# Is it me, or is "Adult Swim" getting stupider? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464 "2002-11-19T04:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/1 "2002-11-19T04:42:31Z")
I used to look forward to “Adult Swim” on cartoon network every Sunday night. I still do, actually…but regardless, the quality of the writing seems to be getting dumber. Or weirder. Or both. “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” is still generally funny. I’m largely disappointed in “Sealab 2021” lately: it might be funny for the first 5 minutes, but then it just gets odd for the rest of the show. (Case in point: last night’s episode with the Bizzarro clones. That damn chicken-clone of Quinn just creeped the bejeezus out of me. It wasn’t funny, it was just…odd.) Oddly, “The Brak Show” IS getting funnier–which doesn’t make sense, because normally Brak is just weird. I found last night’s episode to be the funniest yet, perhaps because it finally tied the show together with the Space Ghost mythos. Oh, and the other shows (“Ripping Friends,” “Oblongs,” etc.) generally suck. Am I alone on this? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/2 "2002-11-19T04:53:41Z")
There’s a Space Ghost “mythos”? I like the Oblongs a lot. This show is so funny it hurts. I have to tape each episode and watch only five minutes at a time while under the supervision of a physician. Aqua Team Hunger Force, on the other hand, is pretty stupid. Except for the mad scientist guy at the beginning of every episode, which is usually the best joke in the episode. SeaLab is usually pretty good. Missed last night’s episode, though. Ripping Friends I’m not sure about yet. I need to see more episodes before I make up my mind. The Brak Show I don’t like. Weird for the sake of weird. Which normally I’m okay with, but in this case is just poorly done. Anyway, as long as they have Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, I have no complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/3 "2002-11-19T05:05:48Z")
I missed last night’s Adult Swim, so I don’t know what happened. However, I’ve noticed that the quality seems to be suffering. The two newer shows they’ve added in, _The Ripping Friends_ and _Groovedia_ (I’m not sure on that one), really turn me off. I don’t see anything remotely entertaining in either show, to be honest. And _The Ripping Friends_ really bugs me since they seem to think that any and every disgusting gag that gets thrown in will automatically be funny. _The Oblongs_ is all right, but I have to be in the mood to be willing to sit through it. I think _Sealab 2021_ is still doing great, as is _Aqua Teen Hunger Force_. I’m finding myself tuning in more to watch _The Brak Show_, so I obviously think it’s doing better. By the way, is it just me or did they switch voice actors for Mother? Her voice sounds different now. I’m still liking _Home Movies_, but I did wind up turning the channel about halfway through last night’s episode. I didn’t think it was all that good an episode (from what I saw). I really miss _Mission Hill_ and _Harvey Birdman_, which haven’t been on the line-up down here for almost a month now. What gives with that? ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/4 "2002-11-19T05:12:31Z")
I don’t like the Ripping Friends, but then I was never a Ren & Stimpy fan, either. Sea Lab is still fun; it helps that it’s only 15 minutes. Just about anything is tolerable for 15 minutes. That Groovedians program was just painful, though. They don’t still make Space Ghost, do they? Seems like I haven’t seen a new episode in… years? Mission Hill took some warming up to, but I liked it. Oblongs, too. Did you notice that these programs’ copyright dates are 2000 and 2001? I guess Cartoon Network is buying up series that other networks dumped. I wonder if they’ll make new ones? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/5 "2002-11-19T05:14:51Z")
I only watch the weeks they play Aqua Teen Hunger Force and The Brak Show, which seems fairly often. Otherwise, I wouldn’t tune in before Space Ghost airs. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/6 "2002-11-19T05:41:11Z")
The Ripping Friends sucks. And I was a Ren & Stimpy fan, too. I loved Mission Hill. Harvey Birdman and Aquateen Hunger Force are my favorites right now, but the “Three Hams” episode of The Brak Show is probably one of the funniest cartoons of any shown on Adult Swim. And whatever happened to the dancing Aquaman bits they used to put between shows? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/7 "2002-11-19T05:44:56Z")
I love Home Movies, like Sealab, tolerate Aqua Teen and Brak, and ignore the rest. I like Space Ghost, but I’ve seen every episode already. Except, I think this week’s was new. Space Ghost was complaining about how Brak’s show was doing so well, etc, etc. It was pretty funny. Anyway, the shows I like have been pretty consistent in quality, IMHO. The Renaissance Fair episode of Home Movies a few weeks back was hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/8 "2002-11-19T06:07:13Z")
