Robot Chicken parodies Adult Swim for its 25th anniversary

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Published Jun 26, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT

Plus, an honest-to-goodness celebration of Adult Swim is coming

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Since Robot Chicken launched on Adult Swim in 2005, creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich have taken aim at the biggest names in pop culture. The stop-motion sketch comedy series has devoted specials to lampooning The Walking Dead, Star Wars, and DC Comics. Now the series is parodying its own home with a pair of new specials announced at Annecy Festival.

Adult Swim launched on Sept. 2, 2001 as a Cartoon Network programming block devoted to adult animation, with its first three-hour lineup including Cowboy Bebop, Sealab 2021, and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. A new Robot Chicken special being released in August will celebrate the block’s 25th anniversary by poking fun at the many shows Adult Swim has launched since, ranging from Aqua Teen Hunger Force to Rick and Morty to My Adventures with Superman. Cartoon Network celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2027, and Robot Chicken will devote another special to the network as a whole.

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The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special will bring together characters from Adult Swim history, including Assy McGee and Brock Sampson from The Venture Bros., alongside characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Black Jesus, and Metalocalypse, on a (disastrous) cruise ship celebration of the network's past 25 years. The special will premiere Aug. 30 on Adult Swim, and will stream on HBO Max starting Aug. 31.

Cartoon Network is also working on a five-part docuseries that will cover the people who built both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, combining archival footage with fresh interviews. It will presumably also be released next year to mark the anniversary.

Warner Bros. Animation provided Polygon’s accommodations for the Annecy Film Festival as part of a partnership. Polygon paid for its own travel. Read more about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

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