“Annecy, with its unique and global mix of industry professionals and passionate fans, is the perfect place for us to share what we are up to and most excited about,” said Michael Ouweleen, president, Adult Swim. “We’re not just announcing new series, but also new ways of creating – from Adult Swim SMALLS to a special done in an unconventional way – all that hopefully help push the boundaries of animation. As always, we will be creator-driven and chance-taking until such time someone puts us in handcuffs. Literal ones.”

The upcoming projects announced include…

The Elephant, a special in three parts by Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), Ian Jones-Quartey (OK KO!), Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall). Not many details aside from the power hour team behind it were announced but we expect to learn more in the coming months. The Elephant will be produced by Titmouse for Adult Swim

Keeping Up with the Joneses is a new half hour animated comedy from Hugh Davidson, Rachel Ramras and Larry Dorf that focuses on the Newberry family as they try to “keep up” with their staggeringly wealthy Dallas neighbors – including the one next door, Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. Keeping Up with the Joneses is being produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Adult Swim.

Heist_Safari is a new offering from celebrated creator and director Genndy Tartakovsky. Pitched at Annecy in 2024, Heist_Safari tells the story of three Frog brothers robbing a bank. Seems simple enough, but the execution is special as ****??!!! Heist_Safari is currently in development with both Adult Swim and Cartoon Network Studios.

Along with the announcements involving new programming, Adult Swim also announced the renewal of both Smiling Friends and Ninja Kamui, each for two additional seasons.

Smiling Friends fans can rejoice as it’s been announced that the show created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel has been picked up for a fourth and fifth season. This is in addition to the third season set to premiere this fall. The news came out of Annecy Animation Festival where Smiling Friends had a dedicated panel.

Cusack had this to say to The Hollywood Reporter about the freedom the multi-season pick up now gives the creative team. “It means you don’t have to make the same episode that the engine of the show relies on, which is the smiling friends go out and help a depressed character. Just like the shows we love and grew up with, the best part is now we can make a whole episode about a secondary character and zoom in on them more and explore the town.”

To hear more, check out the exclusive interview with Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel on The Hollywood Reporter.

Created by Gonzalo Cordova (Tuca & Bertie, Adam Ruins Everything) and produced in partnership with Mexico City-based studio by Cinema Fantasma (Frankelda’s Book of Spooks), the stop-motion series follows Marioneta, a proud wealthy Spaniard living in 1980s Quito, Ecuador. There she encounters a diverse group of eccentric and ambitious women navigating the complicated worlds of love, family, and cuys. Featuring an all-woman cast, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads is produced entirely in Spanish with English subtitles.

To bring everyone up to speed, last year Adult Swim announced officially (and at least one unofficially) some shows that have yet to air on network. Season Three of Primal was touched on yesterday as still being in production and Common Side Effects was screened for the Annecy audience. In addition to that, not much else seemed to be going on. That changed little while ago with another new press release, and BOY what a lineup…

Get Jiro – Based on the DC/Vertigo graphic novel of the same name by Joel Rose and the late Anthony Bourdain, Get Jiro is the story of a “sushi master” named Jiro in a future L.A. run by master chefs competing for the best restaurants. I’ve slept on the graphic novel, but I might have to pick it up at some point. The animated adaptation is being co-created by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka (Sharper, Superstore) and produced by WB Animation.

Super Mutant Magic Adademy – Also based off a graphic novel, created by Jillian Tamaki who will be handling the show along side Regular Show & Close Enough creator J.G. Quintel. Touted as a school of both humans and mutants, with Quintel on board, I can only expect insanity (and dashes of 80s nostalgia mixed in). Produced for AS by Cartoon Network Studios.

And…

Yesterday, AS announced a third season of Smiling Friends (currently running its second season). Today, we get news that My Adventures with Superman (currently running its second season) will receive a third season somewhere down the road as well.

Check out the full press release below. As always, info on release dates as they become available.

