Adult Swim Jr.

Welcome back to Attack The Block, the series where I talk all about cartoon blocks of the past and present. This is Episode 3, and as you can tell by the title, I’m doing something a little different. Usually, I’d stick to talking about a block in the past, but I wanted to add my perspective on something that’s recently been kicking up in the Cartoon Network world.

So, in Fall 2017, Adult Swim randomly placed a promo that read: Coming Spring 2018; Adult Swim Jr.; Stay tuned for details.

This, of course, blew up on blog sites including Reddit, as well as gained attention from YouTubers like The Roundtable.

While there is heavy speculation that this is a joke, and heavy speculation that this a reality and all your favorite shows will air on it, let’s take it in full possibility that it’s a reality, and just start there.

The Adult Swim programming block launched in September of 2001 & and airs adult-centric shows from 8pm through 6am. Like Cartoon Network, the block has acquired series to go along with original programming.

Standout original series include: Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, The Boondocks, and Ricky and Morty, while acquired shows include King of the Hill, Bob’s Burgers, and the MacFarlane Trio: Cleveland Show, American Dad & Family Guy.

While the iconic anime-centric Toonami launched before Adult Swim, it presently airs on Saturday Nights in the Adult Swim timeslot.

Adult Swim has some of the Cartoon Network channel’s highest viewership. So, with name recognition and high ratings, Adult Swim Jr is a logical move with a bland name.

[WHAT’S EXPECTED IN THE BLOCK?]

This image has floated around the web, from YouTube videos to blog posts alike citing that this was leaked and official. It features Close Enough, Infinity Train, Tiggle Winks & Victor & Valentino.

This is my first high mark of curiosity. Both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim utilize acquired programming to fill. So, with no confirmed acquired cartoons on this list, and none of these series having launched as of this recording, it’s safe and of 99% probability that like Toonami, Adult Swim Jr. would be a one-a-week programming block.

WHERE WOULD IT AIR?

This is probably the greatest question of all, and one that makes me skeptical of the block itself.

As I’ve said before, the Adult Swim block works. Ratings are stronger than almost all of the cable landscape. For instance, Adult Swim’s 11pm timeslot scores higher than it’s cable competitors. And in an era where Cartoon Network ratings are declining, it’s hard to imagine Turner would want to tamper with the big daddy of their programming.

There are two places I can think of Adult Swim Jr. airing when taking the 1 day per week approach into account, as well as the fact that there are 4 cartoons on that list:

7pm-9pm Saturday

The Saturday positioning is better than a Friday or Sunday slot due to the expectation of a different set of programs in the Toonami block. There is the benefit of not effecting the Cartoon Network schedule at all, while airing immediately after Cartoon Network, the popular Rick and Morty sliding in after the block ends at 9, and afterwards presenting Toonami.

Going deeper & later into Adult Swim’s programming risks ratings fluctuations that I doubt Turner wants.

TURNER, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

But there’s also high possibility of Adult Swim Jr…not being on Adult Swim’s channel at all.

In that previously mentioned list of cartoons we have not only the Cartoon Network shorts of Infinity Train, Victor and Valentino and Tiggle Winks, but Close Enough. And Close Enough is everything.

Close Enough is a highly anticipated series. It was developed by J.G. Quintel, the same mind behind the legendary Regular Show. So when the teaser for the series dropped in Summer, everyone jumped on it. But everyone also saw…that it was from TBS.

TBS is the original Turner station; as it’s formerly known; Turner Broadcasting System.

Since its 2015 rebrand, the channel’s skewed toward more comedies, animation, and more late-night talk shows. It saved American Dad from cancellation, features the longest-running talk show host, Conan O’ Brian, has successful original content like People of Earth, Full-Frontal With Samantha Bee, Wrecked, and The Detour while airing sit-coms like The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Seinfeld, and King of Queens to name a few.

It’s doubtful Turner Broadcasting was just like “yeah, Adult Swim, we’ll air the promo here,” and logical to think that Close Enough is going to air there.

Another animated series titled Final Space also has a release date of 2018 for TBS, but isn’t on the Adult Swim Jr. list, which makes things even more confusing, as if you were going to gain mature cartoons in a block, you’d be just as likely to include Final Space as Close Enough.

Quite simply Adult Swim Jr. could air on TBS and host a lot of the new original programs featured there. It wouldn’t dent Cartoon Network or Adult Swim’s schedule, and would benefit in being promotional material for TBS viewers to watch Adult Swim, and Adult Swim viewers to watch TBS.

The only flaw would be the Kids WB/Cartoon Network problem, where two channels are negatively effecting one another from the same brand with similar content.

We just don’t have a definitive answer to this big question.

Adult Swim Jr. is an interesting future development. It seems possible, but at the same time, could be a long-running joke. The upcoming cartoons have potential to give this block high viewership, but the fractured nature of Turner’s cartoons mean either TBS or Cartoon Network could have the block.