Adult Swim Comedy Upfront News [Venture Bros., ATHF renewed, 2005 premieres!]

[Matt Hazuda]

Was Venture Brothers renewed? What's up with their new in-house created shows? Any more anime announced?

I figured the thing would be early, but maybe I was wrong.

Mod Edit:

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/24/2005 2:19:00 PM

“Adult Swim,” Cartoon Network’s male-skewing late-night programming block, will debut five original series and four new pilots in 2005.


The block, which held its upfront at New York’s Altman Building on Thursday, March 24, will premiere 15 half-hour episodes of The Boondocks, a series based on Aaron McGruder’s well-known political comic strip, in October. Actors Regina King and John Witherspoon will lend their voices to star, with guest voices including Mos Def, Ed Asner and Charlie Murphy. Animated private-eye comedy Stroker & Hoop debuts with six episodes September 4, with six more to follow in November. American Dad joins the block in May; Squidbillies, 12oz Mouse and Perfect Hair Forever all enter the lineup in September.

Pilots for four shows in development will air in October—stop-motion series Moral Orel, live action Saul of the Mole People, CGI-animated Lucy: Daughter of the Devil and flash-animated Minori-Team. The block has also greenlighted 13 new episodes of The Venture Bros., along with a new season of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

The block, which has posted a 42% jump season to date with viewers 18-34 (averaging 399,000 viewers in the demo between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.), will begin being tracked by Nielsen as an individual network starting March 28. Its newest performer, Robot Chicken, the Sunday-night stop-motion series from actor Seth Green, has averaged 602,000 adults 18-34 in its four episodes to date—a 91% increase in the demo over its 11:30 timeslot last year.

[Beat]

Upfront is at 4:00pm. Any predictions?

[Aquadementia]

Upfront is at 4:00pm. Any predictions?
Just nutty cuckoo ones.

Android Announcer Maico 2010 will join the Sunday night line up.

[Tienshin]

May as well modify the thread title...

As Beatdigga mentioned it doesn't start until 4PM and runs until 9:30 or so this evening. But most announcements should be made by 7 ot 7:30, so we'll just have to hold tight until then.

[Matt Hazuda]

May as well modify the thread title...

As Beatdigga mentioned it doesn't start until 4PM and runs until 9:30 or so this evening. But most announcements should be made by 7 ot 7:30, so we'll just have to hold tight until then.Thanks for the info Tien. Looks like I'll be in class then if they hold off till then, so I won't find out anything till 10 when I get out. Hopefully class ends early so I won't have to wait that long.

[Timmay]

What exactly is Adult Swim Upfront?

[Tienshin]

What exactly is Adult Swim Upfront?

It's a meeting with the press and advertisers to go over the blocks direction, programming highlights (including acquisitions, new shows), ratings figures, information pertaining to the target demographic, etc. It's a pretty big deal since Adult Swim makes a few bombshell announcements.

I don't know how much that will be the case this year, since they have been pretty transparent over the last several months regarding upcoming shows and acquisitions. I would imagine they would spend a great deal of time hyping some of the new stuff that is premiering this year and touch on the success of shows like Robot Chicken, ATHF, and perhaps some more detail on American Dad and Family Guy. Outside of a decision on the Venture Bros. and perhaps maybe some information on new series I'm not sure what to expect in terms of NEW information. We'll see soon enough though.

[Lord Dalek]

It's a meeting with the press and advertisers to go over the blocks direction, programming highlights (including acquisitions, new shows), ratings figures, information pertaining to the target demographic, etc. It's a pretty big deal since Adult Swim makes a few bombshell announcements.

I don't know how much that will be the case this year, since they have been pretty transparent over the last several months regarding upcoming shows and acquisitions. I would imagine they would spend a great deal of time hyping some of the new stuff that is premiering this year and touch on the success of shows like Robot Chicken, ATHF, and perhaps some more detail on American Dad and Family Guy. Outside of a decision on the Venture Bros. and perhaps maybe some information on new series I'm not sure what to expect in terms of NEW information. We'll see soon enough though.Probably an anime announcement or something (would squeal like a 9 year old girl if they got Cromartie*).

*Well not really but in spirit.

[Rabi~en~Rose]

ratings figures? they should invite me :anime:

I guess the start time is EST so its already began? wheres the TZ insiders when we need them? and how do they stretch something like this out to five and a half hours? :eek:

[Tienshin]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v85/Tienshin/emot-siren.gif UPDATE http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v85/Tienshin/emot-siren.gif

News from Broadcast and Cable: (must have been via a press release)

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/24/2005 2:19:00 PM

“Adult Swim,” Cartoon Network’s male-skewing late-night programming block, will debut five original series and four new pilots in 2005.


The block, which held its upfront at New York’s Altman Building on Thursday, March 24, will premiere 15 half-hour episodes of The Boondocks, a series based on Aaron McGruder’s well-known political comic strip, in October. Actors Regina King and John Witherspoon will lend their voices to star, with guest voices including Mos Def, Ed Asner and Charlie Murphy. Animated private-eye comedy Stroker & Hoop debuts with six episodes September 4, with six more to follow in November. American Dad joins the block in May; Squidbillies, 12oz Mouse and Perfect Hair Forever all enter the lineup in September.

