All Kids Out of the PoolCartoon Network's Adult Swim block of shows started back in the '90s but has now expanded to be its own cable network... that shares the air with CN. Like living with its parents.
Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 15 Super Underrated Adult Swim Shows That Deserve More Credit
When we think of Adult Swim shows, extremely popular shows such as Robot Chicken or Rick and Morty always come to mind first. However, there are many underrated Adult Swim shows that often don't get the credit they deserve for various reasons. Many of these shows were popular during their time, but were quickly overshadowed or forgotten as new shows came out.
Whether the shows were short-lived, older, or just not as popular, there are plenty of underrated Adult Swim cartoons that deserve more recognition than they got. Many of them were even more unique than the most popular shows, but they just never caught on. Regardless of the reason, all the following Adult Swim shows are underrated for one reason or another.
Harvery Birdman first made his appearance in an old Hanna-Barbera cartoon called Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. However, in this series, he plays the role of an attorney at a law firm instead of a superhero. All his co-workers and clients are also from Hanna-Barbera shows from the 1960s and 1970s. Birdman isn't the most intelligent attorney, but he works hard to solve legal disputes among fellow cartoon characters.
From 2001 to 2007, this show aired on Adult Swim with a total of 4 seasons. It relied heavily on references to these older cartoons though, so the jokes were really only funny if you understood all the references.
The Oblongs initially premiered on The WB in 2001, but ratings were so low that they never even aired the last 5 episodes. So, Adult Swim later picked up the show to complete the first season, which was only 13 episodes long. Even after that, the ratings weren't high enough for it to continue despite having big names like Will Ferrell in it.
All the members of the Oblong family have some type of disability or deformity. Bob was born without arms and legs, and his wife Pickles has lost all her hair. Plus, all the other family members have even more peculiar appearances, all of which are due to the excessive amount of pollution and radiation that surrounds their home. All the waste is from the wealthy people that live on the top of the hill, and the poor Oblongs can never seem to live up to those beautiful people.
Brendon Small is a young aspiring filmaker who is named after one of the show's creators. In his free time, he makes movies with his friends, Melissa and Jason. However, he also has to deal with the quirky adults in his life, including his divorced mother and his alcoholic soccer coach who he has a bizarre father-like relationship with.
This series was a popular Adult Swim show for its time, but it was quickly overshadowed by the popular shows that followed such as Robot Chicken and The Boondocks. It first aired on UPN, but it was canceled after only 5 episodes because of low ratings. So, Adult Swim picked it up, and it ran successfully from 2001 to 2004 with a total of 52 episodes.
All the characters in this Adult Swim show are from an old Hanna-Barbera cartoon titled Sealab 2020. Sealab 2020 was an educational cartoon about the environment, and it was not a comedy in any way. However, Sealab 2021 decided to reuse the animation from the old show, but make all the characters insane. The once responsible leader, Captain Hazel, now has a rather questionable grip on reality. Debbie, who was based off Gail from Sealab 2020 is a sexual interest character with frequent mood swings. All the other characters follow similar personality changes too.
This show ran from 2001 to 2005, and it was one of the very first shows to come out when Adult Swim officially launched. While it was a unique show to get Adult Swim started, it was overshadowed by Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which came out around the same time.
Orel is an 11-year-old boy that's a devoted Christian. He's very enthusiastic about going to church, but he often misunderstands the bible verses or follows them too closely. He typically ends up taking his bible lessons to dangerously extreme measures, which causes him to get into a lot of trouble.
With satirical themes about suburban life and religious families, many people were able to relate to the characters in this show. It ran from 2005 to 2008, and a special was later aired in 2012. While it had a unique stop-motion style, many people were not amused with its religious elements.
The Brak Show is a spin-off of the animated series called Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Both cartoons used footage from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, which was a superhero show in the 1960s as opposed to a comedy. The Brak Show was featured on Adult Swim from 2000 to 2003 with a total of 3 seasons, however, it was later canceled to make room for new content.
Brak lives in a neighborhood, has a family, and goes to school like everyone else, but he has quite the personality. He seems to be a teenager, but he's gentle and still enjoys his stuffed animals. His best friend is Zorak, a giant mantis that has little respect for Brak. The show is about the story of Brak's life and how he interacts with others like Zorak, his family members, and his classmates.