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ADULT SWIM ANNOUNCES NEW AND RETURNING SERIES AT ANNECY INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

BURBANK (June 14, 2024) – The leader in adult animation, Adult Swim announced a collection of new and returning shows and marked the global premiere of the new series from executive producers Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, “Common Side Effects,” at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.“For two decades, Adult Swim has pushed the boundaries of animation, repeatedly surprised its audience and launched and grown careers – and we’re not that interested in stopping,” said Michael Ouweleen, president, Adult Swim. “With Adult Swim expanding its global reach even further as Max rolls out across Europe, Annecy is the perfect platform to underscore Adult Swim’s dominance in adult animation.” Exclusively screened at Annecy, “Common Side Effects” is co-created by Joe Bennett and Steve Hely and follows Marshall and Frances, two former high school lab partners who share a secret: Marshall has discovered the world’s greatest medicine, a mushroom that can heal almost anything. But getting it out into the world won’t be easy – the DEA, big pharma, and international businessmen are all on the chase to stop them. The half-hour serialized comedic thriller is produced by Bandera and Green Street Pictures.   Adult Swim also announced the following new series currently in production for the network: “Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances” – Created by Emmy® nominated writer and executive producer Adele “Supreme” Williams (Netflix’s “My Dad the Bounty Hunter”), the quarter-hour comedy follows three best friends navigating the wild and dicey dating misadventures in South Central LA, circa 2102. A pilot episode for the series aired last year as part of Adult Swim’s pilot block, and is currently available to watch on Adult Swim.com. “Oh My God Yes!” is executive produced by Dominique Braud and produced for Adult Swim by Six Point Harness. “Ha Ha You Clowns” – Adult Swim has ordered a full series pick-up of the popular Adult Swim SMALLS animated short series. The quarter-hour comedy follows three sweet natured brothers who, alongside their deeply caring father, embark on various adventures as they bond together in the wake of their mother’s passing. Inspired by suburban family TV shows of the past, this series mixes heartfelt emotions with surreal comedy. It is created by Joe Cappa, whose animated short “Ghost Dogs” was a 2021 Sundance Festival Official Selection and winner of the Satoshi Kon Award at Fantasia. “Get Jiro” – Based on The New York Times bestselling DC/Vertigo graphic novels by writers Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose with artwork by Langdon Foss and Alé Garza, the half-hour animated series is set in a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants. A mysterious sushi master named Jiro enters a bloody culinary war and begins to craft his recipe for revenge. “Get Jiro” is created by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka (“Sharper,” “Superstore”) and is produced for Adult Swim by Warner Bros. Animation.  “Super Mutant Magic Academy” – Created by Emmy winner J.G. Quintel (“Regular Show”) and Jillian Tamaki, this surreal comedy is set at a high school where the student body is a mix of mutants and “regular” kids. Through eyes of Marsha, a sardonic new transfer student with a mysterious past, the series follows the awkward high school struggles and occasional triumphs of a diverse cast of teens as they stumble through romance, friendships and growing mutant powers. Based on Tamaki’s comic series, “Super Mutant Magic Academy” is produced for Adult Swim by Cartoon Network Studios.  Returning Series – In addition, Adult Swim announced that the hit series “SMILING FRIENDS” and “My Adventures with Superman,” both currently airing their sophomore seasons, will also return for third seasons.  Co-created and starring Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, “SMILING FRIENDS” follows the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world. The series was also selected for official competition at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Based on DC characters, “My Adventures with Superman” is a serialized coming-of-age story centered on twenty-somethings Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen as they discover who they are, together. It stars Jack Quaid as the voice of Superman/Clark Kent, Alice Lee as the voice of Lois Lane, and Ishmel Sahid as the voice of Jimmy Olsen.

Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances – One of four pilots that aired during the M. Night Shyamalan “Night of Pilots to Hawk My New Movie, Sponsored by Burger Restaurant” back in February 2023. I tried doing a write-up that night but was too busy (plus the site wasn’t up yet). I did however keep the quick notes I made: The show takes place in the year 2102 and feels like a cross between Cyberpunk and the Boondocks. OMG, Yes was created and Exec Produced by Emmy Nominated Adele “Supreme” Williams (My Dad the Bounty Hunter) with animation from Six Point Harness.

