Adult Swim's New Kid-Friendly Direction

[harry580]

This is honestly hilarious, I had my fingers crossed that it'd move to Adult Swim and sure enough!

A part of me hopes that everything they have in the works at Cartoon Network eventually gets the move to Adult Swim.

are you the guy who played the star character from super mario bros movie (2023)?

 

[Spacething7474]

are you the guy who played the star character from super mario bros movie (2023)?

yes indeed, I am Mr. Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023 himself

hold your applause and form a line for signings on the left!

 

[BlooMac]

And yet, they get away with by airing Jellystone on Boomerang recently, but hey, where's my head at?

It's likely for a limited time just like last time.

 

[JMTV]

It's likely for a limited time just like last time.

Could be, I don’t know. (shrugs)

 

[Tacomaster]

 

[PicardMan]

I think with Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures with Superman, the violence is played for drama rather than comedy and that's why Regular Show gets away with Death Dwan Do fights. Invincible Fight Girl is a little more confusing in that regard as it looks like the 2020s equivalent of the very comedic Mucha Lucha, so it looks like not even comedic violence is okay for new shows. I'm guessing violent scenes in Regular Show, Steven Universe, or whatever are okay because grandfather clause. Still feels wild that Cartoon Network has become so strict on violence considering what they aired in the 2010s and are willing to air as reruns.

 

[Leviathan]

Regular Show is also ended, so there's no stakes to airing it in any particular block.

For something like MAWS or Invinicble Fight Girl, where it airs can mean the difference between renewal and cancellation.

 

[JMTV]

Still feels wild that Cartoon Network has become so strict on violence considering what they aired in the 2010s and are willing to air as reruns.

I mean, like I said before, standards and practices were way different now then it was back in the 90's. Imagine if Powerpuff Girls were to came out in 2024, instead of 1998. CN would have to tone down the violence, similar to the 2016 reboot.

 

[Conttactt]

Why are so many people not capable of reading between the lines? These shows weren't moved to AS because of the violence. They were moved to AS because CN is DYING and any new show that airs there is doomed. But nobody is allowed to say that, so they make up some half cooked reason as the excuse for why the show was moved.

 

[Tacomaster]

I, for one, believe the "putting it on Adult Swim means more successful" argument is BS. Unicorn was moved from CN to Adult Swim and nobody cares about it. Royal Crackers was made for Adult Swim from the start, and advertised like crazy, and IIRC it bombed and nobody watched or talked about it. Superman did succeed, but that was more of a fluke and it seems like it would have been successful no matter what side of the channel it was on (especially considering Superman and Unicorn were meant for ACME Night rather than being Saturday morning fare). And it resonated more with the Toonami audience than the core AS audience anyway, which might be why it moved to Toonami for S2.

 

[JMTV]

Why are so many people not capable of reading between the lines? These shows weren't moved to AS because of the violence. They were moved to AS because CN is DYING and any new show that airs there is doomed. But nobody is allowed to say that, so they make up some half cooked reason as the excuse for why the show was moved.

Yeah, I mean, that just the honest truth. I understand people don't want to face the truth (myself included), but sometimes, we just got to be honest with ourselves.

Even if Cartoon Network were to premiered Unicorn and Superman like it was originally intended for ACME Night, do you think the ratings will still do better on CN than it was on AS, especially when kids don't watch cable anymore? Realistically, probably not.

considering Superman and Unicorn were meant for ACME Night rather than being Saturday morning fare)

Well, you can thank the Discovery merger for throwing a wrench into those plans, just like all monopolist America.

 

[PicardMan]

Cartoon Network still has yet to dump a comedy cartoon on Adult Swim. It seems it was always action (Sym Bionic Titan, Thundercats, Beware the Batman, Unicorn Warriors Eternal, My Adventures with Superman). The Total Drama Island reboot is airing new episodes (well new to the US episodes) on Cartoon Network. My guess is that Cartoon Network is going to be for reruns and premieres of Canadian/European toons that air years after they aired in their native countries. Action originals keep getting thrown to Adult Swim and there doesn't appear to be any new comedy originals on the horizon. Is everyone predicting Iyanu getting dumped to Adult Swim next? I think Warner wants to keep the Cartoon Network brand alive, but I guess it will be a Canadian/European cartoon dumping ground?

