Sunday, February 20, 2011

Son(s) of Cartoon Network

The sad part is they're doing live action. The glad part is they brought a Fox cartoon show back to life, which then fathered other Fox shows.

The 'bold, crazy' world of Adult Swim -- That's how one show supplier describes the cable programming block that is grabbing more viewers and attention. Guys, 18-49, this is for you.

... Adult Swim launched in 2001 as a single-night block ... with a minuscule budget and a reserve of Hannah-Barbera cartoons. ... {T]he small Adult Swim team quietly launched a universe of its own, creating absurd fare such as "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" (in which an obscure cartoon superhero interviewed celebrities) and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" ...

In the nearly 91/2 years since, Adult Swim has become the proudly goofy gold standard for unconventional comedy on basic cable. The network — which became officially recognized as distinct from the Cartoon Network in 2005 by Nielsen and extended its start time to 9 p.m. this year, seven days a week — routinely dominates the adults 18-24 demographic ...

Family Guy is now a powerhouse and the cornerstone of a cartoon franchise for two reasons: It sold a lot of DVDs after going off the air and the show got big ratings on Adult Swim. Though I would prefer that AS had more cartoons created by TAG members, any broadcast entity that extends and enlarges the animation business is an overall force for Good.

But what would be great is if more pitches from the ranks of cartoon makers got greenlit to go on the Swim lineup. That would truly make our day.

5 comments:

Brubaker said...

Are any AS originals part of TAG? (Not counting acquisitions like "Family Guy")

Steve Hulett said...

I would have to do research. But I think not.

Anonymous said...

The SINGLE determining factor in whether Adult Swim decides to develop a show is how cheap it is to do so.

Every other factor is irrelevant. In every instance.

Anonymous said...

How cheap they are also determines how drunk you have to get to draw the crap. The crappier the better. This type of work should only be done in strip bars as freelance.

Anonymous said...

The Boondocks is an Adult Swim show and was done at Adelaide Productions, but in season 3 the entire artist crew's jobs were outsourced to Korea. Including the directing.

Site Meter