Adult Swim’s Top 15 Original Series, Ranked

Adult Swim, the late-night programming block on Cartoon Network, has created many memorable TV shows. Here are 15 of the very best. We considered several things when making this list, but the most important was whether a show truly captured Adult Swim’s signature style – its weird, surreal, and often hilarious humor and unique animation.

While popular shows often get the most attention, Adult Swim has also proven that great television doesn’t always mean mainstream success. The network built a following by airing popular animated series like the anime block Toonami, featuring shows such as Cowboy Bebop, and also by bringing in Western animation like Family Guy. But the shows listed here are the best original series Adult Swim has created, and they really showcase what makes the network special.

Xavier: Renegade Angel

Xavier: Renegade Angel is a prime example of the weird and wonderful humor you often find on Adult Swim. It’s difficult to summarize the show’s plot, but it centers around Xavier, a bizarre shaman-like character with a snake for an arm, a beak-like nose, and goat legs. He wanders around ‘solving’ silly problems, often launching into rambling, confusing monologues along the way.

Watching Xavier: Renegade Angel is a truly bizarre experience – it’s like watching a fever dream. The show doesn’t really make sense, and neither do the individual scenes, which is what makes it so funny. Xavier’s rambling, nonsensical speeches perfectly capture the vibe of a ‘stoner show,’ and the show’s rough 3D animation and trippy visuals just add to that feeling. It really feels like Xavier: Renegade Angel could only exist on Adult Swim.

Mike Tyson Mysteries

Don’t overlook Mike Tyson Mysteries – it’s easily one of Adult Swim’s strongest shows. Though it seems like a parody of Scooby-Doo, the series is actually a clever mix of dark and bizarre comedy, made even better by Mike Tyson’s surprisingly witty performance and the unique humor of Norm MacDonald. It’s a truly great show.

Mike Tyson Mysteries is a great starting point for people new to Adult Swim. While some Adult Swim shows, like Xavier: Renegade Angel, can be very strange and hard to follow, Mike Tyson Mysteries is funny and weird without being confusing. It has plenty of silly moments and unexpected jokes, but it’s still enjoyable even if you’re not used to that kind of humor. It’s a good introduction to the rest of what Adult Swim has to offer.

My Adventures with Superman

Adult Swim is known for its quirky and unusual comedy, but it also consistently delivers high-quality animation capable of telling surprisingly emotional and complex stories. A perfect example of this is My Adventures with Superman, which reimagines the classic DC superhero alongside his friends and family. Many fans consider it to be one of the greatest animated Superman series ever created.

What sets My Adventures with Superman apart on Adult Swim is its unique approach. It’s a genuinely sweet and heartfelt portrayal of Clark Kent, shown years before the version we’ll see in James Gunn’s Superman film. The show is charming, emotional, and proves that Adult Swim can create more than just wacky, over-the-top content.

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is a standout show from the beginning of Adult Swim. The network often used old cartoons from the 1960s and 70s to create funny content, and Harvey Birdman was a prime example. It took that classic animation style and turned it into a strange and hilarious courtroom comedy, with Harvey acting as the lawyer for other cartoon characters.

Harvey Birdman is considered one of Adult Swim’s greatest shows because it perfectly captures what made the network so successful. The show brilliantly parodied classic cartoons from the 60s and 70s, like The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, attracting a nostalgic audience who grew up with those shows and continued to enjoy animation as adults. Harvey Birdman was truly groundbreaking and remains funny and relevant even today.

Smiling Friends

Adult Swim & HBO Max

Adult Swim’s recent show, Smiling Friends, has become a popular hit. The show follows the staff of a charity that aims to bring happiness to people, and it stands out from other Adult Swim programs in several ways. Beyond its quirky humor, Smiling Friends is notable for its realistic conversations and the genuinely kind relationships between its characters, making it surprisingly heartwarming.

