The Top Ten Adult Swim Moments of 2023

10. The Eric Andre Show Introduces Us to the Fridge Keeper:

After Hannibal Buress’s exit from the long-running Adult Swim talk show back in season 5, many fans were concerned that The Eric Andre Show would face a decline in quality. The absolutely insane output of season 6 proves that theory wrong, as we see Eric terrorize celebrities like Lil Nas X, Mia Khalifa, Jaleel White, Jon Hamm, Donald Glover, Natasha Lyonne, and Lil Yachty. However, the season peaks in the final episode, when we see Meagan Good and Daymond John terrorized by Eric and a new cohost, a fridge-dwelling puppet called the Fridge Keeper. Similar to Kraft Punk, the Fridge Keeper is a fairly one-note character, based off the Crypt Keeper, his only bit is telling jokes or puns relating to winter. However, Eric Andre’s strength is mining that annoyance for comedy as he insists to the guests that the finale is the “cold episode,” spraying snow on them and having the Fridge Keeper puppet interrupt them with his cold puns. We also see the Fridge Keeper get integrated into one of his pranks, as Eric convinces a man they’ve been trapped in an elevator, before leading him down a spooky hallway to an office party with the Fridge Keeper in attendance. Eric commits to the bit as hard as possible, even changing the closing logos to match the winter theme (Williams Street becomes Winter Sleet). This bit might get old on any other show, but here it’s a reminder of why The Eric Andre Show is beloved enough to stick around as Adult Swim’s last current live-action comedy.

9. My Adventures with Superman: Adult Swim Understands Superman More than Zack Snyder:

This year, Adult Swim branched out and began airing shows that were formerly intended for Cartoon Network/HBO Max. The first of these was Genndy Tartakovsky’s Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, and the second was My Adventures with Superman, the first animated Superman show since the DCAU’s Superman: The Animated Series. While Cartoon Network has always aired cartoons based on DC Comics properties, this is something Adult Swim has seldom done before. While Toonami would occasionally air an animated Batman movie or the excellent Harley Quinn cartoon, there’s never been an Adult Swim original DC Comics show until now. My Adventures with Superman is a modern day, anime-inspired reimagining of the Superman tale, focusing on an early 20s Clark Kent and his friendships with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen as they start out in their careers at the Daily Planet. While still having plenty of elaborate action set pieces, MAWS stands out as it firmly focuses itself on the more domestic aspects of the Superman story, really focusing on connecting us with Clark Kent as a person, which is a sharp contrast to the 2010s portrayal of the character in movies like Man of Steel or Batman v Superman. Clark’s relationship and chemistry with Lois Lane is the focus here, and you can truly see why they are drawn to one another, providing the most entertaining on-screen Clark/Lois duo in a long time. Fans have long claimed that Superman is boring, mostly because on-screen adaptations of the character seldom get it right, but this year Adult Swim was the one who reminded audiences why Superman is one of the most beloved pop culture figures of all time.

8. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal: Melinda and Emma Meet:

In the mid-2010s, Adult Swim contacted animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky, known for Dexter’s Laboratory, Clone Wars 2003, Sym-Bionic Titan, and the Hotel Transylvania movies about finishing his greatest work, Samurai Jack. Samurai Jack’s fifth and final season was released on Adult Swim in 2017, and instantly became a massive success. Adult Swim quickly realized the potential of a partnership with someone as talented as Genndy, and have been working with him since, creating his fantastic, bloody epic Primal. However, Genndy has always wanted to tell the story of Unicorn, a group of immortal warriors who possess the bodies of different people across time in order to fight the “Evil.” While initially intended for Cartoon Network, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal proved far too complicated, and instead fit better amongst the Adult Swim audience. Taking an early 1900s steampunk design aesthetic, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal takes its bonkers premise and focuses on what would happen if one of the main character’s possessions DIDN’T go as planned. The main conflict focuses on the eternal warrior Melinda’s attempt to possess young bride Emma on her wedding day, only to find herself constantly wresting control of the body from her. This series explores the ethical questions of what would happen if someone had to possess another for the greater good, and the constant tug between Melinda and Emma, as well as their respective love interests, provides much of the dramatic weight of the show. While the first two episodes were great, they mostly provided exposition on the insanity of the show’s premise. The show truly takes off in the third episode, when Melinda and Emma split from themselves for the first time and finally meet. Melinda argues that Emma needs to give herself and her autonomy up to Melinda for the greater good, as, if she doesn’t, the “Evil” will destroy all of humanity. Emma, meanwhile, argues that it is wrong for Melinda to take over her body unwillingly, and that Melinda has no right to ruin her life. It’s a fantastic scene that shows off just how strong both these characters are, and for many viewers, it was the moment when this show truly clicked.

