Why These Adult Swim Shows Only Lasted A Season

When the sun goes down, the weirdos come out to play. That's when the oddest and best television shows emerge on the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network. For decades, this has been the home for beloved shows that break all the storytelling rules. Whether it's "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!," "The Eric Andre Show," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," or countless other examples of outlandish TV, Adult Swim has been the place where strangeness rules. Plus, since these programs are usually made under shoestring budgets (part of why they can get so bizarre), Adult Swim has no problem consistently renewing these shows.

However, just because many shows have sustained themselves on Adult Swim, it doesn't mean every original series on the block makes it. As "Smiling Friends" launches its third season, it's worth remembering several Adult Swim shows (both animated and live-action) that flickered on the block's airwaves for a single season. These endeavors fizzled for many reasons, including the simple fact that audiences were never interested. Others perished because of the visions of their respective creators, or changing Adult Swim corporate mandates.  There are endless reasons TV shows go off the air, even in a place where the inmates run the asylum. Tuck away your "Xavier: Renegade Angel" DVDs and instead focus on the sagas of these Adult Swim shows that couldn't crack multi-season existences.

The mid-2000s were clogged with adult-skewing animated shows built on "ironic" racism gags intended to skewer out-of-date stereotypes. "Drawn Together" was one example of this unfortunate phenomenon, with the 2006 Adult Swim cartoon "Minoriteam" being another. The latter show hailed from creators Adam de la Peña, Peter Girardi, and Todd James, and used character designs evoking the visual style of Jack Kirby. This eclectic mix of influences produced 19 "Minoriteam" episodes, featuring guest vocals from stars like Kevin McDonald, Chris Elliot, and Michael Clarke Duncan.

Superheroes in comics and film tend to go on endless adventures for decades. "Minoriteam" didn't last anywhere near that long. The show's pilot episode dropped in November 2005 with its final episode airing eight months later in late July 2006. There's never been an official reason for why "Minoriteam" got canned, but partially, it could be due to the primary creative team leaving for other projects. 

De la Peña launched the G4 program "Code Monkeys" by July 2007, just a year after the last "Minoriteam" episode launched. Co-creator Girardi, meanwhile, quickly moved on to writing the 2007 Adult Swim show "Saul of the Mole Men," also going on to work as a production manager and supervisor for a slew of Warner Bros. animated shows and direct-to-video movies. With the creative team torn asunder, the "Minoriteam" didn't stand a chance. These edgy superheroes were finished after just a single, largely forgotten season.

Ribald stop-motion antics involving the Stoopid Buddy Stoodios crew (featuring Seth Green, Zeb Wells, and Breckin Meyer) turned into a license to print money for Adult Swim when it came to "Robot Chicken." Inevitably, the network tried to make lightning strike twice with "Titan Maximum," a 2009 program lampooning shows like "Voltron." The premise was that the once-promising superteam Titan Force Five is forced to reunite in the face of immense danger, though their time apart has only exacerbated the old wounds and emotional distress between them.

"Titan Maximum" featured lore that expanded all across the solar system, with planets like Mercury, Mars, and Neptune getting reimagined as key places. That vivid imagination, along with riding the "Robot Chicken" wave, couldn't help "Titan Maximum" stay on the air for long. This show, only the second program ever from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, would end after just nine episodes. An infamous cliffhanger in the Season 1 finale made it clear this was not meant to be one-and-done, yet Adult Swim canned the show after a mixed reception. Maybe"Titan Maximum" didn't have an ideal or happy ending to its run, but don't feel too bad for its creators. "Robot Chicken" is still going strong, with creator Seth Green happy to dish on his favorite sketches and characters.

"Apollo Gauntlet," with its titular lead character (voiced by series creator and head writer Myles Langlois), is set in a sci-fi fantasy realm that will be familiar to those well-versed in "He-Man" lore. The show follows Gauntlet trying to take down evil wherever it may lurk, especially if it leads to the Oracles of Doom. The concept of the show was simple but well-trodden ground. Modern adult shows mocking '80s TV cartoons based on toys were a dime a dozen by the time "Apollo Gauntlet" premiered in December 2016. "Robot Chicken" had already been skewering "He-Man" for years. "Son of Zorn," another heroic satire, debuted on Fox just three months earlier.

