Adult Swim

The Adult Swim logo

Adult Swim, usually rendered [adult swim] on bumps, is the name for the adult-oriented television programming block on Cartoon Network. It premiered on September 2, 2001. On March 28, 2005, Nielsen Media Research began treating the block as a separate channel from Cartoon Network for ratings purposes. While unusual, this is not new. Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. and Nick at Nite blocks are also considered as separate channels by Nielsen. Adult Swim is part of Turner Broadcasting System, headquartered in Atlanta.

Originally a Sunday-only block (that also re-ran on Thursdays), Adult Swim now airs Monday-Thursdays at 10:30 p.m., Sundays at 10:00 p.m., and Saturdays at 11:00 p.m. (all times Eastern/Pacific), with an encore airing at 2 a.m. and then ending with older shows (depending if there is any time left, as on Sundays the programing encore ends at 6:00 a.m., leaving no time for old shows). Adult Swim programming may also be viewed online via Adult Swim Fix on adultswim.com.

The block, programmed by Williams Street Studios, the same group that created Toonami and Miguzi, plays American animated series and shorts geared towards adults, and a wide variety of Japanese anime series and OVAs. Promotions for Adult Swim have been targeted towards the college age group (18-24), which constitutes the majority of their viewers. According to a September 1, 2004 article in Promo magazine, representatives travel to 30 universities across the U.S. to promote the Adult Swim lineup, including handing out posters for students' dorm rooms.

The block is named after the hours designated at public swimming pools for adults-only swimming.

Originally, all of the bumps shown in between shows featured footage of senior citizens swimming in public pools with a lifeguard shouting through a megaphone. The current bumps feature black "cards" with white text on them, which discuss everything from news about the programming, to personal staff opinions on unrelated subjects. On Thursdays, Adult Swim airs cards which they pull from the Adult Swim message board and respond with their characteristic banter.