7. Royal Crackers: Ghost Boy Is Ghost Girl:

This year Adult Swim premiered Royal Crackers, a half hour animated take about a family fighting over control of their ailing father’s cracker company. A clear take on Succession and other similar shows like HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, this show became an underrated classic with its sharp humor and strong characters. The best installment of the season focuses on Cracker’s own Logan Roy, the perpetually comatose and seemingly unaware Theodore Sr. In a flashback episode taking place in the 20th century, we see Theodore split with his business partner Luther Dennison over ethical concerns, who goes on to found a much more successful cracker company. Wanting to prove to his former partner and himself that he’s not a bad person, Theodore Sr. takes on a mission from the ghost of a young boy who was killed by Royal Crackers to go help a family in need, begging for his charity to help their daughter who is dying of polio. After fighting a family of cannibals and finding what might be a moral center, Theodore Sr. arrives at the family’s ranch to find them long dead, the “Ghost Boy” who’s been guiding him the whole time actually being the family’s dead daughter. This moment truly breaks Theodore Sr. and turns him into the heartless monster he became for the rest of his life, and when his old business partner arrives in the future to make amends, Theodore Sr. summons the last of his strength to choke him to death. It’s a grim, brutal episode that gives great insight into what shaped the man who raised our lead characters, while also showing us that maybe Stebe and Theo Jr. aren’t doing that bad.

6. Teenage Euthanasia: Trophy Compromises for Annie:

A lack of women-created and women-ran shows had been an unfortunate blind spot of Adult Swim’s for a while, which led to an influx of women-focused shows in recent years, including PFFR’s excellent Teenage Euthanasia. This year saw TE return with a 10 episode season that improved on every aspect of the first season, and also centered the dynamic between the bitter, cruel, and proudly slutty mother Trophy and her kind, meek, anxious daughter Annie. When Trophy and Annie go to pick out an outfit for a Save the Manatees fundraiser, they find themselves trapped in a Saw parody where they have to work on communication, compassion, and compromise. Juggsaw, this episode’s Jigsaw stand-in, has seen far too many narcissistic mothers break down their daughters through cruel criticism of their appearances, and wants to prove to Annie that Trophy isn’t worth the time or effort. Trophy (mostly) proves Juggsaw right, hurling insults towards Annie’s appearance and personality, until the final challenge when the two have to pick out an identical outfit. When Annie hits Trophy with the same complaint that Trophy hit her mother Baba with when she was a teenager, Trophy is finally able to empathize with her daughter and agree to an outfit. This mother-daughter dynamic is one you see far too often in the real world, and is a topic completely unexplored in adult animation, making Teenage Euthanasia truly stand out in the Adult Swim lineup, while also proving that introducing diverse showrunners leads to diverse perspectives and new, interesting stories.