Despite this, "Apollo Gauntlet" scored initially positive reviews from critics. That suggested the show could find its legs eventually, but no more episodes were produced beyond the six that aired in summer 2017. Part of the problem may have been that Adult Swim was looking to lean on more high-profile shows, like "Rick and Morty," than a show with a largely unknown cast and crew. Langlois vanishing from Hollywood after this show's run to return to art might suggest that its demise is intertwined with his departure, particularly since he played so many roles on the production behind the scenes.

In February 2007, an odd show from the mind of creator Craig Lewis called "Saul of the Mole Men" premiered on Adult Swim. While most shows on this programming block range from surreal to bizarre, "Mole Men" was especially peculiar with its focus on Saul Malone (Josh Gardner) being trapped in a weird, fantastical world at the center of the Earth. A handful of other Adult Swim performer fixtures like Dana Snyder were in the supporting cast, voicing characters like Benjamin Franklin. Again, this was an odd program, but one (with its specific affection for Sid and Marty Krofft shows and other vintage sci-fi) that could've easily taken off as a hit.

The show's theme song was performed and written by "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker, a tremendous catch for "Saul of the Mole Men." In an ideal world, Parker's success with "South Park" could've rubbed off on this new Adult Swim program and ensured its longevity. That never happened. After airing Season 1's slate of 20 episodes, "Saul of the Mole Men" was over. A dismal critical reception helped doom the project, while the lack of demand for a resurrection reflects how it failed to garner a fanbase. Like those lost civilizations in Earth's center, "Saul of the Mole Men" has disappeared from pop culture.

After years of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Robert Smigel) tormenting people on Conan O'Brien's various talk shows, it was time for this foul-mouthed pooch to get his own solo show. That's where "The Jack and Triumph Show" came into play, with the program pairing up the canine with fellow Conan veteran Jack McBrayer. People laughed watching Triumph heckle politicians or geeks camping out to see "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" at midnight, but would they follow the dog to Adult Swim? The network sure seemed confident in the production. Smigel revealed before the premiere that "The Jack and Triumph Show" had been ordered to series with a full 20 episode order.

Unfortunately, Smigel would later recall in a Reddit AMA that the endeavor had significant problems from the get-go, including how it was launched with minimal marketing and production costs way higher than any other Adult Swim program. Considering the ethos of Adult Swim was cheap and dirty late night TV, "Jack and Triumph" needed to be a massive hit right out of the gate to justify its existence. After seven episodes, it was all over. Per Smigel, he realized soon that the show wasn't working. To preserve Triumph's reputation, he accepted a buyout from Adult Swim rather than produce the next 13 episodes.

Perhaps it was the title. Even other deranged Adult Swim shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" or "Squidbillies" had titles people could easily pronounce. "Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio," meanwhile, sounded like gibberish, and not the kind that compels people to look for more information. Anyone who did tune in would find a new sketch comedy show from "China, IL" creator Brad Neely with no set structure. It was all surrealist chaos, punctuated by inexplicable celebrity appearances and musical diversions. Even by Adult Swim standards, it was an impenetrable work befitting an incoherent title.

"China, IL" went on for three seasons of programming, so it wouldn't have been too surprising to see "Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio" continue. However, two months after "Peepio's" finale, Neely confirmed on Twitter that the show was canceled. The demise was not in Neely's control, as he would later talk about how Adult Swim's sudden cancellation crushed him. The show's less-than-stellar reception couldn't have helped, either. 

Also a problem was this oddball premiering when Adult Swim was growing more comfortable with culling the one season herd — "Apollo Gauntlet" would premiere five months after "Peepio's" debut. Unfortunately for Brad Neely, there were bigger issues with his show than just a confusing name.

Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Adult Swim have been a potent combo for decades now. The duo's surrealist comedy helped put Cartoon Network's late night eccentricism on the map. In turn, the station has consistently made room for whatever weirdness Tim & Eric come up with. Not only does that mean they backed the wild "Tim and Eric Awesome Show" anniversary special that wrapped up a live tour in 2017, it includes the 2020 comedy "Beef House," which took aim at vintage sitcom tropes. Individual episodes would involve plotlines and characters that could've easily wandered in from a "Family Matters" episode, only for classic Tim & Eric bizarreness to eventually unfold.

