Has Adult Swim gone downhill?

[Sir T. Ghostal]

Simple question. A lot of people I know have stopped watching Adult Swim, some like it more than they used to. So what do you think?

Personally, I think it has gone downhill. I dont have much hope for the new shows, ATHD had a horrible 4th season... Futurama, Family Guy, and Sealab repeats are just tiresome. I hate Robot Chicken (I know everyone else likes it) too. The only thing that has me still watching is Harvey Birdman and Space Ghost, and I'm looking forward to more Venture Bros, but that's it basically.
I cant really talk about the Saturday block, cuz I dont watch it.

So do you think Adult Swim has gone downhill?

[peacebyanymeans]

Yes and no.

In programming, as of right now, I say yes. the only things I really watch are Harvey Birdman, Lupin and Case Closed.

In a few, no. Can't wait for Boondocks new FMA and Neon Genisis Evongalian(sp).

In ratings. Hell no, AS is like in the top 10 cable channels.

[dunniun]

Simple question. A lot of people I know have stopped watching Adult Swim, some like it more than they used to. So what do you think?

Personally, I think it has gone downhill. I dont have much hope for the new shows, ATHD had a horrible 4th season... Futurama, Family Guy, and Sealab repeats are just tiresome. I hate Robot Chicken (I know everyone else likes it) too. The only thing that has me still watching is Harvey Birdman and Space Ghost, and I'm looking forward to more Venture Bros, but that's it basically.
I cant really talk about the Saturday block, cuz I dont watch it.

So do you think Adult Swim has gone downhill?

I think it has went downhill mainly because the never shows arent that good. As far as anime goes, THAT'S fine. As far as comedy goes, I think Adult Swim has been making too much new series. In 2002-2004 Adult Swim has done fine without making new shows. Its these crappy new shows (Tom Goes to the Mayor, Robot Chicken, Squidbillies, 12 oz. Mouse, Stroker & Hoop) that seem to be the cause of adult swim's decline.

So if Adult Swim stopped dishing out new shows every month, maybe the spark will return.

[BrickTamland]

No.

Some shows may suck, but a good majority of them are pretty good.

Good: FG, Futurama, Venture, ATHF, Robot Chicken, Birdman
Bad: Sealab, Squid, Tom, etc.

There are some bad, but the good outweighs the bad. Plus Boondocks looks good & Stroker & Hoop is too early to judge.

[Youko Recca]

Hell no. Both ratings and shows have gone up in quality. It's just natural/true to human nature, that you'll see more bitching than compliments dealing with something like this. Its much easier.

[LordByronius]

No sir. It's the same as it ever was; a mixed bag of the good, the very good, the mediocre, and the unwatchable. Oh, and lots of reruns.

[Artimus Gigan]

Yes oh gandi, yes

It went right downhill after changing to it's second form. But people were to blinded by newness and their inherit shallowness to see THE TRUTH! Their weak and feeble minds couldn't even begin to fathom it. The mentaly unstable state of the audiance caused them to latch onto whatever scrap or shred of mediocore quality existed after the first change. They were all lying to themselves trying to make it seem that everything was all sound and well, and they were wrong and now are all screwed and panicked like. BUT I CALLED IT FIRST SO WORSHIP ME LIKE THE INTERNET SAGE OF WISDOM THAT I AM! I AM ABOVE YOU ALL, I AM SUPERIOR! I ALONE JUDGE WHO AND WHAT IS WORTHY OF RECOGNITION!

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Seriously though, AS fluxes constantly, no premiere line up exists for a long long period of time. I mean does it really go downhill? It changes but usualy enough shows from both catagories keep me watching for an hour+. I mean I'm not really a re-run person unless I missed an episode, then i watch Thursday.

[herbkir]

They haven't gone downhill. People fondly remember the old days of Brak, Space Ghost, Yu Yu Hakusho and Outlaw Star as being like a Golden Age for AS. But they had their fair share of crap back then, too.

AS always has been a mix of gold and garbage. What's made it work so well is that the definitions of gold and garbage are up to each individual viewer, and just about anybody with an interest in adult-level animation will find some shows on AS that they like. I have my likes and dislikes, just as all of you have. The important thing is that AS always has something in its lineup to like, so we all keep on watching. (^_*)

[Stuckey]

No. The only real issue I have is how they schedule stuff, but I'm hoping with the influx of new shows this fall they'll (at least partially) rectify that.

[Assembler]

Sometimes i had doubts about [AS] but currently there doing fine, not great, fine.when the fall comes like most networks they'll improve in shows and ratings.