5. Ballmastrz: Rubicon: Babyball Inspires Crayzar:

Dana Snyder is one of Adult Swim’s most prolific voice actors, starting out as Master Shake, he has gone on to act in Squidbillies, The Venture Bros., Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, and plenty more. His voice is instantly recognizable, and his role in Christy Karacas’s excellent anime parody Ballmastrz: 9009 as the selfish, arrogant game ball Babyball is one of his best. Ballmastrz went off the air on a massive cliffhanger in 2020, and this year, the show returned with a beautifully animated epic special entitled Ballmastrz: Rubicon, which featured golden god Crayzar, leader Gaz Digzy, and her team the Leptons facing off against Crayzar’s family in order to save the Earth. Crayzar is stripped of his powers and imprisoned early on, with Babyball taking on a new position as a court jester. As Crayzar laments the fate of Gaz, the Leptons, and the rest of the planet to Babyball, he accidentally lets slip that there is a mech suit designed for Gaz somewhere within their spaceship Gold Diamond. However, the despondent Crayzar believes it doesn’t matter, as the situation is hopeless. That is, until Babyball delivers a rousing speech commanding Crayzar to at least try to throw Gaz a “hail mary pass," reminding Crayzar that he is their leader, and it’s time to get his sorry ass up and lead. Dana Snyder is normally known for whiny, selfish characters like Master Shake, so hearing him deliver this epic speech is unexpectedly very moving, and sets the tone for the back half of the episode, as the Leptons fight to save the Earth. The fate of Ballmastrz is up in the air, but hopefully we’ll see the Leptons in action again some day.

4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Brian Cox Guest Stars:

After 7 years off the air, the Aqua Teens reinvented themselves last year with Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, a second feature length film that reinvented the series’ format. While classic Aqua Teen paired nonsensical plots with extremely cheap, barely moving character animation, Plantasm was fully animated, giving the Aqua Teens a full range of motion, and it ditched the non-sequiturs for a more traditional story about the Aqua Teens saving New Jersey. The new approach divided fans, but it convinced Adult Swim that it was time to bring back the classic show, and the end of 2023 saw five new episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force premiere on the network. These episodes kept the updated, fluid animation of the second film, but brought back the goofier, stupider plots that Aqua Teen is known for. The season was all bangers with not a single bad episode, but the clear peak was the finale, titled Anubis. This episode focused on the Egyptian god Anubis as he recruits the Aqua Teens into a pyramid scheme, literally. This is pretty standard Aqua Teen fare, but what makes this episode land on this list is the fact that Anubis is voiced by Succession’s own Brian Cox. While he’s been a prolific actor for decades, Brian Cox skyrocketed to popularity starring on the hit HBO show Succession, and hearing him berate the Aqua Teens as easily as Logan Roy berated his children is simply a delight. While more episodes have not been ordered yet, the future seems bright for the Aqua Teens.

3. Rick and Morty: Rick Beats Rick Prime to Death:

After the firing of Justin Roiland in early 2023, Rick and Morty faced an uphill battle. It had to recast BOTH its leads, and many assumed the show would not premiere its seventh season until 2024, especially after the writers and actors strikes. However, the show proved everyone wrong, and aired all ten episodes of the seventh season during the fall, with newcomers Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden stepping in as Rick and Morty, respectively. Season 7’s fifth installment, Unmortricken, proved that these two were more than up to the challenge. After season six set up Rick Prime, the Rick who killed our Rick’s wife, as the main antagonist, season seven wastes little time in getting to their final battle. Rick and Morty team up with fan favorite Evil Morty to take on Rick Prime, and eventually it’s Evil Morty who is able to subdue Rick Prime, disable his body modifications, and let our Rick take his revenge. However, he’s not doing this for free, as he is merely distracting Rick while he steals the Omega device, a weapon that can wipe out every single variation of a person across every universe, which is what Rick Prime used to take out every Diane. Rick Prime, knowing he’s in mortal danger, desperately tries to bargain with Rick, warning him that Evil Morty getting the Omega device could have catastrophic consequences, but Rick doesn’t care. His entire life has led up to this moment, and as he savagely beats Rick Prime to death, Rick Prime laughs and taunts him. Rick wins, he kills the man who killed his wife, but in a great callback to season 1’s Rick Potion #9, we see that this has left our Rick feeling more empty than ever. This entire episode is mostly just variations of Rick and Morty, and it is a tour de force for both Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden, as they are able to show off how well they can toggle between the good and evil versions of our lead characters, as well as carry heavy emotional scenes when they need to. This is one of the boldest episodes in the show’s history, and we can’t help but be glad that our new Rick and Morty were the ones to carry it.