 

[JMTV]

Cartoon Network still has yet to dump a comedy cartoon on Adult Swim. It seems it was always action (Sym Bionic Titan, Thundercats, Beware the Batman, Unicorn Warriors Eternal, My Adventures with Superman).

Don't forget Samurai Jack.

The Total Drama Island reboot is airing new episodes (well new to the US episodes) on Cartoon Network.

Even though people already saw the two seasons of TDI reboot in other countries anyway.

I think Warner wants to keep the Cartoon Network brand alive, but I guess it will be a Canadian/European cartoon dumping ground?

I hope not, but it does sadly seems like it.

 

[harry580]

if Cartoon Network do instead start getting European cartoons, my bet it would be the European cartoons produced by Hanna barbera studios europe

 

[PicardMan]

if Cartoon Network do instead start getting European cartoons, my bet it would be the European cartoons produced by Hanna barbera studios europe

They already are airing one in Ivandoe. The thing is that Americans appear to not give a crap about it. Totally Spies is also coming up. I think excitement over Totally Spies and Total Drama Island is so muted because those franchises have been around a while and they are premiering significantly after their European/Canadian premieres. No one seems excited about the prospect of it being a Canadian/European cartoon dumping ground.

 

[Conttactt]

I, for one, believe the "putting it on Adult Swim means more successful" argument is BS. Unicorn was moved from CN to Adult Swim and nobody cares about it. Royal Crackers was made for Adult Swim from the start, and advertised like crazy, and IIRC it bombed and nobody watched or talked about it. Superman did succeed, but that was more of a fluke and it seems like it would have been successful no matter what side of the channel it was on (especially considering Superman and Unicorn were meant for ACME Night rather than being Saturday morning fare). And it resonated more with the Toonami audience than the core AS audience anyway, which might be why it moved to Toonami for S2.

Royal Crackers performed great both seasons. You are correct though, no one talks about it. But the ratings are solid. Which is weird but whatever. I believe it was the 4th highest rated show on AS last year, which isn’t too bad.

UWE definitely bombed though, and I expect IFG to follow the same path. Superman is coasting on cape popularity, primarily the fact that it’s been so long since Superman had his own cartoon.

That being said, even doing poorly on AS, is well beyond what they could manage on CN. Especially since CN sucks at scheduling and likely would have stuck these shows somewhere no one would watch them.

Yeah, I mean, that just the honest truth. I understand people don't want to face the truth (myself included), but sometimes, we just got to be honest with ourselves.

It sucks, but it’s the facts. I just keep seeing people trying to justify the violence in other shows, when the reality is the violence excuse is just because they have to feed the audience something, and “no one watches CN” isn’t a positive spin.

 

[PicardMan]

I still anticipate My Adventures with Superman to be the only kids cartoon to do well with the Adult Swim audience. People may keep citing that more people watch the kids cartoons on Cartoon Nework than actual kids, but I don't think the adults watching Cartoon Network and adults watching Adult Swim are the same audience with the same tastes. Unicorn Warriors Eternal had some Genndy hype, but it seems to be the least beloved Genndy cartoon of all time. It does seem seem like the waifu/husbando crowd is into My Adventures with Superman's romcom antics and crush on Lois and/or Clark. I don't expect Invincible Fight Girl to continue the success of My Adventures with Superman.

 

[Tacomaster]

People may keep citing that more people watch the kids cartoons on Cartoon Nework than actual kids, but I don't think the adults watching Cartoon Network and adults watching Adult Swim are the same audience with the same tastes.

