Adult Swim 2005 Programming Highlights
2005 Programming Highlights and DVD Releases
April
• Tom Goes to The Mayor, from creators Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim and executive producer Bob Odenkirk, will return with new episodes on Sunday, April 17 at 12 a.m. (ET, PT). In the small town of Jefferton, The Mayor is a confused man with visions of grandeur. In newly arrived resident Tom Peters, he finds a perfect match. Tom presents outlandish plans for things the town does not need, like themed restaurants, child-protecting bear traps and novelty gifts. The Mayor gets his invariably expensive plans underway, to disastrous results. The new episodes welcome guest stars like David Cross, Michael Ian Black and Edward Herrmann in the limited animation action. Tom Goes to The Mayor made its Cartoon Network debut in November 2004 with five episodes.
• America's favorite winged attorney gets his first DVD release, while a favorite cowled talk-show host gets his third ─ Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume 1 and Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Volume 3 both have street dates of April 12.
May
• An American patriot, like CIA Agent Stan Smith, never goes off-duty, not even at home. In American Dad, the new family comedy from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, Stan's vigilance is a big problem for his family, which includes doting but strong wife Francine, liberal daughter Hayley and awkward son Steve, along with Roger, an alien rescued from Area 51 and the German-speaking goldfish, Klaus. American Dad joins Adult Swim in May.
• From the creator of Cowboy Bebop comes Samurai Champloo, an animé series featuring two fighters with vastly different styles. Although far from being friends, they team with a waitress to embark on a search for a mysterious samurai. With a soundtrack featuring scratch beats, the series features a fighter employing a break-dancing style. Samurai Champloo will premiere Saturday, May 14, at 11:30 p.m. (ET, PT).
• An intriguing detective story follows mysterious attacks by someone wearing rollerblades and a golden bat in the anime series Paranoia Agent. This series joins Adult Swim on Saturday, May 28, at 12 a.m. (ET, PT).
• In the anime series, S-CRY-Ed, an unexplained phenomenon has occurred on a distant island called “The Lost Grounds,” giving birth to a new species of human, called Alters, able to manipulate matter into unique forms. Kazuma is gifted with the Alter ability, and unknowingly may hold the key to the peaceful co-existence between Alters and regular humans. Twenty-six episodes have been acquired to the series, which will begin Saturday, May 28, at 12:30 a.m. (ET, PT).
• Hundreds of years ago, Inuyasha's father sealed away a powerful demon from China named Hyoga. But Hyoga's son, Menomaru, is awakened by a Shikon shard and is inspired to absorb the remains of his father's power to take control on the world. Inuyasha and his friends must stop the nearly invincible enemy in the animated film, Inuyasha: A Love That Transcends Time, which will be telecast Saturday, May 14, at 12 a.m. (ET, PT).
• Based on the popular manga, the animated feature Metropolis uses both traditional 2-D animation and CGI. The story follows Kenichi and his detective uncle, Shunsaku Ban, as they travel to Japan to visit Metropolis in search for the criminal, Dr. Laughton. However, when they find Dr. Laughton, Kenichi and Shunsaku are separated and plunged into the middle of a much larger conspiracy. Metropolis will air Saturday, May 21, at 12 a.m. (ET, PT).
June
• Family Guy will return with new episodes under a unique arrangement in which Adult Swim and FOX share telecast rights to the revived series. FOX will air premieres of the Emmy-winning series in prime time; that next week, Adult Swim will telecast the new episodes at 11 p.m. (ET, PT) on Thursday and Sunday evenings. Family Guy, the fast-moving, 30-minute animated series about a tense but loving Rhode Island family, has become a sensation since its revival on Adult Swim in April 2003 and has had a series of successful DVD releases. Family Guy is Adult Swim's top-rated series.
• All-new episodes of the popular animé series Inuyasha continue with the adventures of Kagome and Inuyasha. Together, they protect the powerful “Jewel of Four Seasons” from the demons and goblins who seek it.
July
• Going below the surface for a third time, Sealab 2021: Volume 3 DVD has a street date of July 19.
• Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law will return on Sunday, July 24, with another season of modern anxiety disguised as a workplace comedy starring a B-list superhero-turned-attorney. When cartoon characters find themselves in legal limbo, they turn to Harvey Birdman, who has traded saving the world for filing motions. Harvey has problems of his own – like his hard-ass boss, an empty romantic life and a psychotic legal assistant named Peanut. But he still has the cowl.
• Escaflowne, the animé feature film, follows the teenager Hitomi, who travels to Gaia, an alternate world, to escape her depression on Earth. In Gaia, she meets Van, a mysterious young king. Van will determine the fate of countries with a mystical dragon armor called Escaflowne. Time/date TBA.
August
• In the second feature film based on the popular animé series Inuyasha: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, Inuyasha and friends have finally destroyed Naraku, and each start to go their separate ways. Unfortunately, this peace does not last long. Inuyasha and his friends are pitted against a new threat, Princess Kaguya. Kaguya aims to do the unthinkable by ending the flow of time, leaving the world in an eternal night. Time/date TBA.
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.
• Ghost in the Shell: Second Gig is the second season of the popular series based on the critically acclaimed animé feature film.
• Cowboy Bebop: The Movie takes place on Mars, just before Halloween in the year 2071. Villains have released a deadly virus that kills hundreds. Fearing an even bigger, more devastating biochemical attack, a large reward is offered for the arrest and capture of the person behind the destruction. Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters get on board and face their most deadly foe ever.
• Three new series from Williams St. make their debut in October. In 12oz Mouse, from Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Matt Maiellaro, the title character, fond of beer and caught in a world of espionage and love, unknowingly delights in odd jobs. Squidbillies is the eagerly anticipated series about redneck squids from the mountains of Georgia. In Perfect Hair Forever, a young boy sets out on a mystical quest in a strange world.
• The Boondocks, a new animated television comedy based on Aaron McGruder's award-winning comic strip of the same name, will join Adult Swim. 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. The series is produced by Rebel Base and Hudlin Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television. The Boondocks will premiere in October.
November
• Just in time for Thanksgiving feasting, the super-powered junk food trio, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, will release Volume 4 on Nov. 22. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the top-rated original series on Adult Swim.
April
• Tom Goes to The Mayor, from creators Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim and executive producer Bob Odenkirk, will return with new episodes on Sunday, April 17 at 12 a.m. (ET, PT). In the small town of Jefferton, The Mayor is a confused man with visions of grandeur. In newly arrived resident Tom Peters, he finds a perfect match. Tom presents outlandish plans for things the town does not need, like themed restaurants, child-protecting bear traps and novelty gifts. The Mayor gets his invariably expensive plans underway, to disastrous results. The new episodes welcome guest stars like David Cross, Michael Ian Black and Edward Herrmann in the limited animation action. Tom Goes to The Mayor made its Cartoon Network debut in November 2004 with five episodes.
• America's favorite winged attorney gets his first DVD release, while a favorite cowled talk-show host gets his third ─ Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume 1 and Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Volume 3 both have street dates of April 12.
May
• An American patriot, like CIA Agent Stan Smith, never goes off-duty, not even at home. In American Dad, the new family comedy from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, Stan's vigilance is a big problem for his family, which includes doting but strong wife Francine, liberal daughter Hayley and awkward son Steve, along with Roger, an alien rescued from Area 51 and the German-speaking goldfish, Klaus. American Dad joins Adult Swim in May.
• From the creator of Cowboy Bebop comes Samurai Champloo, an animé series featuring two fighters with vastly different styles. Although far from being friends, they team with a waitress to embark on a search for a mysterious samurai. With a soundtrack featuring scratch beats, the series features a fighter employing a break-dancing style. Samurai Champloo will premiere Saturday, May 14, at 11:30 p.m. (ET, PT).
• An intriguing detective story follows mysterious attacks by someone wearing rollerblades and a golden bat in the anime series Paranoia Agent. This series joins Adult Swim on Saturday, May 28, at 12 a.m. (ET, PT).