Pilots for four shows in development will air in October—stop-motion series Moral Orel, live action Saul of the Mole People, CGI-animated Lucy: Daughter of the Devil and flash-animated Minori-Team. The block has also greenlighted 13 new episodes of The Venture Bros., along with a new season of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

The block, which has posted a 42% jump season to date with viewers 18-34 (averaging 399,000 viewers in the demo between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.), will begin being tracked by Nielsen as an individual network starting March 28. Its newest performer, Robot Chicken, the Sunday-night stop-motion series from actor Seth Green, has averaged 602,000 adults 18-34 in its four episodes to date—a 91% increase in the demo over its 11:30 timeslot last year.

[Rabi~en~Rose]

nice sirens!

live action Saul of the Mole People

what

The block has also greenlighted 13 new episodes of The Venture Bros., along with a new season of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

13 is better then none! thank you AS :)

Robot Chicken, the Sunday-night stop-motion series from actor Seth Green, has averaged 602,000 adults 18-34 in its four episodes

I got 766,000 :confused:

[NickWhiz1]

The block has also greenlighted 13 new episodes of The Venture Bros.
Because someone has to do it...

GO TEAM VENTURE!!!

Now that that's out of my system, I wonder what acquisitions they will make. Given that they have 25 episodes of FMA (after the current 26 episode run), 2nd GIG, Paranoia Agent, and Samurai Champloo, as well as (still) Inuyasha, there may not be room for more acquisitions. Then again, there's always hope!

*prays for Gundam SEED Destiny in Q4 or maybe 2006 Q1*

[jlaking]

Took them long enough to annouce the renewal of VB.

[Killtacular]

what happened to family guy?

[Rabi~en~Rose]

what happened to family guy?

what happened to cartoon network? wulin warriors and its puppets is one thing but full out live action? thats not what I watch the channel for :crying:

[Killtacular]

Bye bye Sealab, only five people will miss you.

[livingfruitvirus]

So in short -

NEW SHOWS:
- The Boondocks
- Stroker and Hoop
- American Dad
- 12 Oz. Mouse
- Perfect Hair Forever

NEW PILOTS:
- Minoriteam
- Saul of the Mole People
- Lucy: Daughter of the Devil

RENEWALS:
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- The Venture Bros.
- Family Guy
- Tom Goes to the Mayor
- Harvey Birdman

CANCELLATIONS:
- Sealab 2021

[Demonic Raven]

Venture is back(officially), and Sealab is dead. Oh, what a happy day. *sniff*:crying:

[Sandoz]

Huzzah for the Venture Bros. renewal, huzzah for the Sealab cancelation. I'm looking forward to more Aqua Teens as well, and it should be interesting to see how they'll make a series out of Perfect Hair Forever.

[Beat]

SEALAB IS CANCELLED!


http://www.bictody.com/image_BattAttV_gumi01.jpg

VICTORY!

Seems pretty quiet on the anime front so far. Team Venture coming back is a big plus though.

[Artimus Gigan]

Hey were's the Squidbillies?

[Tienshin]

Hey were's the Squidbillies?

It's premiering in September just like the article says you...you article skimmer. :mad:

[Don_East]

This is the best day of my life. :D

[PaQ]

Nice to see official confirmation of more Venture Bros. finally come out. That show definitely has a lot more story to tell. :D

[The Landstander]

VB renewed is great but the waiting for the "official" word has reduced what would've been a joyous celebration into "yay".

Sealab, meh.

The new stuff is mixed. Boondocks should be interesting, at least; Stroker & Hoop needs to get a lot better from the pilot; and I don't know what to say about 12 oz. Mouse. Perfect Hair Forever worked great as an internet joke, but not so much on it's own, so..... =\

Hopefully Lucy will be decent. Not interested in Minoriteam. "Live action" Saul of the Mole People is...curious. Should be an interesting year at least.

[Sketch]

Death to Sealab! HOORAY!!!

Honestly they should have ended it before introducing the new captain. Goz (God bless his soul) was pretty much the only thing the show had going for it.

VB is here to stay! Woot!!!

The rest... Well whatever. Hopefully some of it will be entertaining.

[Nik Jam]

there is JUSTICE! in VB and Sealab news

[Tienshin]

I was hoping VB would get a full 26 episode commitment, but hey good news is good news. I have high hopes for the Boondocks and hopefully Strooker and Hoop can make a Venture Bros type leap in quality from the pilot to the production episodes.

The pilots look to be some of the most experimental stuff AS has tried since rolling out the grandfathers of the block (ATHF, Sealab, Brak) It will be interesting to see what will make the final cut.

Overall mighty fine news. 2005 will keep on kicking ass.

