Adult Swim (Canadian TV channel)

Adult Swim (Canadian TV channel)
Adult Swim is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Showcase Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily airs animated and live-action comedies targeting a teenage and young adult audience.
The channel was originally launched in 2001 as Showcase Action (later Action), a digital cable spin-off of Showcase focused on action series and films. The channel was re-launched as Adult Swim on April 1, 2019; its branding is licensed from the Adult Swim programming block broadcast by Warner Bros. Discovery's Cartoon Network. The channel was spun off from the Adult Swim block that aired on the Canadian version of Cartoon Network (marking the first time the brand has been used for a full-time channel), and the Teletoon at Night block that had aired on its parent channel Teletoon.
History
As Showcase Action/Action (2001–2019)
In November 2000, Alliance Atlantis was granted approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a new category 2 specialty service named "Action Television", which would be devoted to entertainment programming in the action genre. The channel launched on September 7, 2001, as Showcase Action, a spin-off of its analog specialty channel Showcase.
On January 18, 2008, Alliance Atlantis's broadcasting assets were acquired by CW Media, a joint venture between Canwest and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. The channel was renamed Action on August 31, 2009. On October 27, 2010, the channel was acquired by Shaw Media as part of its acquisition of Canwest.
By 2011, Action had begun to diverge from its original format, increasingly acquiring reality shows from the U.S. network TruTV. In 2011, Action would begin airing two original comedy programs, The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Funtime Hour and Kenny Hotz's Triumph of the Will, both of which were cancelled after one season. Another original series, But I'm Chris Jericho!, starring Canadian-born professional wrestler Chris Jericho, premiered as a webseries in 2013 on Action's YouTube channel, and was later acquired for a second season by CBC Television's digital outlet CBC Comedy.
On May 1, 2015, a high definition feed of Action was launched. In 2016, Shaw Media was acquired by its sister company Corus Entertainment.
As Adult Swim (2019–present)
On March 4, 2019, Corus announced that Action would be relaunched as Adult Swim on April 1, 2019, marking the first time that the brand would be used for a 24-hour channel.
Much like its U.S counterpart, Corus had previously operated Adult Swim as a block on the Canadian version of Cartoon Network, which launched on July 4, 2012. Its sibling channel Teletoon had also carried the similarly-positioned Teletoon at Night block, which also acquired programming from Adult Swim. From March 2016 through November 2018, Time Warner had also operated an Adult Swim subscription video on demand service for Android and iOS devices via Adult Swim Games, which streamed some of Adult Swim's original programming in Canada. New episodes were added to the app following their U.S. airings, Originally, Rick and Morty and Robot Chicken premieres were only added after they aired in Canada. Beginning with its third season, new episodes of Rick and Morty were added the next day after their U.S. premiere. In 2017, new episodes from Samurai Jack'''s fifth season were added two days after they premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block.
Both the Teletoon at Night and the Adult Swim blocks were discontinued as part of the channel's launch. The network would launch with a two-month free preview, while full episodes of the channel's programming were made free to watch on-demand until January 2020. Shows announced for the channel's launch included Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories, The Eric Andre Show, and Lazor Wulf, the latter of which was announced to premiere day-and-date with the U.S service.
Programming
Adult Swim primarily airs animated and live-action comedy programming, including original productions from the U.S. block and its sister streaming service Max (such as Harley Quinn), and off-network reruns of animated sitcoms.
Most of the channel's domestic first-run programs are English dubs of series commissioned by the French-language Télétoon's late-night block Télétoon la nuit, including The Bizarre Stories of Professor Zarbi and Doomsday Brothers. During Corus Entertainment's 2022 upfronts presentation, Adult Swim announced the new original series Psi Cops, and an animated adaptation of the Québécois comic book Red Ketchup (co-commissioned with Télétoon la nuit).Unlike its American counterpart, the channel does not offer a Toonami programming block, although it has acquired anime series co-produced or commissioned by Adult Swim for the block (such as Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Housing Complex C). In order to fulfill Canadian content requirements, the channel also carries reruns of Canadian-produced library content (including original series that had been produced for the previous Adult Swim and Teletoon at Night blocks), and airs made-for-TV films on weekday mornings (a holdover from Action).
Current programming
As of November 2023:
American Dad! Aqua Teen Hunger Force Archer Bob and Margaret Bob's Burgers Delta State The Eric Andre Show Family Guy Fugget About It Harley Quinn Joe Pera Talks with You King of the Hill Metalocalypse My Adventures with Superman Primal Psi Cops Rick and Morty Robot Chicken Scavengers Reign Smiling Friends The Super Dave Osborne Show T. and T. Teenage Euthanasia Unicorn: Warriors Eternal The Venture Bros. YOLO Upcoming programming
Rick and Morty: The Anime (Fall 2023)
Uzumaki (2023)
Former programming
As a channel
12 oz. Mouse 2 Nuts and a Richard! Apollo Gauntlet Assy McGee Ballmastrz: 9009 Batman: The Animated Series Beef House Birdgirl The Bizarre Stories of Professor Zarbi Black Dynamite Black Jesus Blade Runner: Black Lotus The Brak Show Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule China, IL The Cleveland Show Clone High Decker Delocated Doomsday Brothers Dream Corp LLC The Drinky Crow Show Eagleheart FLCL Frisky Dingo Gēmusetto The Greatest Event in Television History Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law The Heart, She Holler Home Movies Hot Package Hot Streets Housing Complex C Infomercials The Jellies! JJ Villard's Fairy Tales Knuckleheads Lazor Wulf Loiter Squad Mary Shelley's Frankenhole Minoriteam Momma Named Me Sheriff Moral Orel Mostly 4 Millennials Mr. Pickles Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter NTSF:SD:SUV:: Off the Air Pelswick Red Ketchup Royal Crackers Samurai Jack Saul of the Mole Men Sealab 2021 The Shivering Truth Space Ghost Coast to Coast Squidbillies Stroker and Hoop Superjail Tender Touches Three Busy Debras Tigtone Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories Titan Maximum Tom Goes to the Mayor Tropical Cop Tales Tuca & Bertie Young Justice Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell As a programming block
The Awesomes
Axe Cop
Crash Canyon
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet Futurama
Golan the Insatiable Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil
Napoleon Dynamite Night Sweats Perfect Hair Forever Stone Quackers Undergrads
Xavier: Renegade Angel''
See also
Télétoon la nuit
References
External links
Television channels and stations established in 2001
2001 establishments in Canada
Adult Swim
Corus Entertainment networks
Digital cable television networks in Canada
English-language television stations in Canada
Warner Bros. Discovery Americas