DING DING DING DING DING. The CN audience and the AS audience have different tastes and preferences. That’s actually why S1 of MAWS had mediocre linear ratings even by modern AS standards- it didn’t gel with the traditional AS crowd. That might also be why attempts to expand AS’s anime presence outside of Toonami didn’t do well- it didn’t vibe with the AS comedy crowd, and without the Toonami brand, the otherwise loyal Toonami crowd didn’t turn up.

 

[JMTV]

That being said, even doing poorly on AS, is well beyond what they could manage on CN. Especially since CN sucks at scheduling and likely would have stuck these shows somewhere no one would watch them.

Exactly.

People may keep citing that more people watch the kids cartoons on Cartoon Nework than actual kids, but I don't think the adults watching Cartoon Network and adults watching Adult Swim are the same audience with the same tastes.

Yeah, that is true. I cannot imagine being a teen or young adult watching Cartoon Network without the shows and presentation looks and feels like I was being talked down to me.

That's partly the main reason why I stopped watching Cartoon Network in the mid-2010's, not because of the shows (okay, some of them are), but because the bumpers and promos and the presentation looks and feels kiddy to me. I feel like I'm watching a pseudo-preschool channel rather than being a Cartoon Network.

Not to say Adult Swim's offerings is any better since I don't really paid attention to AS all that much, besides taking over CN's primetime hours at the time, at least I'd say, unlike CN, AS still stuck to their edgier roots, and stay consistent with it. At least they know what their audiences want and being direct with it. Plus, with their bumpers, they had appeal, and I like the black and white text bumpers.

So, in hindsight, Michael Ouweleen's plan for CN to appeal to the physco-graphic audience seems a bit....idealistic. Not a bad idea, but it's difficult to execute because according to the advertisers, not every 29 year olds buys kid products. It is what is.

Unicorn Warriors Eternal had some Genndy hype, but it seems to be the least beloved Genndy cartoon of all time. It does seem seem like the waifu/husbando crowd is into My Adventures with Superman's romcom antics and crush on Lois and/or Clark. I don't expect Invincible Fight Girl to continue the success of My Adventures with Superman.

Maybe. I'm not expecting Invincible Fight Girl to be 10/10 amazing or anything like that since I'm not a big fan of wrestling to begin with, I just want this show to get released somewhere, even if it's not on Cartoon Network.

DING DING DING DING DING. The CN audience and the AS audience have different tastes and preferences. That’s actually why S1 of MAWS had mediocre linear ratings even by modern AS standards- it didn’t gel with the traditional AS crowd. That might also be why attempts to expand AS’s anime presence outside of Toonami didn’t do well- it didn’t vibe with the AS comedy crowd, and without the Toonami brand, the otherwise loyal Toonami crowd didn’t turn up.

Pretty much. Thursday nights at midnight is a terrible timeslot to premiere Superman for. It should've aired on Toonami in the first place.

 

[PicardMan]

Yeah, that is true. I cannot imagine being a teen or young adult watching Cartoon Network without the shows and presentation looks and feels like I was being talked down to me.

That's partly the main reason why I stopped watching Cartoon Network in the mid-2010's, not because of the shows (okay, some of them are), but because the bumpers and promos and the presentation looks and feels kiddy to me.

Well, pre-TOM 4 Toonami had the edgy teen appeal, but Toonami's cancellation seemed to mark the end of Cartoon Network's appeal to teens. (well TOM 4 and DBZ and One Piece's removal before that were signs the end was nigh). When I was a college freshman, I briefly went back to Cartoon Network as I heard about a character saying "piss," but Cartoon Network obviously changed their mind about that word being okay to say. The early 2010s was the last time they were seen as the "edgy" alternative to Nickelodeon and Disney Channel and them purging their action cartoons and watering down their comedies was a sign they were losing that edge.

Adult Swim is supposed to be the alternative to the kiddy Cartoon Network. I think these kids' shows are quite unwelcome to most of the Adult Swim audience as it clashes so much with its edgy image and stuff like Smiling Friends and Rick and Morty.