Anime

The Best Adult Swim Classics to Binge

Here are some of the best classic Adult Swim shows you should binge this year.
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Adult Swim has plenty of shows that fans should check out right now from just its new releases this year alone, but it also has one of the most unique libraries of classics that fans should take time out to binge right now! The Cartoon Network nightly block has been offering some of the wildest original animated and live-action series since its inception, and it continues to mark a full generation’s humor to this day thanks to how many originals it has managed to release over the last few decades since its initial inception. So now’s the best time to look back. 

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Adult Swim has a huge library of classic shows that had their full run with the block over the years, and they might be going unnoticed. But with many of these shows returning for new projects within the next year or so, it’s the perfect opportunity to look back on these classic hits and see where they all first began if you have never jumped into them thus far. Read on for some of the best classic Adult Swim shows you should binge now.

Best Adult Swim Classic Shows to Binge

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force

  • Info: “First of all, they’re not teens. Secondly, there’s not water involved. The whole Hunger Force thing? That’s probably misleading, too. In short, if you have to ask what Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about, it is probably not a show for you. The rest of us will go on thrilling to the adventures of Frylock, Meatwad, and Master Shake as they, you know… hang out.”
  • Review: With all sorts of mix ups, title changes, cancellations, returns, and movies over the years, there’s no better standout Adult Swim classic than Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It’s a marquee example of what makes Adult Swim such a fun network for its animated originals overall, and will likely continue to do so when it comes back for new episodes in the near future. 
  • Where to Watch: You can find Aqua Teen Hunger Force now streaming on Max.
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Home Movies

  • Info: Home Movies is one of the first [adult swim] animated cult classics. With an alcoholic soccer coach for a father-figure and a woman who swears during parent/teacher conferences for an actual mother, eight-year-old Brendon Small (voiced and created by Brendon Small, now of Metalocalypse fame) chronicles his life as a jaded third-grader who happens to have the brain of a twenty-something-and who uses his video camera to cope with the trials of his oddly precocious life.”
  • Review: Home Movies is also one of the early standouts of Adult Swim as well. With a kooky art style and laid back type of dialogue and stories, this one stood one from many of the others for its low stakes kinds of episodes. It was just a way to hang out with each of the characters each week, and likely inspired much of the lower stakes kind of humor that we enjoy today. 
  • Where to Watch: You can now find Home Movies streaming on Max
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Metalocalypse

  • Info: Metalocalypse is the chillingly brilliant and terrifyingly real story of Extreme Metal band Dethklok: the biggest entertainment act in the universe. Perhaps one of the most disgusting and disturbing pieces of art in the 21st century, Metalocalypse may be television’s most important television shows ever.”
  • Review: If you want more of Brendon Small’s work, then Metalocalypse is definitely the right fit for you. With a new movie coming out later this Summer, and a new album and tour for its central band Dethklok, now is the perfect time to jump into the heavy metal, brutal action comedy. There’s no other show like it where you can jam out to some awesome music and see some wild visuals all while laughing. It’s a riot in all definitions of the word. 
  • Where to Watch: You can now find Metalocalypse streaming on Max
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The Boondocks

  • Info: “Brothers Huey and Riley Freeman move from the South Side of Chicago to live with their grandfather in the predominantly white suburb of Woodcrest. A clash of lifestyles, class and culture follows.”
  • Review: If you want a different kind of experience, then you’ll be hard pressed to find a more unique one than The Boondocks. Bringing Aaron McGruder’s original comic strip to life, The Boondocks was filled with often prescient commentary on pop culture, awesome fights inspired by Kung Fu movies and anime, and one of the most hilarious main trio dynamics to be found on Adult Swim overall. 
  • Where to Watch: You can now find The Boondocks streaming on Max. 
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The Venture Bros.

  • Info: “The Venture Brothers are two all-American teens who spend most their time hopping from one adventure to the next. Along with their caustic and self-centered father, Dr. Venture, the brothers have the uber-spy Brock Samson to protect them. Beset on all sides, the Venture Brothers do all they can just to make it out alive.”
  • Review: The Venture Bros. recently brought its seven season run to an end with a grand finale movie hitting Blu-ray and digital, and it served as a major reminder of why the animated series was such a standout hit on Adult Swim for all of these years. Telling an extended story with a huge world full of characters all over the course of its run with tons of time for brutal action and jokes, there really isn’t an experience like The Venture Bros. anywhere else. 
  • Where to Watch: You can now find The Venture Bros. streaming on Max

What are some of the Adult Swim classics that you like to binge? Let us know all of your thoughts about in the comments!