• In the anime series, S-CRY-Ed, an unexplained phenomenon has occurred on a distant island called “The Lost Grounds,” giving birth to a new species of human, called Alters, able to manipulate matter into unique forms. Kazuma is gifted with the Alter ability, and unknowingly may hold the key to the peaceful co-existence between Alters and regular humans. Twenty-six episodes have been acquired to the series, which will begin Saturday, May 28, at 12:30 a.m. (ET, PT).
• Hundreds of years ago, Inuyasha's father sealed away a powerful demon from China named Hyoga. But Hyoga's son, Menomaru, is awakened by a Shikon shard and is inspired to absorb the remains of his father's power to take control on the world. Inuyasha and his friends must stop the nearly invincible enemy in the animated film, Inuyasha: A Love That Transcends Time, which will be telecast Saturday, May 14, at 12 a.m. (ET, PT).
• Based on the popular manga, the animated feature Metropolis uses both traditional 2-D animation and CGI. The story follows Kenichi and his detective uncle, Shunsaku Ban, as they travel to Japan to visit Metropolis in search for the criminal, Dr. Laughton. However, when they find Dr. Laughton, Kenichi and Shunsaku are separated and plunged into the middle of a much larger conspiracy. Metropolis will air Saturday, May 21, at 12 a.m. (ET, PT).
June
• Family Guy will return with new episodes under a unique arrangement in which Adult Swim and FOX share telecast rights to the revived series. FOX will air premieres of the Emmy-winning series in prime time; that next week, Adult Swim will telecast the new episodes at 11 p.m. (ET, PT) on Thursday and Sunday evenings. Family Guy, the fast-moving, 30-minute animated series about a tense but loving Rhode Island family, has become a sensation since its revival on Adult Swim in April 2003 and has had a series of successful DVD releases. Family Guy is Adult Swim's top-rated series.
• All-new episodes of the popular animé series Inuyasha continue with the adventures of Kagome and Inuyasha. Together, they protect the powerful “Jewel of Four Seasons” from the demons and goblins who seek it.
July
• Going below the surface for a third time, Sealab 2021: Volume 3 DVD has a street date of July 19.
• Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law will return on Sunday, July 24, with another season of modern anxiety disguised as a workplace comedy starring a B-list superhero-turned-attorney. When cartoon characters find themselves in legal limbo, they turn to Harvey Birdman, who has traded saving the world for filing motions. Harvey has problems of his own – like his hard-ass boss, an empty romantic life and a psychotic legal assistant named Peanut. But he still has the cowl.
• Escaflowne, the animé feature film, follows the teenager Hitomi, who travels to Gaia, an alternate world, to escape her depression on Earth. In Gaia, she meets Van, a mysterious young king. Van will determine the fate of countries with a mystical dragon armor called Escaflowne. Time/date TBA.
August
• In the second feature film based on the popular animé series Inuyasha: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, Inuyasha and friends have finally destroyed Naraku, and each start to go their separate ways. Unfortunately, this peace does not last long. Inuyasha and his friends are pitted against a new threat, Princess Kaguya. Kaguya aims to do the unthinkable by ending the flow of time, leaving the world in an eternal night. Time/date TBA.
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.
• Ghost in the Shell: Second Gig is the second season of the popular series based on the critically acclaimed animé feature film.
• Cowboy Bebop: The Movie takes place on Mars, just before Halloween in the year 2071. Villains have released a deadly virus that kills hundreds. Fearing an even bigger, more devastating biochemical attack, a large reward is offered for the arrest and capture of the person behind the destruction. Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters get on board and face their most deadly foe ever.
• Three new series from Williams St. make their debut in October. In 12oz Mouse, from Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Matt Maiellaro, the title character, fond of beer and caught in a world of espionage and love, unknowingly delights in odd jobs. Squidbillies is the eagerly anticipated series about redneck squids from the mountains of Georgia. In Perfect Hair Forever, a young boy sets out on a mystical quest in a strange world.
• The Boondocks, a new animated television comedy based on Aaron McGruder's award-winning comic strip of the same name, will join Adult Swim. 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. The series is produced by Rebel Base and Hudlin Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television. The Boondocks will premiere in October.
November
• Just in time for Thanksgiving feasting, the super-powered junk food trio, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, will release Volume 4 on Nov. 22. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the top-rated original series on Adult Swim.