Sealab is always funny, but weird. I loved the Predator episode, just for its sheer oddness. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is hit-or-miss most nights. The Mooninites are funny when they appear, but otherwise the show seems to fall apart. We need new Space Ghost episodes. Now. At least they’re picking up the entire run of Futurama, meaning people will finally be able to watch it. Sucks that there won’t be any new ones, though. Home Movies wasn’t that funny on UPN, so I have trouble watching now on CN. Sometimes it’s funny though. Haven’t really watched the other shows, but the episodes of The Oblongs I saw weren’t too bad. I think Will Ferrell can be funny in small doses, though, so take that for what it means. -brianjedi ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/9 "2002-11-19T07:31:08Z")
Since I became a member of the Brotherhood of TiVo I don’t have to watch the entire block of shows anymore, so I just record “Home Movies,” “Harvey Birdman,” and “Sealab 2021.” “Home Movies” is the best show they’ve got, IMO. Even the episodes that aren’t hilariously funny are just a pleasure to watch. I don’t know how to describe it other than that; I love the characters, the music, and the delivery. “Sealab 2021” has the Williams Street/Ghost Planet syndrome of being weird for weird’s sake instead of really funny. But when it works, it’s brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/10 "2002-11-19T11:16:43Z")
Sunday’s are TV gold for me. From 10AM when the Pre-Game NFL talk begins until I fall asleep watching adult swim. Spaceghost is the reason I watch Adult Swim. I miss Cartoon Planet. Home Movies is cute and often funny, but I can miss it. SeaLab and Aqua Force are growing on me and I almost always watch them. Birdman and the Brak show has joined Spaceghost, the Simpsons, that 70’s Show and the Sopranos in my short list of shows I dont miss. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/11 "2002-11-19T14:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Siegfried \* > \*\*I really miss _Mission Hill_ and _Harvey Birdman_, which haven’t been on the line-up down here for almost a month now. What gives with that? \*\* Adult Swim seems to work in 2 ways. 1. Make cheap but funny flash animated shows like “Homes Movies”, “Sealab 2021” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” 2. Buy failed animated shows from other stations like “Home Movies”, “The Oblongs” and “The Ripping Friends.” These often have only between 6 and 13 episodes. “Home Movies” is the only one that I know of where they started making their own after switching from Squigglevision to flash. So for those other failed shows, they ran them once or twice and they let them sit for awhile. Sad. The best source I know of for keeping tract of when new Harvey Birdmen (or any Adult Swim show) will be played is [The Toon Zone Forums](http://forums.toonzone.net/). Adult Swim even has it’s own forum. Look for the thread titled “What’s On Adult Swim? - November and December” Apparantly there will be no new Harvey Birdmen this year, although there does appear to be a New Years Eve marathon of their 15 minutes flash shows including H. B. Atty. Although that’s it for the rest of the year. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/12 "2002-11-19T14:08:24Z")
I missed this past Sunday’s, too, and I really like The Oblongs and Home Movies. Oh, and Mission Hill - great theme song. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/13 "2002-11-19T15:08:27Z")
Oh, geeze…for those of you who missed this Sunday’s Brak show: Brak’s dad punishes Brak by sending him to his room for four years. That night, Brak steals the pile of money Dad had on his table and uses it to build a spaceship, which he uses to fly out of the house and into space. Meanwhile, Space Ghost (yes, THE Space Ghost) appears to Mom and Dad to warn them that Brak will become evil in the future…well, actually, it was the past (“but it was set in the future!” according to Space Ghost). Off in space, Brak picks up Zorak. Together, the two of them encounter a familiar-looking bucket-headed man (c’mon, guess who), and the three of them go on a crime spree by smashing a planet full of statues. (Brak tries to resist, but finds the prospect of being a criminal too tempting.) Space Ghost continues to frustrate mom and dad, who don’t believe Brak could be a criminal, even after SG shows them old episodes of his show. SG has to leave when he learns that criminals are destroying the statue planet. Just after that, Brak returns home. Anyway, it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/14 "2002-11-19T15:31:25Z")