Ha Ha You Clowns – Created by Joe Cappa (Ghost Dogs) and originally aired online, via the Adult Swim Smalls program. For those uninitiated with recent AS, Smalls started on the old adultswim.com (prior to the bloodletting that happened shortly after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger) and was touted as a sketch anthology series. It eventually morphed into a sort of pilot program where pilots/projects will sometimes air late night on the network. In the two-minute presentation below, there’s not much to go on outside of “Single dad taking care of his three sons after the death of his wife,” but it’s still a very silly two minutes and animation-wise has sort of a Bushworld/Yolo feel to it. If you’re on board, the rest of the episodes are available online with more Clowning. Hopefully with the 11.5 minute standard runtime, Cappa and crew can open it up further.

BUT WAIT…

In addition to new series (and kind of expected since co-creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel were there at the panel) Season THREE of Smiling Friends was announced! Obviously, with the second season still airing, we may have to wait quite a while to find out when exactly that will be. But still welcomed news.

Video + Info below. Information on release dates as they become available.

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At today’s Adult Swim – Defying Expectations Panel at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Adult Swim announced the following new series currently in production for the network:

“Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances” – Created by Emmy nominated writer and executive producer Adele “Supreme” Williams (Netflix’s “My Dad the Bounty Hunter”), the quarter-hour comedy follows three best friends navigating the wild and dicey dating misadventures in South Central LA, circa 2102. A pilot episode for the series aired last year as part of Adult Swim’s pilot block, and is currently available to watch on Adult Swim.com. “Oh My God Yes!” is executive produced by Dominique Braud and produced for Adult Swim by Six Point Harness.

“Ha Ha You Clowns” – Adult Swim has ordered a full series pick-up of the popular Adult Swim SMALLS animated short series. The quarter-hour comedy follows three sweet natured brothers who, alongside their deeply caring father, embark on various adventures as they bond together in the wake of their mother’s passing. Inspired by suburban family TV shows of the past, this series mixes heartfelt emotions with surreal comedy. It is created by Joe Cappa, whose animated short “Ghost Dogs” was a 2021 Sundance Festival Official Selection and winner of the Satoshi Kon Award at Fantasia.

Returning Series – In addition, Adult Swim announced that the hit series “SMILING FRIENDS,” currently in its sophomore season, will return to Adult Swim for a third season. 

Co-created and starring Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, “SMILING FRIENDS” follows the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world. The series was also selected for official competition at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

ADULT SWIM ORDERS “COMMON SIDE EFFECTS” FROM MIKE JUDGE AND GREG DANIELS 

New Half-Hour Comedy Series Created by Joe Bennet and Steve Hely Follows Discovery of Rare Cure-All and How the World Reacts

Adult Swim, the leader in adult animation and #1 destination for young adults, has greenlit “Common Side Effects,” it was announced today at Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The half-hour comedy series delves into the complex reactions to the revelation of the mysterious elixir of life. “Common Side Effects” was created by Joe Bennett and Steve Hely and is executive produced by “King of the Hill” creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.
 
“Common Side Effects” follows former high school lab partners Marshall and Frances who begin to unravel a conspiracy involving big pharma and the federal government to suppress knowledge of a rare mushroom that may hold the key to curing all the world’s diseases.
 
“Tonally, this is like nothing else in animation right now, so we knew immediately that ‘Common Side Effects’ belonged on Adult Swim,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network and Boomerang. “Mike, Greg and this entire team have such deep pedigrees in the comedy and animation worlds, and this new series will tackle everything from government corruption to the pharmaceutical industry through their unique and hilarious perspectives.”
 
“From the moment we heard the idea for ‘Common Side Effects’ we knew it was the perfect tone for our animation brand,” added Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president, original programming for Adult Swim and Max. “The series is based on a thought-provoking idea that is totally original and brought to life with complicated, larger than life characters. We look forward to introducing this special show to the world.”
 