[Matthew Williams]

We got the full Turner release a few hours ago. It goes more into detail on what was announced:

Adult Swim Unloads New Slate at Upfront
Five Original Series to Debut in 2005, Joining Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force,
Robot Chicken and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law in Late Night Line-up
At its Upfront presentation in New York today, Adult Swim announced a number of new series, new seasons and greenlights of existing series, airdates for previously announced series and pilots in production. Following are the highlights:
New Series
* The Boondocks: This previously announced series, based on the award-winning comic strip from series executive producer Aaron McGruder, will premiere in October. Cartoon Network has ordered 15 half-hour episodes of the series, and, like the comic strip, The Boondocks is a provocative family-based comedy brimming with social relevance and satire. When Robert "Granddad" Freeman becomes legal guardian of his rambunctious grandkids, he moves from the south side of Chicago to the quiet and safety of "The Boondocks" (in this case, suburban Woodcrest), hoping that he can ignore them altogether and enjoy the fourth quarter of his life in peace. But Huey, a 10-year-old left-wing revolutionary, is determined not to enjoy the affluence of suburbia. This attitude is seconded by his 8-year-old brother, Riley, a proud product of contemporary rap culture who lives only to spread chaos and mayhem. Although they torture each other and provoke the neighborhood, they are no match for G!
randdad, who is eccentric even by "crazy-ass-old-black-man" standards.
* Stroker & Hoop: This new Williams St. series from creators Casper Kelly and Jeff Olsen will premiere in September. Stroker & Hoop makes its series debut with six new episodes following the misadventures of John Stroker, a private eye still mastering the art of lock-picking, car hood-sliding and keeping his gun from falling out of his waistband when he bends over at the grocery store. Together with his partner Hoop, a self-proclaimed master of disguise, and his disobedient talking hatchback named CARR, Stroker is willing to help anyone dumb enough to respond to his 1/8-page ad in the yellow pages. An additional six new episodes of Stroker & Hoop will air in November.
* American Dad: Stan Smith is an American patriot, vigilantly fighting the war on terror as a CIA agent. That war never ends for him, even at home. This causes problems for his doting but independent-thinking wife, Francine, liberal daughter, Hayley, and awkward son, Steve, not to mention the other family members, Roger, an alien rescued from Area 51, and the German-speaking goldfish, Klaus. American Dad will join Adult Swim in May.
* Squidbillies: This new series, from Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Dave Willis and The Brak Show co-creator Jim Fortier, will premiere in September. In Squidbillies, a family of cephalopods stranded in the North Georgia mountains raise hell and anger local officials. Six episodes will air in 2005.
* 12oz Mouse: Fond of beer and caught in a world of espionage and love, 12oz Mouse unknowingly delights in odd jobs. Six episodes have been ordered. The series, from Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Matt Maiellaro, will premiere in September.
* Perfect Hair Forever: This new series from Williams St. chronicles the adventures of a young, bald boy in a mystical land as he seeks perfect hair. Six episodes are currently in production. Perfect Hair Forever will premiere in September.

Greenlights of Existing Series
* The Venture Bros.: Doc Venture can barely stand his sons, twins Hank and Dean. But tolerate them, he must, as The Venture Bros., an animated action-comedy from creator Jackson Publick III, will return with 13 new episodes, currently slated for early 2006. Brock Samson, the cold-blooded killer and former government agent, serves as the family's bodyguard and alpha male.
* Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Adult Swim's first original hit series has been renewed for another season, taking it through episode 75.

New Pilots in Development
* Moral Orel - Important lessons are learned in this stop-motion series from Dino Stamotopolis, a writer on Mr. Show and TV Funhouse. The pilot will air in October.
* Saul of the Mole People - Saul is an American explorer who proudly plants his flag deep inside the earth's core. While there, he encounters the Mole People, who do not understand his ways. Created by Craig Lewis, who has written for such Cartoon Network original series as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, the show features live actors and costumed characters in a style reminiscent of series like Land of the Lost and The Banana Splits. Saul of the Mole People will premiere in October.
* Lucy: Daughter of the Devil - Lucy is a young girl who just moved to San Francisco. Her father, who happens to be Satan, is understandably concerned, particularly after she starts dating a guy named Jesus (pronounced in the Spanish manner). Lucy: Daughter of the Devil, created using CGI animation and set for an October premiere, comes from Loren Bouchard, producer of Home Movies and Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist, and stars Jon Benjamin (the voice of Coach McGuirk on Home Movies) as the Devil.
* Minori-Team: A team of superheroes, composed exclusively of members of minority groups, joins forces to fight against discrimination. Jewcano, Fasto, Dr. Wang, El Jeffe and Quickstop use the power of racial stereotypes to right societal wrongs, one slur at a time. This pilot will air in October and was created by Alex de la Pena, Todd Peters and Peter Gerardi.

New Seasons of Returning Series
* Family Guy: New episodes of the Emmy-winning series from Seth McFarlane will return to Adult Swim in June under a unique agreement between Adult Swim and Fox Broadcasting Company. Fox will air new episodes of the once-canceled series in prime time; later that week, replays will appear during late night on Adult Swim. In Family Guy, the tightly wound Griffin family sticks together despite many challenges in this fast-moving animated comedy.
* Tom Goes to The Mayor: This Adult Swim original series, created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, will return with eight new episodes about provincial thinking and over-exuberant civic pride on Sunday, April 17. Tom brings his ludicrous proposals to The Mayor of the sleepy small town of Jefferton, who invariably endorses them. Then
things go badly. Bob Odenkirk serves as executive producer.
* Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law will return for a new season on July 24. Harvey, the only former superhero at a snazzy law firm, represents cartoon characters in legal limbo. His boss, Phil Ken Sebben, is probably insane. An old foe, X the Eliminator, is trying to assassinate him. On top of all that, his personal life is a mess. Still, he gets to wear the cowl. Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law premiered in 2001.
* Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Three life-size food products, Meatwad, Master Shake and Frylock, live together in a rental house in New Jersey. Weird things happen to them. A new season will begin in December.
Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s network dedicated to edgy animated comedy and action series, both original and acquired, airing Saturday-Thursday from 11 p.m-6 a.m. (ET, PT). Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, home to the best in original, classic and acquired programming for children and families, and is seen in 87.6 million U.S. homes.