We used to stay up until midnight watching the shows, but now we go to bed at 10:30. After they stopped showing the oblongs, it just wasn’t worth it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/15 "2002-11-19T15:59:54Z")
I love _Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law_! I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds _The Oblongs_ to be mediocre, at best. This is coming from a Ferrell fan, too. My husband and I have decided that _Aqua Teen Hunger Force_ is a show one must be high to find funny. Since we don’t get high, the ‘humor’ is lost on us. _Ripping Friends_ is not funny. _Ren and Stimpy_ was funny. My son watches (or used to watch) _Ripping Friends_ on some other network, I think. Why is it on Adult Swim? I like _Sea Lab 2021_ but this past week’s bizarro ep was just plain weird. That guy with the beak not only freaked me out, but annoyed the piss out of me, too. I keep missing _Home Movies_ because I watch _Curb Your Enthusiasm_ on HBO. Last week’s ep was the season finale, though, so I’ll be back in the swing of things. I was glad they reran _Saddle Rash_. I thought it was funny the first time I saw it and really wanted to see it again. It has the voice of one of my favorite comedians, Mitch Hedberg. I don’t normally watch _The Brak Show_ the episode with Space Ghost was very funny. Maybe I’ll start giving it a whirl on Sunday nights. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/16 "2002-11-19T16:12:51Z")
Call me weird for the sake of being weird, but I think the Williams Street cartoons (Sealab, the Brak Show, Auqa Teen Hunger Force ["#1 in the hood, G"], SGC2C) are humming along just fine. This week’s Sealab wasn’t the greatest, but it had its moments, like the fact that the crew repeatedly commented on how lame the Bizzaro villans were. And Harvey Birdman kicks ass! I want to like the Oblongs and Mission Hill, but they just haven’t gelled for me (my SO digs the Oblongs theme song, though). I was sorely dissapointed in Goovidia, given the high powered voice talent behind it (Ann Magnusen!) But the real breakout show is Home Movies. It just keeps getting better every week! Is anybody else big Walter and Perry fans like I am? “Make a movie about us!” “Yes! Make a movie about us!” “Grab his arms!” ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/17 "2002-11-19T16:57:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\* > I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds _The Oblongs_ to be mediocre, at best. This is coming from a Ferrell fan, too. > > \*\* I keep watching this because it has so much potential. (That and I love seeing someone on TV who drinks more than I do.) But it really is hit and miss – you can watch a long time then suddenly they do something funny and you almost miss it because you’re starting to get bored. I think the first time you see it it probably the best because you’re sorta caught off guard. (I have to confess I haven’t seen any other Adult Swim shows. I caught the Oblongs while I was flipping around one night and just set the TiVo to pick it up whenever it aired.) ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/18 "2002-11-19T16:59:04Z")
Thanks for the info, Osiris. Gr8Kat, I don’t know about the rest but _Mission Hill_ more than likely won’t be getting any new episodes. From its website’s news section ([www.msnhill.com](http://www.msnhill.com)): > [@](#): > > When are you going to make more episodes? Are you planning to produce the five “lost episodes”? > > Unfortunately, Mission Hill is no longer in production. The show was produced in 1998-2000 and since then the staff has dispersed and moved onto other projects. The five unproduced episodes are unlikely to see the light of day due to the prohibitive cost of animating them. However, there is always the remote possibility that, with a massive outpouring of support, the Cartoon Network might at least consider it. Click here to e-mail the Cartoon Network and begin the massive outpouring. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/19 "2002-11-19T19:48:19Z")
Mission Hill was my favorite, followed closely by Birdman, Sealab, and Home Movies (in no particular order). I used to stay up later and pretend Popeye was a part of adult swim also. Now though, I usually just watch Home Movies and don’t bother with the rest. But Saddle Rash cracks me up every time I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464/20 "2002-11-19T20:07:39Z")
I’d never seen nor heard of Saddle Rash until this Sunday and I loved it. Bonus: one of the voice artists (Carl P Mayfield) is a long time Nashville DJ. When I saw that, I had to watch and was very pleased. Was this done by the same group that does Home Movies? I know most of the voices are the same. Those two shows have the best voice acting because, unlike in most cartoons, they aren’t afraid to cut each other off in mid sentence. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-me-or-is-adult-swim-getting-stupider/137464.md?page=2)