Considering the previous successes that Adult Swim enjoyed with this duo, "Beef House" was a no-brainer addition to the Adult Swim schedule. Unfortunately, what should have been a slam-dunk extension of Tim & Eric's Adult Swim track record had the misfortune of debuting on the final Monday of March 2020. With COVID-19 shutting down the world, the audience's attention was consumed with staying alive and healthy, and most productions were shut down. The health crisis postponed any Season 2 plans, and by 2021, Heidecker confirmed that the "Beef House" dream was over, despite his desire to do more of the show. Poor timing killed "Beef House" more than anything else. Not even the combined might of Tim & Eric and Adult Swim could withstand the pandemic. Heidecker is still going strong, at least, with a small but notable role in the otherwise forgettable horror film "Him." 

"Mostly 4 Millennials" came to life with the help of Eric André, who worked as one of the "Mostly 4 Millennials" writers alongside series creator Derrick Beckles (no stranger to variety shows with his previous Adult Swim offering, "Hot Package"). It was a variety show where anything could happen, so long as the events on-screen were relevant to millennials. Among the guests on this show were luminaries like Snooki and Ann Coulter.

Despite Adult Swim veteran mind power and prominently featuring Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, "Mostly 4 Millennials" lasted only eight episodes, all of which aired without much hubbub in July 2018. This super meta-show, which simultaneously lanced millennial culture while also criticizing their mainstream media treatment, may have been too wrapped up in its commentary for its own good. It didn't help that the show wasn't a viewership juggernaut in its timeslot, scoring significantly fewer overall viewers one Sunday night than a Nick-at-Nite rerun of "Mom." 

That wasn't going to be enough to keep "Mostly 4 Millennials" going, even with André's name attached to the project. Thus, this largely forgotten show, which prided itself on unpredictable jokes, suffered the conventional fate of so many low-rated programs. Adult Swim's disturbing, late night infomercials turned out vastly better.

"Samurai Jack" aired its first four seasons on Cartoon Network, but for the 2017 revival of the show (which was brought back with the help of some battle-hardened "Samurai Jack" fans), the production was moved to Adult Swim. Here, series creator Genndy Tartakovsky could go hog-wild with the storylines he imagined for these new installments. The revived "Samurai Jack" picks up 50 years later in the life of the immortal warrior. All those years of the show being out of commission didn't dilute its artistry, as critics and audiences alike praised the new season as delivering some of the greatest animation of all time.

Once "Samurai Jack" was resurrected, one might imagine a route where the show went on indefinitely. However, Tartakovsky and company had always had a finite path in mind for this universe. The fifth season was promoted and created as a "final season" for "Samurai Jack" that could give this universe the closure it didn't get with its fourth-season finale. Plus, Tartakovsky was busy with additional projects like fellow Adult Swim program "Primal." Getting tied down to an infinite number of further "Samurai Jack" seasons simply wasn't practical. Unlike so many Adult Swim shows, the one-season nature of the "Samurai Jack" revival was intentional. That's yet another way this program broke all the rules for Cartoon Network television.

For many decades, the cult cyberpunk classic "Blade Runner" stood tall as a one-off motion picture, despite its immense fanbase and cultural influence. That finally changed with the release of "Blade Runner 2049" from director Denis Villeneuve. Despite critical acclaim, a third theatrical "Blade Runner" film still seems unlikely after "2049" failed to meet box office expectations. Plans remained for expanding the "Blade Runner" franchise, and that eventually resulted in the animated "Blade Runner: Black Lotus," which began airing on Adult Swim in November 2021. 

"Black Lotus" followed a new replicant lead, Ellie (Jessica Henwick), in the year 2032 (making the show a "Blade Runner 2049" prequel). Brought to life by Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki, the prospect of being the first "Blade Runner" show, not to mention seeing this universe in anime form, inspired plenty of pre-release excitement. Although it scored decent reviews, "Black Lotus" was doomed from the start to not receive follow-up seasons due to corporate shenanigans. 

Just two months after the finale aired, Discovery purchased Adult Swim parent company WarnerMedia. Once the deal was complete, several Warner TV shows were controversially written off for tax purposes, including the English dubbed version of "Black Lotus." While the subtitled version remains on Crunchyroll, the franchise has shifted gears back toward live action. "Blade Runner 2099," announced in 2022, is out of limbo and will air in 2026, on Amazon Prime Video.