[James Bester]

Alright! Concrete proof that Venture Bros. has been renewed. Great news about ATHF too. I don't know about all of these pilots though. Sorry, but the only adult swim original I've enjoyed is ATHF. Hopefully the pilots will turn out better than the later seasons of Sealab and Tom Goes to The Mayor.

[Zyzzybalubah]

So in short -

NEW SHOWS:
- The Boondocks
- Stroker and Hoop
- American Dad
- 12 Oz. Mouse
- Perfect Hair Forever

NEW PILOTS:
- Minoriteam
- Saul of the Mole People
- Lucy: Daughter of the Devil

RENEWALS:
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- The Venture Bros.
- Family Guy
- Tom Goes to the Mayor
- Harvey Birdman

CANCELLATIONS:
- Sealab 2021
Yay for the renewals (especially Venture Bros. and Tom, great for the other 3 too but we already knew for those), pilots sound interesting (live-action Saul? um...), The Boondocks sounds cool (JOHN WITHERSPOON!) and I just hope Stroker, American Dad, and Perfect Hair get better. No opinion yet on 12 oz. Mouse.

As for Sealab, it had a good run but yeah I think it's time for it to end. The anime acquistions/announcements sound damn good too!

[The Koopinator]

GO TEAM VEN-


Woah, woah, wait. They're dead.


GO BROCK SAMPSON, I guess.


And hooray for no more Sealab.

[shoujoaifan]

A live-action show paying homage to old shows like Land of the Lost and the Bananna Splits? Cool.

A live-action show paying homage to old shows like Land of the Lost and the Bananna Splits on ADULT SWIM? What? Sure, AS is now separate from CN, but c'mon. The Wulin puppets are one thing, not to mention puppetry has been dying out for decades, so I'm okay with it in a kinda pity way where you try to act like you're not being condescending, but that's how you feel. This? Its sounds funny, but I hope live-action doesn't take over........

I'll have to comment on the rest when I get the chance, but Boondocks, 12 Oz. Mouse, Stroker and Hoop, even Saul, and all the anime already annouced? Sounds Sweet.

[Maestro]

Is Sealab completely gone or is it just gone for the rest of the year? New episodes are still airing.

[Beat]

I must dissent against live-action on Cartoon Network. I'm not supporting the kung-fu puppets, and I'm not supporting this either.

[Nik Jam]

its not CANCELLED but if there was going to be a new season after this they would have said so. Maybe there's no new season after this one for a whole year? Well, that's a silver medal for CN.

[Pepperidge]

Glad to hear the second season of VB confirmed. I'll be perfectly content if the show ends with 26 episodes, since a third season will likely be pushing it.

[NewLib]

Likely be pushing it how? This isnt an action/drama which needs a set limit of episodes and not to last forever. Its a comedy. As long its funny who cares how weird the plot gets.

[Sir T. Ghostal]

Bye bye Sealab, only five people will miss you
I'm one of em :shrug: R.I.P Sealab.

Anyways, I dont like the sound of Saul Of The Mole People. Live action? Just dont like the idea.

* Perfect Hair Forever: This new series from Williams St. chronicles the adventures of a young, bald boy in a mystical land as he seeks perfect hair.
lol... that just sounds so funny. I cant believe PHF is becoming a series. I liked the first one though so I'm looking forward to the new ones.

Prerry awesome news. New VB is a relief, I would be really pissed if they didnt renew it. Only thing I dont like is the cancellation of Sealab. But I dont blame them, no one like it.

[Djm912]

So the Boondocks is actually in the future. I know it normally takes about 6 years for an animation pilot to be completed and bought by a network, so I feel like I've been waiting that long. And among the list of guests is none other than. . . CHARLIE MURPHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! DARKNESS HIMSELF!!!

Anyway, Sealab is going away for a while, which is a good, long overdue thing. And. . yeah, good for everyone else that got what they wanted, too.

[EightOh]

VB renewed is great but the waiting for the "official" word has reduced what would've been a joyous celebration into "yay". On the bright side, it can be a very joyous "yay."

Like this:

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lord Trunks]

Intersting news about Sealab, I "liked" couple of episodes, otherwise it didn't work for me, I expected that Sealab would be cancelled shortly after the departure of Captain Murphy.

[GMB]

VB getting renewed . . .well, as Landstander implied, by dragging their feet they've set a pretty big hurdle for the show. But hey, sometimes it's like Vegas--you feel like you won if all you did was break even so, I say "OO-RAH!" :)

As for Sealab (hopefully) exploding for the last time, I'll confine myself to saying, "Our long national nightmare is finally over."