Listed in Variety’s 2022 list of “10 Animators to Watch,” Bennett will also debut a sci-fi animated series “Scavengers Reign” for Max, and his animated shorts were featured on FXX’s anthology series “Cake.” Hely was a co-executive producer for the HBO series “Veep,” and a producer/writer for “American Dad,” “The Office” and “30 Rock.”
 
“Common Side Effects” will be produced by Bandera Entertainment with Judge, Daniels and Bandera president Dustin Davis serving as executive producers.

EMMY® AWARD WINNING SERIES
“GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY’S PRIMAL” WILL RETURN TO ADULT SWIM FOR A THIRD SEASON

Adult Swim, the leader in adult animation and #1 destination for young adults, will premiere a third season of the acclaimed series “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” it was announced today at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios, and the winner of five Emmy Awards including “Outstanding Animated Program,” the third season is currently in production with visionary creator Genndy Tartakovsky returning to helm the thrilling, action-packed series.

Combining artistry, emotion and pulse-pounding action, the first two seasons of the series followed a caveman at the dawn of evolution as he forms an unlikely friendship with an almost extinct dinosaur. After bonding over unfortunate tragedies, they ostensibly become each other’s only hope of survival until a final standoff becomes fatal.

The second season of “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal” reached nearly 4 million viewers on Adult Swim last year, ranking as a top 10 animated series on cable in P18-49 and among the top 5 most watched Adult Swim original series on linear. On Max, “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal” is the 6th most popular Adult Swim series since the platform launched domestically. Outside of the US, the series is the 2nd most popular Adult Swim series since launch.

“It’s happening!! ‘Primal’ has become a contagious disease that I don’t ever want to cure. Every episode flows out like an unstoppable force beyond my control. Prepare yourselves ‘Primal’ fans for Season 3 is coming!!!” declared Tartakovsky.

“Most shows would have a hard time continuing after the main character is killed off, but this isn’t most shows. Leave it to Genndy and team to keep us all in suspense as ‘Primal’ continues its adventure,” added Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim.

Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios said: “When Genndy says he is not finished with ‘Primal,’ our only job is to do everything possible to support that vision and give him the opportunity to tell more incredible and imaginative stories. I can’t wait to see where he takes us next.”

Celebrated for his expansive body of work on beloved animated series including “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Samurai Jack,” “Star Wars: Clone Wars,” and “Sym-Bionic Titan,” Tartakovsky’s newest series “Unicorn: Warriors Eternal” is currently airing on Adult Swim, next day on Max.

“Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal” is created by Genndy Tartakovsky with art direction from Scott Wills (“Unicorn: Warriors Eternal,” “The Ren & Stimpy Show,” “Samurai Jack”) and music composition from Tyler Bates (“Unicorn: Warriors Eternal,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Samurai Jack”) and Joanne Higginbottom (“Unicorn: Warriors Eternal,” “Samurai Jack”), and sound effects design from Joel Valentine (“Unicorn: Warriors Eternal,” “Big City Greens,” “Samurai Jack”).

According to BC, the panel will be hosted on Wednesday, June 14th with the panel consisting of Co-EP Steve Levy, Spencer Grammer who voices Summer, as well as Adult Swim President, Michael Ouweleen.

A decade of intergalactic adventures is something to celebrate! At this exclusive event, discover the intriguing evolution of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty and be among the first to get the scoop on the upcoming new season!

Since debuting in 2013, Adult Swim’s animated series Rick and Morty has grown from cult comedy to Emmy Award-winning global phenomenon. Its latest season debuted in 112 countries in 38 languages. Rick and Morty has been the best performing animated show on HBO Max in Europe since the platform launched and was a top 10 performing series on HBO Max in Europe in 2022. To highlight the first-ever Rick and Morty panel at Annecy, Co-Executive Producer Steve Levy and Voice Actor of Summer, Spencer Grammer will join Adult Swim President Michael Ouweleen for a special look at how the series originally developed at Adult Swim and how it has evolved through the past decade. Also hear details on what’s to come in the new season of Rick and Morty.

That last sentence especially holds a lot of weight as far as recent events regarding the series. We will be anxious to find out if there’s any voice casting news regarding the titular characters.

For more information, check out the Annecy Animation Festival page