Frisky Dingo (Season 2.5)

The first half of this second season, the creators made a bold decision to turn the show into a documentary based around Killface and Xander Crews running for president. In the second half, they drop that whole bit and the rest of the season feels very much like the first (which is a good thing). There were so many character deaths towards the end of this season and most of them take you by surprise. In terms of an Adult Swim original having continuity, this is by far their best comedy show. The humor is pitch perfect, the writing is fantastically hilarious, and it's gorgeous to look at. Easily worth the $20 they'll be asking for the DVD.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job (Season 2.5 and Season 3)

I'm not gonna lie. This is not an easy show to get into. Heck, it took some dedication from myself to get through the first season. But once I did, I've never regretted it. The second half of the second season had some great moments including Tim and Eric's satire of Robin Williams and an overdone fight scene to close out the second season. Season 3 started off a bit slow, but it's been one of the best with some great cameos by both big name stars and public access stars. But even if you HATE this show, you can't deny that the closing song to season 3, Brownie Mountain, is a great song.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Season 5)

Wow. Five seasons. And, holy crap, is this show's formula wearing thin. It's one thing to go against the grain and make something stupid, but it's quite another to pander. The first half of this season doesn't even feature the ATHF as main characters. The focus is strictly on Carl who, honestly, isn't the greatest character to follow especially in these episodes. I'm not saying that all these episodes are completely unfunny. You'll probably giggle a few times while watching these episodes, but there is nothing here that packs any of that same punch the last few seasons had. It's not terrible, just more of the same. And if you're doing more of the same by season 5, your show is in trouble.

Robot Chicken (Season 3.5)

I've never been a big fan of this show, but after viewing the second batch of season 3 episodes, I'm STILL not a fan of this show. It's just sketch comedy piggy backing on the pop culture (like most modern sketch comedy shows). The only difference is that with Robot Chicken they reach farther down the culture hole to do parodies of Fraggle Rock and Voltron. The bits in this season are decent and I can see why people find it funny, it's just that I want a little something more out of comedy than pop culture satire. Sure, it's fun to see 80's pop icons violently beating each other, I just think there could more humor there than that.

Squidbillies (Season 3)

This is one of the few Adult Swim originals that has become progressively better with time. It hasn't become an instant classic, but the characters are beginning to grow on me. The writing is just a bit more focused than ATHF, allowing for a decent story, but still leaving room for random and stupid humor. It should also be worth noting that this is one of the violent shows I've seen on Adult Swim. Oh, sure, on Metalocalypse, at least one person is killed an episode, but it's usually somebody getting shot, stabbed, or torn apart. On Squidblllies, somebody getting shot means nothing. The characters get decapitated, nailed to the floor, impaled, their skin melts off, they catch on fire, explode, suffocate, and eat one another. And they still come back for more. There is something I admire in a show like that. Not to mention that the characters aren't completely stupid and random. As crazy as it sound there is a certain intelligence to these characters. Is it a great show? Nope. Would I mind seeing another season? Sure, why not.

Metalocalypse (Season 2.5)

You know, I really wish I could love this show as much everyone else does. But I just can't. I don't hate the metal music or the art of the show, but, honestly, the formula NEVER changes. Somebody tries to bring down the band Dethclock, Dethclock is too stupid to realize what's going on, and the people trying to stop them get killed. I tried watching the end of this season hoping that something different would happen; that this bizarre story their trying to weave will actually pay off and surprise the audience. Nope, it was THE SAME DAMN ENDING FROM SEASON 1! I want to love this show because the characters are decent and I love the voice acting, but looking at it as a complete show, it's way too formulaic to love. And I could see even the hardcore fans getting tired of this by season 4.


The Venture Brothers (Season 3)

By far the most popular show on Adult Swim that everyone was waiting impatiently for a whole year. Well, does it surpass season 1 and 2? Well, not really. The first half of the season was a lot of backstory, most of which focusing on Phantom Limb as if he's going to make some big comeback. However, Phantom Limb NEVER shows up outside of the flashbacks. We meet Dr. Venture's new arch, Sgt Hatred, who hams it up a little too much with the whole pedophile routine. The Monarch turns Dr. Girlfriend into Mrs Monarch and he's still gunning after Venture. There are a couple of new characters added who work really well (including some new additions to the original Venture crew). Also, I didn't mind the cameos from some of the older side characters (Colonel Gentlemen's bit had me laughing harder than usual). Overall, the season wasn't terrible and it's a bonus that it's in HD, but compared to season 1 and 2, it's not as great as it could be. However, there is a lot of setup her for the fourth season so maybe all that stuff that didn't pay off in the third season will pay off in the fourth.

Fat Guy Stuck in Internet (Season 1)

I've stuck up for Adult Swim deciding to air live-action shows like Saul of the Molemen and Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, but I can't help them with this one. It's not a horrible concept; it's just not very funny. The writing is bare-bones creative and the gags are only mildly amusing at best. There are a couple of nerdy references in the writing, but not enough to make it geek-worthy. This is a show that perhaps shot too low.

Morel Orel (Season 3 *Final Season*)

Of all the shows that have come and gone on Adult Swim, this one should be remembered as one of the darkest, most disturbing shows to ever go through such an evolution. This show went from being a satire of Davey and Goliath, to a dark comedy, to just plain being dark. There are episodes in this season that are so uncomfortable to watch with very few gags in them. But that's what makes it appealing. Before these characters were just one-dimensional comedic players for the show. Now, when we see them behind closed doors, they're frightening people with severe mental problems. And I admire the show for taking such a gutsy route with it's writing, but also having a satisfying ending after such a disturbing climax.


Superjail (Season 1)

HOLY CRAP! When I first saw this on Adult Swim's Pilot Week a year ago, I knew AS would be crazy not to pick it up. Back when it first aired, my fiance had her doubts about the show. But now, it's one of her favorite cartoons on television. And why shouldn't it be? The concept is simple enough (Willy Wonka runs a jail), but the follow-through with the show's surreal imagery and it's knack for always finding a new way to slaughter tons of inmates at a time is what makes the show so awesome. What makes this show so enjoyable to watch is that it's not bound by any specific reality. ANYTHING can happen on this show and usually does. Not to mention the show is anything but predictable. Oh, sure, there are certain key characters you can count on being in every episode, but few of the episodes actually end with everything back to normal. In fact, the season finale has Superjail mess with the Time Police and it ends with a climactic explosion of paradoxes and alternative universe. This is, without a doubt, the BEST show on Adult Swim this year. Here is hoping for season 2.

Young Person's Guide to History (2 episodes)

Originally a spin-off of Saul of the Molemen, this show just falls apart before your very eyes. It looks like the regulars at William Street just got drunk, stumbled onto a green screen stage and just let themselves go off on pretending to satire history. It's KINDA-SORTA humorous, but even the most die-hard AS fan won't laugh at this.

The Xtacles (2 episode special)

A spin-off of Frisky Dingo, these two episodes were okay. It's not quite the Frisky Dingo fans know and love, but it's nice as a companion piece to season 2. I just hope this isn't how season 3 is going to be staged.

The Drinky Crow Show (Season 1.0)

When the pilot first aired, I loved how unbelievably violent it was, but many fans of the comic didn't like it as it strayed too far away from the comic and the shorts. Now, as the season has progressed, I think the show is starting to reach that middle ground as the stories are becoming similar to the true nature of the comics while still having lots of violence on screen. The animation is great, the voice work is excellent, and most of the bits succeed at entertaining. There is some room for improvement, but so far, it holds great promise for being an AS original with both brains and guts.