[Chad Bonin]

Bye bye Sealab, only five people will miss you.::Raises hand::
To all of you hating on the end of Sealab, remember this when one of your favorite shows gets cancelled. It could be Venture Bros., it could be Robot Chicken, whatever. Shows with questionable fanbases still have fanbases.

So says "He Who Smokes *****es".

[Daikun]

live action Saul of the Mole People
Please tell me that's a joke. :eek:

[Rabi~en~Rose]

I have the feeling this VB second season is an AS-be-nice-Big-O-style sendoff for the fans unless it does especially well don't you think?

[GMB]

I have the feeling this VB second season is an AS-be-nice-Big-O-style sendoff for the fans unless it does especially well don't you think?

It's either that or due to the time factor in producing episodes. I have no idea and refuse to speculate, because as Knux pointed out

To all of you hating on the end of Sealab, remember this when one of your favorite shows gets cancelled. It could be Venture Bros., it could be Robot Chicken, whatever. Shows with questionable fanbases still have fanbases.


. . .someone always hits the showers as the loser. IF VB got renewed at all, I have a feeling it was more in spite of, not because of, ratings.

Still, considering I was girding myself for VB getting the axe out of spite for the 11PM test-run not performing to expectations, even if this is just an encore before the final curtain call, it's a gift. :)

[livingfruitvirus]

Everyone sure is skeptical about Venture Bros. hanging around. In AS's latest ratings PR, they praised the performances of ATHF, Venture, and Robot Chicken since their premieres, and totally ignored Tom's and Sealab's performances.

[Discloner]

Everyone sure is skeptical about Venture Bros. hanging around. Hi! Welcome to the Adult Swim board. Where nothing is good enough to be true. ;)

[Arxane]

. . .someone always hits the showers as the loser. IF VB got renewed at all, I have a feeling it was more in spite of, not because of, ratings. You do know a recent rerun of Venture Brothers got close to 700k viewers (http://venture.mancubus.net/article.php?id=49), right?

[Master Moron]

::Raises hand::
To all of you hating on the end of Sealab, remember this when one of your favorite shows gets cancelled. It could be Venture Bros., it could be Robot Chicken, whatever. Shows with questionable fanbases still have fanbases.

So says "He Who Smokes *****es".

Is cancellation really that bad for a show that's been around 4 years? It's had a good run. It's losing steam though and I think it's time for it to go. I've never really been one of those anti Sealab people who absolutely hates every episode that came out for the past 3 years, but I can definitely see that the show isn't as good as it used to be and it's time for the series to go. As much as I like Robot Chicken, if the quality begins to go down in a few years then I'd rather see it cancelled on a high note than dragged out to a slow and agonizing end.

[GMB]

You do know a recent rerun of Venture Brothers got close to 700k viewers (http://venture.mancubus.net/article.php?id=49), right?

Yeeeeeesss, I do. :)

I also know being grateful for each new ep that rolls in is hardly a bad way to be, is it?

[Perfect Cell]

Bye bye Sealab, only five people will miss you.'


I know i will. Especially when i change the channel during The Magnificent Tom Goes to the Mayor. Terrible Show with Terrible Ratings.

[Juu-kuchi]

Adieu Sealab 2021. The soul died with Harry Goz, and the attempt to reinstill it with life was one that was noble and with effort (in some but not all instances). Alas, it is not the case, and you must be set free.

But in this mourning there is hope because Venture Bros. gets another season. In the case of the new shows, we'll see if I like what is going also premiere later this year.

[LordByronius]

HALLAY-*******-LOO-YAH

News like this deserves the biggest swear possible. Thank you thankyou thankyou O Ye Gods of TV for giving me more Team Venture.

[shoujoaifan]

I won't be heartbroken when Sealab leaves, but I will miss what it COULD have been. Yeah, I know the Sealab guys said they were still trying to find themselves in the early episodes and found their niche later on, but even, the later S1 episodes and early S2 episodes were a good blend of the dialagou they were good at and some sight gags.

Hell, even Shanks had some good moments when written well. Honestly, compare him to Murphy. REALLY comapre the two. I love Harry Goz as much as the next person, but the two characters' dynamics were virtually the same, EXCEPT for Murphy's lovable childish side which Shanks did indeed lack.

Did I think the last few seasons have been just as good as S1 and early S2. ****ING HELL NO! But it was "improving". Quality is in the eye of the beholder. If it makes anyone feel at all better over how subjective things are (including my lame post trying to prove, ah......something. I don't know), compare the plot and lines of some of the better of the newer episodes with some of late S1/early S2 episodes. Not a whole lot of difference.

But it has run it course. They getting slighly better most of the time, and even an occasional gold episode (the Amazing Voyage spoof/Talkshow spoof/slam on Christian Scientists/a dash of SW spoof was classic early Sealab), but they keep holding themselves back, and the creative juices have been dried for awhile.

Oh well. Aidios amigo. Until the final explosion:

"Make Mine Marvel! Excelsior!"

Er, I mean, what everyone else is saying:

"He Who Smokes *****es!"

