Cartoon Net dives into 'Adult Swim'
'Home Movies' on deck; Estrada stars in 'Sealab'
The cable net plans to air "Adult Swim," a new block of animated programming aimed at adults 18-34, beginning in September. The block, which will air on Sunday and Thursday nights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. (ET/PT), will include five new series and fresh episodes of the cult talkshow "Space Ghost Coast to Coast."
"Almost one-third of our viewers are adults over 18, so it's a natural extension of our programming to create new shows specifically for the adult audience," said Cartoon Network Worldwide prexy Betty Cohen.
Rotating lineup
The rotating lineup of "Adult Swim" will be anchored by new episodes of "Home Movies," the animated half-hour series that aired briefly on UPN in spring 1999. Cartoon Net has ordered 21 episodes of the series from Soup 2 Nuts, in addition to the five that originally aired on UPN. "Home Movies" features comedian Brendon Small as a precocious third-grader who makes movies to record his chaotic life.
The other new series were developed at Cartoon Net's Atlanta production facility. They are the following:
- "Sealab 2021": A kitschy update of a Hanna-Barbera production about an undersea city, featuring the voice of Erik Estrada;
- "Aqua Teen Hunger Force": Toon follows an elite group of detectives who are also human-sized food products;
- "Harvey Birdman": An animated courtroom drama that will try the crimes and misdemeanors of the cartoon world;
- "Leave It to Brak": A parody of the classic family sitcom featuring demented space alien Brak.
"Adult Swim" shows will carry ratings of TV-PG and TV-14 and will be packaged differently from other Cartoon Net programming.
