As of May 1, handfuls of Adult Swim and Cartoon Network shows are streaming on Hulu, thanks to a deal between the streaming platform and Turner Broadcasting. No longer are you forced to randomly land on Adult Swim, heavy-lidded, only to stumble into gaping maws like this. Now you can pick and choose your own misadventures.
There are currently 23 Adult Swim shows available to stream, but if you need some guidance, here are the six you should check out right now.
1) The Eric Andre Show
Comedian Eric Andre and sidekick Hannibal Buress are the alternate-universe version of late night, in which celebs stop by for awkward, painful interviews and have to enter through (usually) broken doors. Then there are Andre’s offsite bits, which hold tight to the absurd foundation of pranksterism.
2) Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
It’s unfortunate that Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s first Adult Swim show, Tom Goes to the Mayor, is missing from Hulu, but Tim and Eric Awesome Job, Great Show! expands on that series’ body-horror humor and cast of neighborhood oddballs. With this show, Heidecker and Wareheim positioned themselves as (off-) brand influencers with their Cinco sketches, and now they’ve blurred the line even further.
It needed more Zach Galifianakis, though.
3) Rick and Morty
Community creator Dan Harmon’s series about a galaxy-hopping scientist (Rick) and his grandson (Morty) is one of Adult Swim’s sleeper hits, and it’s developed a huge fandom online. Much like Community, the show runs on ridiculous premises and in-jokes, but the unconventional relationship between Rick and Morty is the heart.
4) Loiter Squad
Odd Future’s music has always masqueraded as a critique of rap and entertainment industry cliches, and Loiter Squad collects bits of the L.A. group’s performative, disruptive art.
5) China, IL
Animator Brad Neely is the brain behind soft-spoken manchild Baby Cakes and 2006’s viral George Washington song, and China, IL is all his worlds colliding. The stories originate from the campus of a fictional university in China, Ill., but the vast cast of characters allows for multiple surreal storylines at once. In a recent interview with Splitsider, Neely explained that they have “700 named and designed characters now.”
6) The Heart, She Holler
What’s going on in this show? After watching a whole season of this nightmarish critique of Southern culture and stereotypes, I’m still not sure, but it has Kristen Schaal, David Cross, and Amy Sedaris in it. The production company behind the show is also responsible for MTV’s way-ahead-of-its-time hit Wonder Showzen, so you’ve been warned.
Screengrab via Adult Swim/YouTube