[candy17]

So in short -

NEW SHOWS:
- The Boondocks
- Stroker and Hoop
- American Dad
- 12 Oz. Mouse
- Perfect Hair Forever

NEW PILOTS:
- Minoriteam
- Saul of the Mole People
- Lucy: Daughter of the Devil

RENEWALS:
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- The Venture Bros.
- Family Guy
- Tom Goes to the Mayor
- Harvey Birdman

CANCELLATIONS:
- Sealab 2021
This doesn't seem that bad. That "Saul of the Mole People" show isn't the first time that CN has aired live action. What about all those times they aired "The Banana Splits" or that movie "Osmosis Jones"?

Anyway, I'll miss SeaLab 2021, though I think it should have ended when the voice of Captain Murphy died.

And they're renewing ATHF and Family Guy? Cool!:D

Now, is American Dad going to be on FOX or CN (or is it going to air on FOX and repeat on CN like FG is doing) because I liked it, but not as much as FG. AD seems to be the reverse of FG; crazy family with less flashback jokes (whereas FG is a seemingly sane family with flashback jokes)

Anyway, AS is the only reason why I watch CN (I usually watch Comedy Central for the stand-up shows, the reruns of cancelled cartoons [like Duckman, Kid Notorious, and The Critic], and South Park, CNBC for Conan O'Brien reruns and the first half of The Dennis Miller Show, and E! for the Saturday Night Live reruns and True Hollywood Story) so if they can keep from screwing it up, I'll keep watching.

[Obi]

What is it with CN and wanting to air non-animation this year? First Wulin Warriors and now Saul of the Mole People...

[Demonic Raven]

Even Robot's stop motion was kind of pushing it, but that's where I draw the line.

[Artimus Gigan]

From what I gather, Saul of The Mole people is gonna be like Sesame street, with puppets and all of that...

[livingfruitvirus]

From what I gather, Saul of The Mole people is gonna be like Sesame street, with puppets and all of that...More like Banana Splits. With costumed characters, animated stop motion features and interspersed animated shorts. Don't forget it's only a pilot.

[Artimus Gigan]

More like Banana Splits. With costumed characters, animated stop motion features and interspersed animated shorts. Don't forget it's only a pilot.Ah my bad I confused Banana Splits with Bananas in Pajamas

because BIP is more like Sesame Street

[Arxane]

Don't forget it's only a pilot.
So was Stroker and Hoop...and that got greenlit. :evil:

[/remembers virtually everyone hating the pilot]

[Wanted]

This Saul of the Mole People show might be a good thing for Adult Swim.

Think about it: it's not like Adult Swim goes around touting the Cartoon Network logo. Actually, the only time they do is when they mention that the block airs on the Cartoon Network.

And, this could also be well for the expansion of Adult Swim from a block to a full-fledged channel. They already have the separate ratings thing. Now, Adult Swim could be the next TNT.

After all, wouldn't you like to see a sports broadcast on Adult Swim? Just get some funny sportscasters to make cracks during the game.

This would also mean that Adult Swim could expand from just animation to animation and live-action, but also making a divide between the two. Not too much live-action and just enough animation. Anime for a good part of the night, and comedy also for a good part. Live-action comedy and action programming (live-action action basically consisting of movies) would reign during the daytime, just so animation could get as far as it could.

It's an idea, but could be a reality one day. Just not today. Or tomorrow. Don't even think about it happening on Sunday, either.

[livingfruitvirus]

Think about it: it's not like Adult Swim goes around touting the Cartoon Network logo. Actually, the only time they do is when they mention that the block airs on the Cartoon Network.
It does. Every show on Adult Swim does, in some way, mention or credit Cartoon Network. They all say copyright Cartoon Network. Aqua Teen, Space Ghost, Tom, and Robot Chicken have that skull logo with the CN logo in its teeth. Sealab 2021 has a big CN logo at the end and so did Brak Show. Venture Bros. says "The Cartoon Network presents..." in its opener.

[Freedom Fighter]

Venture Brothers renewal... finally! Like the show, hopefully they'll improve the writing a notch and make Season 2 even better!

Live-action 'Saul'... what? Right now, someone's gonna have to convince me that a pilot for such a show on Cartoon Network is worth it! Heck, right now, it's probably not even worth watching drunk!

New season of Aqua Teen... joy! Have not really watched much of the past season, but my younger brother (who only got hooked on the show a few months ago) reigniting my love for it and helped me remember that ATHF was and still is the only 15-minute AS original worth sitting through minute-for-minute.

Sealab going bye-bye... yeah? Actually, I liked Sealab back at the beginning. Back when they were only slightly controversial, back when seeing the lab blow up every week was still funny. Now, they just push the envelope for the saking of pushing it, and most of the newer episodes I've seen ellicit more groans than laughs from me. Talk about a prime example of a show with promise turning into a piece of utter crap.

Everything else... eh. Anyone willing to try and convince me any of the other AS-original renewals or upcoming pilots are worth watching?

[tigerrunner]

Venture Brothers is coming back, Sealab is cancelled (or at least taking a nice long hiatus), Harvey Birdman is new in July, and all is right with the world.

