Depeche Mode!"
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People on here were asking for more mature tv shows. I know these have probably been discussed to death, and are no longer in circulation, but you can get them on DVD.

1.) I have to Start with Gargoyles, from Disney. The cartoon ran as a kids show back in 1995-1997, as a three season series. The story involves gargoyles who were betrayed to a viking clan and put under a spell for a thousand years. They wake up in 1995 Manhattan, befriend a detective on the police force, live with a genius IQ millionaire with evil intentions, and generally try to cope with the new world they arrive in. While it sounds like a crappy typical saturday morning pitch, the show deals with some major and even heartbreaking issues. The first season has the detective being shot, and shows her in crutches for the next few episodes. Evil characters become good, while good characters turn evil. The gargoyles relive moments and enemies from their 900 A.D. Scottish past. Magic, merlin, Shakespeare, mythology, and time travel are all excellently blended in. All of it can be traced back to one point in time when one character in the series made one mistake and changed the history of the gargoyles forever. Currently, the series is attempting a comeback. You can still purchase the DVD's for it on amazon.com, and the original creator of the series is making canon comic books out from slave labor graphics now. If you like Star Trek tng, most of the actors have a role in this series as well. Definitely worth a peek at at least season 1.

2.) Batman - The Animated Series. A gorgeous cartoon that is considered by many to be the definitive Batman experience. Kevin Conroy plays a perfect Batman/Bruce Wayne, while Mark Hammil (Yes, Luke) supplies a brilliantly insane and sadistic Joker as his rival. This show is famous for creating the Joker's Sidekick Harley Quinn, as well as its beautiful and dark Gotham city. This one is done more as a saturday cartoon, i.e. most episodes are viewed as independant stories. Some villains (notably harvey dent and poison ivy) do have continuing story arcs throughout the series. The Episode arc invovling Robin won an emmy.

3.) Justice League Unlimited, Volume 1. The Justice League has developed many new enemies and everyone has teamed up together to outdo the other. This is the sequel series to Batman The animated series above, and Also Superman The Animated Series released around the same time. The same actors reprise their roles here. The most notable bit about this season is the "Cadmus" story arc, in which the government views the super Heroes as threats to national security. Great stories, amazing arcs, tons of fan service with DC comic characters, and still fun for people not familiar with them. You learn alot about Green Arrow and Black Canary, as well as Supergirl and Batman. I loved this series almost as much as I loved Gargoyles, and I knew almost nothing about them.

There's three mature, well thought out series for adults. It was intended for kids, but the evolved story lines and characters really resonate with adults. The most powerful of all tv scenes I've seen is in Gargoyles. Season 2, City of Stone, Part 4. The three weird sisters of Shakespeare attempt to thwart the plans of an evil gargoyle. 4:15 min into this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i9O88LSw-4&NR=1. It speaks to the exact core of this show, the meaning and what they try to show. It lacks a bit of the punch if you don't know the characters history, but if you just watch this you can get a good idea of what Disney tried to do when they made it. If you must see just one clip of gargoyles, make it that one!
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Home Movies is also genuinely good (that is, you don't have to be smashed out of your gourd to find it affecting).

So I'm going with Futurama, Home Movies and the Venture Bros. and I am pretty sure these are the best of the best, quality wise.
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I will admit I was sticking to an Adult Swim palate... maybe I'll do a follow-up on non-Adult Swim adult cartoons.

And, wow, I'm floored by everyone's deep love for Venture Brothers! I'll DVR it and check it out.
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Home Movies is probably the funniest TV show I've ever seen or am likely to see. Venture Brothers is awesome as well. Futurama is funny too, in a more traditional way. As I grew up my tastes shifted from the wacky, random humor of Williams Street to more witty, character driven humor of the shows I mentioned.
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Why do people like Tom Goes To The Mayor? For that matter, why do people like Time & Eric's Awesome Show as well? I don't get it.

12 ounce mouse made my eyes & ears bleed.
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1) Boondocks kicks ass, sorry you don't get it.
2) Frisky Dingo isn't funny. It just isn't. I've watched all of it, and the characters suck, the plot is nothing special, and through all of it, I never laughed once.
3) Go Team Venture!
4) The Critic. Just saying.
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"Barnaby Jones!" I nearly peed myself during that episode. I love Frisky Dingo.

And the Venture Brothers that showed the boys getting killed over and over was priceless.
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You are missing one of the most underrated cartoons ever on Adult Swim: Perfect Hair Forever. A surrealist spoof on traditional anime stereotypes, it's not to be missed., though I don't think it's on anymore.
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Space Ghost is probably the best show they've ever had on there! But a lot of the others are great also. Sealab has a special place in my heart because my grandaddy, George Dowling, was a part of SEALAB II. Go to https://www.keyportmuseum.cnrnw.navy.mil/html/sealab_ii.htm
and he's in the second to last photo on the page.
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Home Movies is the best. Not an Adult Swim creation, but a convert after UPN canceled it. Brendon Small co-created Home Movies and also created Metalocalypse. I also adore O'Grady which if you love Home Movies you'll recognize Melissa & Jason.

Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law sucked without Stephen Colbert. Sucked!!!! weep Season 1&2 are the only ones worth watching.
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I think all the animated shows on Adult Swim that are supposed to be funny are just cynical and unfunny. There's never any actual "cartoon" funniness - as in, say classic Warner Bros. Looney Toons. All of the "humor" is in the dialog - and the vast majority of it is cynical parody. Some of the characterizations of celebrities in Robot Chicken can be quite well observed, and the low-budget, low-skill ethic of the animation probably involves more artistry than it appears. But the relentless cynicism in that show, as in most of the others just becomes monotonous.
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Erik wins!

"My top three (not just Adult Swim!)

1. Venture Bros.
2. Lucy, Daughter of the Devil
3. Invader Zim"

My list exactly!

Plus, when we lived in Atlanta good fortune + blogging acquaintances =ed a phone call from Killface to my wife for her birthday.

We have much love for the Frisky Dingo boys in this house.
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Squidbillies... UH is the Kang, 'nuff said. Also love Sealab 2021 (own four seasons), Brak Show (three), Harvey (three). Flintstone as the Dabba Don was over-the-top.
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1. Venture Brothers
"That whore stole my Stanza!"
2. Home Movies
"Its called gingivitis.
Oh, like on TV!
Right. Or in the movies.
Right...."
3. Tom Goes to the Mayor

I just can't find the appeal of Squidbillies......
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I LOVE Family Guy, I will watch Metalocalypse if its on and im not watching something else. I cant believe anyone likes Home Movies or fuckin Tom Goes to the Mayor. Those are the STUPIDEST shows EVER. My dad watched Space Ghost with me when I was littler, I dont know if it was funny or not,.
Sealab 2021.. LOVEEDDD that show, I used to know the commercial song for the new season. Man, my sister loved that show too. Dr. Quinn was HILARIOUS. "I have 8 P.h.D's Dammit, where's fatass at?"
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