Similar to Harvey Birdman, Smiling Friends shows that Adult Swim is still a leader in comedy today. By bringing in online comedians and personalities, the show attracts younger audiences, including Gen Z, and keeps Adult Swim current. Plus, it’s genuinely funny and uses internet humor in a way that no other scripted TV show does.

Samurai Jack

For many years, Samurai Jack stood out as one of the best action and drama shows on Adult Swim, and it’s easy to see why. The series follows a samurai who uses a magical sword to battle an age-old demon in a ruined, futuristic world. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Samurai Jack is known for its stunning 2D animation, making every fight a visual masterpiece.

What truly sets Samurai Jack apart is its legendary quality. Each episode skillfully combines fantastical adventures with genuine human feelings, creating stories that feel epic in scope. It was also remarkably mature for a show on Adult Swim, which made its stunning action scenes even more exciting.

Robot Chicken

As far as Adult Swim goes, Robot Chicken is right up there with the network’s most recognizable shows, and honestly, it’s one of the best they’ve ever produced. What I love about it is that it’s a stop-motion sketch comedy that fearlessly pokes fun at everything – seriously, from huge franchises like Star Wars to even personalities like Guy Fieri, nothing is off limits. It’s been going strong for years, and it’s earned its place as the delightfully nerdy cousin of Saturday Night Live.

Robot Chicken stands out as one of Adult Swim’s best shows because it’s truly unique. Unlike traditional sketch comedy like Saturday Night Live, it attracts a different audience. The show was ahead of its time in satirizing “geek” culture, and it provided a platform to playfully poke fun at often-overlooked favorites from TV, movies, and video games.

The Eric Andre Show

Most Adult Swim shows are animated, but The Eric Andre Show demonstrated the channel’s ability to create successful live-action programming. The show parodied traditional late-night talk shows by inviting celebrities on, then subjecting them to unexpected gags, shocking humor, and even frightening moments. Eric Andre and Hannibal Buress also took the show outside the studio, playing pranks on unsuspecting people in public.

As a huge fan of Adult Swim, I always thought The Eric Andre Show was a masterclass in pure, unadulterated silliness. Seriously, you never knew what was coming next – one minute Eric would be bursting through his desk, the next there’d be an actual bear on set, and then, somehow, he’d be vandalizing a police car in Times Square! What really made it work, though, was that Eric and Hannibal Buress went all in on every single bit, and that commitment just amplified the already incredible absurdity. It was hilarious!

Space Ghost Coast To Coast

Similar to The Eric Andre Show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast from 1994 poked fun at traditional late-night talk shows. But it was the show’s unique style that made it a hit. Space Ghost starred the classic Hanna-Barbera superhero, Space Ghost, who interviewed real-life celebrities using pre-recorded footage. This unusual format is what set Space Ghost apart.

As a big fan of animation and Adult Swim, I always come back to Space Ghost Coast to Coast. What really makes it special is how they blend that classic, older animation style with incredibly clever editing – they really maximize the humor in every interview. Space Ghost himself is a riot, especially his terrible treatment of the former villains he’s stuck working with on the show. It’s not quite as over-the-top as some other Adult Swim stuff, but it was truly groundbreaking and paved the way for a lot of the weird, wonderful comedy we enjoy today.

The Venture Bros.

Many consider The Venture Bros. to be Adult Swim’s most complete series. The show centers on the Venture family and their associates – including Brock Sampson and Sergeant Hatred – as they fight a colorful cast of villains like The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch. While it’s not as wildly silly as some other Adult Swim programs, it still delivers plenty of quirky humor, over-the-top action, and memorable moments.

What truly makes The Venture Bros. stand out is how much it evolved. It began as a straightforward parody of classic adventure cartoons, but quickly became a surprisingly deep and engaging series. It boasts a richly developed world, characters you genuinely care about, and storylines that are consistently clever and unexpected. That’s why The Venture Bros. is considered a classic.

2025-10-29 16:17