And on to the pilots and assorted new shows:
I guess I'm in the minority here when I say that I don't have a problem with Saul of the Mole People; I don't really care that it's live action... to be honest I think it's a nice idea (just as long as they don't go overboard with it). Plus, it's only i pilot.

12 oz. Mouse sounds like it'll go the same route as ATHF- it'll have it's original premise (doing odd jobs, etc.) and then just devolve into completely random stuff happening in each episode.

I wasn't really interested in Lucy: Daughter of the Devil until I found out who's working on it: folks from Home Movies. Now I'm excited.

Minori-Team seems like a cheap way to cram as much shock humor they can into a show to be edgy. It'll probably suck. However, if The Boondocks is anything like the comic strip, I think we might have something here.

[Wanted]

It does. Every show on Adult Swim does, in some way, mention or credit Cartoon Network. They all... copyright Cartoon Network. Aqua Teen, Space Ghost, Tom, and Robot Chicken have that skull logo with the CN logo in its teeth. Sealab 2021 has a big CN logo at the end and so did Brak Show. Venture Bros. says "The Cartoon Network presents..." in its opener.Eh... beat again. But, of course they're going to show the copyright holder. DUH, Toonmaster.

And the boxes, all show the Cartoon Network's logo on the back.

[Sir T. Ghostal]

How come they didn't mention the shows they brought up in the cards earlier, like Frenchman's Bend or Superjail?
(http://asfdotcom.net/prodcards.html)

[livingfruitvirus]

How come they didn't mention the shows they brought up in the cards earlier, like Frenchman's Bend or Superjail?
(http://asfdotcom.net/prodcards.html)Because they are only ideas optioned for development. They're not pilots yet, and may not ever become pilots. So they're not really important.

[Happy]

Good bye Sealab. That show went downhill way too quickly. (and I didn't really think that it should have stopped when Goz died, I thought it should have stopped when it ceased to be funny, so that would be Season 2)

[Vin]

I was at the upfront and they said that there are eight episodes of Sealab in production, but I don't know if they meant leftovers from another season or what.

I posted an analysis of the upfront here (http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=674), btw. I met and chatted with Seth Green (Robot Chicken), Matthew Senreich (Robot Chicken), Jackson Publick (The Venture Bros), Dave Willis (ATHF, Space Ghost), Tim Heidecker (Tom Goes to the Mayor), and Eric Wareheim (Tom Goes to the Mayor), all of whom were very, very cool. I was surprised how down to earth they all were. Seth even relayed a story to me about how he was starstruck meeting Phyllis Diller, and I was thinking "Yeah, I know the feeling."

BTW, none of the action/anime shows were announced at the upfront. I'm assuming that was announced online somewhere.

[Master Moron]

I guess I'm in the minority here when I say that I don't have a problem with Saul of the Mole People; I don't really care that it's live action... to be honest I think it's a nice idea (just as long as they don't go overboard with it). Plus, it's only i pilot.


I agree with you. I don't understand why everyone is always up in arms whenever Cartoon Network airs any live action. I mean, I know the Cartoon Network is about cartoons, but do Animal Planet viewers get pissed off whenever they air something that doesn't have animals? And no, to be honest, I don't watch Animal Planet very often so I don't know if they've ever aired anything that doesn't have animals...hmmm...Sci-Fi channel airs some shows that aren't really sci-fi, I wonder if Sci-Fi fans get pissed off about that...

[livingfruitvirus]

...hmmm...Sci-Fi channel airs some shows that aren't really sci-fi, I wonder if Sci-Fi fans get pissed off about that...Oh they do. It even started the trend of calling them the "Anything But" Network.

I personally am tired of seeing channels break their formats. One after the other. Toon Disney, which has only been around for a few years, wasted no time in airing a live action series for an hour a day. Tech TV aired plenty of shows that were not tech related whatsoever. G4 I guess calls themselves "TV For Gamers" and not "TV About Games" so they can work around that. The Learning Channel is becoming the reality channel. TBS, which is supposed to be a comedy network, plays football games (but radio does that all the time too). And so on.

[Demonic Raven]

Oh they do. It even started the trend of calling them the "Anything But" Network.

I personally am tired of seeing channels break their formats. One after the other. Toon Disney, which has only been around for a few years, wasted no time in airing a live action series for an hour a day. Tech TV aired plenty of shows that were not tech related whatsoever. G4 I guess calls themselves "TV For Gamers" and not "TV About Games" so they can work around that. The Learning Channel is becoming the reality channel. TBS, which is supposed to be a comedy network, plays football games (but radio does that all the time too). And so on. I'm getting a bit tired of this as well. Cartoon Network has always been good about staying inbetween the lines. Fridays isn't a big deal, but a full blown live-action show is really too far.

We can blame MTV for starting this trend.

[SpaceCowboy]

AS should do something more experimental with live-action, like something akin to Most Extreme Challenge.:evil:

[Scythemantis]

What is Wulin Warriors?

Saul of the Mole People sounds extremely interesting. Who really cares if it's not a "cartoon?"

This doesn't seem that bad. That "Saul of the Mole People" show isn't the first time that CN has aired live action. What about all those times they aired "The Banana Splits" or that movie "Osmosis Jones"?