2. Metalocalypse: The Metalocalypse Arrives:

Metalocalypse was one of the most infamous cancellations in Adult Swim history, as the show was cut short before its massive finale, leaving viewers hanging for 10 full years as Adult Swim refused to do more with the property. In 2023, Adult Swim finally rectified this mistake, as Adult Swim released the third installment in their line of direct to VOD/Blu-ray movies, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar. While the original Metalocalypse show was known for its often crude visuals, this is one of the best looking projects Adult Swim has ever made, delivering a breathtaking visual spectacle as Dethklok fights through the end of the world. The first half of the movie is mostly set up, but the tide turns when Dethklok performs Aortic Desecration, the song they mistakenly think is the Song of Salvation. As they perform this harsh, brutal, angry song about Nathan’s failed proposal to Abigail, the Doomstar finally reaches Earth and begins raining molten metal down upon the planet. We see millions of people die, as crashing airplanes and exploding trucks destroy the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, the pyramids, and several other landmarks. We see giant tornadoes of fire ripping across the landscape, and skulls being evaporated in clouds of fire. All the while, we cut back to Dethklok delivering one of their best performances ever. This show has been teasing the Metalocalypse for years, and series creator Brendon Small understood that when we finally saw what was foretold, it had to be huge. The Metalocalypse arriving on Earth is possibly the most cinematic sequence of all three direct to VOD films, and it sets the tone for the rest of the movie, as Dethklok must rescue Murderface from possession, write the TRUE Song of Salvation, and lead the final battle against Salacia. The ten year wait was more than worth it.

1. The Venture Bros.: The First Go Team Venture!:

The Venture Bros. is one of Adult Swim’s longest-running shows, and the finale movie, Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, reminds us why the show is so special, and so beloved. The film focuses itself on reuniting the Venture family after the season 7 finale while also digging into the mysteries of who Hank and Dean’s true mother is, and why the Monarch hates Rusty so much. Both questions are answered by new villain Mantilla, whose real name is Debbie St. Simone-Majeure. Debbie is the daughter of actress-turned-supervillain Bobbi St. Simone, and former Sovereign of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, Force Majeure. We find out that Debbie and the Monarch used to date in college, and the Monarch explains that they broke up when he found out she was sleeping with Rusty Venture. While immediately denying that this is the main reason for his hatred for Rusty, an emotional argument between the two later leads the Monarch to furiously ask why Rusty had sex with Debbie. Rusty quickly claims that he never did, and only “did some work for her, and her mother." Debbie later confirms they never slept together to Dr. Girlfriend, explaining that Rusty transferred Bobbi’s invisibility powers to Debbie in exchange for something Debbie “wasn’t planning on using.” At the end of the film, after the Venture family reunites, Dean asks Rusty who their real mother was. Rusty refuses to tell him, instead promising “the person who gave birth to you, loves you. I promise they do.” The post-credits scene shows Rusty with a mechanical womb strapped to his chest, about to “give birth” to the boys, and inside the mechanical womb, we see Hank and Dean do the “Go Team Venture!” for the first time. It’s not hard to figure out that Debbie gave Rusty her eggs so he could continue the Venture lineage, and that the Monarch’s mistaken belief that they slept together informed his hatred of Rusty far more than they were letting on. The Venture Bros., at its core, has always been about love. The love series creators Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick have not only for one another, but for these characters, this world, and the fans. If you have ever loved The Venture Bros., then you’re part of that love too, and the movie provides a perfect, emotional send-off for this world and these characters that’s guaranteed to leave any Venturoo a bit misty. Seeing Hank and Dean do their signature hand signal is the perfect way to end this legendary series. Go Team Venture indeed.