[KingDead]

I'm hoping The Boondocks will make up for the recent string of bad shows. I'd like to think the Comedy end is just in a funk, since Williams Street is still banking on the low-fi look that has netted them success in the past (with SG, ATHF, the early SeaLab). I'd like to see some original action shows, not just comedy, but I don't know if the Big O 2 venture dimmed hopes a bit. It's up to you Venture Bros.!

But Adult Swim still has my respect for showing Paranoia Agent.

[Vagrant]

2003 was its best year; you can stick a fork in it after that.

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I'm not even going to ask why, because invariably the answer will only resemble reason by solipsistic standards.

Anyway, all threads of this sort should be re-titled, 'Why doesn't Adult Swim show things I like anymore?' It's far less pretentious.

[Beat]

2003 was its best year; you can stick a fork in it after that.

Are we speaking from a fanboy or fiscal perspective?

Adult Swim right now is a ballon caught in an updraft. The ratings are going up with just about every single demo.

Fanboy though, it's going down. Tom is hated, Stroker and Hoop is considered garbage, Family Guy and Futurama are overplayed, etc, etc. There hasn't been a universally loved internet show on for a while, and when Evangelion airs, all hell is going to break loose.

So it depends on your perspective.

[jarjar23]

Yes. They are starting to sell themselves to advertizements. Notice that in most break cards, they are promoting SOMETHING. I don't watch AS religiously, so I really don't have a hold of the programming in going downhill stadereds.

[bigddan11]

Comedy wise I'd have to say yes, but action wise it has only improved. I can't wait until October when FMA, Ghost in the Shell, S-Cry-Ed, and Evangelion will all be airing with new episodes, and Samurai Champloo may be underestimated, but it rocks. Action had needed something to boost it since Yu Yu Hakusho left, and they've defintley found it this year.

[The Landstander]

I'd have to say yes.

A series of IMOs:
Of originals, HM is done, SG is done, Brak (which is a lot better in hindsight than I gave it credit for) is done, ATHF had a weak season 4 (though I have hope it can come back), the once-funny Sealab turned to crap, and Birdman's gimmick wore thin. Of the new stuff, I think VB is the current highlight of the block and Tom is decent, while RC is dull and unfunny and only a few of the many upcoming shows have my interest.

Anime wise, Paranoia Agent was pretty good and GitS was decent enough, but Champloo and FMA don't interest me. I think 2003 would win on anime.

Really, it was great from like early 2002 (when I first started watching) until 2004. As of now AS still has enough good to keep me interested (and obviously the mainstream ratings would disagree with me), but really, I'd take the early years any day.

But it seems I'm in the smaller portion on this one.

[Artimus Gigan]

Considering that many of the early episodes are on DVD, it's not like it's impossible to take a head trip down nostalgia lane and run over father time with the mind mobile...

However I found last week's HB:AAL to be very reminicent of the early WS shorts(redubbed Thundarr, Galaxy babies, Solomon Grundy Want Pants and other Council of Evil shorts). I mean they still got it....they just have to use it.

Prehaps they could aim to aquire some episodes of Gatchaman/BoTP/G-Force/Eagle Rider, and make a weird dub show outta that....I mean there are loads of animation errors in that show.

Heck I'd go for a spastic version of Dino Boy or Herculoids

[jbanks97]

Does this topic automatically reappear every 6 months?

I'll have to say yes
Because the shows that were bad were crap and the shows that were good were not crap and there were more bad than good.

Oh and because more people like it now it's clearly not as good. Regardless of the fact that it occupies 6 days of the week, has TONS of new premiers lined up, was largely responsible for reviving a beloved franchise, etc, it's clearly not as good.


Although I actually vote no.

[Beat]

Prehaps they could aim to aquire some episodes of Gatchaman/BoTP/G-Force/Eagle Rider, and make a weird dub show outta that....I mean there are loads of animation errors in that show.

And then we get Alex Ross going to Altanta with a big hammer.

Adult Swim can still make funny concepts when they want to. It's just that lately, they've been pushing experimental to an extreme.

[The Gunnshuu]

ASA has been pretty consistent: I generally liked most of the anime while discovering a few gems along the way.

However, ASC, ratings-wise, is in something of a "beyond-Platinum Age," but:

2003 was its best year

Really. Hell, I think it peaked the night the cards premiered. Then, there was that night when the cards weren't funny. Home Movies had to be taken off weekdays and re-replaced with Futurama because of piss-poor ratings. HM and SGC2C were eventually cancelled, and ATHF S4 was a disappointment. Not a big fan of Robot Chicken. Only thing that I can assuredly say I'm looking forward to is VB S2.

So yeah, as a whole, it's going downhill, even if the ratings and the mainstream don't reflect my feelings. Not that I would expect them to.