You forgot "Big Bag!" That consisted of far more live action than both of those, and it was a CN original. It was for the preschool crowd and starred a puppet of a tote bag that spoke through high-pitched squealing.

And no, to be honest, I don't watch Animal Planet very often so I don't know if they've ever aired anything that doesn't have animals

Is there such a thing anywhere as a show that's never, ever had animals in it? Other than cartoons starring nothing but robots or inanimate objects?

[Wanted]

I'd be a fool if I didn't say Megas.

[livingfruitvirus]

AS should do something more experimental with live-action, like something akin to Most Extreme Challenge.:evil:no

[Demonic Raven]

What is Wulin Warriors? It's a show confirmed for Toonami. The reason for bringing it up here is that it's composed almost entirely of puppets.

[Beat]

And it also looks really, really, really stupid.

So Sealab is dead. Will 70/30 get a chance to make a proper finale ala Brak, or will they fade into the void of cancelled shows with no such task? I have the feeling if they get the former, Sealab will go out in a blaze of sour grapes and anime bashing.

[Spike Mcdougal]

Ok I wanna know why people here turned on Sealab? It seems like after Shanks appeared everyone was saying that the show was going down the toilet

[The Landstander]

Ok I wanna know why people here turned on Sealab? It seems like after Shanks appeared everyone was saying that the show was going down the toiletAfter Shanks appeared the show went down the toliet. =P

Actually I thought it started to go down a bit before. Season 3 was a gradual decline, after that I just didn't like it. And some people agree (some people still stick by the show, though).

[Master Moron]

Ok I wanna know why people here turned on Sealab? It seems like after Shanks appeared everyone was saying that the show was going down the toilet


Because Murphy WAS Sealab. Doing Sealab without Murphy is like doing Harvey Birdman without Harvey.

[GMB]

Ok I wanna know why people here turned on Sealab? It seems like after Shanks appeared everyone was saying that the show was going down the toilet

Three main things, for me, anyways.

One, losing Goz. Not their fault, but continuing without him was like trying to do ATHF without Shake. Barely works, if at all.

Two, moving away from character-specific stuff like "Happy Cake" more into the realm of non-sequitur ATHF-style humour. Didn't really work for Sealab, no matter how hard they tried to force it on the show.

Three, reusing plots to the point they became lifeless husks of lifeless husks. How many Hollywood parodies and variations on the premise of "Feng Shui" can one show bear?

There are more reasons, but really, those three I usually point to as being points on the downward turn.

[charmuse]

You know, I do not post much, but I was TOTALLY sweating VB not being renewed..I just think it is such a brilliant show...all the silence and delays made me really nervous..as well as the ratings at some points.


REALLY happy now.:sweat: :D

WHEW
HMB

[charmuse]

Shanks never lived up to Murphy..but I felt a need to watch over him being Harry's son...and the shark thing was inane (and gross quite franky).

There are still small gems to mined but it is not the great show it used to be.

HMB:shrug:

After Shanks appeared the show went down the toliet. =P

Actually I thought it started to go down a bit before. Season 3 was a gradual decline, after that I just didn't like it. And some people agree (some people still stick by the show, though).

[Perfect Cell]

I didnt turn on Sealab its still funyer than some of the stuff they did keep. I guess the "anime bashing" offends people or something. I dont know

[Happy]

Shanks' VA always seemed competent, so I will place the blame squarely on the writers. "Flipper penis" isn't funny and not even Goz could have changed that.

[bluedeucedodge]

Well, they gave some good news and some bad news. Most of it was for the good with the exception of Sealab. As I have stated before, I am a supporter of the show, but I realize that many people have grown tired or annoyed with it, so I understand AS's reasons to discontinue it. I will just have to enjoy the remaining episodes, and the re-runs of the old ones. Plus, I will purchase the DVD's when they are released. Anyways, on to the GOOD news. It is great that Venture Brothers has been renewed. I think it would have pissed a lot of people off if AS did not renew it. I would have been one of the ones that would have been peeved. But alas, they did renew it and we can all hope that it will become that ratings giant that so many wish it could be. Now we wait for the third and fourth seasons to be announced.:sweat: New ATHF is always good news for ATHF fans. I think that the show still has 2 or 3 more good seasons left in the tank. And with the announcement of the ATHF movie being released, I don't see the stock falling in the near future. Overall, I believe that these will be strong moves on behalf of AS with the cancellation of Sealab, and the renewal of the Venture Bros. and ATHF. With all of the new shows that AS has announced will be in the future line up, I can only hope that it is the reason for bringing Sealab to a halt. Who knows, kthey may take a break from making it this year, and continue with new episodes next year. We will just have to wait and see. If they choose to just end the show altogether, I will be dissapointed, but I realize that the show has had a good run, and has had it's time in the spotlight.

[Jaguar]

Great to see that there will be more VB and that Sealab has been put out of its misery.
A lot of the new stuff doesn't sound that great to me, but ah well.
Other than these, overall somewhat predictable, though.

[Regus]

What a bitter sweet announcement, on the one hand we get more ventures and no more sealab, but on the other they've actually decided to make more episodes of Perfect Hair Forever, which was some of the worst drivel to ever ooze out of adult swim.